Jennifer McClure`

Helping Leaders Leverage Influence & Create Maximum Impact.

  • About
  • Speaking
  • Schedule
  • Blog
  • Contact

Written by Jennifer McClure

Redefining HR: Embracing Modern People Practices To Fuel Business Success With Lars Schmidt

photo of Lars Schmidt

Since it’s a new year, I’m already hard at work on achieving the goals that I set for myself, and my businesses in 2021. And one of my goals this year is to read 24 books.

Thankfully, I’ve got some good friends who are helping to fill my reading list with books that they’ve written, which were set for January 2021 release dates!

I spoke with my best friend Laurie Ruettimann about her new book, Betting On You, which released a couple of weeks ago in Episode 53 of the podcast, and in this episode, I’m chatting with my friend Lars Schmidt about his new book – Redefining HR – which releases worldwide on January 26, 2021.

I really enjoyed my conversation with Lars, and he has a great grasp on how leaders in all areas – not just human resources – should approach building strong and capable organizations through implementing modern people practices.

Lars Schmidt is the Founder and Principal of Amplify – a firm that helps progressive people leaders and companies navigate the future of work.

Long interested in emerging work trends, tech, and people practices, his curiosity fueled a career that has afforded him the privilege of solving complex talent challenges for some of the biggest brands in their respective fields including NPR, Ticketmaster, SpaceX, Duo Security, and Hootsuite. He’s always been drawn to HR leaders who operate at the leading edges of the field, who embrace 21st Century HR, and who are redefining people practices through their vision, experience, and approach.

Lars has long worked to accelerate the evolution of Human Resources’ capabilities and impact through efforts like co-founding the HR Open Source initiative, by contributing regular columns for Fast Company and Forbes, and also writing books, including Employer Branding for Dummies in 2017, and his latest book – Redefining HR, which will release worldwide on January 26, 2021.

Redefining HR provides a framework for leaders to build modern and world-class people teams, enabling them to create people-centric organizations that lead to long-term success.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

  • Lars’ transition from recruiting leader, to employer branding expert, to HR and People Operations community leader and curator.
  • How Lars and Ambrosia Vertesi applied the Open Source concept to create a platform for HR leaders to share case studies, templates, and learnings to accelerate innovation.
  • How curation of resources, experts, and the work of others can be an important part of building credibility, and a personal brand.
  • 7 communities Lars suggests where HR and people leaders can get learning and development opportunities.
  • 5 visionary leaders in the HR and people space Lars suggests that others follow and learn from.
  • 3 skills that Lars believes modern people leaders need to master or develop in 2021 and beyond.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 55

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“To me, one of the most significant changes in the field of HR over the last 5 years is our evolution from black box, to open source. That’s the single most important enabler of the shift from legacy HR to modern HR.” ~ Lars Schmidt

“I think, in legacy HR, your role was based upon having HR acumen. Modern HR is based on having business acumen AND HR acumen. HR acumen is table stakes. You have to understand how to do x, y, or z  depending upon what your job is, but you have to understand how that connects to the business, how that supports the business, how is that going to enable to the business to achieve its goals.” ~ Lars Schmidt

“Don’t limit yourself to HR resources and communities. Especially if you’re in a leadership role – you need to sharpen your business acumen. So whether that’s other forums – like Harvard Business Review or The Economist – or other platforms and publications that aren’t necessarily looking at things purely from an insular HR perspective, but more of a broader business perspective. You’ve got to be plugged into those other networks as well.” ~ Lars Schmidt

“Find some of the leading thinkers in the space, and absorb not just their own content, but find out who they are reading, where they are learning from, and where they’re getting their ideas from.”  ~ Lars Schmidt

“If we’re not diversifying our sources, if we’re not diversifying the perspectives and the voices that we’re taking in, our outlook is going to have deep blind spots. You do need to be intentional and deliberate about diversifying the voices that are informing our perspective on the field.” ~ Lars Schmidt

“For leaders, your value to your organization, to your employees, to your company – it’s not just the knowledge that you have, it’s the knowledge that you have access too.” ~ Lars Schmidt

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

Amplify Talent

Redefining HR

Book -> Redefining HR: Transforming People Teams to Drive Business Performance by Lars Schmidt

