Episodes

  • Teresa Tanner | Creating a Workplace that Supports Women and Gender Equity

    Teresa Tanner | Creating a Workplace that Supports Women and Gender Equity
    Jul 5 2021
    Ever since Teresa Tanner entered the workforce at the age of 16, she knew things were different for women. This understanding led her to found Reserve Squad, a business that helps companies retain employees who pause their careers to take care of family or other obligations. “We've lost about two and a half million women from the workforce,” Teresa says of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are at the lowest workforce participation rate that we've been in 33 years, so basically, my entire career has been wiped out for this pandemic.”Teresa started her career at McDonald’s, where her higher-ups told her they wanted her to take on an HR role. She was wary. As an operations manager, Teresa thought HR was administrative, bureaucratic and, at times, a barrier. She agreed to do it for a couple years, saying she eventually wanted to go back to operations. Spoiler: Teresa never went back to operations. Following her time at McDonald’s, she went on to join Fifth Third Bank as an HR leader, eventually rising to the C-suite. Throughout her career, Teresa knew that she had to position herself differently and overcome barriers many of her male co-workers did not face. “As we look forward 10, 20, 30 years, what are the things that we can do today to change some of those outcomes? Some of these barriers have been in place for for many, many decades, and we have to think differently if we want to pivot away from that,” she says. Teresa’s experiences over the years, including a shooting at Fifth Third and the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted for her the importance of a human-first approach to management. As companies move forward from the pandemic, she explains why leading with empathy is a must. Featured LeaderName: Teresa TannerTitle: Founder and CEOCompany: Reserve SquadNoteworthy: Teresa has a two-year-old granddaughter, and she dreams of a world where her granddaughter will have less barriers than she did. Where to find Teresa: Twitter | LinkedInHuman Resolve Episode 14 HighlightsHighlights from the transcript.💡 Reflecting on being a woman in the workforce [8:11] “The minute I entered the workforce, I understood that things were different for women. It was just so obvious in so many different ways. Whether it was the unconscious bias, whether it was the overt sexual harassment, and things like that, the language and things you were exposed to in the in the work environment, you noticed it right away. I've known my entire career that as a woman, I needed to be aware of things. I needed to posture things differently. I needed to position myself differently. I needed to overcome certain barriers that other people didn't have, so it was very obvious even at a very young age, and I saw it manifest over my career in a lot of different ways.”💡 Giving employees a space to speak up [18:32] “We have to lead with empathy. We have to really sometimes just take our business hats off and connect as humans, and we have to put ourselves in other people's shoes, to sit with them, hold space with them and listen. I think going back to the shooting, that's what we tried to do when there were so many employees that were afraid. I mean, this happened in the lobby in which people swipe their badges and come into work every day, and we had so many employees that were just so afraid to re-enter that space. And there were no words, nothing we could say, to inspire them to fix it. There's no policy we could put in place, and so we just held space.”💡 Evolving work policies after COVID-19[20:15] “I think that as employers, we just need to take time instead of saying, ‘OK, here's our new flexible work policies’ — right, that's the easiest place to go — is make sure we're listening to our employees and saying, ‘What do you need?’ and creating that space for them to speak and then leading with empathy, and I'm encouraging people all the time. Everybody's rushing back with their plans to get back to work, and how you're going to do hybrid, and how you're going to do vaccines, and whether you're going to have masks and distancing. All of those are important elements, but don't rush to that without really listening with empathy to what your employees need. Because if we do, we are going to rush past and people aren't OK yet, and infrastructure isn't back yet, and we have an opportunity to lead in a human way that really meets the needs of our people.”💡 If you’re going to be flexible, adjust performance reviews to match[23:35] “This is a huge effect and impact on the women, and so I worry that even as the jobs start coming back, the infrastructure for women is not going to be back, and so disproportionately more men are going to be taking those jobs. Then for companies even that are offering these flexible work arrangements — which I love, and I'm encouraging companies to do — we have to be careful that there's not an unintended consequence around how performance is viewed and ...
