What impacts do effective onboarding and career pathing have on the health of a company culture? And what does such onboarding and career pathing look like? Patrick Frazier, Director of Organizational Development at ME Global (Tempe, Arizona) discusses the culture inside their foundries in Arizona and Minnesota. Working in metal foundries is hard, hot work. How do you continue to find, keep, and provide advancement opportunities for team members? How do you ensure you attract and retain team mem...
Jan 06, 2025•39 min•Ep. 32
KC&A's David Stanfield explores the life and career of one of the NBA all-time greats, Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs). The focus in this episode is on the 'walking the talk' examples Tim Duncan provided throughout his basketball career, by focusing on wins for the whole team and other teammates, cool-headed calmness, sharing credit, being coachable, accepting accountability and mentorship, and showing gratitude to teammates, fans, family, and coaches. All the while, consistently being humble...
Nov 23, 2024•19 min•Ep. 31
Whitney Tate and Delcia Petersen explore the practical side of Emotional Intelligence as it is most often encountered in the workplace. What is the cost of being 'A Bull in the China Shop' as it relates to EIQ? How do we each avoid being that bull in the china shop in our own workplace, dismissive of competence about it at our own immense personal cost? If Emotional Intelligence is arguably the greatest predictor of success in a leader and in success within any given career, then how do we use i...
Jun 27, 2024•36 min•Ep. 30
Stephanie Stuckey recently released her book " UnStuck: Rebirth of An American Icon ". In this interview she discusses reviving and rebuilding one of the most iconic American roadside brands, "Stuckeys." This 25 minute episode explores grit and how it can be contagious in organizational leadership. We look at the history of the brand, the various pivots that allowed it to survive and then thrive to its height of having 368 locations in 40 US States, why Stuckeys was able to weather so many storm...
May 02, 2024•24 min•Ep. 29
Michael Mendola is leading the effort at a 75,000+ employee consulting firm to implement Generative AI strategies for the benefit of their employees and clients. In this episode, Michael shares his insights on the impact Generative Artificial Intelligence is having and will continue to have on workplace cultures. He also shares a wide array of information about Generative AI, as well as some of the AI programs he is currently using the most. ----- MORE ABOUT MICHAEL: Michael Mendola is a Manager...
Feb 20, 2024•45 min•Ep. 28
Randy Sparkman delves into what an organizational leader needs to know about Artificial Intelligence (AI) right away. Randy is the author of LANGUAGE AI: A Guide for Humans . It is an "amplifier of opportunity," as Randy puts it and he makes the case for why a leader needs competence on this transformative topic in order to make wise strategy decisions. Randy also makes the case on why and how an organization must ensure their employees are allowed to reasonably experiment with AI. He advocates ...
Dec 21, 2023•43 min•Ep. 27
Tom McNany walks us through the role of organizational culture in adoption outcome (success or failure) of new technologies that transform an organization. Rolling out a new technology that changes how business is done is stressful and difficult for all involved. Whether it is an ERP system, manufacturing execution systems, warehouse and inventory software systems, or otherwise. Very rarely on the leader's mind before such a major undertaking is this question: "Is my workplace culture prepped to...
Dec 06, 2023•22 min•Ep. 26
Nisha Patel explores what it takes to populate an organization with problem solvers and how to be one. Problems at work are most often negatively associated with stress. Repeatedly, however, problems prove to be gates of opportunities for career catapults, entrepreneurial ventures, and other rewards for those who can leverage creativity, calculated risk, and resilience to solve them. And yet, that only happens in an organization that knows how to find, hire, develop, and empower proactive proble...
Jul 06, 2023•34 min•Ep. 25
Many company leaders are asked to serve on boards of directors, whether with nonprofits or for-profits of various sizes. There are many questions and issues to consider before saying yes and after saying yes. It is always an honor to be elected to boards, and it allows someone to have far-reaching positive impact beyond their normal job or company. Board service comes with fiduciary responsibilities and can include personal liabilities and reputation risk. In this episode, Laura Gregory, an expe...
Jun 21, 2023•51 min•Ep. 24
The Agent of Your Own Life episode contrasts the long-reaching negative impacts of perennial victimhood mentality, with the never-ending positive impact of being an individual who is 'the agent of their own life.' As agentic, this individual recognizes that they can take actions and make decisions today that will make their tomorrow better. This contrasts with the perennial victim who always believes someone else's decision controls their access to success. Someone who is the agent of their own ...
