Jennifer McClure`

Equipping people leaders to navigate change — and design the future — with boldness and purpose.

Written by

Impact Makers Episode 3 – The Heart of Human Resources with Steve Browne

Steve Browne is a connector in every sense of the word. From a young age, he’s always felt at home ‘swimming in people.’

Today, Jennifer and Steve discuss what makes him a connector, and some of the unique insights he has as a leader and impact maker, including his involvement with the Society for Human Resource Management.

Do you want to be the type of leader whose employees love them, and whose businesses thrive because of it? Find out how in today’s episode.

 

 

  • Steve talks about how his mother’s suggestion took him from studying engineering into a more people-centric profession. When he’s with people, Steve feels like he’s home, right where he needs to be. He shares a funny story about college, where his classmates voted that he should be… you’ll never guess.
  • You know how some people have ‘rules’ before they let you into their lives? Steve doesn’t, and he shares his philosophy on being an open book, and how it’s helped him make an impact on others.
  • One of the big obstacles to leadership is when a person is an introvert. Jennifer asks the tough question: how can an introvert lead other people? Can they do it effectively? Steve believes so, and his ideas about introverts being stronger leaders might surprise you.
  • Steve shares a harsh truth about being in the people management sector. However, if you’ve ever been an employee with a bad manager, you’ll be nodding your head along with him. He explains what it takes to be a great leader. Part of it has to do with understanding that ‘a tiger never changes his stripes’ and learning to work with those stripes.
  • Kathy Coleman impacted Steve in a very deep way. She taught Steve that valuing the whole person matters more than only valuing what they bring to work. How do you allow your employees to grow personally, and how does that make them better employees?
  • Years ago, one of Steve’s peers gave him a bit of advice that hasn’t left him, and it was delivered with a pointed finger to the chest. It began with Steve complaining endlessly about an organization. It ended with him leading that organization and creating a legacy that fulfills him to this day. The story will inspire you.
  • Steve’s final lesson comes from his daughter’s basketball coach. What she did when his daughter didn’t make the team impacted Steve and changed his entire thought process for making people feel valued in all types of organizations. It’s a lesson that you can take with you, too.

Get in touch with Steve:

LinkedIn: Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP

Twitter: @sbrownehr

Website: Everyday People

Book: HR on Purpose: Developing Deliberate People Passion

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’ll bring you new ways to change the world every single week!

 

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.”

Categories: Podcast
Posted on

Written by

Impact Makers Episode 2 – The Thriving Contrarian with Laurie Ruettimann

Jennifer and Laurie have been friends for years, traveling the world together. But Laurie is more than just a friend. She made an incredible impact on Jennifer’s life and set her on the path to where she is today.

Are you stuck or unsure of what to do? Then Laurie will make an impact on YOUR life as well. Will it change the course of your career like it did Jennifer’s? We certainly hope so!