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    32 mins
  • Jessica Lopez & Monique Harty | How to Create a Nationally Ranked Wellness Program for Your People

    Jessica Lopez & Monique Harty | How to Create a Nationally Ranked Wellness Program for Your People
    Jun 21 2021
    Featured LeadersName: Jessica Lopez Title: Chief of StaffCompany: U-Haul International, Inc.Noteworthy: Jessica was a finalist for 2018 Business Leader of Year and a 2020 Health Intelligence Hero.Where to find Jessica: LinkedIn Name: Monique HartyTitle: Wellness Program ManagerCompany: U-Haul International, Inc.Noteworthy: Monique was on azcentral.com’s “Who’s Next” list for emerging health experts.Where to find Monique: LinkedInHuman Resolve Episode 13 HighlightsHighlights from the transcript. 💡 Maximize your current medical plan’s potential before considering a switch[11:10] “You should start with utilizing what you’re already paying for. … There were a ton of chronic conditions programs that lived within our medical plan already, that we really weren't using. So we focused — and we're still focusing on — promoting and marketing those, and building incentivized plans to get more people engaged. And, I think that sometimes you're so inclined to go see a vendor that has all the bells and whistles, and sometimes that's great. But, you have to start with what you already have. And you can't really go and focus on every single aspect of every vendor, you have to narrow it down.”💡 Buy-in from the top makes new programs work[15:15] “With the Healthy Living seminar that we did in front of all of our presidents with Monique up on stage and myself, [U-Haul CEO] Joe actually introduced us, so that just sets the tone for the program. … He is constantly evolving and bringing ideas and endorsing and supporting. He travels every other week, and he'll say, ‘More people in the field know you and Monique, so it's working. People want to be healthy, no one wants to be unhealthy.’ So with his leadership, and his buy-in and his commitment, this has to happen. If not, it will not be a successful program.”💡 Quit trying to fix things that aren’t broken[16:16] “We talk about measuring what you have so that you can see what programs are working, what are not. And then at that point, when you see the gaps, you can reach out to companies [and] vendors to bring on because you already know the gaps that you're missing.”💡 Employee testimonials as a testament to a program’s impact[18:01] “I know that when someone comes up to share their story with me, I am honored that they trusted me and confided in me. And, you know, I've had people say that I motivated them or explain something that Monique did for them, whether it's creating a meal plan. … I mean, she goes above and beyond, nobody even knows. So the fact that we actually can see the fruits of our labor and see that we're actually saving lives is everything for me.”💡 Wellness programs take many shapes and forms[18:38] “Sometimes they don't see the full aspect of what a wellness program can really bring to a company and to its team members. … For the corporate cafe [we have] 500 calorie meals under $5. What a benefit that is. We have Wellness Wednesdays when salads are half off. So there's people that buy salads for everybody in their family and have dinner that night. You’re making their lives easier, providing them with healthy food, or at least options that they can take home to make their lives easier.”💡 Employee Assistance Programs are more important than ever as the pandemic’s end nears [24:02] “I have chills just now because this has been something that we know that we've needed since the get-go. This was actually one of our goals, like we need an EAP program because we hear from everyone and everyone trusts us. So we know we need an EAP program. We implemented it at the perfect time, like Monique said, but utilization through 2020 is tripled. People need it. ” 💡 Managers must be able to identify when an employee is struggling so they can offer help [25:25] “Having a manager feel empowered to have training to understand a sign or a symptom around stress and anxiety, and then how to support an individual going through that challenge. Like you said earlier, we're not expecting them to be a clinician, but just understand how to best support them and what resources are available and point them in that direction.”💡 The first three steps to creating a wellness program are all about leaders and benefits[34:40] “I would say leadership buy-in, hiring a genuine person that truly cares about people. And then looking at your existing benefits and seeing how you can utilize all of that — those three things are key, that's how we started. And from there, you'll just blossom because at the end of the day, you're going to start a wellness program for the people. For the team. So your intentions are amazing from the get-go. So, if you have those three things, you're off to the races.”Top quotes from the episode:Ryan Bojrab:Quote #1[13:13] “There's amazing resources available through the carriers today. And there's a lot of vendors out there that have shiny objects and shiny pennies from a ...
