Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Paul Leonardi, Co-Author of The Digital Mindset - What it really takes to Thrive in the age of data, algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence— Published by Harvard Business Review Press. If you’ve not done so, I encourage you to listen to Part One of our interview first.

Now, consider this: According to an HBR article called "11 Trends that Will Shape Work in 2022 and Beyond:" (link below), one Trend highlighted is this: "Managerial tasks will be automated away, creating space for managers to build more human relationships with their employees." 

"The next generation of technology will start to replace additional managerial tasks, such as providing performance feedback and supporting employees in building new peer-to-peer connections. Our research shows that up to 65% of the tasks that a manager currently does has the potential to be automated by 2025." 

Hi, this is Peter Clayton, host of the TotalPicture Podcast. I focus on Innovation in HR Tech, TA Tech, Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, and career strategies. Today, I'm joined again by Paul  Leonardi,  the Duca Family professor of technology management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Paul’s Co-author Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor FitzHugh professor of business administration at Harvard Business School — an award-winning scholar, teacher, and expert on virtual and global work.

TALKING POINTS:

Paul, as I mentioned I’m my intro, I’d like to return to the three major approaches to the Digital Mindset used in your book: Collaboration, Computation, and Change. Can you briefly describe each of these and why they work together to create a Digital Mindset?

I’d like you to touch on the blockchain. A lot of people just relate it to cryptocurrency. What do I need to know about the blockchain for my career and my job?

I’d like to finish up our interview with this: There’s a fabulous 5-star review of your book on Amazon written by Robert Miller, a “Hall of Fame” reviewer. His review starts with this: Here is a prediction from Alvin Toffler in 1970: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." To me, that sums up what it really takes to adopt a Digital Mindset.  Do you agree?

How can our listeners and views connect with you and your work?

The authors of The Digital Mindset focus on the following questions that many people have today regarding how to interact in a digital world question such as:

How much technical capability do I need?

Do I need to learn how to code?

What do I need to know about algorithms?

What do I need to understand about big data?

How do I use digital tools effectively?

What exactly is AI?

Do I need to prepare to have a bot or robot on my team?

How do I collaborate successfully when people are working remotely?

What are the best ways to make sure my data and systems are secure?

How do I develop skills to compete in a digital economy?

Is digital transformation different from other transformations?

How do I build a digital-first culture?

Where do I start?

LINKS:

The Digital Mindset:  (Amazon Affiliate link)

Paul Leonardi's Website:  

11 Trends that Will Shape Work in 2022 and Beyond:

Part 1 of this interview on YouTube: 

#DigitalMindset #careerstrategy #futureofwork

In The Digital Mindset, "What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI," authors Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley specify the categories of skills that you’ll need and what 30% competence looks like in each of those categories. Once you have achieved the 30%, you will have created the platforms from which you’ll start to think differently — to think digitally. In Part One of my interview with Paul Leonardi, we do a deep dive into the 30% Rule, discuss collaboration, second mind apps, and more!

Paul  Leonardi, is the Duca Family professor of technology management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Paul’s Co-author Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor FitzHugh professor of business administration at Harvard Business School — an award-winning scholar, teacher, and expert on virtual and global work.

My name is Peter Clayton. My focus on this channel is to provide a Total Picture of Innovation in HR Tech. TA Tech, Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, and Career Strategies.

The authors of The Digital Mindset focus on the following questions that many people have today regarding how to interact in a digital world question such as:

How much technical capability do I need?

Do I need to learn how to code?

What do I need to know about algorithms?

What do I need to understand about big data?

How do I use digital tools effectively?

What exactly is AI?

Do I need to prepare to have a bot or robot on my team?

How do I collaborate successfully when people are working remotely?

What are the best ways to make sure my data and systems are secure?

How do I develop skills to compete in a digital economy?

Is digital transformation different from other transformations?

How do I build a digital-first culture?

Where do I start?

So, how will adopting a digital mindset future-proof you and your career? Let's find out.

