"If you hire the right people, they are going to want to be part of your brand. But make no mistake, having your critical actions in place when they get onboarded is vital."

Clarity and consistency in your company’s values can transform your organization. When we started implementing critical actions at Best Culture Solutions, we faced some resistance. However, after rolling out our critical actions our team adapted, service quality soared, and customer feedback became overwhelmingly positive. Listen and check out the blog for more on how critical actions helped our team get clarity in their roles and interactions.

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

"Suspend an expectation that there's going to be a transaction. You don't know where it's going to go."

Networking does not have to feel icky. Unfortunately many people see networking the way Kathi Brewer-Gouthro once did. When she first had to dive into networking,  she felt stuck in a “rigorously unproductive” mindset. Networking always seemed to focus on schmoozing, which felt unnecessary and uncomfortable.

When Kathi was faced with a career transition she knew it meant she had to also update her network. That prompted a needed change her approach. Over time she reframed her assumption that networking is just about who you know. It's about genuine connections and a mutual exchange of value.

It started to click for Kathi when she picked up a copy of "The 20-Minute Networking Meeting" by Nathan Perez and Marcia Belanger. Before reading that book, she had a handful of awkward, zero-value conversations. After embracing their structured approach, things changed dramatically.

Each networking “meeting” had a:

1. Strong first impression

2. Clear overview of my career

3. Genuine discussion points

4. Respectful, timely ending

5. Sincere follow-up within 24 hours

Since implementing this structure Kathi has had dozens of successful, enriching conversations. The conversations have not only broadened her horizons, they also made networking feel authentic and purposeful.

Networking does not need to make you cringe or feel uncomfortable. Instead of avoiding it, equip yourself with the right tools. Approach conversations with genuine curiosity and value-driven intentions. You may be surprised at how organic and rewarding those connections can become.

Looking for help with your own career transition? Reach out to our team at Best Culture Solutions. 

Notable Moments

01:02 Networking is essential, not just passive engagement.

05:39 Networking requires active effort and learning.

09:22 Using a 20-minute networking structure for intentional connection.

11:45 Take the time to prepare, stick to schedule, follow up afterward.

14:20 Networking enhances comfort and success in career transitions.

17:58 Your network can provide opportunities and supports career development.

21:33 People value genuine connection and support.

Connect with Kathi

Kathi on LinkedIn

Email Kathi

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

"You cannot allow the important decision that you're about to make get hijacked by somebody else's agenda."

Notable Moments

01:02 Being strategic when choosing references for job applications.

05:29 Use references to verify professional history objectively.

06:40 Subjective questions risk skewed, unobjective performance evaluations.

11:22 Proper interviewing prevents agenda-driven hiring mistakes.

13:56 Assess each hiring step's purpose and effectiveness.

For years, I relied heavily on job references to gauge a candidate's potential. It isn't an uncommon practice. Leaders schedule reference calls, then ask for insights into a candidate’s performance, strengths, and weaknesses. You name it, it gets asked.

The problem is that this rarely gives insight into the authentic performance of someone. Instead, you end up with subjective opinions, cherry-picked praises, generic answers, hidden agendas, and non-stop bias. Employers end up getting answers that are often anything but the truth.

In fact, it took countless mistakes before I understood that traditional reference checks weren’t telling me what I needed to know. It became clear that I needed to make a shift and stop depending on references to validate what I hoped to hear. I shifted to calling references for truth verification and relied more on a robust interviewing process. And guess what? The quality of my hires improved dramatically. We started finding candidates who truly fit our roles and culture.

If you’re in a challenging season of hiring, consider evaluating and evolving your process. It may be time to part with old ways and embrace new techniques. Revamping the way you use job references can help you build a stronger team, one honest step at a time!

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

"The same time that you're the captain of the ship, you also have to be a good Lieutenant. And that is listening to the command of others that may or may not be on the ship."

Leadership journeys are a mix of leading and following. It is incredibly important to be adaptable. Donald Forgione pushed pause on his podcast, Tailgate Talks, to join for a conversation about the true essence of leadership. Early in my leadership career, I thought it was all about being the one to direct and make every decision. As Donald highlights, effective leadership often means knowing when to let others lead. 

Read our blog about how to navigate the delicate balance of leading and following.

Notable Moments

01:06 Donald Forgione's career journey

04:10 Balance authority with active listening

08:01 Effective leaders rely on frontline communication and trust

10:45 Two-way accountability crucial for effective leadership

13:43 Following orders: Ethical dilemmas versus personal preferences.

18:03 Stand for ethics, not emotional partisan disputes.

Connect with Donald Forgione

About Donald Forgione

Tailgate Talks Podcast

[email protected]

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

“Psychological safety is paramount to creating a high performing team and getting the most out of your experiences with that team."

Notable Moments

01:02 Surveys can reveal blind spots, improve processes, bolster safety.

