199. Creating a Positive Work Environment: Insights from an HR Expert with Stacie Baird

Tune in to today's episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast as host, Mike Sipple Jr., visits with Deb Coviello, a trusted partner to C-Suite leaders with 30 years of experience in helping clients identify, assess and solve issues preventing their businesses from growth. Their discussion weaves between the biggest issues facing CEOs in today's culture to helping teams deal with conflict. If you are a leader in today's culture their conversation will cover a topic that is relevant to you.  Main Points from the Episode: Main struggles facing CEOs today Feedback is freeing not fearful Viewing conflict as an opportunity The impact of failing to develop people Quotes from the episode: The ultimate goal is peace of mind not only for them as business owners, or C-suite leaders, but for their customers as well, and focus a little bit less on the results. If you're not in a culture where people are freely giving you feedback, we as an individual need to know how to solicit feedback in a way that is positive and actionable. When giving feedback, the framework is what should one continue? What should start? And what should they change? A little bit of the framework is to find common ground to slow things down, seek to understand the gap from a place of curiosity, and agree what the gap is, and then each take action moving forward. Resources: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Deb Coviello "The CEO's Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track" Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Deb Coviello | LinkedIn | Twitter Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us!  If you like our podcast, be sure to follow us on social media as well for more content on how to be the best unconventional leader.

How often do you stop to truly listen to the people around you? Everyone wants to be heard. Too often frustration and resentment build within a company because no one feels like they are being listened to. Join Mike Sipple Jr. and Heather Younger as they dive into a conversation about what true listening looks like and how it can impact the culture of your workplace.   Main Points From the Episode: Create a culture of listening. The end result of listening is that people are heard, valued, and understood. Listening is for everyone, leaders and employees alike. Quotes from the Episode: The activation part is the thing that happens after you seek, or after you lean in, or after you do the thing that was fully encapsulating and listening. You build trust via listening, but you have to have trust to get to the truth of your listening. Are people comfortable enough to openly tell us their whole truth? It's super important to set expectations right up front. You may not be able to act on any or all of the things, but you do have an intent to do the work. The act of listening is a tennis match where one person is kind of delivering back and forth, and you're always interacting. It's a two-way street. Resources: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Heather Younger "The Art of Caring Leadership" Heather Younger "The Art of Active Listening" Heather Younger "The Seven Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty" Stephen Covey "The Speed of Trust" Stephen Covey "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Heather Younger | LinkedIn | Twitter Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us!  Listening without action isn't effective. Take action after listening to this podcast and subscribe to the Unconventional Leadership Podcast.

Philosophy isn't just meant for old guys with white beards living in ivory towers. Philosophy has a place in today's world and in today's company culture. Paul LaLonde, VP of People and Culture of CETA of Cook County, joins Mike Sipple Jr. for a conversation about what philosophy is and how to integrate it into the workplace. Philosophy has you look at yourself and helps you determine how to live better. Who wouldn't benefit from implementing that practice in their life both personally and professionally? Tune in as they take a closer look at philosophy, conflict resolution, and more! Main Points From the Episode: The place philosophy has in the modern workplace The cyclical nature of life The importance of conflict as an opportunity Quotes from the Episode: True philosophy to me, and to a lot of the philosophers that I study, is meant for the real world. It's meant for the real individual. To be a philosopher means to look at yourself every day and try and live a better life, and live by values that you espouse to make the world a better place. You're not going to become a great leader overnight. It's something you need to work on daily. It's something you need to work on minute by minute, hour by hour, opportunity by opportunity. Communication is key. So all problems and I thoroughly believe this in personal life, but also business, I would say almost all, if not all, problems arise from miscommunication, poor communication, or lack thereof. We can't be afraid of failure because it's the greatest teacher that anybody is ever going to have. Resources: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Matthew Desmond "Poverty by America" Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Paul LaLonde | LinkedIn | Twitter Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us!  If you like our podcast, be sure to follow us on social media as well for more content on how to be the best unconventional leader.