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    30 mins
  • Angela Smith Jones | Having Resilience and Empathy in Your DE&I Journey

    Angela Smith Jones | Having Resilience and Empathy in Your DE&I Journey
    Jun 1 2021
    When Angela Smith Jones was Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis, she set the tone as an inclusive leader by extending a hand to people who normally don’t get one – people like herself.“I took an intern every single quarter that we were able to get interns and the people who ran the internship program knew we're going to pitch the people to Deputy Mayor Angela Smith Jones that other people might not take because I was all about access,” Angela says. “I was like … I'm going to give you access because I wanted somebody else to give me access when I was your age.’”On this episode of Human Resolve a year after the death of George Floyd, host Mark Minner speaks with Angela about how her parents raised her to appreciate diversity, and why it’s crucial to lean into uncomfortable conversations and use them as an opportunity for human connection. Although they’re far from easy, she stresses why having these discussions in the workplace are crucial and gives advice on how to navigate them. Angela also shares how her background in public policy and economic development helped prepare her for her current role as Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion at Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County, and offers advice for individuals working on DE&I in their own office. “The business argument is it’s actually increased profitability and saving of money,” Angela says. “And then the human perspective is I want to feel welcome, too. And I want my kids and my brothers and sisters to feel welcome wherever they're going.” Featured LeaderName: Angela Smith JonesTitle: Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion Company: Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion CountyNoteworthy: Angela helped her best friend’s mother go from being an openly racist, close-minded individual to loving and accepting Angela, a Black woman, like a second daughter. Where to find Angela: LinkedInHuman Resolve Episode 12 HighlightsHighlights from the transcript.💡 Education is the foundation for all D and I initiatives [04:36] “[In school,] we were able to really live in a diverse world and out of all of our teachers, I would say maybe two teachers were American. The remaining teachers were all immigrants, born and raised in their home countries and had their original native accent. So my parents really embraced that. And we talked all the time about the value of embracing people from different cultures and backgrounds. … My parents have always said, ‘The only thing I can give you that no one can take from you is your education.’ Because if you think about historical Black America, the government could take your land, they could take your home. So even property wasn't something that you could keep, but an education is in your mind.”💡 Inclusion starts with an intention to comprehend someone different from you[09:23] “It is true that Black women, we don't like people touching our hair. … [At Miami University] one of my dorm mates was a white woman and she was watching me wash my hair and she was so curious. She was looking at me, and kind of like ‘Can I touch your hair?’ So she asks, so right there, she's winning. And I was feeling like I was winning and I linked in and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And so I let her touch my hair. … I've had people ask me in the last 10 years about that as well, but at Miami, for me, that was an opportunity where I said, ‘You know what? This is an opportunity and occasion to educate, like what if she grows up and she marries a Black man and she has biracial babies? Now she'll understand their hair more because she and I had this conversation.’”💡 Lean into discomfort by asking difficult questions respectfully[12:43] "That little kind of nervous hitch that you get in your gut that makes you kind of like, ‘Oh, I don't know if I want to do this, I kind of feel uncomfortable’ — you gotta lean into it. And you just have to ask whatever that question is. And just know if you're being very sincere and genuine, that the person who's getting the question will more than likely respond with great kindness and great generosity. … I think having just a sincere approach like ‘I know I don't know, but I want to know. I want to understand.’ If that's your heart, from where you're coming, then it will make it easier for whomever you're engaging to continue to engage with you and say ‘I know you don't know. I know you're asking out of sincerity and it's OK. We can go on this journey together.’” 💡 Improving inclusion and diversity in the workplace starts with the heart[18:18] "It's important enough for me to understand you, understand that other person, that other culture, whatever it is, it's important enough for me to respect people and from where they come from. So if you think like that and you lean into that, you can really dig deep into your heart and soul and realize I can go a little further, I can do a little more. This journey of D and I at ...
