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Search Results for: kids care

Nicole Reina With Mindset Coaching for Heroes

October 8, 2021 by Jacob Lapera

Coach The Coach
Coach The Coach
Nicole Reina With Mindset Coaching for Heroes
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NicoleReinaNicole Reina is an orally deaf individual with just 2% hearing, relying solely on hearing aids and lip-reading to communicate.

A survivor, Nicole overcame years of emotional and physical abuse from both at home and school that eventually manifested into mental stress while in early college. Using several tools and programming techniques to help heal her mind, she later successfully transformed her life and overcame all odds.

Early on, Nicole achieved remarkable milestones. Among other degrees, she earned her MBA from FIU in Corporate Finance and International Business in 2018.

In 2017, Nicole and her husband John built an award-winning traditional commercial cleaning business called Amaze Clean Janitorial.In less than four years this company became one of the largest family-owned commercial companies on the East Coast with operations from NC to Florida.

As a result of her success, Nicole was introduced to the Law of Attraction in 2020 and was hooked. In early 2021, she became a certified practitioner.

As a mother of two beautiful daughters, Nicole developed a passion for helping parents of challenged children see the role they play in a whole new light. Challenged children live in a constant state of frustration, which can have a negative impact on the parent’s well-being on an unconscious level.

Through her coaching, Nicole works to raise the level of consciousness of the parents through confidential discussions and workshops, which enables them to co-create a healthier and more productive life for their children.

Through Nicole’s remarkable insight on the Law of Attraction and how it affects daily lives, she helps bring joy to those who struggle with finding it.

Additionally, Nicole has mentored countless business professionals and provides consultant services, training workshops and speaking engagements to companies seeking to improve their Diversity and Inclusion awareness.

Earlier this year, she joined the John Maxwell Team and became a certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer with the dream of Changing the World by impacting the limiting perceptions of challenged individuals that exist in society today.

During her spare time, Nicole loves to spend quality time with her husband John and her two remarkable daughters, Natalie and Catalina. She is an aspiring author with her first book in the making.

Her hobbies include reading, writing, drawing, meditating, and bringing inspiration to others. She currently resides in Tega Cay, SC.

Connect with Nicole on Facebook and LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Law of Attraction and How It Pertains To Business And Personal Life
  • The Law of Attraction to Work in favor
  • Steps To See An Immediate Impact On Personal and Business Endeavors

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Coach the Coach radio brought to you by the Business RadioX Ambassador Program, the no cost business development strategy for coaches who want to spend more time serving local business clients and less time selling them. Go to B.R. Ambassador to learn more. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:33] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Coach the Coach Radio, and this is going to be a fun one today on the show, we have Nicole Reina with mindset coaching for heroes. Welcome to call.

Nicole Reina: [00:00:45] Hi, thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:47] Before we get too far into things, can you tell us about your practice? How do you serve folks? How how do you do your coaching?

Nicole Reina: [00:00:55] Oh, how do I do my coaching? So let me first off by introducing myself as a hearing impaired individual, so I really do appreciate you allowing me to the I could repeat yourself, but basically my my coaching I’ve done I I passionately help parents or children with disability. I work with them to help raise the level of consciousness through understanding the children’s frustration that they go through on a daily basis. Because when you’re dealing with a disability, a lot of times you think fluctuation, it affects the vibration that you are under, and the children really have no other way to express themselves, and they usually go to the potion that they love. And my aim is to keep the pilot that it is never about them. It is always about what the children are going through. So it is my desire to help them understand this process. So then when the children does have some kind of an output based on what they’re going through now, the parents have a deeper understanding of what triggered it and it never about the parent. Did they call it about what the child goes? Do that kind of the basis of my, of my coaching?

Lee Kantor: [00:02:03] Now is there some suggestions you have for parents that can that they can help their kids right now?

Nicole Reina: [00:02:10] Absolutely. I think breathing is the number one most important thing that we could ever do, because what happens when you breathe and you interrupt the thought process that’s happening in the mind? So any emotion is a manifestation of a thought that you keep thinking. So if the parent is visually witnessing, for example, a child that is going through a moment of frustration or an episode, so to speak, it would really help if they have some kind of a breathing technique. My favorite one is what I call the breathing technique and what that is. Did you take you count your breath going in and you count it up to four second and then you hold it for four seconds? And then when you pull it out, you push it out for four seconds and then you hold it for four seconds. So you do that process for about three minutes. And what happened? Did it interrupt the train of thought and a way to do a vibration? So you’re able to prevent the emotion from manifesting that coming from the negatively acting from what you’re seeing a lot of times the society that we live, then we react in the moment based on what it’s already created. And if we can learn just to step back and be more of an observer instead of taking things personally and the breathing of what helps to interrupt any of those negative thoughts that might be coming from defensiveness. So that would be my number one recommendation is to really find a breathing technique in the moment that helps you to combat the negative emotion.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:39] Now in your life, did you have a mentor or a coach to help you kind of gain this insight and knowledge?

Nicole Reina: [00:03:46] You know what, I think my coach Adidas and the the spiritual guide, I found them just resulting from the pandemic when I learned how to meditate and found a meditation that I’m able to get the inside. Now, when I was growing up to answer the question, I honestly felt alone because a disabled individual is in a whole different world. So when I was born, I was diagnosed with being deaf, mute, mentally handicapped and indictment for the rest of my life. So my story began when I was about four years old. My stepfather, my mom, remarried when I was three. He taught me. He sent me to speech therapy, and he believed that I was going to be an individual that could speak. And he wanted to make sure that I was given the opportunity to be able to hear, which is why they gave me hearing aids and then to speak, which is why they sent me to speech therapy. I went my whole life basically with the ambition that I would become a self doctor-patient individual that can overcome the handicap. And one thing that I really appreciate the most is that in my household, I was never perceived as a disabled individual. I was always treated the same as everyone in my household. I went to a mainstream school. I was really the only deaf child that was in the school, and I would just sit in the front of the class. I learned how to read lips. So I think through that encouragement of myself and really pushing myself to overcome, and I got to be, quote unquote like, normal like everyone else.

Nicole Reina: [00:05:22] It kind of what allowed me to overcome the disability portion. Now, when the pandemic hit, there was a lot of trauma that would be surfaced. And that I found what triggers that really affected me in the way that I was thinking and perceiving how others thought of me. And I believe I spend my entire life, so to speak, looking outside to please others. And I basically forgot how to go inside and to work on myself and really understand what were the triggers emotionally. Because for a very long time, I was not aware of my emotions. They just kind of happen. Whenever the triggers were, I would get frustrated or maybe upset or, you know, one of those triggers one at that moment. So to answer your question, I think that mentorship for me, I never really found anyone that could understand because it depended upon it very different to be in the world of the disabled. It’s a different perspective, and I found that it was hard to investigate and to let everyone know exactly what it was later on during the pandemic. However, when I started a spiritual journey and meditate and I was able to connect on a spiritual level, I was able to find mentors right now. That helping me with my own mindset, that gives me clarity. Not very much appreciated.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:45] Now, when you work with your clients, how what is the the issues they want help with the most?

Nicole Reina: [00:06:55] Right now, the biggest issue is understanding where you are and working on the self-love. I find that in the world that we live in, there are a lot of negative emotional triggers that make them basically prevent people from really living the life that they really want. A lot of the parents that I come across have sacrificed so much to make sure that their children are always, you know, taken care of most of the parents that I come across. They really dedicate all of their time to making sure that the child is what the what I’m looking for like, basically making sure that they’re comfortable, making sure that they don’t get frustrated, making sure that their environment is conducive to whatever their ability is. And unfortunately, when they put so much attention on the disability, they basically make it worse. And what I try to teach the parent is that if they can just see the potential and always focus on the potential and not really focus on what is it really helped. I think that having the hope, the hope that the child is going to be able to sufficiently take care of themselves independently, you know, whatever that looks like, if they can always keep that first and foremost in their mind and ensure that they they understand that whatever happened is nothing about them. It’s always about the children. And if they can separate that emotion from that, it really, really makes a difference because the self-love part is what really affect them. So, for example, a child to go to the pan, I remember with my mom, for example, I couldn’t I couldn’t get my information across the way.

Nicole Reina: [00:08:31] It was coming across and my mom was misunderstanding me. And unfortunately, the communication barrier that it did break with the people, with the unique ability to. And I got frustrated and then sometimes I would even raise my voice so I would practically yell or whatever it was because the energy keep building up. And unfortunately, what happened is the thought that that my mom is going through that for a while. Oh, did I do something wrong? How could I change how I speak? So, you know, Nicole didn’t yell at me, You know, what am I doing wrong? And how am I attracting the kind of behavior? And if that kind of intricate thinking that keeps propelling the energy that there and the conclusion of that it just becomes a very challenging way to live because in all, in all honesty, we all deserve to be happy and we all deserve to find joy. And you can find the joy if you understand that the situation that you end and temporary and find the love inside and really, really dig deep to understand what the child is going through, it’s really all about perception and understanding exactly what the child is really going through because it had nothing to do with them. So I think that the self-love piece is the one that comes up really repeatedly in my session because again, they, for whatever reason, they feel that the child, maybe they don’t love them as much or, you know, they think they have to change in order for the child to improve.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:53] When you’re working with your clients, are you working typically only with the parent or or the child individually or both?

Nicole Reina: [00:10:01] It’s usually with the parent. Now I do work with the children if the added level of the communication, if they’re able to communicate in a higher level of consciousness. So it all depends on where the child is in the life at the moment. Typically, the parent would be the first one that I work with because it’s a journey where the parent both changed your mindset and felt seeing things differently with the same situation that keep popping up. And then what happened there? The pattern felt the way another child, I think, felt improving, and at that point, I can do the coaching with the children. The awareness is raised to a different level.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:38] Can you share a story about a success where you helped a parent with their children or child get to a new level?

Nicole Reina: [00:10:48] Yes, I would love to, actually. Just recently I had a client of mine that was going through a lot. She started her own business, but in the middle of starting her own business, she was going through a divorce. And the reason why she was going through a divorce was because the father or the husband was an emotionally abusive individual. So she was trying to separate from that and creating a new business. And then on top of that, had a child with autism that was also deaf and had cataracts totally blind. When he was a newborn, he had Cadillac and had to have surgery to have them removed. So she was dealing with a disabled child and then also another sibling that was perfectly healthy. So she hurt if she was when the when she decided to get a divorce. Obviously, it was a toxic relationship and she needed to get a divorce in order to protect the environment of what is. However, her insecurities of herself and wanting to start a business and constantly thinking that she wasn’t good enough and that she worried her children because of the default, didn’t love her anymore and the child. But the unique ability to want that affected her the most because the communication is a bit different. So she worried that she was not creating the life that would give him the security that she felt like he needed. So once I spoke with her and she saw that myself, I am, I have to put that feeling.

Nicole Reina: [00:12:17] So I am considered profoundly deaf. So when I shared with her my story and then I explained to her about the perception of the child, and I let her know that when it comes to divorce and it comes to other situations that are really not her fault, it’s just the environment that she’s in and the decision making. While it does have an impact on the child, I firmly believe that the child still love the parents both way because the child is not really the one that’s involved in the situation. It’s more of the mom and the dad that’s involved in that. So when she learned to remove the fear that the child was even thinking anything of her, what she saw was that she was able to open up her heart and able to make better decisions and not react not to what the child looked like after she would have a situation for the child, for example, that that a fluctuating event when everything was said and done, he would go to her to her and she would cry it out, and she would be it would affect her. And if he would wake up the next morning, still afraid of what would happen if he created that vibration that carried with both. So then the crowd started having more and more episodes. The children are very, very attuned to energy. They can feel it. So whenever the parent acts around them had that negative energy swept off after a few started with me and I was able to change her mindset and to change her perception.

Nicole Reina: [00:13:42] And it did take a few sessions because he had to break the pattern that were already created from youth and youth of whatever her parents were from a child herself. So after a few sessions, she was able to focus on the love and realize that this is temporary and what her child is going through had nothing to do with her as she needed to make sure that she knew that she was a wonderful mom. That no matter what happened, no matter the situation, that the boy started to be distressed, whatever mistakes that she made, it really had nothing to do with how is she doing everything that she can the best of her ability and the country doing the best that she can, that all she can do? And then I found that right after the fact he was so up in the beginning of the session to be very down and depressive symptoms. But then after a few seconds, he come down very excited, very happy, and the conversation would focus more on the success of her child rather than the frustration that she had been going to. So her focus shifted into what was going right in her life instead of what was going wrong. And I think that is the most profound thing that anyone can do, because when you focus on what’s going right, that’s what you create more of.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:54] Wow, what an amazing and moving story. Thank you so much for sharing that.

Nicole Reina: [00:14:59] Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:00] Now, if somebody wants to learn more about your practice and get on your calendar and maybe have a conversation with you, what is the website?

Nicole Reina: [00:15:08] My website is I am Nicole Raynox. And they can go on to the website and select Contact Me the button on the website to be able to get onto my calendar. I can also be reached by email, which is Nicole at. I am Nicole Vanderkam, and I believe that the best way to contact me, actually if you are able to find the email. But that would be the place to go to learn more.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:34] Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. Nicole. And that website, one more time is I am and I see only R e I and a dot com. Nicole Rayner, you’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Nicole Reina: [00:15:51] Oh, thank you so much and I really appreciate you having me. Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:55] All right, this is Lee Kantor Willis Hill, next time on Coach the Coach radio.

Tagged With: Mindset Coaching for Heroes, Nicole Reina

Bienvenido a Colombia E75

October 6, 2021 by Karen

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Phoenix Business Radio
Bienvenido a Colombia E75
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Bienvenido a Colombia E75

In this episode hosts Austin and Landon welcome back frequent guest, Eric Stoffers, CEO of BioXcellerator. Eric kicked off the interview by sharing the company’s success since his last episode on Tycoons. Eric emphasized the blessings they have been fortunate to have to overcome the struggles during the Pandemic. Eric elaborates on what they did to be successful during this tough time.

Tune in to hear how BioXcellerator is changing and saving lives and specific stories that have shaped their company mission.

BioXcellerator is quickly becoming a global leader in advanced stem cell therapy and innovation. Their mission and goals are clear, they want to make 100 years old the new 60.

They hope to achieve this by delivering exceptional patient outcomes through the most innovative treatments — backed by science and research — when medication and surgery fail.

The company is developing state-of-the-art stem cell and health and longevity treatment centers to give hope to millions of patients worldwide who suffer from
chronic pain, orthopedic injuries, and degenerative conditions and diseases new hope.

Eric-Stoffers-BioXcellerator1Eric Stoffers is CEO of BioXcellerator and serves on its board of directors. Business leader by profession; Real Estate geek at heart; a passionate advocate for inclusion, diversity, and equality; native Phoenician; NAU alum; world traveler; dog lover; supporter of veterans. I define my mission and that of my company as empowering every person to achieve their highest potential and have fun doing it.