Podcast -> Redefining HR

Newsletter / Blog  -> Redefining HR

Book -> Employer Branding for Dummies by Richard Mosley and Lars Schmidt

Lars Schmidt LinkedIn

Lars Schmidt Twitter

Lars Schmidt articles on Fast Company

People Geeks – a Culture Amp community

Workhuman

HR Open Source Community

Hacking HR

DisruptHR

Google Rework 

Bersin Academy

Redefining HR Episode 37 – Reddit VP People & Culture, Katelin Holloway

Redefining HR Episode 40 – Spotify CHRO, Katarina Berg

Redefining HR Episode 28 – VaynerMedia Chief Heart Officer, Claude Silver

Erin L. Thomas, PhD – Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging and Talent Acquisition at Upwork

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

Categories: Human Resources, Podcast
Posted on January 21, 2021

Written by Jennifer McClure

Turning Passion Into Purpose: From Career Coach to Recruiting Tech Company Founder With Ariel Lopez

photo of Ariel Lopez

One of the best things about the work that I do is that I have the opportunity to connect with so many talented people doing great things to make the world of work – and the world – better for us all in the future.

Early last year, while looking to expand my network of leaders with diversity and inclusion expertise, I reached out to my network and asked a simple question – “Who should I know that does great work in this area?”

What followed were over 90 recommendations, and I was able to make some great new connections, have some great conversations, and add to my list of potential referral partners in the future.

The first person who responded to my question was Daniel Chait, the CEO & co-founder of Greenhouse, an HR tech company that helps organizations become great at hiring.

Daniel was quick to recommend that I connect with one of his mentees – Ariel Lopez.

Ariel followed up with me shortly thereafter, and suggested that we connect briefly to get to know each other better. I enjoyed chatting with her so much, that I made introductions for her to a couple of leaders in my network as well, not because she or they had any specific need at the time, but because I could see that Ariel is someone who is making things happen, and I felt that they needed to know more about her and her work as well.

Which brings us to where we are today, where I’m also introducing Ariel to many of you. Pro tip: that’s how effective networking, relationship building, and follow up works, and you’ll hear more about how Ariel values that process in our conversation today.

So, without further adieu, let me introduce you to Ariel Lopez – a career coach, entrepreneur, and public speaker with an expertise in digital media and technology. Ariel is the Founder and CEO of Knac, a platform that provides recruiters with a more efficient tool for screening applicants, managing their pipeline, and ensuring that they don’t miss out on great talent.

With over a decade of recruiting experience, Ariel has had the privilege of helping some of the biggest brands in the world to build great teams, and as a career coach, she’s worked with thousands of marketing, advertising, and tech professionals to help them grow in their careers and find lucrative opportunities.

Passionate about the future of work and making the job search more humane, Ariel’s ultimate goal is to help people to find career happiness, and to live their best lives.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

  • Why Ariel loved coaching people in their career journey, and how that experience set her on the journey to helping people to find jobs that they’re passionate about, and care for.
  • Ariel’s recommendation for people interested in finding a career that they love.
  • The importance of resilience and confidence for reaching career goals.
  • How identifying your leverageable skills can help you take charge of your career, and make wise choices.
  • Ariel’s tips for networking and building relationships during COVID times.
  • The importance of figuring out your values, and the pillars that you will focus on and speak to as a thought leader.
  • What inspired Ariel to start a company focused on helping candidates to break through barriers and gain access to opportunities.
  • The trait that most Founders need in order to keep pressing ahead on any Founder’s journey.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 54

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“Keep the why strong. If your why is strong, you’ll be flexible with the how.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“Take your ego out of it. That’s very helpful in knowing that it’s not about you. Anything that happens in your journey that doesn’t work out, ultimately wasn’t meant for you.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“Figuring out what your leverageable skills are is probably one of the things that most professionals don’t know how to do well. You have to review your experience and your background, and figure out what skills are transferable into the new job that you want. The funny thing is that you probably have more transferable skills than you think.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“You’re going to have great conversations, and people are going to say no. You’re going to have great conversations, and people are going to say, this sounds cool, but I can’t do anything right now. And, you can’t take that personally, You have to accept it as ‘this is a no for right now, but that doesn’t mean a no forever.’ Having that approach to some of the people in our network has been life changing.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“Network you ass off is always my piece of advice — and trust the process.” ~ Ariel Lopez