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    38 mins
  • Sally Hornick Anderson | Breaking Down Google’s Devotion to Their Core Values & People

    Sally Hornick Anderson | Breaking Down Google’s Devotion to Their Core Values & People
    May 17 2021
    When Sally Hornick Anderson’s 13-year-old child came out to her as non-binary, wanting to use the pronouns “they” and “them,” they went to the right person. Sally remembered the story“The therapist that they were working with said ‘Hey, how did your parents respond?’ And they said, ‘Well, my mom works in diversity. So of course, she was OK with it.’”Sally, Google’s Workforce Diversity Director, believes it’s every HR professional’s duty to make employees feel accepted and comfortable. And developing an open relationship with your team requires being genuine about your own experiences. On this episode of Human Resolve, host Mark Minner speaks with Sally about the importance of HR professionals being allies, the power of uncomfortable conversations (especially around race) and why it’s crucial to check in on employees regularly, especially during a time when mental health issues are a growing problem in the U.S. Sally also shares how her work at Google has been affected by recent racial inequity protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. Spoiler alert: it’s made work much more challenging but also that much more important.“I always try to be very conscious and … check in, like ‘How are you?’” Sally says of her one-on-one meetings with employees. “I think sometimes when people ask that question, it can come across as inauthentic because it's like ‘How are you?’ and they’re already thinking about the next topic — but just holding the space to say, ‘How are you?’ and ‘How can I support you?’”Featured LeaderName: Sally Hornick AndersonTitle: Workforce Diversity Director Company: GoogleNoteworthy: Sally is an avid cook who enjoys cooking Indian dishes — not only because of how delicious it is, but because it offers a range of tasty options that comply with her food limitations due to dairy and gluten sensitivities. Where to find Sally: LinkedInHuman Resolve Episode 11 HighlightsHighlights from the transcript.💡 Don’t be afraid to have uncomfortable conversations if they help you grow[06:15] “I know my identity as a white cisgender heterosexual female. And so because I know who I am, I know how I present to others, I know how I identify, it helps me understand the importance of being curious about others’ gender or diversity identities and how they prefer to be acknowledged. … We are now in such a society where diversity equity and inclusion stories are on the news. So there's always something to talk about, and actually sit in that discourse with each other, which can be really uncomfortable. But that's how we actually help educate each other on these topics that are so critical today, especially around racial injustice.”💡 The importance of asking, ‘How are you?’ intentionally[09:35] "I always try to be very conscious in one-on-ones or in group meetings, just checking in, like ‘How are you?’ and just really holding that space. … I think sometimes when people ask that question, it can come across as inauthentic because it's like ‘How are you?’ and they’re already thinking about the next topic — but just holding the space to say, ‘How are you?’ and ‘How can I support you?’”💡 Employees value when companies take a stance against injustice [12:29] "I think it's important to say something. I found where organizations really struggle is because they don't say anything, or they're afraid to say something or get it wrong. And I think there's an element of like, I might not be getting this right, but we're trying, we're trying to do the right thing. And we're trying to support our communities. And I do think employees really value having that humility, especially when leaders — they try, and they're trying to get it right.”💡 Don’t shy away from mental health issues happening internally[15:04] “I don't think we're prepared. I don't think there are enough professionals for what's about to come. Nor do I think people are comfortable asking for help. There's such a societal stigma around mental health in this society. So that's one thing coming out of what I'm living through personally right now that I'd like to bust is: how do we remove that stigma so people can get the help and talk about it?”💡 Encourage employees to take care of both their mental and physical health[18:34] "How do we … create that safety umbrella for everyone to check in and say sometimes it's OK not to be OK. Or if you need to take a well-being day. I don't think we're all doing a great job with self-care, self-love — whatever you want to title it. And so that mindfulness is even more important. And that doesn't mean just meditation. … It's really thinking about the foundation. Are people getting enough sleep? Are they eating right? Are they really hydrating?”💡 Address diversity issues by looking at trends and asking around[20:48] “What data do you have available? Do you do self ID data? Do you understand your ...
