229: I’m Here: Touching Lives with Compassionate Communication

As a college freshman, Marcus Engel was blinded and nearly killed after being struck by a drunk driver. Through hundreds of hours of reconstructive surgery, months of rehab, and adapting to a completely new world, Marcus remained committed to his goals: return to college and recapture life.

Marcus accepted and embraced the challenge. The life lessons he learned on this unexpected journey are now the guiding forces that inspire hundreds of thousands every day. He is the co-founder of the I’m Here Movement, a 501(c)3, which is changing the culture of care with two simple words.

Marcus has authored four books, including I’m Here and The Other End of the Stethoscope. He holds a B.S. in Sociology and a Masters in Narrative Medicine. In 2017, Marcus was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame where he teaches pre-med students the art of “being with.”

You’ll discover:

What happened to Marcus and how he’s used that experience to serve others
The two words spoken to Marcus by a caregiver, giving him hope and comfort during his initial hours in the hospital
What is means to truly “be with” another human being
How leaders can bring more caring and compassion into conversations with those they serve

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Marcus’s Resources

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228: How HRCI is Elevating the Human Resources Profession Worldwide

What if Human Resources served as a critical business partner, where the team functioned as a revenue center? Amy Dufrane describes examples of companies where this is happening and the resources HRCI provides to help HR professionals gain a seat at the table.

Amy is the CEO of two important organizations tied to human resources. The first is HRCI, which is the world’s premier credentialing and learning organization for the human resources profession. Amy is responsible for guiding this multi-million-dollar enterprise as it provides training that helps companies and their employees navigate the demands of the modern day workplace—and its future. Almost every Fortune 500 company has HRCI-certified professionals among their leadership ranks.

Amy is also CEO of HRSI, a subsidiary of HRCI. It’s the world’s premier standards and credentialing institute for private and publicly traded organizations. She’s the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including 2021 and 2022 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers and 2021 Stevie Awards Female Executive of the Year.

You’ll discover:

The vision Amy had for HRCI when she came on as CEO and how she got buy-in for it
The benefits of hiring a CIO with expertise in Agile when designing and implementing new programs
Why testing is critical if you’re focused on growing fast
What’s required to instill a culture of experimentation
Amy’s perspective on the evolution of Human Resources as a profession

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Amy’s Resources

Websites

HRCI (HR Certification Institute)

HRSI (Human Resource Standards Institute)

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228: Start Within to Change Your World

Do you expend energy trying to make others wrong so you can be right? Rich Habets is a master of facilitating powerful discussions 1-1 and with teams by asking questions and not making anyone wrong. In this conversation, he shares what he does to guide clients to look within and listen for the gold in what others say.

Rich is the founder and lead coach at Insight, Inc. Over the past 14 years, he’s dedicated himself to empowering more than 6,000 individuals and collaborating with more than 30 world-class companies, helping them break through barriers and achieve unparalleled performance.

What’s interesting is that Rich’s clients are already a force to be reckoned with, but his expertise serves as the catalyst that propels them to even greater heights. He’s operated behind the scenes for years as a silent but powerful ally in their journeys.

His mission is to help others harness their untapped potential so they transform their lives into a beacon of success, growth, and personal accomplishment.

You’ll discover:

The benefits of being open and vulnerable with others
Why Rich focuses on who he is BEING when he works with clients
How Rich helps leaders raise their awareness about their own behaviors
The powerful questions Rich uses to help leaders discover the blind spots and gaps
Ways to make meetings more productive

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Rich’s Website

Richard Habets

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226: Building Trust and Accomplishing the Seemingly Impossible

Is there something you’d love to have but think it’s impossible for you to achieve? Listen to this inspiring conversation with Kimberly Wiefling, and you’ll likely see ways that you can, in fact, create what you want. Along the way, you’ll discover how the best leaders build trust with their teams through vulnerability.

Kimberly is the founder of Wiefling Consulting, and cofounder of Silicon Valley Alliances. She’s also the author of the globally popular book Scrappy Project Management: The 12 Predictable & Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces. Her latest book, Turning Ideas Into Impact, is an anthology with 15 other Silicon Valley consultants.

Kimberly’s superpower is turning managers into leaders and groups into true teams who can achieve together what seems “impossible” but is merely difficult. She’s been described as a “force of nature,” and she’s determined to use that force to make a significant positive impact on our world.

You’ll discover:

The key differences between managers and leaders
What Kimberly did wrong when she managed teams early in her career
Differences in the cultures of a typical Silicon Valley company compared to one in Japan
How Kimberly helps leaders and teams believe the impossible is actually possible
The importance of structuring the work environment to reinforce the culture

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Connect with Kimberly

Kimberly’s Resources

Websites

Kimberly Wiefling

Silicon Valley Alliances

Scrappy Women in Business

Book

Scrappy Project Management

Amazon Author Page – All Books

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225: TechSmith’s Innovative Approach to Asynchronous Meetings

A big complaint in most companies is the amount of time wasted in meetings. If that’s been your experience, too, this episode is a must-listen. Amy Casciotti, Vice President of Human Resources at TechSmith Corporation, explains how they’ve created an innovative approach that’s eliminated the need for people to meet at the same time. You’ll learn how their Async-First environment has saved time and increased productivity.

TechSmith is a software company with a mission to empower people to create remarkable videos and images that help share knowledge and information. Amy is focused on being an advocate for both the company and its employees to ensure TechSmith and its staff have the skills needed to continue to move the company and employee engagement forward.

Meredith and her team have used their products, Camtasia and SnagIt, for more than 15 years and are huge fans!

You’ll discover:

TechSmith’s top 4 values and how they are practiced by everyone, starting with the CEO
The difference between synchronous and asynchronous meetings
What Amy and her team did to move people to a “No Meetings” mindset
How people now use videos to convey information that use to be presented in meetings
How the company practices “Put People First” with employees and customers alike

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Connect with Amy

TechSmith’s Website

TechSmith

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