A serial entrepreneur, Eric Stoffers started his first business in elementary school, selling Garbage Pail Kids trading cards during recess on the playground. He launched a small startup in a one-room office that has grown to be the premier global attraction for celebrities and athletes to receive advanced stem cell therapy.

Mr. Stoffers also built a successful, fully integrated real estate investment and development firm starting with the purchase of a single-family home rental renovation in 2003. Before being named CEO of American Housing Income Trust Inc., a NASDAQ REIT, Eric was American Realty Partners chief operating officer and was responsible for all of the company’s nationwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of its capital raising efforts, single-family rental portfolios, sales activities, and service and support in all markets.

He also headed the Performance Realty Managements acquisition division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace during the housing recession in 2008.

In the early years, for over a decade, Mr. Stoffers provided world-class management solutions to some of the largest restaurant companies in the country like P.F. Chang’s and a Maestro’s product in North West Phoenix, AZ before pivoting to Real Estate.

Eric is currently the Chairman of Solutions for a Healthier World Foundation Inc., a charity that helps veterans and first responders receive treatment for traumatic
brain injuries and CTE from multiple concussions. He is the co-founder of Xcellerate Biomedical Technologies Inc., a skincare company, a member of Toastmasters International, The ManKind Project, and a loving father to his daughter Tayla.

Follow BioXcellerator on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the Show

Tycoons of Small Biz spotlights the true backbone of the American economy, the true tycoons of business in America… the owners, founders and CEO’s of small businesses. Join hosts,  Austin L Peterson, Landon Mance and the featured tycoons LIVE every Tuesday at 1 pm, right here on Business RadioX and your favorite podcast platform.

About Your Hosts

Autsin-Peterson-on-Phoenix-Business-RadioX

Austin Peterson is a Comprehensive Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners in Scottsdale, AZ. Austin is a registered rep and investment advisor representative with Lincoln Financial Advisors. Prior to joining Lincoln Financial Advisors, Austin worked in a variety of roles in the financial services industry.

He began his career in financial services in the year 2000 as a personal financial advisor with Independent Capital Management in Santa Ana, CA. Austin then joined Pacific Life Insurance Company as an internal wholesaler for their variable annuity and mutual fund products. After Pacific Life, Austin formed his own financial planning company in Southern California that he built and ran for 6 years and eventually sold when he moved his family to Salt Lake City to pursue his MBA.

After he completed his MBA, Austin joined Crump Life Insurance where he filled a couple of different sales roles and eventually a management role throughout the five years he was with Crump. Most recently before joining Lincoln Financial Advisors in February 2015, Austin spent 2 years as a life insurance field wholesaler with Symetra Life Insurance Company. Austin is a Certified Financial Planner Professional and Chartered Life Underwriter. In 2021, Austin became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses.

Austin and his wife of 23 years, Robin, have two children, AJ (21) and Ella (18) and they reside in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in French and of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in sales and entrepreneurship.backbone-New-Logo

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

LandonHeadshot01

Landon Mance is a Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He rebranded his practice in 2020 to focus on serving small business owners after operating as Mance Wealth Management since 2015 when Landon broke off from a major bank and started his own “shop.”

Landon comes from a family of successful entrepreneurs and has a passion and excitement for serving the business community. This passion is what brought about the growth of Backbone Planning Partners to help business owners and their families. At Backbone Planning, we believe small business owners’ personal and business goals are intertwined, so we work with our clients to design a financial plan to support all aspects of their lives.

In 2019, Landon obtained the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation through the Exit Planning Institute. With this certification, Backbone Planning Partners assists business owners through an ownership transition while focusing on a positive outcome for their employees and meeting the business owner’s goals. Landon is also a member of the Business Intelligence Institute (BII) which is a collaborative group that shares tools, resources and personnel, and offers advanced level training and technical support to specifically serve business owners. In 2021, Landon became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses by counseling owners about exit options, estimating the value of the business, preparing the business for exit and tax considerations.

Landon enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, stepson, and new baby twins. He grew up in sunny San Diego and loves visiting his family, playing a round of golf with friends, and many other outdoor activities. Landon tries to make a difference in the lives of children in Las Vegas as a part of the leadership team for a local non-profit. He regularly visits the children that we work with to remind himself of why it’s so important to, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Landon received his B.S. from California State University Long Beach in business marketing and gets the rest of his education through the school of hard knocks via his business owner clients.

Connect with Landon on LinkedIn.

Austin Peterson and Landon Mance are registered representatives of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker/dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. Backbone Planning Partners is a marketing name for registered representatives of Lincoln Financial Advisors. CRN-3811986-093021

Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. and its representatives do not provide legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a legal or tax advisor regarding any legal or tax information as it relates to your personal circumstances.

The content presented is for informational and educational purposes. The information covered and posted are views and opinions of the guests and not necessarily those of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

Business RadioX® is a separate entity not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

Tagged With: advanced stem cell therapy, BioXcellerator

Jon Dwoskin With The Jon Dwoskin Experience

October 5, 2021 by Jacob Lapera

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Jon Dwoskin was recently the Chief Operating Officer of The Hayman Company and partnered with the firm in its restructuring. Previously, he was a Vice-President of Investments with Marcus & Millichap, specializing in negotiating the sales of multi-family investment properties.

After selling nearly 5,000 units valued at nearly $250 million, he was named the Regional Manager of the Detroit Marcus & Millichap office. He took over the office in August, 2008, and the recession that followed nearly obliterated us all the following month.

Despite the toll that the recession took, he successfully oversaw more than $4 billion in investment commercial transactions, building the Detroit office into one of the most profitable offices of 76 offices nationwide. He expanded the office to 45 agents by actively working with them to grow their agent teams and increase their bottom lines. He strategized, trained and improved their skill-sets and held them accountable to their business plans.

He was a regional and national trainer, assisted in turning around other branch offices, and was part of the CEO Advisory Committee. At that point, six years had passed and he knew it was time to move on.

Before his successful career in real estate, he created one of the first online marketing companies in the United States. This was one of the first times he remember tuning in to his instincts. The Internet didn’t exist, yet he knew it was going to be huge. Many people thought we were crazy, but he knew we were onto something new, uncharted and very big.

It was 1995. he was 23 years old and leading the sales team. He sold the company in 1997 to USWeb, the largest Internet professional service firm in the world. His brother and him, along with a friend, started this in their parents’ basement, working 100-hour weeks for years.

Being part of the Silicon Valley boom was phenomenal, but looking back, he wishes he took more time to breathe it all in. Everything was moving so fast; he was so young. And he loved every second of it. He’s honored to have been awarded the prestigious Crain’s “40 Under 40” award and to have received the Eastern Michigan University Alumnus of the Year Award, having graduated from there with a double major in Economics and Journalism.

Through it all, he has always had business coaches – as an agent, as a manager, always. Even before he knew about “coaching,” he had advisors to whom he could turn for advice and inspiration to support and fuel the drive he had within him. At times, he has had two coaches. It’s true! In fact, he currently has two coaches and uses co-coaching with other coaches in the industry. It is through coaching that he found his voice, especially when he took over at Marcus & Millichap.

He learned how to more effectively communicate with all the different agents, both locally and nationally, and how to work with and communicate more effectively with the C-level people of the company. He continues to use coaches because they hold him accountable and facilitate his own growth. After all, even us coaches have dreams and aspirations!

He has sat on the board of directors of nearly a dozen organizations in the past 20 years, served as a mentor to many, and continues to do so as his way of giving back and paying it forward. he wants to share one more important thought with you.

As a cancer survivor, he is a mentor with Imerman Angels (imermanangels.org). He is a 16-year cancer survivor (and counting!) with every intention of staying that way. He mentors men who are, unfortunately, going through a very scary experience. When he was going through his own diagnosis and treatment, his mentor was Jonny Imerman. His support was life-changing for him.

He lives in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan with his wife, Joanna, who makes true the old saying that behind every strong man is a stronger woman. She is a nurse and Reiki energy healer when she is not driving carpools, supervising homework, making meals, and raising their kids – all of which she does selflessly.

Their son, Jacob, is an awesome basketball and tennis player with a kind heart. Their daughter, Aria, is an amazing singer, dancer, and pianist with a heart every bit as kind as her brother’s.

When He’s not busy growing businesses or guiding people through their next endeavors, he’s playing tennis or basketball with friends or the kids, skiing, golfing, reading or listening to books, writing, or focusing on self-development.

Connect with Jon on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Coach the Coach radio brought to you by the Business RadioX Ambassador Program, the no cost business development strategy for coaches who want to spend more time serving local business clients and less time selling them. Go to brxambassadorcom to learn more. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:33] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Coach the Coach Radio, and you’re in for a treat today. Today on the show, we have John Dwoskin with the Jon Dwoskin experience. Welcome, John.

Jon Dwoskin: [00:00:44] Hey, well, thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:45] Well, I’m excited to share what you are doing with our listeners. Tell us a little bit how you’re serving folks at the Jon Dwoskin experience.

Jon Dwoskin: [00:00:56] Yeah. Thanks so much for asking. I work with successful people who are stuck and get them unstuck in their business. I work with solopreneurs to Fortune 500, Fortune 100 companies and everything in between. And really, you know, creating a space for them to get unstuck and then creating and working with them on a vision and then reverse engineering that vision and giving them and providing them and opening up a discussion, leaving them with immediate tools to implement into their business and grow their business to get and keep them unstuck.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:28] Now, the word stuck in unstuck has been bandied about quite a bit lately. I don’t know if it’s the pandemic or just a hot word we had grind a while ago. That was a hot word that we were talking about, but stuck in unstuck seemed to be floating around a lot lately. Do you find that it is the pandemic that has kind of made people realize that, hey, maybe I am stuck, maybe there is something more than what I have right now?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:01:55] You know, it’s been it’s been a word I’ve been using for almost seven years in my business, and I have found that it has been consistently something that people call me and say, John, I’m stuck. I need to get unstuck. I think the pandemic rose everyone’s level of consciousness and level of awareness to begin to identify that what they want is to be more fulfilled. What they want is to be more in alignment. And so because of that, they’re more aware of, they’re stuck. So I don’t know if it’s the word is new, but I think people are just kind of realizing that they’re stuck. They have been stuck. They just didn’t know it.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:36] So what are some symptoms of being stuck?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:02:41] So some symptoms of being stuck are

Lee Kantor: [00:02:45] Like, what’s it look like, how do I know if I’m stuck or not?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:02:48] Yeah, well, you’re complacent, you’re bored, you are doing the same thing and not seeing growth or results. The stuff that used to work isn’t working. The mindset of yesterday isn’t working, and just the way that you’re approaching your business is working. But it’s not. You’re not seeing the type of growth that you could see based on the little movements where if you move just a little bit, you’re stuck. See, what happens is as what the pandemic did was that it put people who were in alignment and taking action. It put them into an adjustment period. And so in this adjustment, where people are evolving, that’s where they get stuck and don’t know how to get back into alignment. And so if you feel out of to put it simply, if you feel out of alignment. That means you’re stuck in your adjustment. And and what I do is I help people get back into alignment. And so sometimes that’s a small little thing. I was, for example, I was on the phone with a client the other day and you know, there was one thing that they were doing in their business. We dove in and they made a million dollar shift in their business. So it’s about communicating and realize you need more mentors today because you’re more distracted today, right? So people are stuck, but people are also more distracted and they need people to pull the best out of them. So a lot of times, you know, there’s this quantum problem where things that we do, we don’t realize are so special because we do them. But if we can get somebody to bring the best out of us when we are so distracted, then we can turn that and monetize it and grow our business.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:30] Now in your career, you’ve gone down a variety of roads and have been successful throughout. Can you share with the listeners how when you became stuck or decided you had a point of inflection and you were going to, you know, maybe pivot tweak or just go a different path? How did you realize that? Did you have mentors and coaches that were helping guide you through those things? Or is this something that you just figured out while you were kind of in it?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:04:57] I’ve had business coaches and mentors for 25 plus years. And so through every career, I’ve always had people that I can turn to on a consistent basis to talk about and deep dove into my business and forecast three, six, nine 12 months out and say, OK, where am I today? Where do I want to be tomorrow? Am I fulfilled? Am I in alignment? What does that look like? How am I going to grow my business? How am I going to grow myself as my soul grows? So does the evolution of any business that I’m in now.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:30] Was that something you just kind of organically figured out during the course of this career? Or is this something that was with you at the start?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:05:39] You know, my dad was an entrepreneur. Everyone in my family were entrepreneurs, and from the time I was 18 years old, my my dad gave me a set of tape sets by Brian Tracy, the psychology of success. And that just kind of ignited something in me. So I became a student of learning, and so everything I read or listen to carried that message, and I would then carry that message in my conversations with my mentors and coaches. So I was always kind of in the on the path of fulfillment and evolving myself, evolving my business, evolving my soul. And so it kind of I would say it was a combination of art and science.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:20] Now, how did kind of the mingling of business and soul occur? Did something happen where you were like, Oh, like this? I had some sort of an epiphany moment or is this something that just said, you know, this is the holistic way of looking at life?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:06:37] I read a book called The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zuckoff. And in it, he says something. I may be getting a bit wrong, but not, but not really. But in it, what he talked about was the ideal human being is where the personality begins with the personality ends and the soul begins, and you can’t even tell. And I thought, Oh, that was so interesting, because if that is the case, I’m a bit out of alignment. And so that was kind of where I realized the connection of business and soul and being in fulfillments, being in alignment and constantly realizing that I needed to be in a state where I was always evolving and raising my level of consciousness. And so, you know, as you outgrow. You know, bosses or outgrow different careers. It’s because I was always evolving and growing my business acumen, but I was also doing soul work as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:39] Now how do you kind of marry this big wide, this big mission with kind of monetary or materialistic things? Or do you?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:07:52] Well, you know, I think I’m I’m really good with being a conscious capitalist. I believe that making money is a great thing, and the more money people make, the more money I make, the more people I can help. And so for me, I’m all about providing coaching over my lifetime for over a billion people and getting them thinking big by getting them unstuck and staying consistent and being fulfilled. And so I do it three different ways. I update content on my website every day. I have a daily podcast so people can get a lot of content from me for free every single day on my social platforms, my website, et cetera. I then have custom coaching, right, which is either one on one, you know, coaching trainings that I do keynotes that I do. Those are very custom to my clients. For those that can’t afford that, I offer a group coaching, which is every Monday night at 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Live coaching with me. It’s a private coaching group, but where my one on one coaching is full access to me. Even between sessions, my Monday live coaching group is the only access they have is my Monday coaching group and that’s $100 a month. So you can do, you can you you can learn from me for free for $100 a month or custom one on one coaching, which also the the tentacles of that are group trainings, private custom trainings and keynote talks.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:23] Now, when you’re working with a client, one on one. How does that work? Like is the beginning? Just conversations kind of deep dove. See if it’s the right fit, ask them questions about, you know, the outcome they desire and then kind of formulate a plan of action.