  • One thing that Laurie learned early was that ‘family’ and ‘home’ aren’t necessarily a permanent location. Her childhood was turbulent until they moved in with her grandmother, an opinionated, working class woman. Laurie’s grandmother shaped who Laurie would become, and she shares the lessons from her pragmatic grandmother that she carries with her today.
  • It was Michael Jackson who began Laurie’s writing career. From that point on, Laurie was a writing machine: poetry, stories, term papers. Writing became central to who Laurie was, and she bloomed when blogging became a thing. You might be shocked to learn that Laurie started blogging out of spite when an ex-boyfriend emailed her and told her to look at his blog. From there, she went on to violate multiple terms and conditions of her HR job and not only got away with it but built a living on it.
  • Laurie used to shave her head and wear Doc Martins. Oh, and she had facial piercings. Laurie shares the funny story of trying to get her first job in HR in all her 90’s wild child glory. She had to remove her piercings and her co-workers talked about her behind her back. So it was a natural step for her to create Punk Rock HR.
  • Not everyone would have the guts to kill something at the height of its success, but that’s exactly what Laurie did with Punk Rock HR. Find out why she did it, what happened as a result, and why she chose Cynical Girl as her next brand identity. Laurie wasn’t finished there, either. She created what she calls a career ladder. Find out how she did it!
  • Laurie writes every day. Every. Single. Day. She shares some of the tools that she finds most helpful. First, Grammerly is an app that makes bad grammar a thing of the past. Do you abuse commas and semi-colons? What about your and you’re, or there and their? This SaaS app will fix it. The second tool she uses is Pro Writing Aid. This little wizard focuses on style and flow. You still have to do the work, but these tools make it easier.
  • It’s not easy to put yourself out there when you have a contrarian view, and Laurie is no stranger to this. She tackles the difficult topics like #metoo, LGBT rights, and more, and she initiated the conversation long before it truly garnered public attention. She doesn’t just share the struggles of being a woman online with contrarian views; she shares how she overcomes it at every turn.
  • Should you write? Laurie has some strong opinions on whether or not you should. She has a few questions she asks herself before she ever hits publish on her blog. You should ask yourself the same questions and know that you might not always get it right, but that’s okay.
  • Laurie wanted to be a weather girl when she grew up. Now, she sometimes sees herself as a ‘failed HR lady.’ In fact, it wasn’t until recently that she saw herself as an entrepreneur. But over the years, she realized that group isn’t limited to 27-year-old white guys in hoodies who drink beer and play ping pong. Laurie shares what really defines an entrepreneur and why you might need to take stock of what you’re doing and redefine your own life.
  • Laurie wraps up the conversation today with some of the lessons she’s learned along the way. It’s okay to be first; it’s not going to kill you. Break the taboo and be willing to demystify failure. Relationships are tough but worthwhile, and Laurie has a tough message on gaining them, OR turning them down.

Resources/Links Mentioned:

Laurie Ruettimann:

Website/blog

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

HR Book Club:

Website/blog

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Kris Dunn of The HR Capitalist blog

Brené Brown

Two tools Laurie recommends for writers:

Grammarly

Pro Writing Aid

 

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.”

Categories: Podcast
Posted on

Written by

Impact Makers 1 – What Does It Mean to Be An Impact Maker?

You’ve heard the term ‘impact’ from the mouths of CEOs and management from many different industries, applied in many different ways. But what does it mean to be an ‘impact maker?’ Today Jennifer shares some heart-touching stories that served as the inspiration for this podcast’s name, and she talks about how to make the connection between changing the world and what we do in our everyday lives.

  • One of the first movements Jennifer joined with the Game Change Campaign through her church. It allowed her to make a real difference in lives around the world through the International Justice Mission. Anjali’s story about being forced into prostitution as a child and being rescued from it changed what Jennifer understood about making an impact. You can hear her story here, at 42:30.
  • Has anyone ever told you that you changed their life? That’s what making an impact truly is. Jennifer talks about how that moment was the start of a new purpose, or rather, honing in on it. Hear Jennifer’s DisruptHR talk here.
  • The goal of this podcast is to help you see opportunities to make an impact by sharing stories of people who are changing the world without asking for any credit for it. We’ll help you uncover strategies to use and actions you can take in your daily lives that will help change the world.
  • If you truly want to understand how making an impact changes lives, you need look no further than the story of Tererai Trent, who is also ‘Oprah’s favorite guest of all time.’ She started as an 18-year-old mother of four in a small village in Zimbabwe. Tererai crossed continents and supported a family of 7 while ultimately earning a Ph.D. Yes, she did meet Oprah, but that’s not the most amazing part of her story. You have to hear it to believe it, so listen to the full podcast: Lewis Howes interviews Tererai Trent. Understand the power of words.
  • Today, Tererai Trent is a scholar, humanitarian, motivational speaker, educator, author, and founder of Tererai Trent International. She’s become one of the most well know, and internationally recognized voices for quality education and women’s empowerment.  And she’s also written a best-selling book, called The Awakened Woman – Remembering and Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams.
  • Oprah was a defining person in Tererai’s life, so Jennifer wraps up her show today with the woman who has impacted millions, every day. When she was asked what her legacy would be, she didn’t give her own answer. Instead, she shared what Maya Angelou told Oprah what her legacy would be, and it’s amazing. The most amazing part is, as a person who wants to influence and impact the world around you, you can have the same type of legacy.

