Jennifer McClure | Jennifer McClure`

Impact Makers Episode 8 — Fairness Without Sameness: Embracing Diversity At Work And In Life with Sarah Morgan

Sarah was given the nickname ‘Buzz’ when she was 3 because she was always buzzing around and getting into things. So when she decided to begin a blog, Buzz was a natural pen name for her. Sarah’s work on ‘The Buzz on HR’ blog has been challenging not just the HR community to be better, but also bringing a healthy dose of racial awareness and proactive problem-solving to the table.

Sarah has spent 20 years in the HR departments of many companies. Her latest has been one of the most fast-paced, dramatic jobs she’s ever had. Sarah’s company installs home security systems, and she shares some of major things she has learned in doing it. First among those are the soft skills that are often overlooked.
Sarah a blog called ‘The Buzz on HR’ but her employer at the time refused to let her use her real name, and she shares the story of trying to hide her identity. She also brings a unique insight into how HR has changed over the years, from when she first started her blog to current day.
Sarah has struggled with how much she should advocate on racial issues as a Black woman in HR. How much should she say, what should she say, and how often should she say it – that won’t cause her HR audience to abandon her? Sarah shares the experience of the first post she wrote about a racial issue and how it became one of her most popular articles. The WAY she wrote it made the difference.
Despite the success, Sarah found that it was harder and harder to write in her blog. She almost considered abandoning it, but her friends encouraged her to do a blog-writing challenge, promising that it would break her out of her block and help her ‘get her mojo back.’ She ended up doing the challenge her own way, one that did more than revive her blog. It shifted Sarah’s entire writing life.
It would be easy to write about race issues from a safe, lukewarm perspective, but Sarah doesn’t. She writes from her own perspective, and her reasons will make you appreciate what she does even more. The most important part is the practical advice that’s part of everything she writes. Sarah is in it to improve problems, not just complain about them.
It’s not just racial issues that Sarah covers; she also talks about women’s issues. Her thoughts on ‘educating’ women on how to be assertive are refreshing. She believes that women are already educated enough; it’s on those with privilege and in positions of power to educate themselves about how better to behave.
Sarah has a profound impact on so many lives, and there are many who have had a profound effect on her. She shares stories of how she went to her mother’s grad school class during the 80s. Another positive force in Sarah’s life was her acting teacher, but the reason she took the class to begin with will make you smile. Finally, Sarah’s first boss was the one who modeled how a modern professional woman operates.
True to form, Sarah leaves us with some very practical advice, both for HR and for educating ourselves to be better people as we go about our business. It’s this type of small, daily impact that can change the world.

People/Resources/Links Mentioned

Sarah Morgan LinkedIn

The Buzz on HR website

Sarah Morgan Twitter

The Buzz on HR Facebook

#BlackBlogsMatter on Twitter

Janine N. Truitt

Keirsten Greggs

Ben Eubanks

2017 #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge initial post: Are You Up for the #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge?

2018 #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge initial post: #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge – Week 1 – Black Blogs STILL Matter

If you’re ready to make a real impact in others’ lives and build influence so you can do more, subscribe to this podcast. Help us spread the word by leaving a review!

Want to Fix Work?

Work is broken. Laurie Ruttiemann is here to help you fix it. Learn more about the Let’s Fix Work podcast at letsfixwork.com and subscribe today!

Written by Jennifer McClure

Impact Makers Episode 7 — How I Became A Speaker and Entrepreneur

Jennifer gets a LOT of questions from many different types of people. Chief among those questions is how she got to where she is in her career.

People want to know how she’s managed to make such an impact through her entrepreneurship and her speaking career, so Jennifer has dedicated an episode to the answers of those questions and more.