Jon Dwoskin: [00:09:40] Yeah. So I every client starts with a deep dove with me. That deep dove is typically three to five hours after the deep dove. They go into a maintenance program of 15 minutes a week or 30 minutes every other week. Some clients may do forty five minutes, but but the majority do 15 or 30 minutes. And and that’s the way to stay consistent. And I guarantee everything I do. I do no contracts. I am a month to month investments. I consider myself, my clients, consider me a profit center for their business and I guarantee everything that I do. I tell my clients, when you get the bill, don’t pay it. So I I’m very value add and I can provide and I can hear what’s not being heard. I can see what’s not being seen and I can take a company no matter what size and say, OK, here’s what you’re trying to do, what you’re telling me. Ask them a series of questions and say, Here’s what you really need to be doing and where you need to be going. Give them perspective, leadership, effective communication skills. You know, work with them on their vision, their goals, being specific, being miserable, miserable. I’m, excuse me, measurable and and really just diving into all of the nitty gritty detail that’s accustomed to exactly what they need in that moment to get unstuck, inspire themselves, inspire others and grow their business.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:05] And then it sounds very tactical to that. You’re getting really into the weeds and granular of do these four things this week and we’ll check in tomorrow. So you’re part cheerleader, part accountability partner and part tactician.

Jon Dwoskin: [00:11:19] Correct.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:21] Now for you in this journey is the most rewarding part. Their success is that kind of what brings you the most joy nowadays?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:11:31] Yeah, I love watching clients succeed and get unstuck. And you know, to me as a coach, my emotional intelligence, my intuitiveness is very high. So many times I can see things that are hidden in plain sight that they cannot see. I can hear and see things that they’re missing. And so that they’ve been missing for years, sometimes decades. And to me, it’s just as clear as day. And so once I can get them to the point and create that space for them to erase their awareness, their consciousness, or they can see what I’m seeing and then provide them the tools and the action plan on how to execute and evolve to the next level. It’s hugely fulfilling. For me, getting people unstuck is amazing to me.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:17] Now, can you share a story? Don’t name their name or their company, but explain what they’re kind of before looks like and explain your actions. And now then what the after looks like.

Jon Dwoskin: [00:12:29] You know, there’s so many, but one that comes to mind is, you know, working and I’ve done this many, many, many, many, many times is working with a team of salespeople who cannot sell and don’t have the proper training in place and training them on a consistent basis and on a group basis to get them to start selling, increase their courage, provide them tips to really multiply their pipeline in a major, major way and grow not only their own pipeline, but the company’s bottom line working with companies to train managers. Because most managers have not been, we’re promoted because they were good at their job but don’t know how to manage people. And then nobody trained them on how to manage people and coming in and teaching and educating people, how to manage people working with CEOs or leaders of companies who don’t know how to effectively communicate and make people feel like they matter and create and carry a vision on a daily basis and provide people the tools and the understanding and awareness of what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and the impact and the influence that they have, which most, most people don’t realize. And diving in and educating people on the simple and then giving them simple ways to implement it and execute it into their daily world.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:47] Now do you mind sharing one or two things that a person could do themselves right now to get unstuck or at least make them aware of their stuckness?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:13:56] Absolutely. Start of morning ritual where there are silent time, preferably meditation, and create a ritual of meditation and quieting your mind and your nervous system. Your best ideas are inside of you. You just if you’re running a thousand miles an hour, you can’t get to them. And so you’ve got to. I think everybody should meditate. You can call it whatever you want. Silent time going for a walk with no music doing something. Getting in nature but absolutely taking care of yourself and your well-being is absolutely number one, and having a morning ritual is absolutely critical. So whatever that is, five minutes of walking and five minutes of reading, five minutes of this something where you can get grounded in alignment and be ready to conquer the day because you’ve you’ve nurtured and fueled yourself.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:53] Well, John, congratulations on all the success. Just amazing story and just you’re really a gift to the people that follow you and that I’m sure are working with you. If somebody wants to learn more. Maybe get a hold of some of those free resources or, you know, get on your coaching calendar. What is the website?

Jon Dwoskin: [00:15:15] My website is John Dwoskin, John Diaz and David W0 Sky and John Dwoskin. My cell phone is two four eight five three five seven seven nine six. Anybody can call me and we can chat. I answer my own phone. I have a team of eight people that work with me so I can be with clients and return calls because people are buying me and and they want to hear from me. They can email me at John John at John Dwoskin Scam. And again, John Dwoskin dot com is my website, and two four eight five three five seven seven nine six is my cell and you from my website. You can add to all my social platforms where I have live stuff Monday to Friday, and my website is updated every day.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:01] Well, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Jon Dwoskin: [00:16:05] Thank you. I appreciate you having me on the show, and I appreciate your community for listening. Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:10] All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Coach the Coach radio.

Tagged With: Jon Dwoskin, The Jon Dwoskin Experience

SciTech Innovation and STEM Summit: Rachna Mathur with STEMology Club E15

October 4, 2021 by Karen

SciTech-Innovation-and-STEM-Summit-Rachna-Mathur-with-STEMology-Club-feature
Phoenix Business Radio
SciTech Innovation and STEM Summit: Rachna Mathur with STEMology Club E15
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SciTech-Innovation-and-STEM-Summit-Rachna-Mathur-with-STEMology-Club

SciTech Innovation and STEM Summit: Rachna Mathur with STEMology Club E15

STEMology-Club-logo

STEMology Club offers K-6th grade after-school STEM/STEAM enrichment programs, teacher professional development, and STEM mentorship & advocacy for underserved/underrepresented youth.

STEMology Club’s mission is to foster every child’s natural curiosity to understand the world around them through science, technology, engineering & math and help them discover their “Inner STEMologist”!

Rachna-Mathur-STEM-UnpluggedRachna Mathur is an Artist, an Engineer, a Teacher, a Tinkerer, and a Lifelong Learner. She is curious about the multiverse, loves to play with tech toys, and constantly thinks about how kids today will shape the future of AI.

After a BS/MS in computer science from ASU, a decade at Intel as a software engineer, and the last five years in various education roles, she started her own STEM education company “STEMology Club” and is also a doctoral candidate at ASU’s Teacher’s College.

Connect with Rachna on LinkedIn.

About Our Sponsor

SciTech Institute™ was established as the Arizona Technology Council Foundation as the conduit for collaboration among STEM industry, academia, civic, and non-profit organizations in Arizona. Now, rebranded and named the SciTech Institute™ the goal centers around aligning assets and resources to motivate individuals to pursue STEM-related educational and career paths or find a passion while engaged in community events during the SciTech Festival.SciTech-Institute-LOGO-COLOR-png

The Chief Science Officer program highlights the 6th-12th graders that have been selected as leaders in their schools and communities to receive training to build a world-class community of diverse STEM-literate workers and knowledgeable, engaged citizens. Science For All allows for tax credit donations to provide engaging experiences for students while RAIN (Rural Activation Innovation Network) focuses on resources for the rural areas of Arizona.

As a STEM Learning Ecosystem, SciTech Institute™ focuses on collaboration and connecting individuals with opportunities! STEM Professionals are encouraged to engage with the future workforce by serving as a mentor, leadership coach, panelist, keynote and session trainer during a variety of conferences hosted or sponsored by SciTech Institute™ and The Arizona Technology Council.

Teachers and Administrators are invited to connect with the resources available while activating a large network of STEM champions for student projects, judges at events, volunteers, exhibitors and more. SciTech Festival Event Coordinators are supported during the planning and execution of community STEM events around the state by the SciTech STREET Team Members and the growing network of volunteers. The possibilities are endless! SciTech Institute™ looks forward to connecting with you today. Visit SciTechInstitute.org today for more information.

Follow SciTech Institute on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Your STEM Unplugged Host

STEM-Unplugged-iTunesLogoAfter grow up in rural New York and joining the United States Army, Kelly Greene learned quickly to adapt to her surroundings to be successful. She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.

She also enlisted in the United States Army and after graduating from training, Kelly traveled the world with the military. While stationed in Misawa, Japan, she fell in love with learning about cultures around the world. Even as a deployed Soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom for two tours, she found opportunities to connect with the local children to form the Victory Base Council Girl Scouts with her fellow servicemen.

In 2013, she was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and traveled the country by air. During this deployment, she had the opportunity to utilize the most advanced technologies available to the tactical HUMINT operations in theater. Upon return from combat, she retired with 21 years of service and began teaching. From 6th grade Math to 7th grade STEM, Kelly used her enthusiastic nature combined with her strong classroom management to design curriculum based on the Engineering Design Process!

Now, as the Chief Operating Officer at SciTech Institute, Kelly is excited to serve the communities in Arizona and beyond to share their interest in STEM!

Donna Poudrier With Effective Speech Communications

October 4, 2021 by Jacob Lapera

DonnaPoudrier
Coach The Coach
Donna Poudrier With Effective Speech Communications
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Donna Poudrier grew up in a sales-oriented household.

Her father and mentor was a salesman, sales mgr., sales trainer, speaker, author, etc.

She followed in his footsteps in sales, sales mgt. marketing & new business dev. with Nestle, Ore-Ida, Unilever, and General Foods.

She moved into teaching public speaking at the collegiate level, recruiting, and career coaching.

Connect with Donna on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • How to land the right job for you
  • Three key insights for today’s job seekers
  • 3 actions/takeaways a job seeker can use to land the right job for them

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Coach the Coach radio brought to you by the Business RadioX Ambassador Program, the no cost business development strategy for coaches who want to spend more time serving local business clients and less time selling them. Go to brxambassador.com To learn more. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:33] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Coach the Coach Radio, and this is going to be a fun one today on the show, we have Donna Poudrier with effective speech communications. Welcome, Donna.

Donna Poudrier: [00:00:45] Hi Lee, how are you?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:46] I am doing great. I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about effective speech communications. How are you serving, folks?

Donna Poudrier: [00:00:53] Thank you. I love that slogan. How am I serving, folks? Well, I think of myself as a people stager. If you’ve ever sold a home, or perhaps you have friends that are thinking about selling, we often stage our homes and I stage people and I help them present the very best version of themselves to then be able to speak well to a hiring manager or to an HR person to get the job they want. So I’m a career coach and I’m a recruiter. So that’s pretty much how I serve them.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:23] So what’s your back story? How’d you get in this line of work?

Donna Poudrier: [00:01:27] You know, it’s really interesting. We can never seem to. But don’t guarantee our our our linear view of where our career is going, I started out in sales and marketing and the reason being my father was all about the sale. He was a sales manager, a sales trainer. He wrote books on salesmanship. He was a public speaker about sales. So it’s no surprise around our dinner table. That’s all we ever talked about was how to close the sale. So of course, I started out in sales and I worked for a major blue chip corporations like Nestle, Unilever or Rita Hines, General Foods Barilla. All in sales, marketing and new business development. So what’s interesting about this is that I was spending my career creating products, selling them, marketing them, and now my client is my product, so I work with them the very best we can. Where a team approach in creating the best version of themselves with all of their marketing materials, their LinkedIn, their resume, the two minute pitch, their interview strategy and then, of course, to close the sale. So that’s kind of how I get started. It’s all about the sale and it still is right now.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:39] How how do your clients come to you? Like, are they at the beginning of a job search, like at the beginning of their career? Or are they kind of executives that are trying to get to a new level? Like, what? What is the pain they’re having, where Donna and her team are the right solution?

Donna Poudrier: [00:02:54] That’s a good question. I really work the entire spectrum. I work on my own as a career coach. I work with other career coaches in terms of helping college grads get hired and working with universities or just working with those grads on one on one. And then I also work with an outplacement company where I’m sure you’re aware of when companies are downsizing. They hire an outplacement company and then each of those people have a chance to relaunch their career. And I’m a coach for them so I can be with anyone from just starting out right out of college to executives that are making anywhere from 250 to half a million a year.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:30] Now, is there anything, say, a middle management person can be doing to get on the radar of a recruiter? I’ve always heard of some people are like, Oh, recruiters are calling me left and right, and then other people are like crickets. No one’s calling them about anything. What it kind of catches the eye of a recruiter and what kind of kind of a regular person be doing in order to kind of capture the attention of somebody that might help them land that dream job?

Donna Poudrier: [00:03:56] Ok, that’s a really great question. First of all, I think the number one mistake that everyone makes when we’re looking for a job these days is to kind of sit back. You might you might expect that recruiters are going to just reach out and find out about you through LinkedIn or what have you, but you’ve got to be proactive in your search. But if you want to be found out. Once a recruiter does find you, if you want to be within their radar and pursue opportunities within that firm, you’ve got to have a resume that really speaks to the potential job. Like the first third of the resume, the top third is the most important and average recruiter myself included. We’ll look at a resume anywhere from five to eight seconds. So in that top third of that resume, if it’s not jumping off the page as to who this person is, how many years experience, et cetera, what they could do for the potential company that I’m representing. And fortunately, it goes in the garbage, so you’ve got to be proactive and you have to have the right sales materials.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:54] So that’s the the first step to be found is to kind of kind of get your foundational assets ready.

Donna Poudrier: [00:05:02] You have to have your assets. And what I would say, the other mistake would be that so many people wait to be found or they’re just applying online. And what’s really interesting about this search one something that I learned when I crossed over from being a recruiter to a career coach and combine the two that over 80 percent of jobs right now are secured through networking and directly reaching out to hiring managers, believe it or not, over 80 percent. So if you are sitting at your computer all day and I’ve had people call me up and say I actually applied to 70 jobs today, you know, I can’t wait to hear back. Well, good luck, because no one. That’s not the way to find a job. That’s the smallest portion of the pie. It’s only 10 percent of jobs are secured through online. And secondly, if you’re applying online, you need to be using an applicant tracking system, which is a whole nother scenario. So you really have to be reaching out and networking. Use your network. That is how to get a job.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:58] Now, if when you advise people to, you know, in their career search, you mentioned just now that kind of applying. And people think they’re being proactive and they think, you know, they’re doing work. Obviously, it takes time to do all that and do those 70 applications and submissions. And you’re saying that it’s not. Maybe that’s not the best use of your time, but that is a use of your time. How would you go about if you were this kind of person that’s looking for a new job is your first move to just really identify the type of job first? Or do you identify the company first and then you kind of try to find who knows somebody within there because you mentioned the power of the network, and that’s really where you’ve got to get a friend of a friend to maybe refer you. How would you kind of go about this job hunt if you were putting aside what seems like the obvious and easiest is just making submissions in?

Donna Poudrier: [00:06:56] Right. Ok, so that’s a great question, and this is something that we all need to focus on when we’re trying to find a job. First of all, you got to have a list. If you just say to yourself, I believe your job for six months, my first question would be is, OK, well, you know, who have you applied to? Who your targets? Who do you know in your network? So you really have to have a good list of companies saying to yourself, All right, I’m in the medical device industry. I want to stay there as an example. And if I want to stay there, who are the companies specifically? I think I want to work for and make that list? Or perhaps you’re coming out of publishing as an example, and you know that the publishing industry isn’t doing very well. Well, publishing might be one category you’re looking at. And then what are the other areas? What are the transferable skills you have from publishing you could bring into another industry, so you might have two or three industries that you’re looking at with a list of companies?