When do we stop growing? Sure we stop growing physically at some point, but maintaining a growth mindset is vital to our success both professionally and personally. You have to believe that you are able to learn new things, tackle new tasks, and take on new responsibilities. No one knows the importance of maintaining a growth mindset more than Danielle McCombs, our guest on this week's episode of The Unconventional Leadership Podcast. Tune in to learn more about growth mindset and how to apply it to all areas of your life! Main Points from the Episode: Growth happens best when you understand your learning style Growth leads to opportunities Growth mindset is for everyone Be curious and ask questions  Quotes from the Episode: The best way to define growth mindset is your belief in your ability to learn, not your ability in playing the saxophone, or your ability in algebra, but your ability to learn those things. There are also places where you can have a fixed mindset in some things and a growth mindset in others. It's not an either-or. We want to build up individuals who think intentionally about themselves and those around them, both professionally and personally. So much of what you do is helping give people the confidence and the voice to own who they are. Building that confidence and being willing to be bold in whatever your past says, this might be part of your past, but it doesn't define your future. Resources from the Episode: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Danielle McCombs | LinkedIn Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Continue listening to The Unconventional Leadership Podcast to continue in your growth as a leader!

The culture of a company or business is vital to an employee's experience. But many organizations spend little or no time developing a healthy culture. Join Melanie Booher, president of Influence Network Media, and Mike Sipple Jr. as they talk through how to build a culture within a company, and how enhancing an employee's day-to-day can affect the bottom line. Culture is about all the little experiences people have within a business, so no element is too small to discuss! If you are a leader within an organization, this is a must-listen episode! Main Points from the Episode: Culture drives the bottom line of a company Culture is about hundreds of micro experiences within a company People stay with a company based on the level of care they are given Quotes from the Episode: They either are repelled by your culture or they're attracted by it. The way you show up for them is what they're going to remember most. They may come for your values and mission, but they're going to stay based on how you treat them and how you make them feel. Resources from the Episode: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Melanie Booher "Conscious Culture" Catherine Ryan Hyde "Pay It Forward" Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Melanie Booher | LinkedIn | Twitter Click here for a new retention course for leaders. Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Subscribe to our podcast to stay current with important ideas surrounding unconventional leadership!

Being a great leader includes caring for your employee's home life. As much as we try to separate home and work life, they bleed together. One affects the other and vice versa. Join Cory Carlson on The Unconventional Leadership Podcast as we talk about the importance of caring for the entirety of your employees. Cory shares from his personal experience in corporate America, his own burnout, and from the coaching and speaking business he has built. Tune in to learn how you as a leader can invest in your employee's personal life as well as their professional one! Find Cory Carlson Online at: https://www.corymcarlson.com/ Quotes from the Episode: My encouragement is no matter where you're at, you don't have to stay there. All leaders get knocked down. Great leaders get back up quicker. We know that being intentional takes work. It also takes inspiration. My vision statement is to connect people to greater performance and even more significant purpose. We all know we have to hit those numbers, but what I also know is we need to hit those numbers and cross that finish line- look back and not see shrapnel, not see broken marriages, not see parents that don't know their kids. Instead, we want to go across that finish line together where as a company we hit our goals, we're still married, we're doing well physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Imposter syndrome is real, and sometimes it's so helpful to have a coach to help encourage you, and hold you accountable to stay focused on what really matters and not shiny object syndrome. With technology, our whole days are blended together, and it can get messy. People leave jobs because they don't feel seen, known, and heard there. You may find someone bigger and better, but if you don't fix your purpose, your culture, and how you're treating the whole self of people, that next bigger, better person will leave. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Cory Carlson "Rise and Go" Cory Carlson "Win At Home First" Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Cory Carlson | LinkedIn | Twitter

