Staying nimble and agile will take you a long way – in business and in life. Jennifer catches up with her friend Mary Ellen Slayter, pivot master and CEO of Reputation Capital Media Services, LLC, a B2B content marketing agency based out of Baton Rouge. As a successful working wife and loving mother, Mary Ellen has made a huge impact in her field and in the lives of her family, friends and community.

• The life of Mary Ellen Slayter is a story like no other. Jennifer asks Mary Ellen about how she got to where she is and what she does; she gives Jennifer the lowdown on the work that her new company Reputation Capital Media Services (Rep Cap) is doing, her undergraduate days of studying soil, and tells the story of how she started her career in journalism. Mary Ellen also forwards a convincing case for why kids still need good math and algebra skills in today’s world.
• After working as part-time copy editor for the financial desk of the Washington Post, Mary Ellen landed an advice column with a unique pitch. Mary Ellen gives us a look into some of the seeds of her later career that were planted with her fresh approach to the column.
• To fully commit to a career change is no easy feat. Mary Ellen describes diving into her new career in journalism and talks about her early interest in the founding theories and philosophies of modern journalism.
• Like many others, Mary Ellen saw the digital future of journalism coming fast. While the Post was still largely focused on print, Mary Ellen moved to the digital-savvy SmartBrief and stayed on for three years. Her life eventually took her from Washington back to Baton Rouge where she received some bad news on her daughter’s birthday that came to be a blessing in disguise.
• With her future uncertain, Mary Ellen’s business idea now had ample room to be cultivated. Mary Ellen got a fateful call from Jennifer Benz of Benz Communication who didn’t call with an offer, but with a challenge.
• Sometimes the first steps of a new venture can be the most daunting. Mary Ellen gives Jennifer an idea of what the first few weeks of Rep Cap looked like, how she got her first client, and how her small up-and-coming business evolved into a fully-fledged agency.
• Mary Ellen considers herself a connector. If she can’t help people, she wants to get people connected with others who can. Mary Ellen and Jennifer talk about how relationships play a key role in developing a new business.
• How in the world do you make HR tech, financial services and insurance services sexy? Mary Ellen talks about how her work has changed over time, from writing blog posts and running client social media to full-on digital marketing strategy consulting. She also talks about how the landscape has shifted in the last six years since Rep Cap was started.
• As a marketer, what should you be focusing on? Jennifer asks Mary Ellen for her thoughts on what marketing and content managing folks should be thinking about when trying to get their business, brand or personal profile out into a changing landscape. She offers a handful of rich takeaways based on her experience and observations of emerging trends in her field.
• Is a series of pivots actually just a full-on spin? Jennifer asked Mary Ellen about what Rep Cap’s work looks like now and what might be next moving forward. Mary Ellen talks about the importance of learning new things in the constantly shifting market landscape of the 21st century.
• As you can tell, Mary Ellen is no stranger to cultivating new ideas, skills, knowledge, and people. Jennifer asks Mary Ellen about her progressive ideas in building a positive workplace culture at Rep Cap such as fully paid maternity leave and pay transparency.
• Smashing goals is Mary Ellen’s bread and butter. Now that Rep Cap has achieved beyond what she imagined, what’s next in the pipeline? Mary Ellen talks about participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program and how that helped her envision and create a 10-year plan for her business. She also talks about her plans to write a career advice book specifically for writers.
• It’s safe to say, more than ever before, we are living in the age of the pivot. Jennifer asks Mary Ellen about what the future of work looks like and the importance of a willingness to learn, staying nimble, and keeping your eyes open.

Resources and Links

Mary Ellen Slayter LinkedIn

Mary Ellen Slayter Twitter

Rep Cap | B2B Content Marketing Agency

Managing Editor digital magazine

Jennifer Benz – Benz Communications

Scott Eblin

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program

LivePlan: Online Business Plan Software

6 Tips For Developing Executive Presence

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When it comes to making an impact, nobody brings the fire like Tim Sackett. Jennifer catches up with her old friend and firebrand who isn’t afraid to say, blog and write what’s on his mind. As outspoken leader in his field, with 20 years of top-level HR and talent experience, Tim shares what he’s learned working as a talent and HR wizard.