Feb 20, 2023•32 min•Ep. 23
How are current high school students being prepared for the US workforce at a time when employers are desperate for qualified workers? What are the students' pathways and options? Are schools getting the input from local industry about what those companies need most in foundational skills as well as developed skillsets? Do schools want involvement from local employers? This episode takes an in-depth look at current high school education and workforce preparation with someone on the front lines. ...
Dec 30, 2022•45 min•Ep. 22
At the same time as historic unemployment, there has never been a greater number of well-qualified disabled people who want to work. These prospective employees are sitting on the sidelines. John D. Kemp, CEO of the Lakeshore Foundation and author of a new book entitled “Disability Friendly, How to Move from Clueless to Inclusive” talks practical strategy in this episode. How can an employer find, hire, and retain qualified workers who happen to be disabled? What do disabled employee prospects w...
Nov 17, 2022•36 min•Ep. 21
What does it take to last 100 years? Nancy Meadows, CEO of BridgeWays, shares her insights on how and why her organization has lasted almost a century. She discusses necessary organizational pivots of mission, programs, branding, and more that BridgeWays has made over the decades. So, how do you know what or which pivots to make (or not make)? What's the appropriate timeline for successful pivots? Should the process be fast or slow? What types of data and analysis is useful when it comes to deci...
Nov 12, 2022•42 min•Ep. 20
How does absenteeism and presentism impact a company's effectiveness and sustainability? Does my company need a wellness program? What are the goals of company wellness programs? How do corporate wellness programs work? How do you create a workplace wellness program? What are the organizational leaders' responsibility to workforce wellness programs when it comes to program success? What are the bottom line costs of a workforce with unhealthy habits? What are the wellness and nutrition impacts on...
Aug 24, 2022•44 min•Ep. 19
Tony Orlowski provides an overview of the new book on workplace safety, Safety Beyond The Numbers, co-authored by he and Dr. Ken Chapman. The two of them wrote the book based on their 80+ years of leading change in workplaces in the US, Canada, and in locations across the globe. What can be achieved beyond basic workplace safety compliance and why does it matter? What is the responsibility of a front-line worker, front-line supervisor, safety manager, department manager, or executive to other pe...
Jul 13, 2022•25 min•Ep. 18
Shannon Allen walks through how mentorship works, sharing her experiences of both having mentors and serving as a mentor herself. What makes successful mentorships mutually beneficial to both participants? Who should seek out mentorships? What are the expectations of mentors and mentees? Should both participants be from the same industry? Should you choose a mentor much older than you? What should the mentor have in common with the mentee to maximize success? How long should mentorships last? Wh...
Apr 22, 2022•32 min•Ep. 17
Keith Richards explores the importance of a strong company culture and purpose in building a strong restaurant and franchise business with unusually high team member retention. He and his wife Amy founded fresh-casual restaurant Taziki's in 1998, which now has 90 locations in 15 US states. More recently, they have started a second restaurant business, Greek Street. Keith served as President from May 1998 until December 2012, and then served as the Chief Franchise Officer from June 2012 till 2017...
Mar 18, 2022•46 min•Ep. 16
Tommie Goggans III, husband, father of eight, president of The Goggans Group, Financial Advisor, active community volunteer, and dedicated physical fitness devotee, delves into the ever-challenging topic of "Balance & Planning in Leadership and Life." On a day-to-day basis, Tommie helps his clients with planning. With a large family of his own, his own company, and multiple leadership roles in the community, he actively practices balance in his own life. So, what are the strategies and pathw...
Nov 28, 2021•36 min•Ep. 15
In this episode of Brain Chatter, Derek reads The Speed of Trust, a chapter from the book The Leader's Code (2023 version) authored by Dr. Ken Chapman. The chapter defines the Speed of Trust, identifies why it is critical to high functioning teams and organizations, provides examples, and outlines strategies for developing and growing The Speed of Trust in an organization. Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplac...
Oct 05, 2021•40 min•Ep. 14
Deborah Boswell, communication consultant, coach, and author, examines the practical side of effective communication in the workplace. Ask your peers and direct reports, 'do we do a good job with communication here?' How do they respond? Are you surprised? Ineffective communication costs organizations big money while it also costs trust in leadership. What's the fix? How many moving parts are there to just one sentence communicated from one person to another? How can we each do what we can to co...