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

Ariel Lopez

Ariel Lopez LinkedIn

Ariel Lopez Twitter

Knac

Knac on Twitter

Knac on LinkedIn

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

Categories: Career Development, Job Search, Podcast
Posted on January 14, 2021

Written by Jennifer McClure

Putting Yourself First and Finally Taking Control of Your Career With Laurie Ruettimann

photo Laurie Ruettimann

I’m coming in hot into 2021 with Episode number 53 of the Impact Makers podcast!

Seriously.

I’m ready to emerge from my 2020 coronavirus induced cocoon, and to make great things happen in my world, and for you in this shiny and promising new year. And I can think of no better way to kick off the year, than with my BFF, Laurie Ruettimann.

Laurie is back as a guest on the podcast to chat about her first traditionally published book – Betting On You – which will be released on January 12, 2021.

And that’s truly a big deal.

In Episode 002 of the Impact Makers podcast, I shared a little bit about how I originally found Laurie online through one of her early blogs – Teambuilding Is For Suckers. She wrote every day about work, life and cats – among other things – and even though I didn’t always agree with her, or share some of her views, her writing style was totally engaging, and she always had an informed point of view that made me think.

Over the last 15+ years, she’s evolved online from the anonymous voice behind the Teambuilding Is For Suckers blog, to being the pixie of the apocalypse who penned the wildly popular Punk Rock HR blog, and then the successful blogger who blew everything up to rebrand, and become The Cynical Girl for awhile.

A few years ago, she took all of her great writing and talents over to her own online domain – laurieruettiman.com – and resurrected Punk Rock HR as the name of her popular weekly podcast.

And while she’s become my best friend over the last 11 years, I’m also her biggest Fan. She’s simply one of the best writers out there, and can always be counted on to share frank, informed – and sometimes contrary to popular opinions – career and life advice, which is what is needed in a world where many of the so-called career experts sound very much the same.

It’s always been a personal dream of Laurie’s to write a book, and to have it published by a traditional publishing house, and she’s finally made that dream come true. Her book – Betting On You: How To Put Yourself First And (Finally) Take Control Of Your Career – will be published and released by Henry Holt & Co on January 12, 2021.

So, of course, we needed to talk about this moment in time, and what it took to accomplish this major life goal. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m so glad that Laurie pushed through the challenges, did the hard work, and has reached the point where the book will go from a dream to reality next week.

In this episode, Laurie will share a couple of the career and life stories that are included in the book, and she’ll also unpack the framework she proposes for fixing work by fixing yourself – which includes focusing on self leadership, well-being, continuous learning, and risk taking.

I’m so proud of my friend. And I’m really proud of this book.

I’ve read an advance copy, have pre-ordered a hardback version, and will also purchase the audio book. I hope that you’ll buy at least one copy too, and will connect with Laurie to continue to follow her journey, as well as learn from her in the future.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

  • The steps Laurie took in the long process of selling her book proposal for Betting On You, and ultimately signing with a major publisher.
  • The project plan that Laurie and her team created to ensure that the book was written, and delivered on time.
  • The role that her husband, and a bottle of tequila, played in the receipt of the long awaited initially proposed book cover for Betting On You.
  • The framework for fixing work by fixing yourself: self leadership, well-being, continuous learning, and risk taking.
  • What the buyer of Betting On You is going to get – a fresh take on the world of work, and also life. Also, good stories, well told.
  • The role that punk rock singer Courtney Love played in Laurie deciding to put herself first, and reclaim her life.
  • Why everybody good gets fired at least once – and the lessons that can be learned in that process.
  • How using the pre-mortem process can help you approach your life and career more effectively.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 53