• Who is Tim Sackett? And why the heck is he so happy? Jennifer asks Tim a little bit about himself and how he entered the recruiting business through his family. Tim tells Jennifer about memories of his mother’s recruiting calls, getting fired by her, and his return to the business after some time in the HR corporate world.
• Tim’s mom is cut from some rock-hard stuff. Jennifer asks Tim about how she came to start her recruiting company and how she influenced him. Tim tells the story of his more immature and egotistical days, why he was axed by his mom, and how he made his way to corporate HR.
• How do you spark a passion for HR? Tim talks about how the reward of being able to help people more directly, the challenges of a new field and a deeper sense of camaraderie sucked him into the HR world.
• While Tim had a history of playing it fast and loose in the workplace, the corporate world demanded an adjustment in temperament. Jennifer asks Tim about how he cooled his heels for the better and who has helped him along the way, personally and professionally. Tim relays his experience working in HR at Applebee’s and how he learned the value of talent strengthening and critical feedback.
• What inspired Tim to pick up the quill? Tim tells the tale of how he came to writing and blogging, and his experience writing for Kriss Dunn’s The HR Capitalist. He also talks about the therapeutic value of writing in his own voice and how his practice has translated into bonuses for his professional career.
• According to Mama Sackett, blogging and speaking engagements are just more ways to give away the secret sauce. Tim discussing how his drive to help others has informed his open and friendly approach to giving advice and sharing knowledge.
• Practical, hilarious and brave; the Tim Sackett voice doesn’t sound like anything else. Jennifer asks Tim about the most controversial thing he’s written and he talks about why he doesn’t shy away from topics like race and gender in the workplace.
• While it might seem innocent, the tale of how Tim Sackett became The Workplace Hugging Expert is juicier than expected. Tim fills us in on the details of his 15 minutes of fame turned icebreaker comedy skit.
• Blogging is one thing but publishing a book is a whole new ball-game. Jennifer asks Tim about his process for making the jump from the web to the printed page and what it’s like to be an author.
• Tim is notorious for being a fountain of advice. Jennifer asks Tim about the best advice his mother has given him and the greatest advice he would give to his sons.

Tim Sackett

Tim Sackett Website

Tim Sackett LinkedIn

Tim Sackett Twitter

Fistful of Talent

Book (affiliate link):

The Talent Fix: A Leader’s Guide To Recruiting Great Talent

Check out another trailblazing HR powerhouse!

HR expert Laurie Ruettiman hosts a podcast called Let’s Fix Work where she speaks with a diverse array of people about how to change the way we think and work for the better.

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When the market moves as fast and Donald Trump tweets, how should we think about money in the digital age? Jennifer talks with psychologist and behavioral finance expert Dr. Daniel Crosby about his life story and how he has built a career helping both individual investors and institutional clients understand themselves and the psychology of the market.

• For Daniel Crosby, the beginning of the story started with an ending. Daniel tells Jennifer the story of how he came into the world on the day of his grandfather’s passing and how that has driven him to live his life to its fullest potential.
• An important part of leading a rich and full life is to always be learning. Daniel talks about how his love for learning and how his academic education laid the groundwork for developing his interpersonal skills which were key to his success later in life.
• As the son of an investment manager and advisor, the stability and comfort of his father’s profession was an alluring one. But after serving a mission through his church in the Philippines and helping a close friend weather an eating disorder, Daniel shifted his academic path towards helping people.
• How do some people with so little manage to find joy in their lives? Jennifer gets Daniel to flex his clinical psychology skills and asks him why some people blessed with great privileges can’t seem to find the same happiness of some people living a simpler or rougher life. He also talks about his own success and his approach to being happy.
• What drove Daniel to fly straight into graduate school? Jennifer asks Daniel a bit more about his trajectory towards becoming an impactful force in people’s lives. He talks about the value of therapy and why building a strong relationship between therapist and client beats out any high-level degree or specialized school of thought.
• Misconceptions about therapy and the therapeutic process are a dime a dozen. Daniel does some mythbusting and distils some of what he’s learned as a therapist into some takeaways for listeners that they can use in their personal and professional lives.
• Whether it’s for work, in our relationships or just in our day-to-day lives, we all talk about ourselves. Jennifer and Daniel talk about why being able to talk about yourself and your feelings openly and authentically with a trusted professional is so important is our society.
• After being burnt out by individual therapy work, Daniel moved on to workplace-focused psychology work in Atlanta. While doing pre-employment assessments across the Deep South, he learned some hard truths about competence, wealth, meritocracy and the under-recognized value of general intelligence.
• You’re not that great. Daniel fills us in on one of the key moments of his journey to becoming an impact-maker: a 2011 TEDx talk in Huntsville, Alabama about 7 counter-intuitive truths for living a better and more meaningful life. This talk eventually turned into a self-published book of the same name (check out the links below).
• “Only as we accept our normality, are we able to build something that is better than normal.” Daniel talks about the central message of his book, the concept of overconfidence bias and how it keeps us back from achieving our fullest potential.
• In late 2009 – in the swell of the recession – Daniel set out on his own to get away from his rough day job. His new behaviorist economics consultancy called Nocturne Capital offers a wealth of services around the psychology of investment decision making.
• Jennifer asks the question on all of our minds: so how should we think about money? Daniel offers some of the insights he’s gathered over the years helping people understand and navigate financial markets. Daniel shares a couple tidbits with Jennifer but you can find all 10 of his investing commandments in his book The Laws of Wealth, named the best investment book of 2017.
• If you’ve been listening to this week’s episode so far, you’ll know that Dr. Crosby is a man of quick wit. Jennifer asks Daniel where he gets his funny bone from and how it finds its way into his work.