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    38 mins
  • Ed Carpenter | A 230mph Lesson in People Leadership, Volatility & Competition

    Ed Carpenter | A 230mph Lesson in People Leadership, Volatility & Competition
    May 3 2021
    Even three-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner Ed Carpenter was once told his dreams were too big. “One of the first assignments we had was to write a five-year success plan,” Ed says of his time at Butler University’s Andre B. Lacy School of Business. “I obviously wrote a paper largely based around my racing career, and kind of tied in my time at Butler and how I was there to complement that as kind of a plan B. … [The professor] told me that it was nice to have dreams, but you need to be more realistic.” On this episode of Human Resolve, host Mark Minner speaks with Ed about how he went from a rookie to eventually co-owning his own race team, Ed Carpenter Racing, and why naysayers only motivated him to work harder to achieve his goals. Ed also shares what he’s learned as the leader of a 40-person team, including the importance of compassion, transparency and a clear mission shared by all employees. He describes how, in the small community that is IndyCar racing, it’s extra important to show respect for your competitors. After the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ed is extra grateful for a team that knows how to think on its feet and adapt. “I'd like to think that's one of the skill sets that we're very good at — just being able to deal with change and drama and unforeseen circumstances,” he says. “But I don't think anyone was prepared for what we went through last year. Fortunately, we were able to keep our people on through the whole time.”Featured LeaderName: Ed CarpenterTitle: Co-owner of Ed Carpenter Racing Company: Ed Carpenter Racing Noteworthy: Ed didn’t start racing until his mom remarried and suddenly he became the stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George.Where to find Ed: LinkedInHuman Resolve Episode 10 HighlightsHighlights from the transcript.💡 Surround yourself with a good team and you will succeed[20:07] “The first thing we really had to do — outside of spending money and putting deposits down on equipment — was to find a shop, a home location, home office. From there, it was really finding the right person to help us run the team and kind of their foundations and put an architecture together for how we wanted to build the team. I didn't want to have the sole responsibility of doing that, especially being in a dual role, still driving full time. So we hired Derek Walker, who had been a team owner, and kind of been through the same thing, similar experience and has had a successful team. … That was a great person for us — he definitely helped us lay foundations for what we are now.”💡 Clearly communicate your mission so that people will want to work for you[22:19] "There were challenges convincing people and selling people on what our vision was for the team, and that it wasn't just about my driving career — it was about building a business that would hopefully take me into the rest of my career as an owner once I am done driving. So there's complications on that side of things, on top of just balancing kind of having two jobs and two careers. One is the race driver, and one is the owner.”💡 Remember that as a boss, you can make a huge impact on your employees’ lives [24:06] "Managing our people and what's going on, whether it's in the workplace or in an employees’ personal situation, whatever it may be. … One of the things that I really enjoy about being in this role is the team aspect and working with our people and providing them with an experience and an opportunity to feel comfortable in their work environment and feel like we're not only giving them a professional experience, but something that benefits their whole family as well.”💡 The best leaders want to see their team grow professionally[25:43] “Seeing people achieve their full potential and become empowered to take a project and run with it and really make an impact — it's fun to see people develop. We have people here that came in at an entry-level position that are key employees now, who really have a large role. So that part's enjoyable, and on the driver side, working with young drivers and helping them become better professionals — I enjoy that side of it, too.”💡 Rolling with the punches was the best skill to have going into 2020[27:44] "It's a volatile industry to begin with, in a lot of ways. I think it prepares us to manage years like 2020. And still dealing with it in 2021, it’s probably a little easier because we're so used to plans changing and making last-minute decisions. Everything's fast paced that we do and the car has to be on track when it has to be on track.”💡 Transparency is key as a leader, especially in times of peril[28:56] “There's a lot of trust within the team, I really try to keep our people informed, especially when things are changing fast like they were last year. Just letting them know what's going on. At times, that seemed like it was hour to hour last year, let alone week to week, but...
