Tips For Team Building Podcast

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Sean Peterson, Interim Director of Talent Strategies and Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager of Talent Strategies at BJC Healthcare. Peterson discusses motivating employees through a commitment to their wellness, an intentional effort in building relationships based on trust, and focusing on employee growth.Peterson worked in an HR role initially– he was in recruiting and talent acquisition. Peterson found that, while he enjoyed the sales part of the role, he missed the human connection in HR and talent acquisition. He ended up finding that human connection at BJC, and now he is the Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager for Talent Strategies at BJC.Peterson speaks about promoting wellness in the workplace by ensuring the wellness of the employees and then focusing on adjustment– both in terms of employee engagement as well as work as well. He focuses on ensuring wellness by emphasizing the onboarding process so employees understand the work environment and expectations. He emphasizes making sure the employee feels valued and engaged in the culture.Peterson draws on the importance of building strong relationships with employees. He underscores the importance of prioritizing the wellness of employees to ensure that they feel valued and respected. Peterson also reaffirms these values in employee retention– he brings up the importance of recognition, intentionality, managing virtual space, and focusing on personal and professional growth, all while building trust. All of the above play into promoting employee wellness.Peterson's commitment and respect shine through in his leadership. With years of experience in his field, Peterson now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Mr. Sean Peterson is a Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager at BJC Healthcare. He has a proven track record of prioritizing employee engagement and wellbeing in the company.https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpetersonstl/https://www.bjc.org/

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Dr. Robert Kolts, Clinical Director at Overjet, husband, and father of seven. Dr. Kolts discusses balancing tasks through effective prioritization while ensuring an active focus on family relationships.Dr. Kolts graduated dental school in 2012, but has since taken a less traditional progression through his career. After 3 months in private practice, he realized he lacked the necessary passion for clinical practice. He thus went back to school for his MBA from Penn State and eventually invested in several properties. Over the next few years, he progressed through various leadership positions, eventually leading to his current role as the Clinical Director at Overjet.Dr. Kolts speaks about managing different priorities while maintaining his relationships with his family. He describes the work-life balance as an “ebb and flow” in reference to responsibilities in different areas of his life. Dr. Kolts emphasizes discerning what is professionally fulfilling and avoiding burnout by balancing personal passions with career goals. Dr. Kolts draws on the importance of building relationships as a leader. While it’s necessary to ensure friendships do not obstruct work experience, he argues that personal engagement with employees is important. He underscores the importance of being a human first and leader second. He reaffirms the balance between personal and professional life, both in terms of priorities and in terms of building a cohesive team.Dr. Kolts' respect and commitment shine through in his leadership. With years of experience in managerial and directorial roles within dentistry, Dr. Kolts now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Dr. Rob Kolts is a Clinical Director at Overjet with experience in the dentistry sector. He has a demonstrated history of creating workplace environments marked by balance, integrity, and honesty.https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kolts/https://www.overjet.ai/

In this episode, Jaden speaks with Alden Mills, CXO Advisor, Speaker, Founder, and Investor at Alden Mills Company. Alden discusses his journey to becoming a leader and how he uses his mentality of being unstoppable to inspire more leaders. Throughout Alden’s life, he has always been a leader. Whether as a team captain in rowing, a Navy SEAL platoon leader, or a philanthropy chair, this has been constant. He’s experienced the trials of being a leader and learned what’s necessary to become unstoppable in the community and workplace.Alden emphasizes the importance of struggling as a leader. Being a leader inherently means that you struggle occasionally. However, it also means learning from mistakes and making sure similar ones don’t reoccur. Having an unstoppable mentality means working through missteps and realizing power as a leader lies in being present with everyone.Another important facet Alden discusses is how to create meaningful relationships. There are two main steps Alden follows to building the most positive relationships he can. The first is to be deeply curious, followed by learning how to specifically communicate and connect with that individual. To do this, Alden recommends suspending judgment of others and being a good listener. Although you cannot control others’ opinions, you should always present yourself in the best manner to show you’re an unstoppable leader. Now inspiring others through speeches and books, Alden influences change in the workplace by teaching the 3 levels of leadership. The first concerns being yourself and how you present to others, and the second with how workers act and lead. The third level is the community culture that arises as a result of the prior two levels. Alden leverages this framework and emulates these facets of leadership to become unstoppable. He joins us now to share his journey of leadership and to inspire future unstoppable leaders. More about our guest:Alden Mills—author including UNSTOPPABLE TEAMS—is a high-energy, humble, and charismatic leader with a track record of superior performance.As an Olympic Festival rower, he went on to become a standout at the US Naval Academy, then a Navy SEAL platoon commander (three times), then an entrepreneur. He founded and grew Perfect Fitness from zero to $63m in sales, becoming the fastest-growing consumer company in America (per INC. Magazine, 2009). Alden then continued to lead the Perfect Fitness team and grow the company even further after its acquisition by the private equity firm, Implus. Alden has created over 40 patents in the consumer sector.Between his time in the military and in business, Alden has accrued over 25 years of experience working on high-performance leadership, company strategy, growth, and team-building.His experience and vibrant storytelling skills make him a sought-after speaker around the world.Alden is the acclaimed author of BE UNSTOPPABLE: The Eight Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything and UNSTOPPABLE TEAMS: The Four Essential Actions of High-Performance Leadership (HarperCollins, March 2019) and Founder of BeUnstoppable.com.https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldenmills/https://www.alden-mills.com/