Lee Kantor: [00:07:50] So is that that that’s where you really help your client, right? This is what I would imagine that you’re going to save them a ton of time and them kind of barking up the wrong tree or not even realizing they might have gold in their back pocket and not even know it, but.

Donna Poudrier: [00:08:05] Absolutely. They might know somebody that they didn’t think to contact. But the most important part of this is being proactive, as you said, and making that list so you can be checking them off. Because as you know, there’s so many people applying to jobs all the time for each job is probably more than two hundred and fifty applications. So you’ve got to have a lot of conversations going. So if you’re just having put all your baskets in one opportunity and that one falls apart, where does that leave you? So that’s number one. You’ve got to be proactive, then you always have to think about it as a sale. You have to have an approach, a demonstration and a close. You know, the approaches, who are you approaching the demonstration or all your sales materials, as well as your interviewing strategy? And then how are you going to go into that interview and close the sale? And how are you going to as part of your approach? How are you going to reach these people?

Lee Kantor: [00:08:51] And then I find that a lot of people get hung up on the right person, and I think that in when you’re networking within an organization, I don’t think the right. I mean, ideally you’d want to get as close to the right person as possible. But when you’re starting out, anybody in the organization could be the right person for you, whether you know them well or not, because they might know the next person and you’re going to be slowly getting closer to the right person.

Donna Poudrier: [00:09:15] That’s exactly right. I think, are you in this industry?

Lee Kantor: [00:09:19] No, but I mean, it’s just I’m in sales, so that makes sense to me. Like a lot of people get hung up with or if I don’t know the person with the golden ticket, why bother? It’s not. Everybody else is a waste of my time, and I’m like, I don’t think so. I think these kind of weak ties help you because they give you credibility, and then it helps you get one level closer to where you’re trying to go.

Donna Poudrier: [00:09:39] That’s exactly right. You never know where that break or the next job is going to come from. So here I’ve got a quick story about that and you want to hear it? Sure. Ok, so here’s an example of putting the referral opportunity and networking together. And one. This is a smart kid. He actually. We’re back talking about medical devices, actually. He was in the medical industry. He decided that he wanted to work more in the device aspect of it. And he didn’t really know anybody. So he starts going looking on LinkedIn. Now this is, I don’t know this person directly. I know my client, whom I talk about in the second. He’s looking on LinkedIn and he actually finds a client that I’m working with, and he sees that they have a lot of like minded interests. They’re young, they’re, you know, out of school a few years, both like sports. So this kid says to himself, I think I’m going to try to connect with him because he’s actually working at a company that I would love to work at. They don’t even know each other, so no one check off the first box, right, because he’s actually connecting, trying to connect with someone on LinkedIn.

Donna Poudrier: [00:10:40] So my client, of course, says, Yep, you can. I’ll connect with you. Next thing you know and pick up the phone, he says, Can I have a conversation and they have a conversation? They don’t know each other at all, by the way, they connect on the phone. They’re talking about sports teams and industry and sales, et cetera. And then the kid says to him, You know, do you think your company even has any openings? And my guy says, Well, I don’t know. And he says, Well, do you think if I sent you my resume, could you send it down to HR? You never know. Sure enough, sending the resume, my client sends it down to HR. He ends up getting hired. They end up being very good friends and my client gets a referral fee of like almost $3000. Wow. So you just never know. This is one they didn’t know each other from Adam. And then they turn out to be good friends. They’re both working for the same company. Wow. Very interesting.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:26] You never know. And it’s one of again for young people listening. I hope that you kind of can get up some nerve and some confidence to reach out to strangers in this manner because people want to help other people and and don’t be afraid to go maybe a few levels higher than you think you should, because when people are at higher levels, they want to give back and they’re excited to hear from a young person that’s hungry and that wants to learn, they’ll give you some time. So don’t be afraid of that. Take the shot because there are so many older people that want to help the younger person succeed. Because it’s good for their legacy. They feel good about themselves.

Donna Poudrier: [00:12:09] I agree completely. I have a real soft spot in my heart for new grads. My father was such a help and a mentor to me. Coming right out of school and showed me how to do it. And really, it hasn’t changed that much. And the other interesting point that you bring up when you start a little higher is that when you start a little higher on the totem pole in terms of where these people fall, for instance, a couple of different things. If you’re if you start in the middle management, suppose you end up being good friends with somebody like this. Like the story I just told you, if you’re referred in by someone in middle management as an example, you have a better than 50 percent chance of being hired. Like here we go back to the referral system, right? If it’s at the director level, it’s better than 90 percent. And if you start hire that person or that director, so to speak or VP, will trickle it down and their underlings will say, Well, I better interview this person. You know, this person, the VP told me that this person is good. So that’s great advice that you’re offering.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:06] Yeah, I think that people underestimate how much that it means for the the mentor or the, you know, the hire, the more seasoned executive that they want to make time for young people. I mean, they might be too busy or may today or this week or this month might not fit. But don’t be. Just keep trying because if you’re hungry and want to reach out, they’re going to make time for you in most cases. That’s how I’ve seen I. When I was younger, I had a lot of more seasoned veteran people make time to talk to me because I was hungry and relentless, and they saw that, and they want to know that that’s good for their business. You know, that could turn into an employee for them, and that’s who they want to have. Is that person that’s hungry and relentless?

Donna Poudrier: [00:13:53] Yeah, I totally agree with you, and I’m telling these kids that all the time, they have a hard time reaching out networking. It’s something we really need to work on with all of them.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:02] So now what is kind of the most rewarding part of your job? Is it the, you know, that moment when you get the call? Like, I did it, I got I got an interview, I got the job. Is that really where the joy comes in in your work?

Donna Poudrier: [00:14:16] It is with all levels, whether it be the college grad or the senior exec. Absolutely. And and I also think. Being on their timeline and working according to their plan, for instance, I have people call me and say, you know, I really need a job quickly. You know, I’ve been I had somebody recently. They were out of job. They were out of work for an entire year, which is not uncommon in these days and didn’t have a coach just pursuing it on his own decided to hire the coach. He and I work together, and he had a job within like two, two and a half months, which was record time because we we had a lot of the information. We just had to reposition it and retarget his efforts.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:58] And and that’s another thing for people who aren’t familiar with the way that kind of resumes or handles him processed. If you don’t have an expert advising you, you could be saying the right thing, but using the wrong words that it’s the machines aren’t going to know who you are or why they should speak with you. You’re not standing out, and there’s a lot of kind of advice and information out there. If you know how to do this, that you’re going to get a lot better result doing the same exact thing.

Donna Poudrier: [00:15:27] I know, and it’s really too bad that it’s come to that with applicant tracking systems because you could be very qualified for a position. But if you’re not using the correct keywords that have been included in that job description, you can immediately eliminate yourself when in fact, you might be the best person for the job. But you can’t get the interview

Lee Kantor: [00:15:46] Right now when when people see kind of all these places where you can submit resumes and it makes it seem like there’s thousands and thousands of jobs, and I would imagine there’s thousands and thousands of people submitting on all those places constantly. I. Is that like a lottery ticket? Like, are you really just, I mean, are people getting jobs that way or is that really kind of, like you said, the one out of 10 or one out of one hundred?

Donna Poudrier: [00:16:17] They do. They they absolutely do get jobs that way, but it requires the candidate to be even more focused, customize and tailoring their marketing materials. And of course, it helps if you know someone in the company as well, you might be applying online, but at the same time focusing on someone you might know in your network that works at that company say, Hey, I just happened to apply online. You could put in a good word for me or sending them an additional resume. Whatever you can do, like just one step sometimes is not enough, but I have seen it happen. Absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:51] Now, do you? Could you explain maybe to our listeners of if you’re in that chair of the I’m the HR person at ABC Big Company and I put an ad in, you know, Monster.com or something.

Donna Poudrier: [00:17:04] Mm hmm.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:04] What like, what’s it look like from my end? Like, what did I do to kind of find the right person and what’s going to happen like when I get all those thousands of people like, there’s no way a human being is looking at all the people that submitted. So I’m sure a machine is kind of getting rid of 90 percent of them. But how does it work so?

Donna Poudrier: [00:17:25] Well, just exactly how you said machine gets rid of about 90 percent of them, and maybe you’ve got, I don’t know, 50 or one hundred left. And then from there you begin with perhaps reaching out with an email, having a quick telephone conversation. If that goes well, then maybe it goes to a higher view where you’re not even actually meeting directly face to face. Then it might go to a Zoom interview and then it might go to personal one on one. There might be projects in the interim. It’s quite a long list. There can be,

Lee Kantor: [00:17:55] But is there? So in order to get past the machines, that’s the hardest part. That’s where they’re going to get rid of 90 percent of the the applicants is how do you know what the right keywords are? How do you know kind of how to position yourself in order to make it through that gantlet?

Donna Poudrier: [00:18:12] The way to make it through if you’re going to apply online, you need to be using an applicant tracking system. Now, one that I use frequently is called job scan, where you have the opportunity to take your resume and post it on their website. Of course, the names coming off, of course, and then also post the job description and you literally press a button scan and and it will tell you what percentage chance you have of getting an interview. And people generally start less than 20 percent and then it will tell you the soft skills and the hard skills that have you have not included on your resume that you should have based on the job description.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:49] And then that’s going to give you kind of an edge.

Donna Poudrier: [00:18:52] It’ll give you, well, it’ll give you a better chance. There’s no guarantee you’re right. But I tell my clients, if you can get yourself up to like 70 percent, 80 percent, you’re in a much better position, right?

Lee Kantor: [00:19:03] And that’s again, the power of a coach. I can’t emphasize enough that your time is worth something. And then when you hire a coach, you’re saving so much time. And if you’ve been out of work for a year, if somebody can, if you would have known at the beginning, oh, instead of a year, it’ll be nine months or six months. You would have taken that in two seconds. And it just you have to invest in yourself a lot of times in order to kind of accelerate your career.

Donna Poudrier: [00:19:33] You do. And you know, what’s good about this is that once you’ve invested the time and effort with a coach or a company or whoever is going to help you, this is really a lifelong lesson. This is not going to change the days of picking up the phone and saying, I’d like to apply for such and such a position. Those are way over, right? Right. So this is really good to learn.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:53] Right. And like you say, it is, it’s going to you’ll be able to help somebody else. You help your kids. You’ll be able to help lots of people with this information once you get it. So it’s definitely worth the investment. So when you’re working with companies, how is it different than individuals, like when a company hires you to find the right person? What does that look like?

Donna Poudrier: [00:20:15] Well, because I’ve done so much interviewing and worked with people so much as yourself and just speaking with them. I feel that I have a good sense of a candidate that might work. I spent a lot of upfront time with the company, first of all, trying to really understand the type of candidate that they want, looking at the personalities, the people involved, who the person would be working for, et cetera. In addition to the resume. So I spent a lot of time drilling these people to the point where I would know I would either I would hire them for the position. If I wouldn’t hire them personally from my company for that position, then I don’t send them on

Lee Kantor: [00:20:52] Because that’s a that’s an important consideration when you’re hiring the right person, the skills. That’s one part of it. But if they’re not the right culture fit, you’re going to have a problem, no matter how skilled they are.

Donna Poudrier: [00:21:04] Absolutely. And it goes the other way, too, for the potential potential individual looking for the job. I always say to them. Think of the when you’re speaking to the hiring manager and you’re going to the company or you’re online and zoom, whatever. How do you feel about them? Is this somebody you feel that you could work well with because as an individual and you want to be hired, you want to place yourself in the right position and set yourself up for success. And sometimes it’s not always a good fit.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:34] Right. And that’s I mean, the older I get, the more I realize all I care about a good fit. You know what? I’m looking for a partner, an employee, a client. I only want the perfect fit because life’s too short. It just it’s not worth it. A lot of times you think you force fit something because you have to and then you’re going to pay for it emotionally or in money, or in some ways you’re going to pay a price.

Donna Poudrier: [00:22:00] It’s not worth it. There is something else I’d like to mention and bring up is you can put all of the best marketing materials together and get yourself in front of the prospective hiring person for the interview. And you can do well in the interview. But there’s there’s a crucial part of the interview that people cringe. May I tell you a story about that, OK? And and I remember this even brings me back to when I just first got out of college, my father was coaching me and how to interview with companies. And I remember him saying to me, Donna, when you’re done and you both you and the interviewer are kind of looking at each other, you don’t know what to say and you think it’s over, but you don’t really sure know how to end it. You have to look at that perspective. Hiring manager and say, Tell me based on our conversation today, how do you feel about moving my candidacy ahead? Or what are my chances of getting this job or based on our conversation and the other people you’re interviewing? Where do I stand? And I remember cringing at that, but thinking, how could I ever? And today happens all the time. I talk to my clients and they’re like, No, I don’t want to ask that question, but it is so crucial and it’s crucial. As you and I both know, being like in a sales situation is that that’s what gives the job seeker the chance to overcome any potential objections. And it also is a signal to the hiring manager that you’re serious about this. Like I tell my clients, it’s funny. I say, like, would you go to a networking event? And just at the end of the conversation, you’re meeting somebody new. You don’t just walk away. You would say, Well, I really enjoyed meeting you. Let’s exchange cards or I’ll be in touch with you. There’s some type of ending, right? Does that make sense? Right.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:41] Well, there it has to. There has to be that call to action or or you have to close the sale. You have to ask for this.

Donna Poudrier: [00:23:50] That’s right. You’ve got to ask for it. So I’ve got a story here. A couple of stories interesting, like when people do this, what they find out. So I had one college grad, actually, that it was funny because he had he was just done with the job search. You know, he just he said, this is too much work. I just got to college. I just want a job. I just want to get over it like I know you do, but you have to find the right one. So he wanted to take a job actually selling. We’re going a kick out of this advertising space for a radio station. And I said, you know, I think that would be OK, but I think there’s other opportunities for you here. And you told me about this other company that expressed interest. Are you going to go for that interview? And he said, All right, you, I’ll go. So he goes for the interview. And he was on the cusp. He didn’t have that job offer yet for the radio station, but he knew he was going to get it, probably like the beginning of the next week. So here he is on a Friday interviewing with another company, and Airbnb is going really well, and at the end, he says to them, Tell me, you know, what are my chances of getting this job? Not that he really wanted it. And that was the signal to the company that he had a productive job search going on. In fact, maybe he had another job offer and they know, but they really liked him. And instead of telling them what his chances were, they said, Well, what’s your timeline? Because they knew this, they liked him and that he was serious. He said, Well, I’m making a decision on Tuesday because he’s wanted out. He wanted the whole thing over. He was in the parking lot. He left. They shook hands and said, Thank you, and we’ll be in touch right away. He was in the parking lot when they called him up and said, Could you come back down on Monday? And he ended up taking a job offer from them.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:20] Wow. It just goes to show you and and maybe having that other job in his pocket gave him the confidence to to say, OK, I’m going to play this out because I know I’m going to win no matter what, and I have a job that’s that’s so critical. And if you can, even if you can fake that confidence and be brave for those 20 seconds to ask for that, ask for ask for the sale or ask for what happens next like you described. That can make all the difference because you got to know.