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    38 mins
  • Elliott Parker | How to Develop Your People by Embracing Risk

    Elliott Parker | How to Develop Your People by Embracing Risk
    Apr 19 2021
    Elliott Parker isn’t perfect, and he’s happy to admit it.As some become more advanced in their career, they feel they're not in a position to make a lot of mistakes. As a result of that mindset, Elliott believes people "actually render [themselves] fragile. We benefit from learning and from making mistakes.” And, a certain degree of risk and variability are central to this mindset.After studying finance at Brigham Young University and then earning his MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, Elliott wanted a career that would allow him to learn, grow and help others. He started as a consultant, then a manager, and after six years, he became an entrepreneur. Then in 2020, Elliott became the CEO of High Alpha Innovation, a venture capital and private equity firm that focuses on scaling software companies.Now, 20 years into his career, Elliot’s focus is fostering a positive environment with growth opportunities for his employees. “I want a place where people feel secure,” he says. “Everybody's been hired onto this team for a reason because of things they do exceptionally well. They're going to help us all be better in different ways. That's why they're here. I don't want people to feel like they need to be perfect at everything.”On this episode of Human Resolve, Elliott discusses the importance of leading with love, learning from mistakes and combining the traits of a team and a family. He also reflects on High Alpha Innovation’s values, how his team has gotten through COVID-19 and why helping others get their job done helps him do his own work.Featured LeaderName: Elliott Parker Title: CEO at High Alpha InnovationCompany: High Alpha InnovationNoteworthy: Elliott volunteered for two years as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Paris. Where to find Elliott: Twitter | LinkedIn Episode SnippetsHighlights from the transcript. 💡 Good managers have the potential to change lives [5:17] “That last day of class, Professor Bryson got up and gave a lecture on how management is one of the most noble things you can choose to do. Because number one … your objective is to figure out how to make more with less and how to adopt an abundant mindset and figure out how to create more in the world to make the world a better place. Number two: one of the byproducts of building companies and forming organizations, coming together with others to collaborate, is that we enable people to reach their potential to learn. And isn't that kind of the whole point of us being alive? I came out of that thinking, ‘Boy, maybe I don't need to go be a doctor or something to do something noble.’”💡 Lead with love rather than with intimidation [10:07] “My parents did a good job of leading through love of our family. I didn't want to disappoint them when I was growing up. I certainly wasn't afraid of them. I knew they loved me and I loved them, and I wanted to do my best for them. And that was a first kind of lesson in leadership that I've carried. And I think that that applies in business, too — that good leaders earn the respect and love of those that they work with. And I've worked for bosses that similarly I did not want to disappoint because I so admired them and wanted to do whatever I could to either help them or to impress them.”💡 The best company culture has traits of both a family and a team [14:26] “I want a culture that is somewhere between a family and a team. … I want people to feel secure, but also to know they were chosen in a family. You don't choose your family, you’re with those people forever, for better or for worse. That's not true in a company. People will come and go. So it's not a family, but I also don't think of it as a team where we're trading players out year in, year out, to optimize for getting first place. There are other objectives in running a business beyond just being in first place.”💡 In the COVID-19 era, companies must find creative ways to bring employees together[15:16] “One thing that's been hard for us this year, and I think this has been universally true, is how to cultivate a connection in this environment. And that's not just true in business over the last year, everybody's been kind of trapped in their homes to a great degree. And we all miss that connection. We've run experiments at our company and none of it really replaces that face-to-face interaction you get and the bonds that you build that way. Zoom just doesn't quite cut it all the time for that. But we have had to think about how we deliberately create those interactions that will foster some types of connection. We're still small enough, 18 people, that we can do a 30-minute kind of open Zoom every day where people can jump in or out and just shoot the breeze, have conversations, have those random collisions that lead to good ideas. So we do that. That's something that we've been practicing in our company, but it’s not ...