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Dr. Ian Barrett, an accomplished HR Executive within the healthcare and education sectors. Ian emphasizes diversity of experiences and capitalizing on opportunities for mentorship. Prior to serving as a Regional Vice President of HR at BJC, Ian acquired robust and diverse experience across organizations. This includes leadership roles with Prudential, Emory University Hospital, Cobb County, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Massachusetts, and more. The opportunity to serve in a diversity of industries and organizations has led Ian to massive success as an HR executive.In this episode, Ian speaks about his background and his personal experiences building his career. He emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities and also making opportunities available to those around him. Ian discusses the importance of providing those that he leads with opportunities for growth. Speaking to this support, he draws on mentorship and diversity of experience as examples of opportunities that can be provided in the workplace.Ian’s focus on providing opportunities to those around him has helped his team with motivation and efficiency, improving productivity. Ian advocates for supporting employees, especially during onboarding, to help them weather learning curves and better themselves for their careers. As a dynamic team leader, Ian is focused on supporting his team and helping them receive and capitalize on opportunities. Ian’s proactiveness and respect shine through in his leadership. With decades of experience in HR and leadership, Ian now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Ian Barrett is an experienced executive in Human Resources with expertise in the healthcare and education sectors. He has a demonstrated history of creating positive, healthy workplace environments. https://www.linkedin.com/in/iancbarrett/https://www.bjc.org/

In this week’s episode, Jaden connects with Dr. Cyndy Donato, an expert HR leader with over 30 years of developing people strategies. Cyndy champions meaningful relationship building as the gateway to reducing turnover and creating a resilient sense of belonging. Cyndy began her career in HR across agricultural, chemical, and IT, industries, to name a few, before shifting into healthcare. Seeking to connect her expertise to her empathetic ambitions, Cyndy found healthcare to be the ideal field for her. Most recently, Cyndy has served as the Chief People Officer for Novus International and a VP, HR for BJC Healthcare. From her experience, Cyndy is passionate about fostering connections with team members as a universal catalyst for organizational performance. Each relationship must be founded on trust and earned as a leader by listening to the specific needs of individuals. This forms the basis for respect, an integral component to success as a leader. Further, it fosters a sense of belonging that reduces turnover, improves performance, and enables tough conversations going forward.Cyndy additionally emphasizes authentic connection as a means of boosting individual performance. By learning her team members’ “superpowers”, Cyndy is able to better apply individual strengths and set up her team for success. In turn, individuals feel more productive, valued, and better applied. Beyond fulfillment, these ripple effects create a sense of belonging and enable individuals to be their authentic selves. This comfort allows team members to then better focus on producing quality results in a safe and productive environment.Cyndy’s passion for connection as a road towards success is not arbitrary but the result of decades of experience. Now reflecting, she shares the practical lessons she has learned on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Dr. Cyndy Donato is a Senior Human Resources leader skilled at creating a collaborative and innovative culture built on trust. She brings global experience leading, building and redesigning business structures and the human resources function across Asia, Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Americas.https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndydonato/[email protected]