Donna Poudrier: [00:25:52] And then I had another client. This interesting, you just have to have the it’s confidence, but it’s also I tell. I tell women, especially we’re not in the scenario so much now because it’s all online on Zoom. But think of I think a woman is a little bit different when they go in for an interview versus a guy. You know, you might get your hair done and your nails done, and you might buy a new outfit and get the get the new heels. What have you like, really? Go all out? Plus, all the preparations, you’ve put a lot of time and effort and you want to know where you stand. So I had a client with this woman, she goes in. She did a great job as a financial analyst position, really wanted the job. And then she said at the end, You know, where? How do you feel about moving my candidacy ahead? And his comment was, Well, I think you’d be a good candidate, but you’re right now, you’re number two. So she said, OK, I’m number two. Well, tell me, what does number one have you in a conversation? Sweet kind of tone. What do I have to do or what does number one have that? Perhaps I don’t right now? And he kindly, you know, was giving her the chance to overcome objection. And he said, I think she’s she. I think she has a little more analytical experience than you do. She could dig into more problems, a little more diagnostic quality, just more experience. And I’m not sure you’re there yet. Not to say you won’t get there, but I’m not sure you’re the right fit right now. So she took it in. We talked about it and I said, You know, you’ve got nothing to lose. Let’s write them an email and say, If you’re willing, I’d like to show you that I do have these qualities you’re looking for. If you give me a project, this was like at the end of the week, I will have it on your desk for you. Monday morning she did the project. She got the offer.

Lee Kantor: [00:27:27] Yeah, by being proactive, controlling what she could control and and being bold and asking for the order. I mean, that’s the I mean, you got to do that today. It’s a competitive landscape for those kind of high quality jobs.

Donna Poudrier: [00:27:42] It is it’s really it’s fascinating, though it seems so basic, just as in terms of sales, but we don’t always think of getting a job as closing a sale, but I’m a firm believer that it is.

Lee Kantor: [00:27:52] Yeah, and I think it’s serving you and your clients well. If somebody wants to learn more about your work, get on your calendar and maybe get some coaching or help a company find the right fit for their organization, what’s the best way to get a hold of you?

Donna Poudrier: [00:28:07] I think the best way is initially just to try to just not try to link in with me and tell me and a brief message why you want to get together or chat or what have you. You can also email me at DPU. I think you have my email at effective speech com to Ms Dot Net, and you can call me on my business line. Very easy two oh three two five nine one two three four

Lee Kantor: [00:28:33] And then and LinkedIn. It’s just your name spelled out. It is. Yeah. Ok, good stuff. Well, Donna, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Donna Poudrier: [00:28:45] Thank you. I really enjoyed chatting with you, and I look forward to speaking with you again soon.

Lee Kantor: [00:28:49] All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see, y’all next time on Coach the Coach radio.

Tagged With: Donna Poudrier, Effective Speech Communications

Brian Radin With Fintwist Solutions

October 4, 2021 by Jacob Lapera

BrianRadin
High Velocity Radio
Brian Radin With Fintwist Solutions
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Fintwist

BrianRadinBrian Radin is the President of Comdata Prepaid. In his career, he has proven success with market leaders and start-ups across software, business services, human capital management, and finance industries.

He also has an impeccable record of maximizing the strategic business model, optimizing business processes, and creating innovative initiatives that facilitate sustainable growth, and generate traction in competitive markets.

Radin has been recognized for identifying/securing key partners and sales channels, raising capital, building strategic C-level relationships with the investment community, and for developing highly engaged leadership teams that increased revenue, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

To learn more, visit the Fintwist website.

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn and follow Comdata on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • How earned wage access (EWA) address some of the challenges many industries are facing with retaining and recruiting talent
  • How companies help financially empower their employees
  • How businesses step back and revisit their Human Capital Strategy
  • The critical shifts to make with regards to digital in the year ahead
  • How will FinTech companies influence this future

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for high velocity radio

Lee Kantor: [00:00:13] Lee Kantor hear another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a fun one today. On the show we have Brian Radin and he’s the president of Comdata prepaid. Welcome, Brian.

Brian Radin: [00:00:24] Hey, nice to be here. Thank you very much, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:26] Well, Brian, before we get too far into things, tell us about Comdata number one. And let’s also mention Finn Twist Solutions. Let’s let’s talk about how these two tie together.

Brian Radin: [00:00:38] Sure, absolutely so. Finn Twist is a is a brand and a product that Comdata launched a couple of years ago in the payment space, and Comm Data is a subsidiary of Fleet Corp., which, like you, is in Atlanta headquartered, which is a public payments company quite large, about a twenty two billion market cap as of today. Stock market and data itself was the originator of the pay card solution about thirty six years ago. So. Com Data subsidiary of Fleet Core. Finn Twist is the brand that I created with my team when I came to the company about four years ago, and that product covers a number of solutions, primarily payroll cards, but other prepaid type payments products that are in the market today.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:33] So now talk to us a little bit about the evolution of these kind of cards and and how maybe Finn twist came about. Like, what was the problem that you developed it to solve?

Brian Radin: [00:01:46] Well, the the origin of the Corp pay card goes back many years, as said back into the nineties, and really it started as a way for consumers or employees who didn’t have a bank account, didn’t have access to a bank account, didn’t know how to get a bank account to get paid by their employees employers. And so the cards really became at its simplest form when they started a place where money was loaded, pay payroll was loaded down onto the card in their early iterations. It literally was a card that you could take cash off of. Maybe you could use it as a debit card, and pretty much that was it. Over the years, the product has evolved broadly in the market and it data where it has become more of a payments platform and a solution. And while it’s still probably the majority of users are still in this call, underbanked community versus non bank community, the product is evolved into much more of a competitive payment solution, and Finn Twist is really the current evolution of that that we launched, as I said a couple of years ago, which allows our clients employees to use the product not just to get their pay loaded and take money from a cash machine or a bank, or use it a debit card. It’s a full credit rails with MasterCard. It has complete bill payment, P2P type payment solutions, other wellness and budgeting tools, and recently we launched our fin twist on demand, our earned wage access product on the Twist Pay Card. And so it’s become a much more robust product, and it’s I would say our product is is as good if not better than others that we compete with. But I would say in general, the industry has evolved that way from its origins as really being a way for the non-bank to get paid.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:50] Now in in this iteration, you’re working with the employer and this is helping them with their payroll.

Brian Radin: [00:03:58] Correct, so about 70 percent of Americans get their pay through a direct deposit, it’s probably how you do and how I do, but there is about 20 percent that use this pay card product across kind of across the workforce, both part time and and full time, and also even ten ninety nine gig workers. While it’s not payroll because they’re ten point ninety nine, they’re getting paid at a similar a lot of on a similar type product. And surprisingly, still, eight to 10 percent of people are getting checks, although that has dramatically been impacted during COVID. Obviously, it’s a lot harder to pay people that don’t come in or can’t have access. And so there was there’s been a bigger push to move to electronic payments, and we’ve tried to step in with our product. But but broadly, electronic payments have disrupted what’s left of the of the paying people by Czech market. And so we do work with the employer. We provide a program for free to them to offer this product to their to their employees. And again, initially it was for those low bank. The Underbank then then it broadened, and our product, we our typical employee is not somebody who is making purely minimum wage, they’re earning closer to fifty thousand a year. And a lot of the people that use our product also have a bank account as well and use ours as either a way to help plan budget and then use money at a later time. Some use it as a second second way to disburse funds to their others in the family, and still others use it to describe or to set aside money to make specific payments and put the rest of the money in their bank account. So it’s not. It’s not what it was many years ago in terms of this stepchild for Underbank, it’s really a payment platform that we believe into us competes with a lot of the consumer products that are in the market, as well as other pay cards that are being offered through competitors, through the employers themselves.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:01] Now, from the person that is not using Finn Twist yet, but our kind of the person that could use it when they’re banking the way that their banking doesn’t that don’t they suffer with a lot of fees that are maybe not obvious or not in the brochure of some of the other platforms that they’re using, that they’ll have to pay a lot of fees in order to get access to their money.

Brian Radin: [00:06:28] You know, its fees are an interesting discussion, both in the core banking world. At your bank, as well as other ways in which employees get their their money and then get access to their money, and there’s no question that a lot of the consumer products that you’re bombarded with through digital marketing or you see even on television or other advertising, there are definitely hidden fees. I think the question when we’re looking at it for the people that are not using our product that work for our clients and they’re at a bank, clearly they’re going to get hit with fees. There’s minimum deposit fees, their specific transaction fees, there’s out of out of network ATM fees. So while there are fees on our product, they are more nominal. And also, we feel like access to their money, their work, their payroll is much easier facilitated through using the Fentress Platform one, because obviously we’re working with their employer and to because we’ve launched this on demand or twist on demand, earn wage access product, which which allows them to actually get paid as they work, as opposed to getting paid when their employer processes their payroll, which would not be something that would work with their bank account.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:55] So educate us about the earned wage access. How does how does that work? And that means they get as they work there. It’s almost like in real time as they’re kind of earning the money. They have access to the money.

Brian Radin: [00:08:09] Yeah, you described it pretty well. The companies, I think right now, if I step back. We talked to a lot of HR leaders, business business leaders. Clearly, people in the payroll and operational side of companies, and it’s very clear that. Companies today are challenged by how do I recruit and retain workers? A lot of the types of clients that use our product tend to be in the industries that got hit very hard by COVID, whether it’s retail, hospitality, staffing. And so those companies now as the workforce is beginning to go back to work their challenge and many individuals are still slow to come back to work because they’re still getting unemployment benefits, even if the extra federal subsidies have recently ended. Obviously, there’s still a fear of COVID. We know what’s going on with the Delta variants, particularly in certain locations, and a lot of them have found different jobs. So instead of working in a restaurant, I can work in an office. It’s maybe a little less difficult kind of job, and they’re giving me greater work from home flexibility, which is clearly changed the dynamic between employers and employees. In the old days, the employer set the job, set the hours, set the pay. You came in and you didn’t want to get somebody else. Well, now that’s all been very disrupted and employees have an upper hand, frankly, on employers, so that that puts a lot of pressure on recruiting, particularly since today, recruiting isn’t Hey, we’re filling some new jobs or we’re growing. We need to get people in here to work the work, the manufacturing line or to work in the restaurant or we’re losing business.

Brian Radin: [00:09:54] So this is a pervasive issue for employers. It’s not an HR issue or a payroll issue, and Finn twist on demand is is one way in which companies can attract those employees. It’s not the only way, but with nearly 80 percent of Americans living paycheck to paycheck. And I think we’ve seen all kinds of numbers, but about 40 percent don’t even have enough money to cover a $400 expense. And in today’s health environment, that’s obviously critical. So they need their money when they work. And as you described it, well, it’s I work. I’ve accumulated a certain number of hours and in the old days I waited for my employer comp data, for example, to process my pay on a weekly or biweekly or semi monthly basis. Today with our platform, what happened simply is I work a certain number of hours. I’ve earned it. I go into our mobile. I say I want to get my earned wage access money or on demand, and they get their money, real time. And that’s really the difference between getting paid and a regular payroll structure and getting paid as you work. And we think that that in talking to our clients and just looking at a lot of research involving evolving in this area, that it does relieve stress because the financial stress that employees encounter is one of the most debilitating and clearly has an impact on their productivity at their job.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:24] Now you mentioned that there, I guess we’re at the beginning of doing this in this manner in terms of having any research to support that. But I would imagine just common sense wise that this is very attractive to the employee getting, you know, fast pay, make fast friends so they might stay more loyal. You might have better retention if they’re getting paid as rapidly as as you’re describing.

Brian Radin: [00:11:48] Yeah, I mean, there’s been there’s actually while two years ago there was less than something like two or three million in total transactions transactions. Today the number is in the multiple tens of millions. It’s grown incredibly fast over the last two years. And while a number of the providers, as well as people like Deloitte and others, have done research in this area, and what they’ve what they’ve concluded is that it’s a compelling part of a solution that you need to develop as an employer to attract and retain employees. And so, for example, they’ve done studies where I might give an offer of a five hundred dollar sign on bonus to come be a driver at UPS or another company. Or I’ll give you. On demand or an earned wage access option, and more people choose the earned wage access option than the one time five hundred dollars lump sum. So it’s it’s compelling. I would also say that this is only a part of what companies need to do, right? So we’re part of one element of a solution, but I definitely think they need to rethink their wages. They need to think about how do they provide more financial literacy education. So many people who are in the kinds of jobs that are living day to day that are living paycheck to paycheck don’t understand how to to really plan. So they’re not left holding the bag on a lot of expenses. I think better, better other benefits. Some traditional, whether it’s health care or other like employer sponsored benefits are important. I think all of those things have to be combined, and a lot of employers are rethinking it. Many of them cost more money. The good news about our solution is it’s free to our clients. It’s relatively simple, in some cases, very simple to implement, and it’s part of a core platform that we’re already delivering and have been delivering for for quite some time.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:07] So now when they’re working with you, is this something that this is what they’re getting? Whether, as you mentioned, this doesn’t cost them anything directly like you describe, but it’s still you’re helping them holistically solve a bigger problem and you’re helping their employees kind of become more educated so they can make more informed decisions with their money.

Brian Radin: [00:14:29] Absolutely, I mean, it’s you you asked and answered my friend. It’s really it is really that, you know, it can often be trite or sometimes a bit, maybe people who don’t buy into it. But for me personally and our team, we do have a mission and that mission is helping workers become more financially secure. And so that is part of what we’re doing across our broader set of initiatives within data, particularly in the in the Finn twist business, because we’re one of the singular businesses within com data and frankly, flea core that that really is directly in touch with the consumer. The consumer here is generally employees, but we also have, as I said, ten ninety nines and other individuals who are getting paid through our platform. And so when we’re putting those products into the market, we’re always trying to find ways to stay close to that mission. And so that means better ways for people to get access to their money. It means better education. And when I have the money, what do I do with it? Better ways to save it so that I’m not either paying big fees or that I’m truly able to think about the day after tomorrow and have some funds, either for myself or my kids. And how do I think about planning for that? All of those are our pieces of how we look at our constituency and we look at the employers in a way where we’re trying to help them, as you said, facilitate that communication to their employees. Some do it better than others. Frankly, some have a big investment in it. Others are just realizing that I better make that investment because COVID has stimulated this real disruption in the employer and employee relationship.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:25] So now looking into your crystal ball about how you see payroll going forward, is this kind of earned wage access? Is that going to be a must have rather than the nice to have that it is today?