#Chatbots, #AI #Uber #CandidateExperience #Recruiting #TalentAcquisition #HRTech

Chatbots have become an essential and strategic tool in talent acquisition, recruiting, and candidate experience. Hi, this is Peter Clayton, host of the TotalPicture Media Podcast. Joining me today is Jonathan Duarte, award-winning expert Chatbot Architect, and founder of GoHire. Jonathan has extensive industry expertise in human resources technology, customer service, SaaS, recruiting software automation, messaging, and enterprise artificial intelligence chatbots and virtual assistants.

I’ve known Jonathan for years and recently reconnected with him at an HR Tech Alliance virtual event. I know there’s lots of skepticism regarding the value of virtual events. However, whenever I’ve shown up – even virtually, it is well worth the effort.

GoHire offers a Suite of Recruiting Chatbots that helps companies Attract, Engage, and Hire job seekers through automated messaging platforms, including Text Messaging, Facebook Messenger (called GoBe), and Career Chat.

GoHire’s Text Messaging Chatbot has increased Candidate Engagements by over 900% and Candidate Application rates by 500%. (We’re going to talk about this later).

Talking Points:

Jonathan, welcome to the TotalPicture Podcast.

I’m sure by now everyone has some experience using a Chatbot – some good, some bad – what differentiates GoHire’s solutions, specifically as they relate to talent acquisition and candidate experience?

How has the pandemic, and the current aftermath, changed your Chatbot’s algorithms?

Jonathan, in your conversations with recruiters and TA leaders, what are their most significant current pain points?

Several years ago, I interviewed our friend Maren Hogan, founder of Red Branch Media (I’ll link to the video in the show notes). According to her research, millennials prefer engaging with a chatbot in the early stages of a job search. Does your experience support this?

As I mentioned in my open, GoHire’s Text Messaging Chatbot has increased Candidate Engagements by over 900% and Candidate Application rates by 500%. Can you unpack this for us? And while you’re at it, can you talk about candidate profile creation, pre-screening, and other SMS tools GoHire employs?

How does GoHire integrate with and support Career Websites?

How does GoHire integrate with a company’s current ATS and other HRIS databases?

What levels of job postings offer the best Chatbot engagement? (Entry-level, mid-level, etc.)

Are there specific job categories that are especially effective when using chatbot tech? (i.e., programming jobs, marketing, sales, accounting).

What are the most common mistakes companies make when implementing chatbot or SMS systems?

What does a GoHire implementation look like? How long does it take? What type of training do you provide to get new users up to speed?

How can our viewers and podcast listeners connect with you?

Resources:

GoHire: https://gohire.com

Maren Hogan:

According to Delphine, women leave the workforce before they hit the c-suite at 3x the rate of men. As women find non-traditional ways to use their professional skills, 3 out of 5 highly qualified women end up having non-linear careers

IF YOU LEAD A TEAM OR ORGANIZATION, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE HITTING THE “CEILING OF COMPLEXITY” AS DAILY OPERATIONAL DEMANDS SUCK ALL YOUR TIME, LEAVING NO SPACE FOR STRATEGIC THINKING AND WORKING ON “NEEDLE-MOVING” INITIATIVES.

Peter Clayton’s guest for this Career Strategy episode on The TotalPicture Media Podcast is Richard Medcalf, founder of Xquadrant and an executive coach to some of the world’s most impressive and successful CEOs and their teams. Richard shares four key insights that help his clients make real transformational progress in this area and become champions of transformational change.

Introduction

A common theme amongst CEOs, C-Suite leaders, and my other top performing clients: too much time in operations and not enough on strategic projects.

How do I free myself from operational tasks to focus on more important things?

But there are so many books out there, so many tips and tools – why is this still an issue?