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    37 mins
  • Summer Crenshaw | How the Future of Work Will Support Underrepresented People

    Summer Crenshaw | How the Future of Work Will Support Underrepresented People
    Apr 5 2021
    Summer Crenshaw grew up in poverty, teaching her the importance of education and hustle at a young age.“What motivated me to make an impact was knowing that so many of my friends and my family struggled because they couldn't get jobs in the standard sense,” she said. “My dad got a great job at a steel company because he showed up at the HR office and sat for hours on end until somebody in HR was willing to talk to him. … I just was horrified that really good people, regardless of their aptitude, just couldn't get employment.”After graduating from Miami University with a degree in communications and public relations in 1999, Summer went into marketing and consulting before co-founding her second startup, tilr. tilr was essentially the Match.com of recruiting and eventually led Summer to her current position as CEO of TalentNow, “the first unified marketplace connecting employers to talent, free from constraints of source, location or engagement model.” With more than 15 years of experience as a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Summer’s big focus is helping underserved and underrepresented populations find employment. She’s spoken at everything from Techstars Startup Week to DisruptHR, and she has a strong passion for supporting military members/veterans, women entrepreneurs and the Midwest startup ecosystem.On this episode of Human Resolve, Summer discusses how the future of work supports and even benefits underrepresented folks in all industries. In her eyes, technology has the power to lift everyone. Workers must adapt to the ever-changing tides, which is why empathy is your most important tool. She also touches on the unique needs of women, veterans and other traditionally underserved individuals and what value they bring as employees.##Featured LeaderName: Summer Crenshaw Title: CEO at TalentNow Company: TalentNow Noteworthy: Summer has received several prestigious accolades, including Cincinnati Business Courier’s 2018 40 Under 40 Honoree, Cincinnati Business Courier’s 10 Women Who Mean Business Honoree and Cincy Inno’s 50 on Fire Honoree.Where to find Summer: Twitter | LinkedIn | Website##Episode SnippetsHighlights from the transcript. 💡 Adapt your back-to-the-office approach for different generations’ needs[8:54] “A lot of the generational values are starting to come to fruition. So I have seen or noted that a lot of those that are in the older generations are really wanting to try to get back to exactly the way it was. And I don't think we all understand that we're not going to go back to exactly the way that it was. And so how do you care for those that might have the value of wanting full-time back in the office Monday through Friday, the eight to five — that world? How do you support them so that you don't run into issues with things like age bias? I think that those are things we all have to be very thoughtful of as we're emerging back into the new world.”💡 How the pandemic has forced us to learn new technology[10:43] “COVID accelerated our technology adoption rate. You have 80-year-old grandmas getting on Zoom so that they can see their grandkids. So if there's nothing else, that’s a picture in our own mind of how fast we just accelerated technology adoption, to me, that's the perfect picture. … We know that AI and machine learning are going to be vast disruptors for us. But, what AI and machine learning bring is an opportunity to elevate the human, right? The goal is to eliminate the menial tasks that technology can take care of. So for us as an employee or just a person in general, we're going to have to think differently about how our aptitude needs to evolve, and we need to always be leaning into our ability to obtain more knowledge, and it's going to look a little bit different than going to your local college or university.”💡 Employers must identify the needs of women and other underrepresented workers[14:13] “I think that this is also something when we look at 2020 — what it did to women in the workforce has been really unfortunate, and the latest statistic I read [said] … we have the lowest female participation in the workforce since 1988. That is appalling, to say the least. But this goes back to the way that employers are gonna have to start to think about the way that they work with women and the way that they work with any underserved or underrepresented group as a whole.”💡 Remind your employees their skills can be used in many ways[16:55] “You're always able to look at the skill set that you have, and it absolutely will transfer to other opportunities. So, for me, thinking about transferable skills is something that's really important. It's something that, in my previous startup, was kind of part of the ethos. … I think that part of that mindset is really helping people change a bit more to a growth mindset and having the ability to say, ‘You're never too many steps away from your future opportunity...