Brian Radin: [00:16:39] Absolutely. And and let’s let’s start at the beginning if if the beginning was today with where technology is in the in the payments world, you would never build a payroll application that says, OK, I’m going to collect hours or I’m going to have salaried employees and over a period of time, I will pay them. Now some of this is clearly employers use that pay to do other things in their business. So if they’re paying out everything every day, it changes their cash flows. It changes their treasury. So I don’t know if we’ll ever see a consistent. Everybody gets paid every day because it has big impacts to the Treasury side of a business. What I do see is which which, frankly, is why it’ll probably never be, even though technology would allow it the way in which employers, particularly the people that are employing, let’s call it, 50 percent of the workforce. These are companies with more than one hundred employees there. They’re going to probably continue to offer the standard way to provide payroll, but I do think this will become one of those components that are part of why do I come to work here? And that’s today. Tomorrow will be if I don’t have it, it’s a reason why people won’t come to work here or we’ll think about going somewhere else. But I don’t think it’ll replace the way or the construct because that construct has financial implications to the businesses themselves, right?

Lee Kantor: [00:18:22] But it might be something that happens gradually, then suddenly. I mean, if there’s enough of a groundswell of people are going to be gravitating to companies that pay when they do the work, it’s going to be it’ll change and it has to change. Now for you, do you have.

Brian Radin: [00:18:39] I think I think. Go ahead. No, would just say, I think just to that point, I think it will change, I think people will offer it all. My point was only I don’t think it will be. I come to work and every day people are going to get paid for the work they’ve done because I mean, let’s let’s look at it this way. If if you could get paid today, tomorrow, on the next day and the money was put on to your fin twist card or your your wallet, or it was if you weren’t using fed to us into your bank account, you’d probably want that versus waiting until Friday or next Friday, because it’s better to have it in my hands than than my employer’s hands if I’ve done the work. And so I think that would be the way they would want it. I just understanding the corporate mentality and understanding how businesses are using cash and how they manage payroll. I think what you’ll see it is, is a very standard offering as part of the. The the the package in which I use to attract employees in my business, and if I don’t, to your point, if I don’t offer it, I will be at a disadvantage down the line as opposed to today, where it’s still at an early enough stage where it’s an advantage because not everybody is using it yet. And so I can use that as a as a leader in in trying to get through this very difficult time of getting employees. I think over time, as the world gets somewhat normal again, it’ll be part of the standard package, just not the standard way in which employers process payroll right now.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:20] Is there a certain niches that this is going to work better in certain industries that that they should know about this maybe sooner than other folks?

Brian Radin: [00:20:30] Well, I think it’s it starts at the top where if I need people? And those people tend to be hourly. I need a way to get people here working, and I’ve had these conversations with people that run manufacturing businesses and and and retail operations and large franchisees and such like that that are in that bind right now. So I think it probably leans more to the hourly worker and the worker that essentially are in industries where you have less salaried and a little less white collar. But but ironically, when I talk to let’s call more white collar businesses, whether they’re in technology or services. And then you ask the head of HR. Well, what you work for us look like? Well, we have, you know, 80 percent of the people here are really salaried managers professional and then 20 percent are more administrative, clerical. Oh, and do those people get paid salaries? Oh, no, they’re hourly workers. And many of those people are making the same or less than than the typical quote pay card a six or SIC codes, which are in the hospitality and and retail and staffing those traditional industries. So I think it has a broader appeal. Sometimes the mentality or the perception of the head of HR or people in HR or as they think about how the solution should be applied sometimes is a little bit disconnected from if I went and asked those secretaries or administrative assistants, would you like to get paid when you work? Many of them would have the same answer as the person who’s cleaning my hotel room. So I think, well leans a little more to the service based industries like hospitality, restaurants, a staffing and manufacturing more that way. I think there’s opportunities across the board, and it’s probably more around the hourly worker who’s getting paid near minimum wage versus just an SIC code.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:46] And then the ones that are the hungriest for employees and or the most frustrated by the turnover are the ones that are going to be attracted to this, I would think.

Brian Radin: [00:22:55] Correct. That’s exactly what’s happening. I had a conversation with a guy who runs, you know, a pretty large manufacturing business. They actually manufacture foam packaging. The business couldn’t be better, as you can imagine, with everybody ordering online, et cetera. He can’t keep up with his demand. He’s losing revenue because he has hundreds of open spots on his line that he can’t get people to come and work in the factory. He just doesn’t have the ability to bring them in. We’re launching this in several of his locations. He has eight locations around the country because he needs to find a way to get people on the job and working because he’s losing money. And as I said earlier, I think that is a real difference between when you talk about added benefits for companies, for their employees, some employers, they’re great. They love to add as much as they can. They think very highly. They want their employees to feel good about working there. But it was less of an economic imperative pre-COVID in most cases. Now the people that we talked to are beyond payroll and HR, the head of manufacturing, head of operations, because they see a correlation between the bottom line and getting people hired. And if this is something that’s working, which, as you said intuitively, it makes sense, but there’s now more data and other people are doing it. They’re saying, let’s do this. And frankly, even on the pay card side, where we think the core pay card solution is a great solution, it really has a lot of use cases and applications. It was more of one of those nice benefits that people want to offer and getting employers to embrace it and push it was a little more difficult because it typically was a payroll issue or it was HR issue. This is really a business issue, which I think has very broad implications to the penetration of the service and the long term legs that I think the business end solution will have.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:05] Yeah, I’m with you. I think that this is a great solution. And if you go anywhere, you see all these help wanted signs. I mean, people are desperate for good talent. And if you have a method that help them attract and retain, then you, you almost have to pay that price because it’s the you’re losing money because you can’t stay open, you can’t deliver all these other things are happening. So I mean, at some point, those companies are going to have to figure out a way to afford to pay people, you know, in real time.

Brian Radin: [00:25:40] No question, and again, because it’s not there’s no cost to it, so there’s not a there may be some level of implementation, and again, it depends on how they’re paying payroll today, what systems are using and so on. But some some can be done in a matter of a couple of days, so it may take a little bit longer. But look, in the end, I think as you as you look at the world, the landscape leaders of businesses have to look at the reality and you just described it in terms of help wanted signs. I live in New York City, there’s one. There’s help wanted signs everywhere. And right next to them are the casualties of COVID, where the storefronts empty store right?

Lee Kantor: [00:26:22] The the closed store.

Brian Radin: [00:26:24] Right. So in some ways you have this paradigm. Hey, here at one end is what’s happened here. The other end there’s a guy who’s got his restaurant bar and all he’s he’s handing out. When you go in for a drink, he’s got on his napkins. Do you know anybody who wants a job? I mean, that’s the kind of stuff that’s going on. And then when you take that same concept above just the neighborhood bar or restaurant and you think about it at a UPS or a FedEx or some of the really large staffing companies that we do business with, it’s just it’s a whole new set of realities, right? They have to rebuild their labor force. They’ve still got the public health crisis going on before the before COVID even hit, a lot of our clients were getting better and more efficient. So I think over time, businesses because of COVID and as I said it was happening, are going to hire less people. So they’re getting more efficient. How do I how do I then conduct business in that new environment? Obviously, every employee wants to work from home. How do you work from home? If you’re you’re running a manufacturing facility, very difficult. But there’s a lot of other businesses where people were always in an office and now they don’t want to go back. That’s another whole new reality that lots of businesses are grappling with, and it’s obvious to me that employees want better and more impactful benefits, and they really look to their employers, whether whether we philosophically agree that the employer is the paternalistic person, a paternalistic organization that it should be, whether it’s in delivering benefits or education. I mean, there’s a lot of people that don’t think that on the on the business side, but that’s where we are today, and employees look to their employers to provide them impactful benefits and ways to improve their life. And this is just one of those ways in which an employer can do it. But there are many others that they need to address, considering all the changes that are going on in the workforce today.

Lee Kantor: [00:28:28] And that’s why it’s good to have a partner like you that can help them look holistically and also strategically and tactically. Now, if somebody wants to learn more. Tell us the website if somebody wants to learn more about the Finn Twist Solutions.

Brian Radin: [00:28:46] Sure, it’s WW dot fin twist solutions. Simple as that, there’s a bunch of information on what it is, including the core twist product, how it works, the benefits of it, some of the other, some of the other things that we’ve done to help educate both our cardholders, but also potential clients of ours as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:12] All right. Well, Brian, thank you so much. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Brian Radin: [00:29:17] Well, thanks for having me. I appreciate the time and again. I hope that people will respond. Employers will respond and step forward and help help their workforce.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:27] All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see, y’all next time on high velocity radio.

 

Tagged With: Brian Radin, Comdata, Fintwist Solutions

Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2021: Michelle Heiliger, Sellenriek Construction

September 30, 2021 by John Ray

Sellenriek Construction
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2021: Michelle Heiliger, Sellenriek Construction
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Sellenriek Construction

Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2021: Michelle Heiliger, Sellenriek Construction

Speaking with host Jamie Gassman live from SHRM 2021 in Las Vegas, Michelle Heiliger, Director of Human Resources with Sellenriek Construction, shared key pieces of advice from learning the business, investing in the development of people, giving younger workers leadership opportunities, and much more. Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast live from the 2021 SHRM Annual Conference held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Michelle Heiliger, SHRM-CP, Director of Human Resources, Sellenriek Construction

Michelle Heiliger, SHRM-CP, Director of Human Resources, Sellenriek Construction

Michelle Heiliger is Director of Human Resources for Sellenriek Construction.

She has been in HR for twenty-three years beginning at a Taco Bell franchise. She moved to Missouri and went to work for Sellenreik Construction. She began in training and development and is now Director of Human Resources.

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Sellenriek Construction

Sellenriek Construction Inc. is a family-owned and operated utility construction company located in Missouri.

Robert “Bob” Sellenriek started his telephone construction company in 1979 with a vision, a used backhoe, a truck, a trencher, and 2 men. Today, Sellenriek Construction, Inc. operates from five locations and employs almost 150 people. Sellenriek Construction was founded on March 12th, 1979 by Robert “Bob” Sellenriek and his wife, Dixie. Prior to this, Bob had worked for L,P&H and Burnup & Sims for ten years. At its beginning, Sellenriek Construction’s areas of service were primarily in east-central Missouri.

Company website

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

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TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:03] Broadcasting live from the SHRM 2021 Conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by our R3 Continuum, a global leader in workplace behavioral health, crisis, and security solutions. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:21] Hello, everyone. Jamie Gassmann here, your host of Workplace MVP. And we are broadcasting from SHRM 2021 here in Las Vegas, Nevada. And with me today, I have Michelle Heiliger, who is the Director of Human Resources from Sellenriek Construction. Welcome to the show.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:00:40] Thank you.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:41] Now, did I pronounce your name correctly?

Michelle Heiliger: [00:00:42] You did. You did great.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:43] Okay. Good. Now, why don’t we start out, Michelle? Tell us a little bit about your career journey and how you got into H.R. and kind of where it’s taking you.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:00:54] So, I’ve been in H.R. for, I guess, it’s been almost 23 years. I started out with a small 23 unit Taco Bell franchise. And actually started working in the office as the office manager and, basically, the franchise crew. And the owner said, “Look. I really need somebody who can do H.R. Can you go take this class?” I was like, “Why not?” And that’s sort of where it started.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:23] I started there, moved through multiple acquisitions, and ended my Taco Bell career with the largest franchisee in the nation. So, at that time, I was covering four states, about 150 stores. And then, I had a loss in my family and needed to not be on the road all the time. So, I moved home and was looking for a job closer to keep me local. I had a child in school still.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:01:52] So, I took a job with Sellenriek Construction, who is pretty close to my home. A family-owned organization who was looking for somebody who believed in teaching and development, who would come in and help them grow their organization. When I started with them, they had just a little over 100 employees. I’ve been there two years and we’re at 250, so huge.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:16] It’s grown. So, obviously, construction, fast food restaurants with franchising, two completely different worlds. What are some of the differences that you’ve had to navigate between the two as an H.R. representative?

Michelle Heiliger: [00:02:32] I think it’s more about taking knowledge, base knowledge, and applying it to a new situation. So, you’re still managing people. I’m fortunate to still work for an organization that really wants to do the best thing for their people. The challenge for me is that the motivation is completely different. You know, what motivates construction workers is completely different from what motivates Taco Bell employees. The other big difference for me is I deal far more with a rural organization now. Whereas with Taco Bell, it was more urban areas. So, their lives are different.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:03:17] You know, so from an H.R. perspective, the best way to empower your people and help understand them and help them grow is to understand their lives. And so, completely different mindset in the construction industry and the folks that I have now compared to where I was before.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:35] And so, you know, individuals coming into H.R. and new to that, how do you learn that? Like, how do you get to know those employees at that level? And how do you get comfortable? Because some people are afraid to learn people from their personal lives, but there’s so much power in it. So, what would you recommend to them and the benefits to that?

Michelle Heiliger: [00:03:55] So, if I were going to give advice to a new person coming into H.R., the number one thing that you have to be able to do is know your business. Because the people that are sitting at the table making the decisions, they already know their business. And in order to gain their trust and have them offer you a seat at the table is if you can have those conversations with them. You have to be able to speak on their level. You have to understand where their risks are. You have to understand where their opportunities are. And you have to be able to be their business partner.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:04:34] Otherwise, real life, you’re going to struggle in that role. You’re going to struggle getting the complete buy in from a leadership team. And by starting there and understanding the business, you know, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty to go out on a job site. Before it was, you had to show up in a restaurant, you had to show up in a restaurant at midnight. H.R. is not an 8:00 to 5:00 job in most cases. So, you have to be willing to do those things in order to be successful and to get the buy in from the team members.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:05:07] You know, laborers will call me, operators will call me, but it’s because they know I’ll show up in a shop or I’ll show up on a job site. And you know, I’m not just some girl sitting in the office. So, in order to progress in your career and get where most people want to go, you have to be able to do those things, you have to want to do them.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:25] Yeah. You got to show up and meet them where they’re at. Especially in a construction site, I can’t imagine. So, there’s lots of different things. What are some of the most common things from an H.R. perspective that you deal with in the construction industry?

Michelle Heiliger: [00:05:38] Well, for me right now, the biggest piece is the growth and development. In most construction organizations, they don’t invest at the foreman level. So, one thing that we did this year is we created a foreman development class. We tapped 50 guys from the field and we brought them in for four months straight. We bring them in for three days at a time. And pulling that many guys out of the field at one time is huge. But it was our commitment this year. It was our commitment to our people.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:06:12] And so, we offered them this, and it was everything from leadership to P&L. Understanding your P&L, understanding where your bottom line is, where do we actually start to make money, how do you get an extra five points on a job. Those are all things from a foreman level that these guys had never been introduced to.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:06:31] So, when you invest in your people and they see that every day, then you get their buy in. You’re opening a door for them. Like, “If I’m willing to do this and learn these things, I can get ahead.” In the average construction industry the age is 47, that’s about the median. In our company, the average age is 27. We have foremen that are 20. Because our leader, Bob Sellenriek, is a firm believer in the idea that you can be young and work hard. And they still want to grow. And they still want to support their families. And they want to do all the same things that all these other guys want to do. And if you give them that opportunity to do it, they will rise to the occasion, and we’ve seen that happen.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:17] Yeah. Like giving them a chance for career development that maybe they didn’t think they’d have the opportunity with.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:07:23] Yeah, for sure. And we started an apprenticeship program this year. So, the Department of Labor has tapped 25 companies across the nation to start an apprenticeship program for overhead and underground fiber installation. And that’s what we do, we deliver the internet. So, we design and build fiber networks. And we were one of the companies that were chosen.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:07:47] So, this year, we have worked really hard to develop an apprenticeship program within our organization. It’s another opportunity for our guys, “Here’s a career path for you, which is great because not only does it help them, but it holds us accountable.” You know, we’ve given them a career path here, the things that we are required to teach you, and it sets a timeline for us as well. So, it’s really been a good thing all the way around.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:12] And I imagine that helps from a talent recruitment perspective. Because, you know, I’ve heard a lot here at the show about how talent and acquisition has been really challenging, especially with the group resignation and everything of that nature. So, when you go out for recruiting, you know, is this something that you share with them in terms of outlining that career path? And how has that helped you in competition with other maybe construction companies that are in your area?

