Tag Archives: We’re Only Human

We’re Only Human 40: How Southwest Airlines Lives and Breathes Corporate Culture

collette williamsonDoes corporate culture matter? Does it really? In today’s interview, Ben talks with Colette Williamson of Southwest Airlines about the company’s approach to culture, hiring, and training.

It’s quickly apparent that culture is about more than just a fluffy set of core values on the wall at corporate headquarters–it’s about a way of life that makes the company fundamentally different than the competition.

In the interview you’ll hear from Colette how the company takes that 2% of applicants that make it through the hiring process and helps to mold them into the people that serve and love their customers in an almost fanatical way. The stories will make you laugh (and may just make you cry), so we hope you enjoy the show as much as we did recording it.

To learn more feel free to reach out to Colette on LinkedIn or, as you might have guessed, check out the Southwest blog site to learn more about the company.

We’re Only Human 39: Ohio Living Serves 70,000 Clients Annually with Core Values

Do you know the core values of your business? Do your employees? More importantly, do they live them?

In today’s episode, Ben interviews Dana Ullom-Vucelich, Chief Human Resources Officer and Ethics Officer at Ohio Living. Ohio Living provides services to a range of individuals, reaching more than 70,000 clients per year. The company’s 3200 employees are guided not just by policy and procedure, but by a strong sense of ethics and core values that permeate the culture and atmosphere of the firm.

In the discussion, Ullom-Vucelich gives her insights into what it takes to engage employees and get their best. In addition, she gives a variety of business and clinical/healthcare impacts of having engaged employees, going beyond the “pat on the back” to more substantial value that engagement and recognition can bring. If your business is looking for ways to create more engagement and drive better business results, this is the show for you.

Learn more: https://www.ohioliving.org

If you enjoyed this, be sure to check out episode 20: Growing a Business with Your Heart

renee robson HR

Does Your HR Career Leave an Impact? [Podcast]

If you know anyone who is considering an HR career transition or has recently moved to a new HR or recruiting role, this is the episode for them!

In my 10+ years in the workplace, I still screw things up. Do you? It’s usually driven by urgency rather than slowing down to take a strategic look at how to make a decision. While I will say I haven’t really made career choice mistakes that way, I could have probably done some of the transitions better. More planning, more prep, better alignment with supervisor expectations, etc.

In today’s episode of We’re Only Human I chat with Renee Robson, an HR leader currently based in Australia. We talk about what it takes to measure your success as an HR leader, how to create an environment where you can succeed, the best things about working in HR, and more. It’s a really fun discussion and you can hear the passion in Renee’s voice as we cover all these points!

The thing I think of when this topic of impact arises? Legacy. What’s your legacy? When you leave, how will people refer to you? What will they say about your work and your impact?

And while you won’t hear it in the recording, Renee gets the award for longest “chit chat” before and after a recording. I think we talked for over an hour total OUTSIDE the conversation you’re about to hear. :-) Also, if you enjoy this episode you will probably like “How to Be a Chief Trouble Maker in HR” as well where I talk with Jill Kopanis about breaking out of the stereotypical HR mold.

Show Notes

Episode link: https://beneubanks.podbean.com/e/33-how-to-measure-your-success-in-an-hr-career/

How do you measure success as an HR leader? Is it in the company’s retention and hiring rates, or is it something more personal? Maybe you think about how you’ve helped others succeed in spite of challenges.

renee robson HRToday’s discussion explores how to measure your success, how to make a career transition successfully, and more. Speaking with Renee Robson, Performance and Capability Manager for Widex Australia, Ben digs into what it takes to stratgically run your HR career and take it to new heights. For example, how do you personally lay a foundation of success before and after you take on a new job?

Renee’s insights include a variety of information, from the best things about working in HR to the best way to measure your success in an HR role. She even offers a way to build out a 30, 60, or 90 day plan when taking on a new role or project to ensure sustained success.

Connect with Renee:

https://twitter.com/reneeroberz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneerobson/

See other episodes and information about We’re Only Human: http://lhra.io/podcast

4 Millennial Myths and a Very Hard Truth [Podcast]

I haven’t done a great job of keeping the podcast shared here because I’m now publishing about once a week, and I typically have time to publish about once a week on this blog as well. If you have missed any episodes, like how to forecast your workforce planning (episode 25 interview with H&R Block’s head of hiring) or how to get the most out of an HR conference (episode 26 interview with Donna Quinney of Ignite), be sure to subscribe to the feed by plugging this link into iTunes or searching for the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app! 