Jan 26, 2021•38 min•Ep. 13
Dr. Ken Chapman discusses the imperative of accurate self-reflection in organizational leadership and success. In fact, at the heart of almost every leadership issue in an organization, is the lack of accurate self-reflection on the individual level. What is practical self-reflection? Why is it important? What are best practices? What tools and strategies are helpful? How do you self-reflect accurately without doing so neurotically? How can one help a leader who is unaware of their own deficit o...
Jan 14, 2021•44 min•Ep. 12
Kyle Roed is Global HR Manager for CPM Holdings, based in Waterloo, Iowa. He discusses the massive costs of team member turnover. How can you start to measure these often unrecognized, un-reported, and siloed costs, both financial and cultural? How can you minimize them? What are some top strategies to retain top human capital talent? Are you asking the basic questions? Do you conduct 'stay interviews' in addition to exit interviews? Does your human resources department have operational and busi...
Dec 09, 2020•52 min•Ep. 11
Dr. Isabel Scarinci, Vice Chair for Global and Rural Health in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UAB, psychologist, and polio survivor, discusses The Power of Thankfulness . How powerful is a genuine sense of thankfulness in our daily lives with co-workers, friends, and family? How does expressing thankfulness change our relationships with others? How can we make authentic thankfulness habitual? What is the science behind gratitude? And how does daily meditation on thankfulness impa...
Nov 25, 2020•46 min•Ep. 10
Nate Pizzini, Asst GM of Kennedy Valve Co. in Elmira, New York has spent 2020 leading a manufacturing plant through an unprecedented modern pandemic. What has he learned along the way? Where did he have to pivot? What did he do right from the start? Who have been his partners along the way? What changes made during the pandemic will likely be permanent? Which leadership skills has he leaned on most heavily? EPISODE RESOURCES: Connect with Nate on LinkedIn Read Nate's Bio Kennedy Valve Co website...
Nov 13, 2020•23 min•Ep. 9
Debra Miller examines why change implemented in the workplace is often difficult, resisted, and costly. She provides a clear 7-step process for leading change management effectively, replete with examples. Where must a leader start? What must be done along the way? Deb is the Managing Principal and Chair of the Board of Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc. She has managed numerous large change initiatives throughout her career. She assists and advises clients on how to map and lead thoughtful chan...
Oct 29, 2020•30 min•Ep. 8
Kelly Caruso, the first CEO of Shipt under Target, wants constructive disagreement on her team. How does disagreement lead to better outcomes? How can true diversity of thought be cultivated? What is the most important question she asks? What happens when a leader prevents or quashes constructive disagreement? How do you show others that constructive feedback is safe and appreciated? What's the difference between constructive and destructive disagreement? Kelly answers these questions and also d...
Sep 28, 2020•37 min•Ep. 7
Bari Watson Beasley, CEO of The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County (Franklin, TN) explores the impacts of her grandfather's example of active service to others. A simple question changes everything when there is follow through. "How can I help you?" How does his example impact how she leads herself, her team, and her organization today? Listen as she discusses his fascinating 95 year life that made a difference to many. EPISODE RESOURCES: Connect with Bari on LinkedIn Bari's Bio The Herita...
Aug 31, 2020•29 min•Ep. 6
Grace Shim is at the beginning of the wave of Generation Z's joining the workforce. Gen Z's now replace Millennials as the newest generation in the workforce. How can an organization attract the best Gen Z talent and then retain them? What does a Gen Z look for in an employer? What do they value? How can a Gen Z offer an organization a competitive advantage with their likely fluency in the latest technologies and with diversity of thought? What's an example of a Gen Z's strategy in building trus...
Aug 13, 2020•30 min•Ep. 5
Cherri Lee, Director of Human Resources at Automation Personnel Services, Inc., shares takeaways from years of working with and leading remote teams. Automation is an industrial staffing company with thousands of team members based out of over 30 locations across the US from the Atlantic to the Pacific. How directly accessible should a director or manager be to team members on the front lines, remotely or otherwise? Why is trust in an organization important to making problems less expensive and ...
Jul 24, 2020•35 min•Ep. 4
Anthony Orlowski, is the Executive Vice President, Plumbing Group of McWane, Inc. In this role he has overall responsibility of the AB&I Foundry and Anaco-Husky facilities in California, Texas-based Tyler Pipe & Coupling plants, and the Sri City, India, Coupling plant, which combined account for more than 1,400 team members manufacturing drainage, waste and venting products for the commercial plumbing industry. In this episode he shares his experiences with workplace safety. And it may n...
Jul 13, 2020•26 min•Ep. 3