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“You fix work by fixing yourself. People really get sick and tired of me saying that. I don’t care. I’m going to say it until I die. You fix work by fixing yourself. When you look at your employer for the answer, you’re never going to be satisfied. When you look for your HR lady to swoop in and solve a problem, even if she nails it, it’s never going to feel good. Because most of the problems we have at work reflect the problems we have in our own personal lives. I’ve never dealt with someone who was chronically late at work that didn’t have something going on in their personal life that was driving some of those attendance issues. For me to just sit there and blather on about an attendance policy was a failed way to solve that problem. We had to drive in deeper. And it’s not just attendance. It’s attention, it’s attitude, it’s engagement. All of this doesn’t start at work, it starts at home. That’s what I believe.” ~ Laurie Ruettimann

“Your worth is not your work.” ~ Laurie Ruettimann

“If you’ve been fired, know that you’re in really great company. But beyond that, know that it’s not the defining moment of your life – or it doesn’t have to be.” ~ Laurie Ruettimann

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

Order your copy of Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career by Laurie Ruettimann

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 002    – The Thriving Contrarian with Laurie Ruettimann

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 036    – The Random Show — Conversations with My BFF Laurie Ruettimann

Laurie Ruettimann Website

Laurie Ruettimann books

Betting On You Book Resources

Laurie’s LinkedIn Learning courses on Self-Leadership & Managing Conflict

Punk Rock HR podcast with Laurie Ruettimann

Danny Ozment / Emerald City Productions

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

Blake Mycosckie / Madefor

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

Categories: Career Development, Personal Development, Podcast
Posted on January 8, 2021

Written by Jennifer McClure

How Human-Centered Workplaces Will Transform the Future of Work With Derek Irvine

photo of Derek Irvine for Impact Makers Podcast

My guest today is a senior executive at Workhuman®, a company that helps forward-thinking organizations energize their cultures, unlock their employees’ passion and potential, and unite around a shared purpose. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Workhuman® team for over 5 years now, both attending and speaking at their amazing and unique Workhuman Live annual Conference.

Each year, the conference is kicked off by the colorfully and impeccably dressed Derek Irvine, who is Workhuman’s Senior Vice President of Client Strategy and Consulting. Derek is one of the world’s foremost experts on social recognition, continuous performance management, engagement, and the future of work, and he’s passionate about helping business leaders to elevate their vision and ambitions for their company culture.

Derek is also a renowned speaker and co-author of three books, including “Winning with a Culture of Recognition”, “The Power of Thanks”, and the latest – Making Work Human: How Human-Centered Companies are Changing the Future of Work and the World, which he co-authored along with the CEO of Workhuman, Eric Mosley. Their book is full of practical strategies based upon wide-ranging research, extensive data and analysis, and real-world case studies, and also covers how weaving the three pillars of THANK, TALK, and CELEBRATE into the daily lives of employees can reinforce an organization’s purpose, improve productivity, and even magnify the social impact of the business.

Derek always shares a ton of great wisdom and advice in his keynotes and books, and I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation. You’ll also come away with some practical action steps that you can take to create a more human-centered workplace for the people that you lead and serve.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

  • What the research shows, and the argument for why human connection makes a tremendous difference for businesses.
  • Is it possible for high-achieving and results focused cultures to achieve results while focusing on human connection?
  • What the Workhuman Charter of Workplace Rights is, and how it can help organizations to progress faster.
  • Three powerful words that bring humanity forward in the workplace – Thank, Talk, and Celebrate.
  • How technology can help organizations to create more human centered workplaces.
  • The difference between meaning and purpose at work.
  • The role that gratitude plays in motivating employees to do their best work.
  • Why expressing gratitude is more effective than saying “thank you”.
  • Three actions that leaders can take to create a more human-centered workplace.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 52

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“When you achieve human connection in the workplace, it’s everything. In fact, it’s the number one thing that humans who come to work are looking for. A connection to not only the other people that they work with, but also a connection to the purpose for the company. Because when you get a connection to the purpose of the company, it builds your personal meaning for what you’re doing. And that unleashes this virtuous circle that’s good for everybody involved.” ~ Derek Irvine

“True human-centric cultures embrace our differences, allow more variety of thought and behavior, and that in itself is what creates the virtuous circle of feeling like you work in a more human workplace, where people can really bring their whole selves to the workplace.” ~ Derek Irvine

“Purpose is something that is shared across the wider organization, whereas meaning is what it comes down to for me personally.” ~ Derek Irvine

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

Workhuman

Workhuman Live Conference

Making Work Human: How Human-Centered Companies are Changing the Future of Work and the World by Eric Mosley and Derek Irvine

Brené Brown

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

Categories: Blog, Podcast
Posted on December 7, 2020

Written by Jennifer McClure

The Value of Taking a Strategic Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion With Jennifer Ingram

photo of Jennifer Ingram

My guest on Episode 51 of the Impact Makers podcast is Jennifer Ingram.