Michelle Heiliger: [00:08:40] For sure, it helps us. We kind of switched gears a little bit. Job fairs, per se, have always been a struggle for me. I’ve never really found that you get a lot of return on that investment. It’s a lot of time that you spend sitting at a table and you’re hoping they’ll come and talk to you. And so, we’ve sort of switched gears and we’ve created career days where we bring high school students who potentially don’t have a path, either they know they want to go to a technical school or they just don’t have a path out of high school. And we invite those schools to bring those kids to our campus.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:09:18] And we walk them through every job that we have available that you could get right out of school. And then, we tie in the apprenticeship programs. We have State Technical College out of Linn, Missouri, it’s a tech school. And we invite them to the campus the day we have it. So, we kind of create these moments, per se, for these kids to come in and talk to people who are close to their own age who they see as being successful. “Here’s where I started. Here’s what I’ve done to get here.”

Michelle Heiliger: [00:09:48] And we introduce a couple of ideas to them, first of all, that the number one thing that they have to have in order to do this job is the ability to work hard. We can train you to do anything else, but you have to bring that piece to the table.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:10:03] Bring your good attitude, positive attitude, willing to put everything out.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:10:08] Yeah, for sure. And then, we kind of challenge them as we go through the day with, “As you go to interview – like, we want you to go to interview with other people – here are questions you should ask. Like, what is my career path? What is that going to look like for me? What do I have to do to get to the next level? You know, what kind of benefits are you going to offer me?” So, we kind of make it an educational experience for them as well so that when they walk away, it kind of gives them some things to think about.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:10:32] You know, in my mind, from my perspective, if they go to another company and they ask three of those questions, probably at least one of them, the company is going to be like, “This kid is 18 years old. I can’t even believe this is happening.” So, for me, that’s a win. And then, if they remember that’s where that came from, in most cases, they’re going to come back.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:10:53] And that’s great because you’re meeting those individuals, almost like you’re connecting with the target audience you need to connect with for recruitment as opposed to waiting and hoping that that comes your way. You’re really kind of forging the path to make sure they come to you directly. Fascinating. And giving them hope, probably, too, especially if they didn’t have any direction. That’s fantastic. It sounds really creative and a great way to kind of change the script a little bit on that whole recruitment side of things.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:11:20] Yeah. Well, and that’s the boat everybody’s in right now. You’ve got to think outside of the box. If you’re not thinking outside the box on how to get there, then you’re pretty much standing still.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:11:31] Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. Great advice and great techniques. So, if somebody wanted to get a hold of you and kind of talk a little further about some of those innovative approaches you’ve implemented, how would they be able to do that?

Michelle Heiliger: [00:11:42] Well, they can reach out to Sellenriek Construction online. We’re on Facebook. We’re on LinkedIn. You know, any of those comes directly to me because I manage almost all those platforms. So, it’s really easy.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:11:57] That’s awesome. Like, it’s all me.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:12:00] So, go on to any of those things and you’re probably going to get a direct line.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:12:03] Yeah. That’s fantastic. Well, thank you so much, Michelle, for joining us on the show today. And I hope you have a great rest of your SHRM Conference experience.

Michelle Heiliger: [00:12:10] Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it.

 

Tagged With: Jamie Gassmann, Michelle Heiliger, R3 Continuum, Sellenriek Construction, SHRM 2021, Workplace MVP

Martha Picciao with Whiz Kidz Preschool

September 30, 2021 by Karen

Martha-Picciao-with-Whiz-Kidz-Preschool-feature
Phoenix Business Radio
Martha Picciao with Whiz Kidz Preschool
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Martha Picciao with Whiz Kidz Preschool

wkp.logo_.w.kids_.

Whiz Kidz Preschool is a locally family owned and operated childcare company. They provide full service, all-inclusive care from diapers to weekly enrichment classes, to have not only an engaging learning environment but also offer convenience to parents.

Martha-Picciao-Phoenix-Business-RadioXMartha Picciao is the Founder and CEO of Whiz Kidz Preschools. It was her dream and desire to merge her passion for teaching and entrepreneurship to serve families and lay a learning foundation for children. She is a dynamic and motivating leader and boy mom x3, who strives to make an impact. If she’s not mentoring staff, working a new project or school improvements, she’s spending time with her family. She enjoys Hot HIIT, Hot Pilates and traveling.

After graduating from Arizona State CumLaude with her BA in Education and teaching first grade for two years, she began a home preschool that has since expanded to 4 preschool centers in the Phoenix area, with more expansions on the horizon.

She is actively involved in the community, serving on several boards like A New Leaf and AZAYEC Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children. In addition she is also a volunteer coach to emerging business women in EO Accelerator to take their businesses to exceed one million dollar in revenue.

Whiz Kidz Preschools is her pride and passion. The program offers high quality infant care to PreKindergarten and focuses on the whole brain child. Their loving, qualified staff make it a great place for children to grow!

Connect with Martha on LinkedIn and follow Whiz Kidz Preschool on Facebook and Instagram.

Tagged With: Best Preschool, Childcare Ahwatukee, Childcare Mesa, Childcare Phoenix, Childcare Scottsdale, Preschool Ahwatukee, Preschool Mesa, Preschool Phoenix, Preschool Scottsdale, Working mom

Workplace MVP: Jim Mortensen, R3 Continuum

September 30, 2021 by John Ray

Jim Mortensen
Minneapolis St. Paul Studio
Workplace MVP: Jim Mortensen, R3 Continuum
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Jim Mortensen

Workplace MVP:  Jim Mortensen, R3 Continuum

Noting not only parallels but lessons to be learned, Jim Mortensen, President of R3 Continuum, reflected on his experience of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the current pandemic. He and host Jamie Gassmann discussed how business culture was impacted by 9/11, the actions leaders can take during traumatic events, how what was learned after 9/11 helped him better address the leadership challenges of the pandemic, and much more. Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

Jim Mortensen, President, R3 Continuum

Jim Mortensen, President, R3 Continuum

Jim Mortensen is President of R3 Continuum (R3c), a global leader in behavioral health and security solutions to cultivate and protect workplace wellbeing in a complex and often dangerous world. R3c’s continuum of tailored support services includes crisis prevention, preparedness & response, specialized consulting, evaluations, employee outreach, training, protective services, and more.

Jim is responsible for all facets of the business, including Sales, Marketing, Quality, Clinical Behavioral and Medical Services, Business Development, HR, and Client Services.

Prior to joining R3c in 2013, Jim was a vice president at Benesyst where he was responsible for Client Relationships, Product Development and Operations. Jim has an extensive background in the Health Care and Financial Services industries, including time spent at Ameriprise and UnitedHealth Group. He has a passion for leading growing organizations to provide outstanding service.

In addition to his experience in product development and operations, Jim has an MBA in Finance and is both a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and a Certified Internal Auditor.

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R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Workplace MVP is brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. Now, here’s your host, Jamie Gassmann.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:25] Hi, everyone. Your host, Jamie Gassmann, here and welcome to this special edition of Workplace MVP. Over this last month, as we have all, at some point, reflected as a nation on the events of 9/11, it is common for most of us to recall where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the news of the attacks. I know I vividly remember where I was. And I have had conversations with many others over the last 20 years that have had the same types of recollection.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:53] Looking back on September 11th, 2001 and jumping forward to now, 2021, and the world we live in today with the COVID-19 pandemic, and hearing how employers are increasing and focusing efforts on providing mental health support for their employees, it leaves me wondering, how did employers respond and support employees in the immediate moments, days, weeks, and now years following the events of 9/11? How did the attacks change how business leaders react and respond to disruption in their workplace, particularly as it relates to supporting the well-being of their employees?

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:30] Well, with us today to share his experience and key learnings as a business leader during 9/11 is Workplace MVP Jim Mortensen, who is the President for our show sponsor, R3 Continuum. Welcome to the show, Jim.

Jim Mortensen: [00:01:44] Thanks, Jamie. Glad to be here.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:47] So, let’s start out with you walking our listeners through your career journey and how you came to be the president at R3 Continuum.

Jim Mortensen: [00:01:55] Okay. Well, sometimes I talk about my career as kind of a testament to transferable skills. So, my educational background is in accounting and finance. And that’s usually where I would start in a company because it’s the most obvious kind of skill that people can grab onto. But what I would do was, I was in finance and then I went into project management, product development, client service.

Jim Mortensen: [00:02:30] And what I found was the reality is, is that, product development, client service, and finance have to work together all the time. But they really don’t know what the other one is talking about. And since I had been in all three, I kind of coalesce and get people unified in the goals that they were going for.

Jim Mortensen: [00:02:54] So, frequently, product development, people go to client service and say, “Here’s what we want to do.” And client service rolls their eyes and says, “You have no idea what you’re asking.” I’d throw some client service in ops terms out there just to say, “Yeah. I know exactly what I’m doing to you. So, let’s figure out how to to make this work.” And with that, I worked in various large companies like American Express and UnitedHealth Group.

Jim Mortensen: [00:03:24] But I, also, through all of that, would look for kind of the small entrepreneurial groups within those large companies, because what I really love to do is go into an area that is either really falling down and/or is experiencing explosive growth. And what I would consistently see happen is, when you’re going from that kind of small boutique into a mainline business, the volumes are crushing you. And they have largely succeeded and thrived almost through a lack of process. They’re very hands-on. They adjust to everything that’s going. And the challenge is, when the volumes get that high, if you don’t change how you’re doing it, you won’t continue.

Jim Mortensen: [00:04:15] So, I really love going in there and talking about we’re going to preserve the core, but to preserve that core and remain client focused and nimble, we have to change how we do that. And that’s incredible both from a tactical standpoint and from a culture standpoint. It’s a very challenging time, and I found that I just really love that kind of approach.

Jim Mortensen: [00:04:44] Well, after being in big companies, I then moved into small to midsized companies. And really, when you’re leading in that kind of an organization, the whole company is kind of a boutique entrepreneurial group and they need people who can move across processes. So, it really was a good fit for me, and that’s how I transitioned into smaller companies.

Jim Mortensen: [00:05:09] And then, when I heard about R3 and what they did, it was just such a core, in Simon Sinek’s “why”, it just really fit for me. So, I just have a passion for what R3 does.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:24] Great. And it fits well within our description of our show today in talking about 9/11 and where you were at, you know, career-wise during that timeframe, because R3 was a big responder to 9/11 in terms of the psychological first aid for employees and other victims.

Jim Mortensen: [00:05:42] Sure.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:42] So, let’s kind of dive into that a little bit and talk about, you know, on the day of 9/11 – and I know you’ve mentioned American Express – you’re working at American Express Financial Advisors. Can you share with us what was your role at that time? Where were you officed? How many employees did you have? You know, where were they located? And kind of just share a background on that.

Jim Mortensen: [00:06:03] Sure. Sure. As you said, I was at American Express Financial Advisors, and I was, at that time, leveraging my finance background. I was in charge of forecasting and budgeting for that company, which I think at that time was about 700 million a year in revenue. And I had just recently taken over that job. I had just recently gotten a new boss, who, ironically, was commuting from Toronto at the time. And I had about five employees. We were all based in the IDS Center in Downtown Minneapolis.

Jim Mortensen: [00:06:40] I was driving to work when I heard on the radio that the plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. And I think, like a lot of us, I was kind of in shock. And I remember on the drive, they were reporting about the first one hitting and I thought, “What a horrible accident.” And then, the second one hit, and we kind of all realized this isn’t just a random accident. So, I think I spent most of that day kind of in shock.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:11] And you heard about it driving to work and knowing the towers were the largest towers, I believe, in the country. The IDS is one of the largest towers in Minneapolis, so were there any feelings that you were feeling as you continue to your commute in? Or any thoughts that ran through your mind?

Jim Mortensen: [00:07:32] Yeah. And, in fact, we sent everybody home by about noon, in part because, to your point, the IDS Tower was one of the tallest towers in the Midwest, so we felt like we could be a target. I mean, it’s kind of like the early days of COVID, nobody really knew what was going on. And I think, also, a lot of us – I had two elementary school aged kids and my wife was at work in the schools – I think we all just wanted to be home and close to our families at that time. So, it’s a combination of that and a real concern about the security that our whole company just shut down and sent people home.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:23] Interesting. So, you know, with the employees – I know you mentioned that you shut it down and everybody went home to be with their families – what were some of the communications that were going out to your employees at the time? As a leader, what were some of the things that you were asked to do from the organization?

Jim Mortensen: [00:08:45] Sure. Well, at least in the early days, I think, we made a call that’s probably not correct, but was fairly common then, is that, there was one response for the people in New York, where our headquarters were, and a very different response for the rest of the country. So, the CEO of American Express, I think, got really good press for how he handled 9/11, because he was out there and talking and communicating with employees and creating new spots for people to work. Because the American Express Tower actually was connected via tunnels to the World Trade Center, and they used the same heating and HVAC systems.

Jim Mortensen: [00:09:42] So, actually, for a while there, we assumed everything in the American Express Tower may have been incinerated by the heat coming through. But, actually, when the towers came down, it tore off the external skin of the American Express Tower. That’s how close they were to the World Trade Center. So, there was a lot of focus on trying to find all our employees.

Jim Mortensen: [00:10:06] I remember being in conference calls in the days after that. And you’d just be waiting for everybody to check in and wondering are they all still alive. And it was really kind of a weird scenario. You know, it’s not, “Gee. Is this person late to the meeting?” It’s “Is this person still alive?” We were quite fortunate, I think the only American Express employees who were killed that day was a group of five to seven people in our travel company who actually worked onsite for one of the companies in the tower.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:10:47] Interesting. So, with your employees here in the Minneapolis area, you know, what was the feeling like when you returned to the office and knowing that there were employees that were in the tower and that there were employees that were close to the vicinity of the towers? You know, what were some of the feelings that were going through that work environment? And how did you show support to them and how did you navigate that?