Links and Resources:

Dr. Daniel Crosby on LinkedIn

Dr. Daniel Crosby on Twitter

Nocturne Capital LLC

Daniel’s Podcast: Money, Mind and Meaning (iTunes)

Books Referenced:

The Laws of Wealth: Psychology and the Secret to Investing Success by Daniel Crosby

Personal Benchmark: Integrating Behavioral Finance and Investment Management by Charles Widger & Daniel Crosby

The Behavioral Investor by Daniel Crosby

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out Of The Box by The Arbinger Institute

Dr. Daniel Crosby TEDx Talks

You’re Not That Great: A Motivational Speech (TEDxHuntsville

TEDxHuntsville – Daniel Crosby – You’re Not That Great: A Motivational Speech

Sex, Funds, & Rock N’ Roll – Daniel Crosby at TEDxHuntsville

Can being weird make you rich and happy? – Daniel Crosby at TEDxBYU

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Want to raise your game at work?

If you want to raise your game at work, you’ve got to raise your impact. Find out Jennifer’s 10 best strategies to make more of an impact at work.

Everyone’s journey to becoming an impact maker is different and unique. Today, Jennifer talks with business coach Ben Brooks, the founder and CEO of Pilot, Inc about his path from a rental car company to founding his own digital coaching service, aimed at democratizing career coaching. Ben provides some insights into how he has forged great relationships, created innovative products and built up award-winning initiatives throughout his career.

• Ben is an impact maker through and through. Jennifer asked Ben about where his journey started and the key moments of his life that led him to where he is today. Ben talks about his “life statement” and his early formative days after graduating from university working at Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Lockheed Martin. Ben delivers some takeaways from what he learned during these years and his mantra for approaching new problems.
• Whether its fate, destiny or just plain chance, inspiration can arrive at the most unexpected times. Ben talks about how working job at Oliver Wyman as a management consultant all started from reading a quote in USA Today on a flight home. After sending off a meticulously written letter, an ambitious slide deck, and a Singapore Airlines A380 model airplane to the right person, followed by a series of interviews and flights to and fro, Ben received an offer to start the next leg of his journey.
• Sometimes a bold and targeted approach to getting noticed can be incredibly successful. Ben tells Jennifer his thoughts on the merits of an aggressive approach to getting your dream job and why within the context of modern click-to-apply recruiting technologies, makings a memorable impact is more important than ever.
• Even in a recession, Ben is a force to be reckoned with. During his time off from Oliver Wyman, Ben turned down a job driving a tractor in West Texas – found by his very endearing parents, and saw an opportunity for a rotation at Wyman’s parent company Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Ben tells the story of how he ended up as there in talent management and some of his duties in his new role. For example, Ben created a succession risk index chart that had top-level executives sweating bullets.
• Management consulting is an incredibly diverse field; you never know what project, industry, or region you’ll find yourself immersed in. Ben relays some of the greatest challenges and hurdles he’s had to overcome and focuses on some of the key concepts, tools and frameworks he uses to deliver results. He also tells the story of how he got his job at Marsh LLC (insurance).
• While taking some time off, the entrepreneurial call found Ben Brooks in the form of a mislabeled nametag at a conference. Ben reached what he calls his fork in the road and decided to take entrepreneurship seriously. After getting some advice from some successful people in his life, Ben started building out a diverse coaching business using his problem-solving skills from his management consulting background.
• With the ambitious idea of democratizing coaching, Ben founded Pilot, Inc. with his life savings. While at first, they focused on individual sales, Ben’s team now strives to help employers and companies cultivate and retain the best talent they have.
• Democratized coaching? Sounds too good to be true! Jennifer asks Ben how exactly Pilot works and why it’s so effortless.
• Satisfaction in your career – and your life – is unique to you. Jennifer and Ben talk about some of the central drives behind Pilot and the larger questions that Ben considers instrumental in finding your own definition of satisfaction.
• We know all about the journey of Ben Brooks but what does satisfaction look like for him? Jennifer asks Ben to shine the light on himself and talk about what drives him as an impact maker. Ben shares some stories about how Pilot has changed people’s lives for the better.
• In the workplace, LGBTQIA individuals face adversity in all sorts of different ways. Ben talks about his experience navigating his career path as a gay man and the beginning of his trailblazing diversity and HR efforts at Oliver Wyman that have won various industry awards. He also talks about his contributions towards repealing the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and the potential for creating change by taking a risk and leveraging your identity while in key positions.
• Ben’s secret? Meditation. Ben gives Jennifer a peek into how he prioritizes self-awareness and being present so that when the wrong nametag comes along, he’s ready to step into the role that’s truly right for him.