Shift 1: Stop trying to free up time

Message: When you focus on higher-value tasks, everything becomes easier

Story: “instant delegation mastery”

Tool: last year/next year

Shift 2: Examine your beliefs first

Message: You don’t need a productivity hack, you need a mindset shift

Story: “the high-performing janitor”

Tool: what do I get out of this?

Shift 3: Acceleration, not speed

Message: You need to implement a system for getting better at getting better

Story: “$100 hammer”

Tool: opex vs capex

Shift 4: Work the room

Message: You can’t level-up without renegotiating your agreements

Story: “the perfectly responsive CXO”

Tool: agreement/expectation

Resources:

Free guide: “The Executive’s Productivity Paradigm: 4 uncommon insights to free yourself up from low value tasks and be more strategic” https://xquadrant.com/go/productivity

Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmedcalf/

How to Sell in a World That Never Stops Changing

Rather than moving sequentially through the sales process, buyers now progress in parallel activity streams – explore, evaluate, engage, experience – as they make a purchase decision. While selling is changing, much of the conventional wisdom about the impact of e-commerce, big data, AI, and other megatrends on sales is misleading and not supported by data, declares Harvard Business School professor Frank Cespedes.

In SALES MANAGEMENT THAT WORKS, Cespedes separates signal from noise and truth from hype. Selling and profitable growth today involve a combination of factors: a coherent strategy, relevant hiring practices, and incentives, and ongoing performance management that motivates the right behaviors in the face of many changes outside a company’s control. Cespedes provides data, examples, diagnostics, and insights in five key areas:

People – Hiring is tougher as selling becomes a more data-intensive activity, and companies already spend 20% more per-capita on sales training than in other functions. But most hiring and training practices only exacerbate the difficulties and, as Cespedes points out, “customer focus” remains a perennial slogan but not a behavioral reality at most firms.

Process – Without a coherent sales model, selling is a series of individual activities. As the lines between online and in person sales are blurring, companies need to rethink—and reconstruct—their current sales models and this has implications for customer selection, deployment, metrics, and compensation plans.

Pricing – In a changing landscape, pricing can build or destroy profits faster than almost any other business activity. Linking pricing with a value proposition, sales model, and selling behaviors is essential, and in information-rich markets price testing is especially important. The book discusses how to do that and why, despite conventional wisdom, value-pricing approaches are now more possible in many categories.

Partners – Buying is now a dynamic process where a prospect and order touch multiple points in the distribution channel for most products and services. Hence, selling now means working with partners that are influential during the buying journey and after the sale. The options have increased, and so has the managerial complexity. Realigning the role of channels in sales programs is critical.

Productivity – Customer acquisition plays an essential role in a company’s success, yet many C-suite leaders are out of touch with sales activities. Leaders need to close this gap and, especially in services-dominated economies like the U.S. and many other nations, increasing sales productivity is a social responsibility of management as well as essential to profitability and growth.

Welcome to the TotalPicture Podcast with Producer/Host Peter Clayton. Today, we’re going to focus on immigration – specifically The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, also known as the green card lottery. The Immigration Act of 1990 established the current and permanent Diversity Visa (DV) program. Joining me is Brian Fancher, the VP of I-9 Product Management and Chief Compliance Officer at Tracker, recently acquired by Mitratech.

TALKING POINTS:

* Brian, welcome to the TotalPicture Podcast. Tell us a little bit about your background.

* Is Tracker operating as a separate company, or are you integrated with Mitratech?

* Talk to us about I-9 Compliance. Specifically, what is I-9?

* Why did Mitratech acquire your company, Tracker – and what other products and services does Mitratech offer?

* What are some of the new reforms to the employment-based immigration system?

* As I mentioned in my open, the Diversity Immigrant Visa program was first enacted in 1990 give us some background regarding DIV.

* If your native country (say India), is not eligible under the DIV, are there other ways you can qualify for the Diversity Visa?

* What are the educational requirements?

* S. green cards might increase under the Diversity Visa Program from 55,000 to 80,000. How can HR departments work with their company legal teams to be prepared for this?