What is YOUR dream? Are you ready to learn how to increase your impact and influence to make a real difference in the lives of others, like the stories you heard today? If so, you should subscribe and leave a review. We’ll bring you weekly content that will help you be the Impact Maker you were meant to be.

Categories: Podcast
Posted on

Written by

Flipping The Script: Conflict Isn’t Bad, It’s Good

It’s probably safe to say that nobody likes conflict.

But, it’s also true that conflict can be helpful – maybe even necessary – if you want your ideas to become the best that they can be, and for disruption and/or innovation to occur.

Conflict Produces More And Better Ideas

In fact, studies performed in both the United States and France examined the role that conflict played in generating and producing creative ideas. The researchers assembled participants into three separate experimental conditions (minimal, brainstorming, and debate) and formed them into teams within those conditions.

Each team was tasked with generating ideas for the same challenge: how to reduce traffic congestion in the San Francisco Bay Area. Teams in the “minimal condition” were given no further instructions and told to develop as many ideas as possible. Teams in the “brainstorming condition” were given the traditional set of brainstorming rules; paramount among those rules being the notion that all judgment should be suspended and no idea criticized or debated. Teams in the final, “debate condition” were given a set of rules similar to brainstorming with one important difference: they were told to debate and criticize others’ ideas as they were generated.

When the results were calculated, the winners were clear. While teams in the “brainstorming condition” did generate more ideas than the teams given “minimal” instructions, it was the teams in the “debate condition” that outperformed the rest. Teams that debated their ideas produced an average of 25% more ideas than the other teams in the same period of time.

— Why Fighting For Our Ideas Makes Them Better

If conflict and debate can help us produce better work, and come up with more creative ideas, then why do we do we tend to avoid it like the plague?

Because we often do it wrong.

The good news is that we can fix that. The best leaders seek out conflict, and also establish ground rules and cultures where healthy conflict can occur.

Leaders Should Own Conflict

I recently watched a DisruptHR Talk given by Amanda Ono – VP People & Culture at Resolver – at the December 2017 DisruptHR Toronto event about the importance of embracing conflict in the workplace. In her Talk, Amanda makes some great points about conflict, including:

Conflict isn’t bad. It’s when it gets wrapped in ego and blame that it’s bad. Otherwise, it’s about peeling the onion to understand why incompatibility exists, and airing genuine fears and concerns.

As the Chief Excitement Officer of DisruptHR, I’ve watched hundreds of DisruptHR Talks (there are currently over 1,700 online), and this one ranks right up there as one of my favorites.

Amanda takes a traditionally held belief (conflict is bad – avoid it), and flips it (conflict is good – seek it out). She makes the case that it’s time for us to embrace conflict in the workplace, so people can create their very best work.

Teams Need Conflict

I love Amanda’s message, and encourage you to take 5 minutes to watch her Talk.

Then, go out and encourage some conflict in your workplace. 🙂

Surviving The Kool-Aid Hangover: Your Team Needs Conflict & How HR Can Make It Happen | Amanda Ono | DisruptHR Talks from DisruptHR on Vimeo.

Written by

Welcome New Year! Now, When Can I Take A Vacation?

For most people, it’s the first work day of the new year, and you’ve probably already seen or read several articles about hopeful New Year’s resolutions, what people will be doing to make 2018 their Best Year Ever, and even what went wrong in 2017.

Good news! This post is not any of those things.

Sorta not. 🙂

I’ve not yet set any goals, or made New Year’s resolutions – more about that below – but one thing I do plan to do going forward is to share more peaks into my life as the Wizard behind the curtain with my community. My hope is that by sharing more about what I’m learning along the way – through both successes and failures – I can encourage and equip you to make the most positive impact as you travel your own journey.

Out With The Old Year

Like many of you, I spent the last two weeks of 2017 winding down.

While I did manage a tiny bit of work the week before the Christmas holidays, for the first time in my life, I didn’t do ANY work during the last week of the year.

And that was a big deal (for me).