04:04 Psychological safety builds high-performing, trusting teams.

09:47 Leader's mindset key; feedback aggregated confidentially.

11:22 Gather actionable feedback, ensure transparency, build trust.

15:08 Assess company culture and leadership alignment effectively.

When done with intention, leadership surveys can transform your workplace culture. Surveys that are well-developed are rolled out with meaning help organizations gauge their work culture and leadership. Unfortunately, many people have had experiences with surveys that leave them skeptical or fearful there would be retaliation if they were too candid. That doesn’t have to be the case for your company though. Read the blog on our website for how we've found success building culture with leadership surveys. 

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

"When you set up a performance management system and set up those goals, do it collaboratively. Otherwise, it's going to be very hard to get buy-in from the employees and team members involved if they weren't part of it to begin with."

Organizations that are defining their culture need to be careful with the ways they operationalize it. One of the slippery slopes leaders run into is integrating culture with performance evaluations without falling into the trap of subjectivity. Making something subjective like culture become measurable is no small feat. Read the blog for more on how I recommend organizations approch it.

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

"Onboarding is your biggest best opportunity to make a first impression and set people on the right path as far as what your shared beliefs, values, and behaviors are.

Notable Moments

01:03 Leader discovers differing views on company culture.

04:54 Onboarding is crucial for setting shared values.

08:41 Clarify values for effective leadership and hiring.

12:02 Align customer service with principles, involve team.

13:49 Set boundaries, follow-through; improves relationships significantly.

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

What would happen if you were to ask various members of your team to define your company culture? After Lee Cockrell’s recent Mastermind in Orlando, a corporate leader followed up with Jody to report back something that happened when he returned to work. He asked 8 of his organizational leaders to define their company's culture and all 8 had different answers. While it may seem surprising, that lack of alignment is not at all unique.  Read our blog about how to define your culture and align your teams.

"It's a big mistake for any employer to think that they could cut corners by hiring someone with experience."

Building the perfect team takes time. You can save some time though by making sure to avoid a common hiring pitfall.  When I first started coaching hiring managers through Best Culture Solutions, the goal was to transform traditional hiring practices and cultivate winning cultures. But there were times it felt like we'd never get there. Read the blog to learn about the shift we helped leaders make.

Notable Moments

00:57 Reconsider traditional hiring practices to attract  the right talent.

04:54 Skill alone doesn't guarantee success; passion and mindset matter.

08:18 Employers mistakenly assume experienced hires need no training.

11:47 Experience aids development, but requires adaptability.

14:15 Transferable skills matter more than industry experience.

18:06 Shared values cultivate successful organizational cultures.

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Katie 

Website: https://katiecurrens.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiecurrens/

Notable Moments

01:32 Creating clarity in the interview process

03:31 Identify who is going to be in the room

04:13 Know their objectives 

05:27 Understand your objectives

07:52 Desired next steps

11:11 Managing risk in new situations

Effective communication can set you apart in any interview process. Best Culture Solutions was started with a vision of helping leaders create winning cultures and helping job seekers land roles they love. Along the way, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with a number of industry experts including Mike Simmons of Catalyst Sales. Mike's insights on using communication tools during interviews have been game-changing for so many clients.

Mike has a fantastic tool for interview prep that he shared on our recent podcast episode. Read more about it here in our blog. 

Connect with Mike

https://findmycatalyst.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/simmons_m

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesimmons/

Catalyst Sale - Link Tree - https://linktr.ee/catalystsale

GAME Plan - https://catalystsale.com/game

Catalyst Sale - https://catalystsale.com/ 

Catalyst Sale Courses - https://catalystsale.mykajabi.com/store

Catalyst Sale Podcast - https://catalystsale.libsyn.com/

Initial Clarity Call - https://calendly.com/simmons_catalystsale/25min-initial

Twitter - https://twitter.com/simmons_m

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesimmons/

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]

"Go out and do the work on your own to figure your stuff out. Don't expect somebody else to figure your stuff out for you."

If you're feeling stuck in your job search, don't give up. Get clarity. Navigating your career path can sometimes feel like an endless maze with no exit in sight. It's that overwhelming moment when you think, "I need a change, but where do I even start?"

That's where clarity comes in. Read more on our blog here.

Connect with Mike

https://findmycatalyst.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/simmons_m

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesimmons/

Catalyst Sale - Link Tree - https://linktr.ee/catalystsale

GAME Plan - https://catalystsale.com/game

Catalyst Sale - https://catalystsale.com/ 

Catalyst Sale Courses - https://catalystsale.mykajabi.com/store

Catalyst Sale Podcast - https://catalystsale.libsyn.com/

Initial Clarity Call - https://calendly.com/simmons_catalystsale/25min-initial

Twitter - https://twitter.com/simmons_m

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesimmons/

Connect with Tim and his team:

Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/

LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc

Instagram: @best.culture.solutions  

Email: [email protected]