* What are some of the changes to the E-Verify employment verification system?  How does this affect HR departments?

* What are some other issues you see in 2021 regarding immigration compliance?

* Since the DIV is a lottery if you applied can you check your status?

* I’ve heard that if you’re selected in the green card lottery, it’s important to act fast, even though it could still be a year or more before you’re able to come to the US. Is that true?

* Is it true that there are many deceptive agencies that charge fees from applicants or falsely claim to increase the applicant’s winning chances?

* What haven't I asked that's important for our audience to know about the current immigration laws and procedures?

BACKGROUND FROM WIKIPEDIA

The lottery is administered by the Department of State and conducted under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). As of this year, It makes available 80,000 immigrant visas annually, (up from 55,000), and aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States, by selecting applicants from countries with low numbers of immigrants in the previous five years. Around 12 million people applied for the lottery in 2019. The most recent entry period for the lottery was from October 7 to November 10, 2020.[1]

Many deceptive agencies charge fees from applicants or falsely claim to increase their winning chances, but in fact the only way to apply for the lottery is to complete the entry form on the Department of State website, free of charge.

The Immigration Act of 1990 was passed with bipartisan support and signed by President George H. W. Bush.[11] The legislation established the current and permanent Diversity Visa (DV) program, where immigrant visas are available in an annual lottery. Give us some background and history.

INTRODUCTION:

Bonnie Marcus is an award-winning entrepreneur, Forbes contributing writer, and executive coach. She assists professional women to successfully navigate the workplace and position and promote themselves to advance their careers. With 20 plus years of sales and management experience, Bonnie’s extensive business background includes executive positions in startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. A certified coach, Bonnie has been honored by Global Gurus as one of the world’s top 30 coaches. Her new book is titled NOT DONE YET! How Women over 50 Regin Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power. (Amazon Affiliate Link).

Despite advances made by women in the workplace, pay inequity and under-representation in top positions are still a reality, unfortunately, the situation looks worse for older women, who face the double whammy of gendered ageism. As a woman over 50, you may be wondering if there’s anything you can do as you face down diminished responsibilities, decreasing visibility, and the looming specter of being aged out. In her new book not done yet how women over 50 regain their confidence claim workplace power Bonnie is out to convince you that, in fact, you can do a whole lot. You can keep your job, advance your career, do the work you love and need to do, and defy all the ageist assumptions that suggest otherwise.

TALKING POINTS

* Tell us about your background and the inspiration to write Not Done Yet!

* Ageism is an equal opportunity un-employer. It’s not just women, but men over 50 who are overlooked and ignored. That said, I think women still get the shorter end of the stick. Am I right?

* What is the most important thing a woman over 50 looking for a job needs to do?

* Then there’s the retirement conundrum. As an independent contractor, I’ve found when my primary contact leaves or retires, the person replacing him or her – i.e. the ‘client’ oftentimes is younger and wants to work with their peers, not someone who reminds them of their parents. I would guess this dynamic plays out internally as well. How do you overcome this?

* Let’s face it Bonnie, if you’re a young, attractive woman with a great personality, that’s all you really need to get ahead in corporate America. Do you agree?

* However, if your hair is turning grey, you’re overweight, and you’re not what most people would consider attractive, you’re basically screwed when it comes to visibility and promotion within many companies.

* When you were doing the research for your book Not Done Yet, what were some of the issues that kept coming up over and over again for women over 50?

* Have you seen a difference between extraverts and introverts over 50 when it comes to promotions and job security?

* I’m going to lift one of your chapter titles for my next question: how do you respond to ageist comments without getting fired? Additionally, how do you talk to your boss about ageism and sexism?

* Obviously, most of us are working from home. How has the pandemic affected women over 50? Have you noticed any trends? Has your coaching practice changed?

* What did you learn that perhaps surprised you researching and writing Not Done Yet?

* What are the two or three most important take-aways from your book?