No work meant:

  • I didn’t go into my home office.
  • I didn’t schedule any calls.
  • I didn’t answer my phone or respond to texts – except from family or friends.
  • I didn’t go on LinkedIn to respond to invitations and messages, or approve any posts in the groups that I manage.
  • I didn’t scroll through social media – except Instagram – although I did check in on Facebook if I wasn’t doing anything else, and I replied to tweets/DM’s sent to me.
  • I didn’t read/respond to email to me/Unbridled Talent/DisruptHR – although I did briefly open emails on my phone to get that annoying red dot to go away. (Note to self: just turn off notifications next time, or maybe even delete the app.)

In addition to opting out of work for a week plus, I also nixed a couple of personal habits:

  • I didn’t watch the national news, and watched the local news only for the weather a few times. (Because I’m officially and old person, and that’s what my people, do.)
  • I didn’t look at the feeds from my Twitter lists set up to track political happenings and commentary by reporters, politicians, or celebrities.

So, while this means I’m starting the new year goal-less, less politically informed (this is a very good thing), with a mountain of email to respond to, and a To Do List in need of triage, I’ve tasted something sweet, and I want more…

How Can I Avoid Burnout?

The truth is, I’ve felt on the verge of burnout for some time now – probably a year or two.

I’ve jokingly made comments to friends that I need a month long sabbatical, but in my heart, it’s felt more like I’ve fallen so far down the rabbit hole of obligations and busyness, that a month wouldn’t even be long enough.

Yet those feelings of overwhelm haven’t meant that I’ve fallen out of love with my work, or with either of my businesses. In fact, I’m more grateful and in love with what I do than ever, and I’m looking forward to some exciting changes in both my personal business, and DisruptHR in the near future. (Which is fantastic. And daunting.)

The Allure Of The Sabbatical

So, how does a self-employed person (or any person, really) – responsible not only for supporting self, but an ecosystem of family, animals, and things – take time away from work to recharge and renew, while still being able to eat and live indoors?

When faced with something that I don’t know how to do, or don’t do well, I often look around me to see who I can learn from.

Whether you work in a corporate environment, or you’re self-employed, you can probably think of a few people in your world who seem to have the work/life balance thing under control. You can also think of a few people who are flaming dumpster fires. (This one is usually much easier.) We can learn something from both of these types.

For me, I see plenty of people (including myself), who are doing many things wrong. Trying to do everything themselves (guilty), not using systems to plan and prioritize their work (guilty), and not establishing and sticking to schedules and timelines (guilty), are just a few of the things that they (we) have in common.

I also can identify several successful entrepreneurs that I follow who are doing a lot right. For example:

Plan It. Schedule It. Do It.

Thankfully, my short period of recharging recently freed up enough brain cells to help me to identify some consistencies among those that I see who are struggling to find whatever balance means to them, and those who seem to not only be doing it well, but thriving.

And since I like to break things down into threes, I’ve decided upon three focus areas to take my life back in 2018:

  • Plan my days/my week based upon priorities to achieve goals – and stick to the plan.
  • Create systems and processes for routine work, so I can outsource those tasks.
  • Build teams to support both my personal business, and DisruptHR.

I’m starting 2018, by setting a big, audacious long-term goal: to prepare myself and my businesses to be able to plan – and take – a month long sabbatical in 2019.

What About You?

I’m sure that there will be some twists and turns in the journey throughout 2018. But, I’m going to focus on what I can control, which is making a plan, and working that plan. By doing this, I actually believe I can set myself up to take time away from my work, and have my life and my business be even better because of it.

Do you also want time to create more space to rest and recharge in your life? Your goal may not be a month-long sabbatical, maybe it’s a just a long weekend unplugged, or a vacation spent fully present with your family. Whatever your big goal is, identify a few virtual or in-person mentors you can follow and learn from, create a plan, and work the plan.  There’s no better time to start your journey than now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need A Speaker?

I've delivered keynotes and led workshops at over 350 conferences and corporate events.

If you want to check my availability for your event, or if you have questions, click below.

Start the Conversation »

Recent Blog Posts

Connect on Social