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    36 mins
  • Martha May | Living Your Truth, Fueling Your Passions, and Leading with Courage

    Martha May | Living Your Truth, Fueling Your Passions, and Leading with Courage
    Mar 22 2021
    Martha May, the Chief Human Resources Officer at academic apparel company Varsity Brands, realized something was up several years ago while working for another firm. While setting goals for a new year, Martha felt she couldn’t move forward professionally without confronting a long-hidden truth: she’s attracted to women.So, she separated from her then-husband and eventually married her now wife. “I'm so grateful for the acceptance — and in particular, my wife's mom and my daughter's ability to see the strength of our love and just what that's done to even further my authentic self in all relationships, in all aspects of my life,” Martha says. On this episode of Human Resolve, host Mark Minner speaks with Martha and The Performance Lab’s Managing Director, Rebecca Ellis, about Martha’s biggest takeaways from 2020, how her passion fuels her work and the importance of putting yourself in your customer’s shoes. Martha also shares why it’s important to learn from our mistakes rather than run from them. She describes one such experience from 2009, while in the middle of labor negotiations during the nation’s longest strike that year. After six months of working long hours and missing quality time with her 5-year-old daughter, Martha received nothing but criticism from her boss. She was at a breaking point — but rather than leave her job, Martha chose to stay and reflect on what had gone wrong. “I could leave and go out and go around the problem, or I could go through it and be changed by it. Only when I got through to the other side did I feel like I was kind of released to take on and consider other opportunities,” she says. “That, I think, has been probably the most pivotal moment in my leadership journey.”##Featured LeaderName: Martha MayTitle: Chief Human Resources OfficerCompany: Varsity BrandsNoteworthy: Martha’s journey to becoming an HR leader started at American Airlines, which she originally wanted to work at for free airfare to visit her long-distance boyfriend at the time. Ironically, she broke up with him before that perk kicked in.Where to find Martha: LinkedIn##Human Resolve Episode 07 HighlightsHighlights from the transcript.💡 Successful HR professionals want to band together to have a positive impact [4:55] “Whether it was in sports or even in the rare circumstances where we actually had snowfall in North Carolina, where I grew up, it was me that kind of rallied the troops in the neighborhood. We figured out how to build an igloo — by the way, it didn't work so well at the top part, but we just put a sheet on it and kind of called it done — so I would just say I love the ability to pour into other people and help them dream bigger than they ever maybe thought possible and realize those aspirations. So this is the perfect role for me.” 💡 Whenever possible, put yourself in the customer’s shoes[6:36] "One of the things that I often talk about when I'm mentoring others around their career path is how valuable it was for me to sit in the chair and in the shoes of my customer. So I spent as many times and had as many roles as a general manager or frontline supervisor, ultimately running terminal B and then terminal C at DFW. … When you do that, and then you come back to HR, those are your customers. And having a chance to sort of sit in their shoes gives you a really different perspective on the job that you have to do. And so I think I've benefited and probably approached HR very differently as a result.” 💡 Mold your leadership style after the leaders you look up to [9:54] "I figured out what kind of leader I wanted to be based on what kind of leaders I had. And as I started growing in my scope of responsibilities, influencing skills became so much more important than domain expertise. That was important and kind of a ticket to entry, but more about ‘How do you convince and influence others’ decision-making?’ because in most instances in HR, the decisions really aren't yours. They're yours to influence, but they are other people's call — typically the P and L owners.”💡 Never move forward without looking backward first [10:56] "I tried to, at the end of each engagement, … reflect on what about this person's approach can I take away and embed in my mind? Can I learn and kind of take that tool and put it in my toolbox? And what do I not want to repeat? What didn't work for me or for the people I was supporting that I want to make sure I'm intentional about doing? By the way, I did that when I changed jobs, too.”💡 Learn from your mistakes instead of running from them[20:53] “There were still moments after that [six months of tough labor negotiations] that I imagined it would have been easier to just leave. Just go somewhere else. I had plenty of job opportunities. Search firms were calling me. But then I remembered a quote that I heard Marshall Goldsmith say, which is ‘You take you with you wherever you go.’ And...
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    35 mins