What kind of experiences are people having within your organization? The human experience extends and encompasses our careers and work life. Stacie Baird who has 20+ years in Human Resources joins the show to talk about how as leaders, we can positively impact the human experience when people choose to work within our organization. A huge part of that experience takes place through communication, both verbal and written. Join our conversation and learn how you can positively affect the human experience of anyone working within your organization. Find Stacie Baird online at: https://staciebaird.com/ Quotes from the Episode: Every time we send out an email, there's an opportunity to create an experience for someone. Every time we talk about launching a program, it's an opportunity to affect and change people's experiences inside and outside of the organization. The work is always inside out. We start inside and that's what reflects back out to the people that we work with every day. Everything in life, everything we do, influences others' experiences. Be mindful about written communication and do your best to understand how someone may accept and receive that information. I will say communication, and effective communication, certainly has a huge impact on people in their experience inside of the organization. We're constantly looking to evolve and see where people are. That's a really healthy practice. One of the big challenges in our business is that there is a lived experience, a human experience in our organization that is very heavy. We are working with people that are struggling with substance use disorder and opioid use disorder. The biggest thing we can do is reduce the stigma of getting help, and there is an incredible amount of stigma around seeking and accepting help for opioid use disorder. We are very focused on harm reduction. We don't expect perfection. We would love people to make progress. There are so many employees around us and team members around us that are dealing with emotional trauma in their life that their employers step away from. How do we look at the lens of trauma-informed care related to the human experience of people within work? When someone's failing, or not succeeding in a role, it's really challenging for them emotionally to continue to navigate. I think that unconventional leadership is by definition that everyone, every human has their own perspective, history, background, and experience. There is nothing better as a leader than showing up with who you really are, your strengths, and your vulnerable areas of opportunity to your team. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Stacie Baird | LinkedIn

60% of Americans are emotionally disengaged from their work life. That means a majority of Americans aren't emotionally invested in what they spend a majority of their life doing! Join John McCarthy and myself for a conversation surrounding finding purpose in life and in work. A big part of finding purpose is knowing oneself. How can you know what you want, if you don't spend any time on introspection? Tune in and learn how you can find purpose not just in your work life, but life in general. Find John McCarthy online at: http://purposepartner.org Quotes from the Episode: We don't want to create great managers, people, and leaders that only think about work. I want people to think about the whole human and how we can help those around us succeed. The muscle memory to really contemplate oneself is something that we're not learning at an early age. We all want to see people go deeper into the introspection of taking information and gaining the knowledge they need about their unique self. Every unique person has unique views, we should have unique views on success, but we can only obtain it through wisdom. If I'm a manager, what's my responsibility for the team around me to help them find their purpose? If I'm a leader, I need to stop looking at the people that I lead as a cog in the wheel of my productivity and start realizing my job in leadership is to help them define their best life. To understand the difference between management and true leadership right now is absolutely critical for any organization that's looking to attract and retain top talent. 60% of the American workforce is emotionally detached from work. This was a unique metric that they brought out this year, and 19% were flat out miserable. Emotions are a gift from God and they're beautiful and we all show up with them each and every day. When we create an environment where we have greater emotional awareness, we are creating environments where people are not going to check them at the door. No strategy ever got accomplished without people. You matter because we're going here, and you are a part of getting there. A cog in our wheel of getting there so that we can increase profitability, but we can change the world with you uniquely and we honor who you are in it. People are so excited when they can be inspired by purpose -organizationally and individually. The collective nature of crafting these visions, these missions, these core values are essential. The question is, do your values on the wall align to the behaviors that people experience? One of the things that we have been sharing with individuals is, don't talk about the value. Talk about acknowledging when the values are lived. You don't get things accomplished when your people don't even understand the definition of what you're trying to accomplish. We need to have strong systems and boundaries in place. People crave boundaries, but they love those boundaries when they have a say in what they are. We're in an era where we're going to see organizations get back to the root of why we're actually in business, and that's caring for people all across the org chart. It's really about helping people understand what self-care looks like for themselves in order to create psychologically safe environments. Why would we tell them to rest while they're at home and not create environments where they can feel rested and balanced at work? We can't just create a culture of wellbeing based on what we feel we need. We need to help them discover what they need and meet them in that place. You have to prioritize and realize that there's amazing value in contemplating oneself. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter John McCarthy | LinkedIn