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Ivan Velazquez, the VP of Operations at Specialty Dental Brands. Ivan stresses the importance of building bridges with team members and ensuring that those bridges are prioritized throughout the working relationship.Ivan started his career in administrative work at New Century Industries and stayed there for about 3 years. He switched to operational management in the retail industry at Abercrombie & Fitch, then at SSD Systems, and finally at Dental Management Services. He worked his way up to Vice President of Operations at Specialty Dental Brands, where he manages a large group of people.Ivan draws on his stories and imparts advice on pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Ivan talks about his personal challenges and emphasizes the importance of finding mentorship– he shares personal anecdotes about his childhood and his mentors. Ivan underscores the importance of maintaining trust and focusing on how to ensure employees feel heard. Ivan is an expert at building bridges between himself and his team, and is wonderful at organization.Ivan’s focus on building bridges helped his team with boosting morale, leading to an increase in productivity. He advises having tough conversations sooner rather than later. He shares some of his personal anecdotes and advises leaders to focus on building relationships with their teams.Ivan’s empathy and respect shine through in his leadership. With decades of experience in operations and leadership, Ivan now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Ivan Velazquez is a VP of Operations at Specialty Dental Brands with expertise in team building and interpersonal relationships, implementing various operational infrastructure, and management. Demonstrated history of building strong teams and collaborative relationships at all levels of an organization.https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-velazquez-mba-b6477941https://specialtydentalbrands.com/

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Michael Yost Chief Total Rewards and HR Customer Experience Officer for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. Michael emphasizes communicating with all team members with respect and empathy. Michael started his career in the military’s Human Resources department and shifted to Afghanistan where he acquired a global perspective on HR and business. Michael spent some time as a military recruiter, after which point he shifted careers to a more sales-oriented role at Pepsi. After deciding that sales wasn’t for him, Michael moved on to Hospital Sisters Health System, where he took on an HR role. This led him to his current role in corporate benefits at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.Michael draws on his personal experiences and imparts advice on building meaningful work relationships. He emphasizes the importance of communicating with intentionality– he shares personal anecdotes about taking a few extra minutes to talk to team members about how their lives are going. Michael underscores the importance of ensuring employees feel listened to and respected in all communication. He also speaks about communicating with authenticity and treating a conversation as a two-way street. Michael’s focus on communicating clearly and with empathy helped his team with motivation, leading to an increase in productivity and morale. He advises communicating expectations early and keeping team members in the loop. He shares some of his learning curves in his career and advises leaders to be authentic and not put up a façade. As a team leader, Michael is focused on building relationships based on concise and respectful communication. Michael’s empathy and respect shine through in his leadership. With decades of experience in HR and leadership, Michael now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Michael Yost is an Innovative Human Resources Executive with expertise in strategic planning, implementing change initiatives in healthcare, and managing complex projects with competing priorities across multiple states. Demonstrated history of building strong teams and collaborative relationships at all levels of an organization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelyost33/ https://eqtm.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_2001

In this week's episode, Jaden speaks with Liz Dunlap, who has worked in various Human Resources positions for decades and recently finished her career as CHRO at Indiana University Health. Liz encourages listeners to lead through a relationship-oriented approach, provide new hires with ample opportunities and assistance, and to always take the time to build personal relationships. Liz worked in human resource for retail, consumer packaged goods, restaurants, and luxury goods industry before settling down in Healthcare. An expert in almost every field, Liz shares personal experiences with new hires and employees over the years and what she does to ensure a healthy and collaborative workplace. She also speaks to breaking the barrier and creating personal relationships through a pandemic that limits face-to-face interactions. Liz emphasizes that taking those extra ten minutes to talk about your day with employees is crucial to building better relationships. Additionally, she shares personal anecdotes on struggling to build relationships with key stakeholders, retaining staff, and compromising with team members. Through her passion for traveling and meeting new people, Liz is someone that is very open to new cultures and ideas. She utilizes these qualities to branch out with her hiring process and sometimes be willing to take a chance on someone very different from her. As a wife, mother, sister, and daughter, Liz knows the importance of maintaining relationships and shares her experiences on how to do so. Liz embodies open-mindedness through her hiring process and leadership style. With over 20 years of HR experience, she definitely has some expert advice you must follow to create and maintain healthy workplaces. More about our guest:Liz Dunlap is the (former) Chief Human Resources Officer at Indiana University Health, which is the largest health system in Indiana and among the top ten largest single state nonprofit health systems in the U.S. Liz started her Human Resources journey with Taco Bell, and then worked with the likes of Walt Disney, Campbell, Godiva, and Panera, before ending up in the healthcare industry. Liz is a proud mother, wife, daughter, and sister, as well as the owner of two well-loved black labs. Liz enjoys traveling with her husband and makes sure to make one international trip and one national park trip yearly. https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-dunlap-43169a2/