If you’ve followed me for any length of time you know that this “Millennial thing” gets me. It gets me good. I can’t stand to be lumped into a giant demographic with tons of red flags and stereotypes. That’s why I recorded this podcast with Kristina Minyard (fellow Millennial) to talk about the four myths we see in how people expect this generation to want to be treated. It’s fun, entertaining, and a great opportunity to hear from some actual people that SHOULD know what’s going on, not another “generational expert” that’s milking your fears of what generations want for money.

See? It gets me. :-) Continue reading →

How to Attend an HR Conference (and make it worth your while) [Podcast]

One of the greatest compliments I get from you, the listener, is when I have the opportunity to share something highly practical with you that you can use to improve your results in a powerful way. Today’s discussion is one of those.

Think about the last conference you attended. What did you learn?

No, specifically, what did you learn?

Research tells us that within a few days we forget most of what we hear in a single training session, much less a whole conference with a wide range of topics. That’s why today’s episode is focused on how to get the most out of the HR conferences you attend. Over the course of my ten-year career I have attended dozens of conferences, seminars, and events, and I would imagine you also attend a good number of events as well. Let’s get the most out of those, shall we?

I attend a lot of conferences. I meet people. I hear sessions. I meet vendors. It’s part of my world. But what about yours? Chances are you attend a limited number of conferences, seminars, and events as part of your ongoing professional development. How do you make sure you approach these learning opportunities strategically, enabling you to not only solve today’s problems in your business but also to build a network of people that can help you solve tomorrow’s problems as well?

In today’s podcast, I interview a friend (and fellow parent of twins) about how she prepares for events. Donna Quinney is the HR Manager at Ignite in Huntsville, Alabama. In the episode Donna explains how she connects with her manager prior to attending an event to make sure that they get the most out of their investment, what content and topics to prioritize, and more. Whether Donna’s method works for you or not, it’s a great reminder to be thinking about how to get the most from the events you attend to make the best use of these amazing professional development opportunities.

If you’d like to check out an HR conference I’ll be at this year, definitely consider signing up for the SilkRoad Connections User Conference. I will be leading a series of workshops on innovation in HR and helping attendees to solve some of their most pressing challenges across the spectrum from engagement and retention to diversity and talent.

Continue reading →

The Secret to Great Team Performance May Surprise You [Podcast]

The way we have done business in the past–it’s not going to work in the future. The world is volatile, complex… There’s rapid change. We have to change ourselves. It’s not making a change with tech or tools, it’s about the soft things: thanking people, helping them articulate the mission, helping them with careers. We have to be hard with the business, soft with people. -Adrian Gostick

If this concept inspires you, then this episode of We’re Only Human is going to get you excited about how to drive performance within your organization. I believe so strongly in the ideas in this book that I’ve worked with the publisher to set up a contest to give away a few copies! Here’s how it works:

Want to win a free book? Share this episode link on your LinkedIn feed, tag me and 2 or more of the BEST people you’ve ever worked with, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of the book!

Subscribers, click through to listen in. Continue reading →

Workers Feel The Pressure of the Skills Gap Around the World [Podcast]

As HR leaders, we’re well aware of the skills gap. Hiring and retaining workers for key roles is what takes up a key part of our mental energy on a daily basis, but what about the workers themselves?

In a new report that analyzes global worker opinions, it is clear that the skills gap is on the minds of the workforce as well. But who is running point on this issue? Is it on workers to train themselves, diminishing the skills gap one person at a time? Or should employers take some responsibility, building key skills in the workforce to keep them sharp in our fast-paced world of work?

Check out the conversation below to learn more about the research and some interesting insights on how to resolve the issue.

Episode link: https://beneubanks.podbean.com/e/were-only-human-23-new-research-on-addressing-the-skills-gap-in-the-workplace/

Show Notes

The skills gap is a challenge for many organizations, but how do we address it? Read any news article and it seems as if the United States has a looming crisis on its hands around critical skills areas that we simply don’t have enough qualified workers to fill, and new research shows this is actually a global phenomenon affecting firms worldwide. For instance, 98% of workers in Brazil agree there is a skills gap, and two-thirds of them felt like it affects them personally!

shelley-osborneIn today’s interview, host Ben Eubanks speaks with Shelley Osborne, Head of Learning & Development at Udemy, about this research and how we can use it to attack the skills gap within our own company through learning and development opportunities. While the research shows that individuals are generally confident about the level of skills they possess, they also know that the pace of change and business today requires them to be constantly learning. It’s no longer good enough to get a degree or vocational training and be “good enough” to compete for jobs, promotions, and other roles.

To see the research, check out this link: https://research.udemy.com/research_report/2017-skills-gap-report/

This episode is sponsored by WorkHuman. Join me and hundreds of highly engaged HR leaders in Austin this April for WorkHuman, an event dedicated to helping HR make the workplace a better place.