What's the exit strategy? Every member of your team, from the CEO down to the front desk manager needs to have a succession plan, and it can't begin once that individual puts in their notice. Becky Scheeler joins us again on the Unconventional Leadership Podcast to talk about how to prepare your line of succession within your business. Bottom line, it's never too early to begin the grooming process! Tune in to learn how and when to start replacing your most valuable assets as a company, your people. Find Becky Scheeler online at: https://centennialinc.com/ Quotes from the Episode: I think one of the most important things is that they fit in your organization, not only where you are today, but the right fit for the future. Inventory your values. Ask other people in the organization that you know and respect. Ask your advisors. It's really about succession planning. I suggest three years out. You want to have a long-term vision of 5 to 10 years, but as far as talent goes, what are we going to need to get us through the next three years? Have people do an inventory of their job description on a regular basis. You always want to have a contingency plan. We are seeing a trend, and they're usually larger, privately held companies, where they're asking: we really want our succession plan to be this person that you're bringing on now to probably stay for 15 or 20 years. When we add someone to our team, if we help this person unlock their fullest potential and create a culture inside the organization that this person really integrates with well and brings a lot of additional value and experience to, what are the possibilities? It takes intention to reach those possibilities. We know that when a candidate walks in, they don't just interview with the hiring manager. They're looking at their whole experience. Find, as a team, those key things that you're looking for. Candidates want to know the big tough questions that we're working through as an organization. Why we are where we are, and what we're processing as a group. Before we ever recruit, we have to make sure that we're all aligned to build that attraction for the candidate pool. The best assessment is an assessment that's already been given to your leadership team. It's something that you've already validated within your organization. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Becky Scheeler | LinkedIn | Twitter

Did you know that your moral compass plays a huge role in your professional life? In this week's episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast, Kimberly Luse shares the importance of knowing your moral compass. It's vital to know where your value system lies, and how to honor it in your workplace. As leaders, we have to lead by example by walking according to our own moral compasses. The first step to living a moral life is defining what morality looks like to you. You may be able to finish the sentence, but tune in to learn how to start it! Find Kimberly Luse Online at: https://www.strategicethicalsolutions.com/ Quotes from the Episode: If you don't know where your moral compass lies, if you're trying to figure that out under duress, it can be very complex and maybe not get you where you need to go. People will get to the end of the sentence pretty easily, but that elusive first part is where your moral compass lies. What is the core thing, whether it's professional or personal, and lots of times they overlap, where you know that if you get out of alignment with that, you're going to be frustrated and not productive. What we're trying to find is that place where, if you cross that boundary within yourself, you're not going to be able to sleep at night. We're always struggling with how do we act and behave towards others, but it's also how do you allow people to treat you? People become terrified that if they speak up, they may lose their position. They might make decisions based on the fear that they are going to be somehow harmed: their reputation, their livelihood, or their ability to support themselves and their families. You can't possibly have all the answers. That's why you put good people around you that you trust. I don't know what to do right now, but together we'll be stronger to figure it out. If you're in business and you're executing any type of plan or strategy, no plan or strategy ever got accomplished without people. We are not built to have the foot on the gas all the time in a heightened state of stress, worried sick about what the next day's going to bring. Be the example of what's really going on in life. It is the definition of being strong enough to stand in your value system, that you have to have done the work to know what that is, to know why you're behaving the way that you do. Be vulnerable enough to stand up and say, I've done this work. I value that time. I want you to take time to take care of yourself. We are going to approach each other with a trauma-informed lens. We are going to make sure that we set the example that we are not going to violate one another. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Resources: Brenda Corbett and Jennifer Chloupek "Why It Matters, the Sherpa Guide to What You Are Looking For" Scott Eblin "Overworked and Overwhelmed the Mindfulness Alternative" Kimberly Luse "Losing Your Job Without Losing Your Mind" Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Kimberly Luse | LinkedIn