The real reason that Jennifer got to where she is now is because of the others who made an impact on her over the years. She starts at the beginning: how her early life was shaped by growing up in a literal log cabin. From there she ended up in a career that wasn’t quite HR. (Back then it was called Personnel.)
Jennifer shares the story of her first job out of college. Her manager told her where her office was, let her know there was a pile of books there, and that she’d have to figure out the Personnel department alone because he had no idea what it was. Jennifer was overjoyed at the prospect.
When Jennifer decided to be a stay-at-home mom, her 2-year-old son quickly let her know that it wasn’t a good idea. He ASKED to go to daycare, and Jennifer recalls how it felt to be fired by her own son. She also shares the interesting opportunity at a Japanese automotive company that came her way a few months later.
Jennifer decided she wanted to be a speaker and consultant but gave herself an arbitrary limit of having at least 20 years in her professional career first. In the meantime, she joined an old, broken company to help turn it around. It was after she accepted the job that she learned she would most likely be replacing herself if she did well.
Long story short, it did go well and Jennifer found herself out of a job. She took several months off and started, after 18 years, seriously considering entrepreneurship and speaking, so she hired a coach. The first thing he had her do was write a marketing plan for herself. From that point on, his advice shaped Jennifer’s future, including the “remedial networking plan” for introverts.
As Jennifer began to test the waters of entrepreneurship, her new network pointed out some of the flaws in her plans. These issues were the kind that would sink new businesses before they start, including not knowing what she was selling. They suggested that she learn how to do business development first, so she ended up working with an executive recruiting firm — the very place where she began building her network.
In early 2010, Jennifer took what she learned and finally made the step into entrepreneurship and speaking. It happened organically. She was an early LinkedIn adopter and was asked by the executives she knew to speak on how to build a network using the platform. It wasn’t easy, though. For the first year, Jennifer struggled despite the help and support of her peers.
When Mike Sipple, Jr., gave her a book called “Just Do Something“, it changed everything from page 1. At least, it removed the mental block that Jennifer had that was preventing her from succeeding. Jennifer is a person of faith, so it was exactly what she needed to take the next step personally and professionally.
While Jennifer still struggled a bit, she began making real progress, and she wraps up with the lessons she learned. What was it that finally made everything click? What were the steps she took once that happened? And how has it turned out for her? And how YOU can take when Jennifer learned and apply it to your own story?

People/Resources/Links Mentioned:

Centennial, Inc.

Mike Lynch – President – Mike Lynch Career Consulting

Mike Sipple, Sr. – CEO of Centennial, Inc.

Mike Sipple Jr. – President of Centennial, Inc.

Bonita Martin – Sr. HR Business Partner at Harmon

Sharlyn Lauby – Author & Publisher at HR Bartender

Robin Schooling – VP Human Resources at Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge

Book: “Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach To Finding God’s Will” by Kevin DeYoung

SCORE – Free small business advice

Freshbooks.com

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Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Written by Jennifer McClure

Impact Makers Episode 6 — Quit the Cubicle with Mike Kim

Mike Kim is one of those guys who doesn’t need much of an introduction. He’s been an online force with his blog and podcast, and the wisdom he freely shares about his experience in leaving corporate America to become an entrepreneur.

Today, Jennifer and Mike talk about that journey and what you can learn from it, whether you’re just starting a business or you’re well into it.

Mike shares the story of how he escaped the cubicle. It started with a simple question: is this the life I want in 15 years? He didn’t quit his job cold turkey like many others have done. Instead, he had a strategy to gently sidestep from the corporate life into one where he could do what he enjoys.
Mike had a unique opportunity to grow his brand while growing his employer’s brand – even though he wasn’t educated in marketing. He hustled and read all he could, and what he learned from his own blog, he applied to his employer’s strategy – and vice versa. This opened the door for Mike to step away from the cubicle.
Have you ever heard of Mike’s ‘sadistic selfie?’ It’s an antidote to the kool-aid that corporations serve at parties and quarterly meetings, where everything is viewed through rose-colored glasses. Even though he was paid well and did good work, it just wasn’t fulfilling. Mike explains how a dose of truth is what finally pushed him to do something else with his life.
If you want to get out of cubicle nation and you want to share your ideas, this is what makes you a thought leader. It’s also where a lot of really brilliant people get stuck. Mike shares exactly what you need to do to make the step that will take you from brilliant to brilliant and successful.
Mike didn’t just quit his 6-figure job cold turkey. Instead, he created a plan that required a small amount of sacrifice. He would continue with his day job until his side business income hit a certain level. Mike also had a plan for how to learn to make money from his audience. Could Mike’s strategy also work for you?
As an entrepreneur, you have four freedoms: time, money, people, purpose. These four freedoms enable you to do amazing work. If you aren’t sure what you want to be doing, Mike has three questions for you: what ticks you off, what breaks your heart, and what’s the big problem you’re trying to solve? Understanding the freedoms and the questions is essentially mapping your path as an entrepreneur.
Jennifer and Mike are both plugged into the world around them in terms of how they can learn and grow. Mike shares his best secret, one that he still uses to this day. Look for someone who is living the way you want to live. Then follow them, learn from them, and while you won’t become them, you’ll become a better version of you.
Like Mike’s Influence and Impact event? He shares what the future of the event will be – or what he hopes it will be. He admits to dreaming big but if anyone can make it happen, it’s Mike Kim.