* I’m going to steal a couple Tim Ferriss questions: If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say?

* In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

What have I missed?

Welcome to an Innovation edition of the TotalPicture Podcast with your host Peter Clayton. According to my guests today, The key to advancing gender equality? Men!

Joining me are David Smith and W. Brad Johnson, authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace published by Harvard Business Review Press. David Smith is professor of sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the US Naval War College, and Brad Johnson is a professor of psychology in the department of Leadership Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at John Hopkins University. They are the coauthors of Athena Rising, How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.

TALKING POINTS:

* Welcome, David and Brad. As the father of three girls, I was immediately drawn to Good Guys.

* I’ve spent enough time in male-dominated industries and organizations to have seen firsthand the disadvantage women have.

* According to the Preface of Good Guys, your book Athena Rising was the catalyst for writing your new book. Can you give us some background?

* You interviewed a number of men and women in writing Good Guys, men who are considered to be allies to women in the workplace. According to the women you spoke to, what traits defined their male coworkers as allies? and Are there any traits that seem to be consistent across the board?

* What surprised you, if anything, in researching and writing Good Guys?

* The current world we’re living in seems to me to have raised a number of interesting issues directly related to gender equity. First, guess what? You can work from home and be effective. All of a sudden, the idea of everyone must come to the office to get work done has been shown to be a male fantasy. What’s your take?

* You interviewed a number of men and women in writing Good Guys, men who are considered to be allies to women in the workplace. According to the women you spoke to, what traits defined their male coworkers as allies? and Are there any traits that seem to be consistent across the board?

* What surprised you, if anything, in researching and writing Good Guys?

* The current world we’re living in seems to me to have raised a number of interesting issues directly related to gender equity. First, guess what? You can work from home and be effective. All of a sudden, the idea of everyone must come to the office to get work done has been shown to be a male fantasy. What’s your take? How has the pandemic impacted gender equality?

* Do you think work from home will help to advance gender equality? So now that everyone who can work from home is – how can men become better allies to the women they’re virtually working with?

* You have an entire chapter titled “To Be Legit as an Ally, Start at Home,” which I think has taken on new meaning and importance. Can you share with us strategies when you have two parents working from home on Zoom calls with kids and cats and dogs and chaos on a daily basis?

* Why do so many women choose careers in HR? Virtually every CHRO I know is a woman.

* Last week I participated in an HR Tech Alliances Virtual event that showcased several companies in workforce analytics – or people analytics and the data these companies are able to extract and analyze is truly amazing. One company, Claro had a nifty chart called “Female Representation in the Workforce and Leadership Positions.

* So companies being able to hide behind opaque PR is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Do you think more transparency will motivate companies to practice more gender diversity in their leadership?

* D&I Has been a hot topic at every HR Tech and Talent Acquisition virtual event this year. Is it being discussed in universities?

* What are the 2 or 3 most important takeaways from your book?

Roots Provides HR Solutions Using Slack

 

Welcome to another edition of WTF-2020 How to Pivot in the COVID-19 Shit Show with your host on the TotalPicture Podcast, Peter Clayton. Today, we're focusing on an HR Tech Startup called Roots.

Do you know who’s gone bonkers since Covid-19 besides the usual suspects like Amazon and Instacart? Slack. Think about it. What if you could run your entire HR org. on Slack, with no bulky software or candidate tracking systems? In today’s remote work world where Slack is king, that’s the vision of my guest today: Kevin Corliss, CEO of Roots (formerly Treehoppr -- WTF? Treehoppr??).

Here's what's cool: Kevin's startup offers a set of modular and employee-friendly HR solutions for Slack that track time off, manage candidate referrals, and measure employee engagement. Built for the remote workforce, Roots is used by the largest remote-first companies like Gitlab and Toptal. Founded in 2017 by two friends navigating the corporate world, Roots is dedicated to reshaping HR, ridding the workplace of bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy, and positively impacting employee wellness, productivity, and retention.