Humans at Work with Michael Glazer

Starting a corporate wellness program can seem like a daunting task. Where should you start? And what’s needed to make it successful? Corporate wellness expert Terri Levins Dietz talks about what companies can do to design and establish strong corporate wellness programs that make a difference. From strategic considerations down to tactics, Terri shares how she helps companies navigate decisions and sidestep pitfalls for starting quickly and effectively.

Referenced during the conversation

Visit: WYAO Hawaii website

Read: Collaboration Begins With You by Ken Blanchard, et al.

We’re all susceptible to a certain amount of influence that can negatively shift our self-perspective and our perspectives of others. How can we peel away the resulting false assumptions and beliefs to build or rebuild meaningful human connections? Shari Foos, celebrated therapist and Founder of The Narrative Method, talks about the practice of using relational awareness in business, education, and everyday life to develop radical empathy, compassion, and understanding for those around us.

Michael talks with Paul Herrick, a Madrid-based former HR executive who is now a Managing Partner at Arco IrisH Human Solutions, for a wide-ranging conversation about how job seekers can differentiate themselves from the competition. Paul also shares his insights about taking advantage of job interviews as a chance to assess cultural fit, and leaders’ roles in building culture in start-up and scale-up companies.

Personal growth and business growth are intertwined for many professionals, especially for startup founders. How do leaders balance taking care of themselves, their teams, and their business all at once? Pick up concrete ideas for improving listening skills, managing your ego, creating organizational culture, and sidestepping assumptions that can inhibit your sense of achievement from Barry Collodi, a veteran consultant who's coached billion-dollar startup CEOs.

DEI conversations are on the rise, but the discomfort discussing race persists. Meanwhile people striving for workplace equity face persistent challenges.

This episode explores the path to a more equitable workplace with Jenny Garrett OBE. As a diversity expert and author of Equality vs Equity: Tackling Issues of Race in the Workplace, Jenny shares her expertise on understanding the global majority, breaking down common barriers to equity, fostering empathy, and taking actionable steps towards creating inclusive environments.

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Episode Highlights

1:38 The importance of understanding the who the global majority is

5:32 Objective awareness helps make workplaces more equitable

8:08 Addressing privilege doesn't require the majority "to lose"

15:18 How majority can start to do their own work to educate themselves

18:42 Supporting people who want to support DEI but fear taking action

23:29 Bridging good intentions with meaningful action

29:33 Building literacy to talk about race and ethnicity

32:47 Creating long-term psychological safety to talk about DEI candidly

36:37 Correcting the misperception of powerlessness in making change

Jenny's view on the greatest unmet wellbeing need at work today

"I think that we just need space and time. Perhaps we've gotten into productivity overload. The global pandemic showed us that we can work from anywhere at any time. And that was great, but it's also really dangerous.

So, I think the well being need is for space and time where we don't have to be productive. And [related to] communication, [we need to] actually talk to each other, not just about key performance indicators and the next task, but also [asking] 'how are you? And how can I support you? And what do you need?' And having those kinds of conversations are a couple of things that would really help us in the workplace."

What “working with humans” means to Jenny

“It means to embrace the diversity that is all around us and to really enjoy it. So to not be frustrated by it, but to be to embrace it. And I think most of all, to be curious about each other, to ask those curious questions and to enjoy being curious. Always.”

Resources

Follow: Jenny on LinkedIn

Visit: Jenny Garrett Global

Read: Equality vs Equity: Tackling Issues of Race in the Workplace