Resources/Links Mentioned:

The Brand You Podcast with Mike Kim

Influence & Impact Conference

Michael Hyatt

Ray Edwards

Eric Peoples

Book recommendation: Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, And Relationships All Of Us Have To Give Up In Order To Move Forward by Henry Cloud

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Do you want to spend your personal and professional time making a lasting impact on others?
Do you want to be the kind of leader that people love? Subscribe today and we will bring you new ways to change the world every single week.

Written by Jennifer McClure

Impact Makers Episode 5 – Radical Candor in Marketing with William Tincup

William Tincup isn’t normal.

Neither was his marketing agency, which used its eccentricity to shake up an industry that had become boring and stale. You either loved them or hated them.

When Tincup stepped away from the agency, he continued marching to the beat of his own drum, with great success. Today he shares some career and life advice from someone who has never followed the rules, and has an unconventional way of doing things.

Are you ready to shake up your life?

Believe it or not, Tincup really is William’s last name. He talks about the Native American origins of the surname, and the huge advantage it gives him in organic searches. It’s also a really good whiskey, and the company that makes it has been trying to buy the domain for years.
Tincup is highly educated, and has three university degrees – including Art History. He shares the funny story of how he once got in-state tuition as a student from out-of-state by complimenting a woman’s earrings. He also shares the great advice that his Advisor gave him for how he should proceed with choosing a major – a very honest takes on what typically happens for students after college that’s career advice even more relevant today.
After graduating, his first career choice was as a museum curator, but he quickly realized that they don’t make a lot of money, so he decided to back to school to get an MBA. William talks about the paths that were available to him: consulting, Wall Street, or entrepreneurship. To begin, he chose consulting, but that changed when he learned about the shortcomings of the services they offer, and he shares what inspired him to get into true entrepreneurship.
Tincup’s agency was daring. They weren’t the ‘sweater vest’ type. At Starr-Tincup stripper glitter and cocaine references were normal – but there was a very calculated reason why. They put their marketing advice into a book that served as a manifesto, and their Led Zeppelin lifestyle blew up an industry that was known for being boring. He’ll be the first to tell you that they lost business by doing things the way they did, but those who did choose to become their clients would tell you that Tincup would walk through walls to help them succeed.
It was a very simple interaction with the CEO of a business that his company helped to succeed that ended Tincup’s desire to do what he was doing – the lack of a “thank you”. After 10 years of it, he couldn’t take it any longer, and left the marketing agency to go out on his own, where he has continued to be his unique self. Now, in addition to serving on dozens of Advisory Boards, he’s the President of Recruiting Daily.
Tincup believes that thought leadership is about actually about being a leader, and he shares his thoughts on what it takes to be what he considers actual “Thought Leader”. It’s more about being the one who is always asking “why”, and not paying attention to what other people are saying or doing. Find out why he thinks this approach is important.

Find William Tincup:

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Written by Jennifer McClure

Impact Makers Episode 4 – 3 Actions Impact Makers Take Every Day

Not long ago, Jennifer went to a conference in Australia, where she was a chairperson and keynote speaker. During the event, two young women approached Jennifer with the desire to improve their careers, but they didn’t know where to go to get the support they needed. This inspired today’s episode. If you’re stuck where you are in your career, you don’t want to miss this one.

Listen to the episode now, or subscribe on iTunes!

Jennifer shares the story of the two young women. One referred to herself as ‘just the payroll person.’ The other wasn’t sure how to approach older, more successful people in order to learn from them. During her 25 hour journey back to the US, Jennifer reflected on those issues and the root of what caused them. Do you also feel this way?
Before you consider the following actions, think about the people who have had an impact on your life. They don’t wait for others to create a plan. They also give time, money, or attention, especially when it’s about a challenge they’ve faced that you’re experiencing, too.
Action 1: Send random calls, texts, or tweets of random kindness. It’s a small thing but it’s something you can accomplish in little time, and it can change the course of a person’s entire day. Not sure what to say? Jennifer shares some great ideas, so get in the habit of doing this!
Action 2: Create systems for success and automate them! There’s a great little app called IFTTT (If This Then That). There’s virtually no limit on what you can do with it. Jennifer shares a few ‘recipes’ to use that will help you make an impact, almost on autopilot.
Action 3: Jennifer shares a personal tip, something she learned to do when she was first growing her network. She identified people she wanted a relationship and started studying their work: books, blogs, podcasts, videos, even their websites. Essentially, she got to know them through their work. What she did next is a prime example of how to have a meaningful impact on others with a simple, daily routine.

Do you want to spend your personal and professional time making a lasting impact on others? Do you want to be the kind of leader that people love? Subscribe today and we will bring you new ways to change the world every single week.