Jim Mortensen: [00:11:16] Yeah. There was a lot of confusion. And, again, where I think we fell down as there wasn’t a lot of communication to the non-headquarters people, so we found out about it in drips and drabs. And, again, while I think the company did an amazing job of working with the people directly impacted, I think back at that time, it took a long time before people realized this really impacted employees across the country. And even if they did realize it, I think back in that time, there wasn’t a lot of understanding of how you help and support employees during that time.

Jim Mortensen: [00:12:03] I mean, I remember for weeks, my boss, whose family was still in Toronto – if you remember, you couldn’t fly – he’s stuck in the U.S. And I started to think, from his family’s standpoint, their dad is working in a foreign country that’s been attacked. And, finally, after a few weeks, he rented a car and drove home just to go see his family. And I just think we all just really didn’t understand completely how to deal with that. So, again, we did a great job with the people we knew were directly impacted and a lesser job, frankly, for the people who were indirectly impacted.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:12:48] Yeah. Did the organization, let’s say, like fast forward to some of the anniversaries passed in the first year or even maybe in the immediate? I know you kind of mentioned that there’s a lot of support that was provided kind of in that New York area and that concentration of employees that were more directly impacted. Did they eventually kind of catch on to some of the support that might have been needed? And if they did, how did that look and feel as they kind of progressed in their learning of everything?

Jim Mortensen: [00:13:21] Yeah. I think what they did a lot of is, as they started to recover the tower – and the tower for months afterwards was actually used as a staging area for the fire and police, et cetera – American Express had abandoned the tower and put people out to remote offices and such. So, as they started to regain the tower, they did a lot of work with people around, “Will you feel comfortable coming back to work in Downtown New York and within sight of where the World Trade Center was?” And I think they had a real understanding of that’s going to be traumatic for people. And some people desperately want that in order to recover their normal. And some people don’t want that reminder.

Jim Mortensen: [00:14:17] And, again, I see a lot of parallels to today. If you think about it, I mean, we’re having the same dialogues today, do people feel safe coming back to the office. And people love working from home, but they miss their coworkers. And I think that’s some of the same impacts we’re seeing today. I just think we’re a lot more aware of mental health issues and aware of why the employer should care and be engaged in that. As opposed to, “Well, that’s really a personal issue. We shouldn’t be involved.” Does that make sense?

Jamie Gassmann: [00:14:55] It does. Yeah. And it’s interesting, I’ve heard in some of the other interviews and kind of stories I’ve heard from the 9/11 during this anniversary timeframe where they’ve mentioned that that was really kind of the turning point for the mental health focus in workplaces. That that really was kind of where employers realized there was another part to business continuity that wasn’t just systems and operations. That it was really, you know, your people. And it sounds like you saw very much something similar within the Ameriprise that they did have to make that shift over to looking at their people.

Jim Mortensen: [00:15:31] Well, some of my experience was impacted by the fact that I was in finance and in charge of budgeting and forecasting. And what happened on 9/11 had some pretty severe impacts on Ameriprise from a financial standpoint. As I recall, every one percent movement in the market impacted our bottom line by a million dollars a year. So, I spent a horrendous amount of time post-9/11 focused on reforecasting the company over and over and over again.

Jim Mortensen: [00:16:10] And at that time, particularly in that area, it wasn’t, “How are you dealing with what just happened?” It’s, “Work lots of hours and figure out how we keep the company going.” And that’s not bad people. That’s just the way things were back then. It’s like, “Okay. Well, that happened. Now, what’s our revenue going to be next month?” That’s kind of the approach.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:16:42] Yeah. It sounds similar to our interview with Col. Williams talking about his experience in the Pentagon during 9/11 and having to go back on a plane that following Monday back at it to work. So, very much during that timeframe, it sounds like it was very similar amongst other industries as well.

Jim Mortensen: [00:17:01] Yeah. And there was nothing intentional or negative about it. It’s just kind of the culture back then and the lack of understanding of how it’s impacting. And I guess in some ways, it’s also a way some people do recover well. I think it helped me to not focus on that and instead focus on work. That’s a certain approach of maintaining my normal. It was to bury back into work again.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:17:30] Yeah. Absolutely. So, we’re going to take a moment and hear from our sponsor. So, Workplace MVP is sponsored by R3 Continuum. R3 Continuum is a global leader in providing expert, reliable, responsive, and tailored behavioral health, crisis, and violent solutions to promote workplace wellbeing and performance in the face of an ever changing and often unpredictable world. Learn more about how R3 Continuum can tailor a solution for your organization’s unique challenges by visiting r3c.com today.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:18:02] So, now, looking at you as a leader during 9/11, in your perspective looking back on that, what would be some of the changes or impacts that you had in your leadership style or how you lead or view leadership today?

Jim Mortensen: [00:18:18] It’s a great question. I think one of the things I’ve really learned, both from 9/11 and also, frankly, from working where I work now is, in periods of stress, whether it be work stress or, certainly, even more so non-work trauma, it’s really important for leaders to be visible. I think like all of us, there are times during events like that, or even death of a coworker, or something we’ve had that happen here, all of us, as individuals, get struck with the, “I don’t know what to say. What’s the right thing to say right now?” And a fairly natural reaction to not knowing what to say is to say nothing.

Jim Mortensen: [00:19:13] And leaders, in particular, to go hide in your office and say nothing is the worst thing you can do. You’ve got to be out. You’ve got to be visible. And in certain events like 9/11, like the death of a coworker, leaders have to understand that that’s a time not to put your leader face on. It’s a time people want to see you as a human being. So, it’s okay to cry, or to show emotion, or to link with people that way. That’s what people are looking to their leaders for how to handle this situation, and they want to know that their leader cares.

Jim Mortensen: [00:19:57] And I think that’s part of what I really learned from 9/11, is, those kind of events require leaders to step out, step into it, and just be visible, and be human, and deal with you have to help people understand, meet, and, frankly, accept that this is a highly emotional time. It’s a very disruptive time. And we have to work through that before we can be productive again.

Jim Mortensen: [00:20:36] And then, the other thing that I’ve really learned through it all is, people have different ways of dealing with it. So, a question I’ve gotten from employees as well, how do we help someone so during this? And the answer is, “Well, you ask them what they’re needing. And then, you believe what they tell you.” So, the idea that you’ve got to go through grief a certain way is really kind of old school. Most people are not in denial. They’re just working through it in their own way. So, you ask them what they need and you believe them when they tell you what they’re needing. Did that kind of get out what you’re wanting to know?

Jamie Gassmann: [00:21:20] Yes. Absolutely. And I think what’s interesting about that is, really, what you’re sharing is, is that a leader has to demonstrate, just similar to any other cultural type nuance within an organization, whether it be “I really want a positive atmosphere”, well, the leader has to demonstrate that. And when you’re going through crisis or a traumatic event, like 9/11, it’s really no different. You showing them it’s okay to have that emotion, it’s okay to feel that way, I think probably provides just a sense of comfort in itself to those employees in knowing they can handle it and kind of work through it the way that is best for them.

Jim Mortensen: [00:21:59] Yeah. Before people can be productive, they have to feel both physically and psychologically safe. So, in R3, during the pandemic, the commitment has been, as long as there are not performance issues, we will not require you to be on work at the office unless and until you feel physically and psychologically safe being here.

Jim Mortensen: [00:22:26] Now, we’re in a unique position where we can do that. Not every company can. But the point is, ignoring the physical and psychological safety will not get people productive faster. It will slow it down. So, you got to start there before you can get the business going again.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:22:47] Yeah. It’s kind of like when you think of the great resignation that a lot of organizations are facing. Some of that is a reflection of that employee looking at their work life and going, “Yeah. It doesn’t really fit me anymore.” But you make a valid point that by being able to meet that employee where it’s comfortable for them and it feels safe for them, both physically and psychologically, you’re able to create that atmosphere that helps them to know this is a good place for you. You know, it probably helps with that movement.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:23:18] So, from your perspective – you know, you talked a lot about kind of culturally and just how work was back during the 9/11 timeframe – thinking about it now – obviously, it’s been 20 years we’ve got, I believe, two new generations to the workforce in that timeframe – what do you think has changed in terms of an employee’s expectation of leadership when events of this magnitude and that level of disruption happen in a workplace?

Jim Mortensen: [00:23:52] Another great question. I think even beyond big events, the whole view of what companies should deal with and what’s appropriate to deal with at work has shifted dramatically, both through the generations and through time. So, kind of I’m a late boomer and lots of things that are discussed every day in the workplace, it’s not that those aren’t topics that are important to general society. It’s that those topics have nothing to do with the business so they’re not issues for the business to take on. Well, I even realized how out of date that sounds when I say it. I mean, it’s kind of the same as the ledger paper I used to foot and cross foot because we didn’t have Excel at that time.

Jim Mortensen: [00:25:00] So, there’s been quite an evolution about what topics companies can and should be addressing. And employees expect their employers to address these issues. And some of that is, you know, “What are my behavioral health needs? I’m feeling burned out. I’m stressed out.” And they expect their employer to help with that.

Jim Mortensen: [00:25:26] And I think the flip side, if you want to be a pure what’s the return on investment of doing this? I think that has shown to be a false idea that ignoring that is because it has no impact on the business. It has a huge impact on the business, both in terms of short term productivity and, frankly, in terms of retention of employees. Employees want to know they’re cared about. Employees want to know that their company is doing things that are helpful and productive in society.

Jim Mortensen: [00:26:07] And to the extent employers do that, they garner more than just somebody working for a paycheck. And they get their passion and their commitment and their retention. And so, I think the whole shift, certainly, 9/11 started some of that. But there’s a lot of things going on that have made a dramatic shift during my career of what is expected of companies.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:26:38] Yeah. And so, with that, kind of keeping on to some of that same vein, if you were to provide some type of piece of guidance to our listeners for how they could effectively lead when an incident occurs, whether it’s a massive event like 9/11 or even smaller scale incidents can have a similar impact on a workplace when there’s, maybe, a death of an employee or coworker that was well-liked or loved – even sometimes customers, I’ve heard, can have a big impact on those work environments – if you were going to give guidance to a leader that’s listening right now on what they can do to have that impact on an employee, what would you leave them with?

Jim Mortensen: [00:27:25] Well, obviously, the business we’re in is helping employers and leaders with that. So, getting a counselor to come onsite and help employees with that, I think, is incredibly helpful. We went through it at one point where one of our employees was killed in a car accident on the weekend. I’m fortunate enough that I could pick up the phone and call one of our employees who’s probably the global expert in these kinds of things and have him guide me through it. And we brought a counselor onsite, and a lot of what it is, is just gathering people up and meeting them where they’re at.

Jim Mortensen: [00:28:10] And I remember the meetings we had, and some of it was really sad, and some of it was really funny as we would recall fun stories about the person, and a lot of it is – they call it – normalizing your reaction, just kind of meeting people where they are and letting them process.

Jim Mortensen: [00:28:27] So, I think what you don’t want to do is force people to pretend things are normal before they’re ready to. So, again, I think it’s being very in place, be out there, talk to your people. It’s a lot tougher right now with people working remote. And we see a lot of articles about how do you find out how people are doing when they’re all remote. It’s toughed right now. But just because it’s tougher doesn’t mean it’s not needed.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:29:01] Yeah. So, how have some of the employers that R3 has worked with, you know, handled this mass shift to remote and still being able to provide that support? What are some of the approaches that maybe R3 has built into their programming or their service delivery that has helped to make sure that employers can still reach them where they’re at?

Jim Mortensen: [00:29:25] Well, one of the things we’ve developed is an ability to do – we call it – onsite response. Typically, when something happens in the workplace, we will send a counselor onsite to talk with the employees. That’s not so effective if the people aren’t onsite. So, in hospitals, we’re still going in and working with the people in the emergency departments, in the ICU.

Jim Mortensen: [00:29:50] But if it’s an office where everybody’s remote, what we’ve developed then is an ability to do that through Zoom calls and things like that, so that we can still help the people process and help them process with their coworkers through the same vehicles that they use for other meetings. And, in that way, the fact that they’re not all in one spot doesn’t prevent the ability to reach out.

Jim Mortensen: [00:30:18] We’ve also, for a long time, for companies that have very few people onsite, so retailers who only have a couple of people onsite during a robbery, going onsite isn’t viable for them. We have an ability to to do that telephonically. So, we just use the technology tools we have in order to continue to provide the service. We believe onsite and in person is always the best response, but it isn’t the only response. And while the other responses may not be as effective, it’s better than not doing it. So, you try to reach people in the best way that you can.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:31:04] Fantastic. So, in looking at your career and you look at kind of over your career journey, if you had to choose one thing or accomplishment that you’re most proud of, what would you choose?

Jim Mortensen: [00:31:21] I think the thing I’m most proud of is the way we dealt with last year. Last year was, by far, the most challenging time for any company and any set of leaders. And if you think back to the start of COVID how rapidly things were changing. I remember mid-one week, people raising, “Are we going to send people home and work remote?” And I wondered why people were overreacting so much. And by Monday of the next week, we had 100 percent of our people at home. And I felt like we were too slow to react. And it was just things were changing that rapidly.

Jim Mortensen: [00:32:13] And the thing I’m proud of is that the company was able to react and respond that quickly. And through the weeks and months following, we went through a period that was the busiest we’ve ever had. And then, probably six months of the business being very, very slow. And we didn’t do layoffs. We managed to just tough it out and get through that. And we kept finding out what do people need and getting support to them.

Jim Mortensen: [00:32:48] We reached out to families and asked what their kids needed. And we had days where one person would just take over and do Zoom calls with a bunch of kids and do crafts to take some of the pressure off of working parents. We had food delivered. We had counselors available. Just all the different things the company was able to bring to the table to help our employees while our employees were providing critical support to the infrastructure of our country. So, that’s what I’m proudest of is what we were able to do during that time.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:33:31] Yeah. Fabulous. Like, you were delivering on what you promised to your customers, to your employees, which is very honorable in terms of a lot of companies offer a lot of services, but sometimes don’t always return it back to those employees delivering it. So, that’s fantastic. So, if our listeners wanted to get a hold of you, how can they do that?

Jim Mortensen: [00:33:54] Well, I’m on LinkedIn. My email address is jim.mortensen@r3c.com. And you can look at our website. I’m happy to talk to anybody about what they’re facing and what their needs are.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:34:13] Well, thank you so much for being on the show with us today, Jim, and letting us celebrate you, and for sharing your stories and great advice with our listeners. We appreciate you and I know for sure that the organization does as well and as does your staff. So, thank you so much for being a part of our show.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:34:31] And we also want to thank our show sponsor, R3 Continuum, for supporting the Workplace MVP podcast. And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. If you’ve not already done so, make sure to subscribe so you get our most recent episodes and other resources. You can also follow our show on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter at Workplace MVP. And if you are a workplace MVP or know someone who is, we want to know. Email us at info@workplace-mvp.com. Thank you all for joining us and have a great rest of your day.

 

Tagged With: 9/11, crisis communications, crisis leadership, employee behavioral health, Jamie Gassmann, Jim Mortensen, Leadership, leading business during pandemic, pandemic, R3 Continuum, stress in a pandemic, Workplace MVP, workplace wellness

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