In this week's episode, Jaden speaks with Antwan Lofton, Assistant Vice President and Interim Vice President of Human Resources at Duke University and Duke University Health System. Antwan talks about the importance of a strong team for success. Watch to learn how to best leverage a team so that everyone can thrive! During this episode, Antwan shows us how a good team can help an organization achieve any goal. He explains that it is important to bring your team along on the journey. Leaders can’t lead by trying to be both the visionary and the implementer. He believes that managers should rely on their team to show them the best way to go about their visions. Antwan made a point to emphasize the distinction between working for and working with someone. He explained that leaders should think of their team as people they are working alongside with to reach success. Antwan explained that it is important that teammates know how their work will impact the end goal. If they are unable to see the big picture it’s important that leaders establish trust. This way they will have enough trust to work towards the end goal. Antwan believes that leaders should also create relationships with teammates. Have a quick call over coffee or a five minute chat with a colleague before a meeting. Any effort to get to know the team will help establish trust. Antwan also spoke on the idea of leaving the door open for the next generation of leaders. By providing guidance and mentorship to these individuals, leaders can give back to their team and workplace. Now, Antwan joins us on the Tips for Team Building Podcast to talk with us. His advice will help leaders become connected to their team to get the best results. More about our Guests:Antwan Lofton is the Assistant Vice President of Staff and Labor Relations/Staff and Family Programs for Duke University and Health System. He has oversight for developing program initiatives and providing services to all employees. In this role, he provides HR policy support and guidance and manages the dispute resolution and disciplinary processes. Antwan also manages the collective bargaining agreements with employees represented by a union, and helps foster effective manager-employee relationships.Lofton is committed to supporting a positive work environment across the entire Duke community. He believes that a successful organization relies upon the mental and physical well-being of our employees and their families. To that end, his department provides resources and programs to support managers and employees in achieving a healthy and highly functional workplace. Antwan previously served as the Senior Director for Equal Employment Opportunity and Employee Relations at Howard University/Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. In this Lofton was responsible for the management of eight unions between the University and Hospital. He was involved in all major employee relations cases and provided oversight of the University and Hospital's Affirmative Action Plan.https://www.linkedin.com/in/antwan-lofton-director-79208a6/https://duke.edu/

In this episode, Jaden Smith speaks with Thomas Matthews, Regional Director of Operations at EyeCare Partners. Thomas touches on mentorship, relationships, and his challenges and successes with leadership. Watch this episode to gain insight on facilitative leadership, empathy in the workplace, and the importance of humility.Thomas began his journey in the military, where he served as a Second Lieutenant, and later finished his service as a Captain. Through his experiences in the military, he learned the importance of relationships, and more specifically, the importance of humility in relationships, which Thomas describes as one of his biggest lessons. He explains that leaders must let their team do what they need to do and that leaders can and should be consistently learning from their team. He emphasizes that there is no such thing as a small role and that everyone in every job is equal. Being an active listener and finding where you fit within the workplace is crucial to success.Thomas outlines many personal experiences in the workplace and the military, sharing stories ranging from the mutual benefits of mentorship to times when his method of communication failed as a leader. He talks about how to differentiate if someone is in the right seat or the right bus, and how goal setting, open communication, and validation are essential to leadership. Thomas also shares that he loves to learn, and talks about methods of formal and informal learning to improve one’s knowledge in the workplace. In fact, he is currently studying for his Master’s degree at Brown University!With a wildly successful career and the drive to keep learning, Thomas Matthews is the perfect candidate for giving beneficial advice. Watch this episode to learn how you can shape yourself into an empathetic leader, gain mentorship, and stay grounded in your beliefs.More about our guest:With over 13 years in operational leadership beginning as a military officer, Thomas has spent the last 6 years in multi-site leadership roles with two different healthcare organizations. Currently, Thomas works as the Regional Operations Director at EyeCare Partners. Before that, as a Director of Operations for Fresenius Medical Care in what was then a five-facility area, he spent three years wearing multiple hats and coordinating the expansion to 10 clinics via realignment, acquisition, and de novo growth.Prior to that, he was the Group Facility Administrator for DaVita Healthcare in Des Moines, IA. This was also a multi-functional role that was rooted in a growth-focused mindset. In fact, the common denominator for both of these positions has been his ability to turn underperforming business units into top-ranked operations that thrive under the kind of working conditions he creates.His impact has touched all aspects of his operation, ranging from KPIs and team rankings to leading large-scale change efforts that have reflected positively on retention and clinical quality. He likes to monitor key operational and financial metrics for potential process improvements and then empower my teams to solve problems and own the outcomes they create. As a decorated military veteran, he has a natural bias toward team agility, accountability, and a high-performance mindset.————————————————————————–https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfmatthews3/https://www.eyecare-partners.com/