Jennifer is the Founder and CEO of Calibrated Lens LLC,where she specializes in helping organizations to enhance their performance, productivity, and brand presence by centering equity and inclusion.

Jennifer has previously served as the first Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, which is the sixth largest United Way in the nation, and has also led DE&I  strategies at two nationally ranked academic medical centers – The Mayo Clinic and Henry Ford Health System.

She’s passionate about her work, and describes herself as an Equity & Inclusion Evangelist.

I think you’ll learn a lot from the fresh perspectives she shares in this episode.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

  • What Jennifer learned by being a member of a Diversity and Inclusion committee back in elementary school, and how those experiences still impact her today.
  • How diversity should be an outcome of our work, instead of the driver of it.
  • Why the head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion should be a member of the executive team, reporting into the CEO.
  • The importance of clarifying how diversity programs have changed as a result of introducing equity into the equation.
  • What does equity look like from a strategic perspective?
  • Where many organizations miss the mark when trying to improve their diversity recruiting efforts.
  • Creative approaches to establishing equity programs in your organization.
  • How we’ve created a false sense of inclusion within organizations, and perpetuated that with diversity and inclusion programs.
  • Is it possible for a white person to be the head of diversity and inclusion?
  • Thoughts on incentivizing DE&I efforts for leaders of organizations.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 51

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“If you have a head of D&I that is not a member of the executive team, you’re missing the mark. Not to say that you can’t do good work, but it  won’t be as deeply impactful at achieving some of those desired outcomes as it could be.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“What does equity look like from a strategic perspective? Diversity is happening, inclusion in intentional, equity is deliberate. It’s taking a deliberate look at your systems and understanding where you may be producing disparity.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“Equity work is deliberate. It won’t just happen.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“Folks love to say that diverse teams outperform more homogeneous teams. That’s not true. Well-managed diverse teams outperform teams that lack diversity.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“Oftentimes we confuse the goal of reaching this kumbaya state, it’s not. The desire is not always to change everyone’s beliefs. That’s not success. It’s teaching how to be mutually respectful of differences and understanding and seeing and valuing those differences in others, and understanding that those are the things that make us better – not everyone singing from the same hymn book of sorts.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

Calibrated Lens LLC

Jennifer Ingram LinkedIn

Navigating Uncertainty and Unrest in 2020 by Jennifer Ingram

RESOURCE GUIDE: Exploring Differences, Reducing Harm, Evolving Strategies

Mishawn Styles

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

Categories: Blog, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Podcast
Posted on November 19, 2020

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 11
  • Next Page »

Free Guide: 10 Tips To Build Your Brand & Land Speaking Gigs

It's time to showcase your brand and establish yourself as an industry expert.
Join over 1,200 others that have downloaded this free guide.

Recent Posts

  • Redefining HR: Embracing Modern People Practices To Fuel Business Success With Lars Schmidt
  • Turning Passion Into Purpose: From Career Coach to Recruiting Tech Company Founder With Ariel Lopez
  • Putting Yourself First and Finally Taking Control of Your Career With Laurie Ruettimann
  • How Human-Centered Workplaces Will Transform the Future of Work With Derek Irvine
  • The Value of Taking a Strategic Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion With Jennifer Ingram

Categories

Archives

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

  • Redefining HR: Embracing Modern People Practices To Fuel Business Success With Lars Schmidt
  • Turning Passion Into Purpose: From Career Coach to Recruiting Tech Company Founder With Ariel Lopez
  • Putting Yourself First and Finally Taking Control of Your Career With Laurie Ruettimann
  • How Human-Centered Workplaces Will Transform the Future of Work With Derek Irvine
  • The Value of Taking a Strategic Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion With Jennifer Ingram

Connect on Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Copyright © 2021 · Jennifer McClure · Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · McClure Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in