Find Ben Brooks:

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2017: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers 

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Want to raise your game at work?

If you want to raise your game at work, you’ve got to raise your impact. Find out Jennifer’s 10 best strategies to make more of an impact at work.

For Colin Gautrey, curiosity is key. After a long and storied career in the corporate world with specializations in mergers and acquisitions, international strategy, IT, sales and leadership development, Colin has never stopped being curious about the cutting edge. Through his research, writing, and coaching, he has been working to equip his clients with practical knowledge about how to achieve results with greater influence.

• Focus on the future, but not at the expense of the present.Colin talks about why mastering the day-to-day is part of an essential foundation in building long-term influence and achieving your goals.
• While delivering top-notch results is absolutely necessary, it’s only part of the equation; you have to be able to stand out from the crowd in more ways than one. Jennifer and Colin talk about the importance of building trust and goodwill relationships within your field that will ensure that everyone knows who you are and what you can do for them.
• But what is influence? What does it mean to be influential? And what is the difference between influence, politics and manipulation? Colin sets the record straight about the differences and the importance of intent in this equation.
• Influencing a person’s behavior isn’t just about applying pressure; it’s also about connecting your agenda with theirs. Building a trusting relationship can enable you to understand others and get them to understand your goals as a part of their own.
• Do you hate the politics of the corporate world? Are there moments where you feel like navigating this sphere is harder than it should be? Colin offers some insights into why this is such a common complaint and reiterates the importance of knowing the rules of the game.
• When entering a highly political organization, it’s all about the long game. At the outset, it’s easy to misstep by being overeager and trying to align yourself with the key players. Colin talks about why neutrality, patient observation, and relationship building are paramount when getting your finger on the decision-making pulse of an organization.
• Power can sometimes be a dirty word and often comes with a slew of emotions attached. Colin explains how taking a step back and breaking down what constitutes power in any given situation or group can inform where – and with whom – you should be developing influence.
• When assessing where you want to be, what you’ve got so far, what you’ll need, and where you can get it from, high-level influencing is all about investing time in people. Colin talks about what this looks like in large organizations and why it is so important.
• Power doesn’t exist in a vacuum. When thinking about developing individual influence, what about individuals or groups who start on the back foot, those that didn’t enter the world with the same privileges enjoyed by others? Jennifer asks Colin about his thoughts on how to approach the challenge of developing influence as a minority in an organization.
• Do you have the tools you need to become a successful leader for tomorrow? Colin provides a sneak-peak of some of his research around the importance of influence and risk-taking and talks about what these skills can do to keep traditionally static industries competitive.
• Always have a plan B! Just because you’re in a position to exercise your influence to achieve your goals or the goals of your organization, it might not always go your way. Jennifer asks Colin about what you can do to prepare yourself for a diversity of organizational situations.

Find Colin Gautrey

LearnToInfluence.com

Colin Gautrey on LinkedIn

Colin’s Books:

21 Dirty Tricks at Work: How to Beat the Game of Office Politics (2005)

Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career (2008)

Advocates & Enemies: How to Build Practical Strategies to Influence Your Stakeholders 2011

Building Reputations in Tough Organisations (eBook 2014)

Influential Leadership: A Leader’s Guide to Getting Things Done (2014)

A Project Manager’s Guide to Influence (2015)

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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 people love? Subscribe today and we will bring you new ways to change the world every single week.