Jennifer McClure`

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

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Developing a Strong Personal Brand That Enables You to Lead From Where You Are

photo of Jennifer McClure

Sometimes, I have the honor of being a guest on other podcasts or webinars, where I’m typically asked to share about one or more of the topics that I’m passionate about, including leadership, speaking, and personal branding, and I wanted to share one of those recent conversations with you.

Shortly after the world changed for us all as a result of a global pandemic, my friend,  Erich Kurschat – who is the owner of Harmony Insights LLC, as well as the founder of an inclusive mastermind community called HRHotSeat – started scheduling half hour conversations over the lunch hour with people in his network to be intentional about connecting, and also to stay inspired in order to do his best work.

Back in June of 2020, I joined Erich for one of these lunch date conversations, where we chatted about the importance of personal branding for leaders at all levels, why introverts do not get a pass when it comes to personal branding, and how you can grow and develop your personal brand without having to be a speaker, a blogger, or an online Influencer.

I asked Erich if I could share the conversation with you, and he graciously agreed. So I hope that you enjoy it, and get a few takeaways from it that you can apply to your career.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

  • The importance of having a personal brand and being known for something / your expertise / doing great work.
  • The need to embrace your position as a leader – regardless of your position in an organization.
  • Why introverts do not get a pass when it comes to networking and Personal Branding.
  • Why you shouldn’t get hung up on the term “Personal branding”. Yes, it’s marketing, but truly it’s about becoming known, so you can be discovered for opportunities.
  • Growth and impact comes from challenging yourself and doing hard things
  • Does personal branding extend outside of your professional life?
  • Ways to develop and build a strong Personal Brand beyond becoming a speaker or having your own blog.
  • How my journey to become a professional speaker began with teaching what I knew – even if it wasn’t something that I was passionate about.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 42

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

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“You’re in a leadership role in your organization, whether you have a leadership title or not. By being in the people profession, people are looking to you for leadership.  So you have stepped into the light. There will be heat.” ~ Jennifer McClure

“An HR leader’s Personal Brand is so synonymous with the company that they work for – in both the quality of the people that work there, as well as the culture – that HR leaders who are still taking a back seat, and not taking active steps to develop their Personal Brand are not only hurting their careers, they’re also hurting their companies.” ~ Jennifer McClure

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

HRHotSeat Mastermind Community

Harmony Insights

Harmony Insights Lunch Dates

Erich Kurschat LinkedIn

Steve Browne

HR On Purpose !! Developing Deliberate People Passion – by Steve Browne 

HR Rising !! From Ownership to Leadership – by Steve Browne 

Kary Oberbrunner

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 9 — Prison to Plan to Payoff: Becoming an Entrepreneur with Kary Oberbrunner

Storybrand – Clarify Your Message

Donald Miller

DisruptHR

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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

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How Leaders Can Step Up to Promote Racial Justice and Equity in the Workplace with Katie Augsburger

Katie Augsburger photo

My guest today is Katie Augsberger, who is an employee experience strategist that’s disrupting how we think about employee experience, and helping organizations to rethink their policies and practices to create a more healing and inclusive workplace for all of their employees.

I was first introduced to Katie through my friend Laurie Ruettimann’s podcast in early 2019, and then shortly thereafter Laurie introduced the two of us so we could connect, and get to know each other better.

You’ll hear more about that phone call in this conversation today, but let’s just say that I felt that I made a less than positive impression during our chat, and I was grateful then – and even more grateful now – for Katie’s grace, support, and forgiveness.

I hope that you’ll find this conversation today helpful to you in your learning journey, and take action, along with me, to create a network of authentic relationships with a diverse group of people, a more equitable workplace, and a better world where all people feel welcomed and included, and they can thrive.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

  • We’re all on a learning journey to understand “How do I show up based upon my identity, and how do I not do harm?”
  • We have to call people in, and not call people out. But also, those people who get called in have to have the grace to hear feedback about how they’re showing up.
  • The importance of building authentic relationships with black and brown folks in order to see potential in them, amplify their voices, and allow them to give you feedback about how you show up.
  • Recognizing the difference between “intent” and “impact” – and how to ensure that those are aligned.
  • How workplaces have changed, and must change, as a result of the recent death of George Floyd.
  • Why some HR leaders are doing tremendous harm to black and brown people in the workplace, and what needs to be done to fix that.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 41

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

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“The goal is not perfection, the goal is that you try, and are comfortable getting feedback when you get it wrong. The goal is to make sure your impact and intent are aligned.” ~ Katie Augsburger #ImpactMakersPodcast

“I believe that we’re in – somebody said to me recently – “the great white awakening”, which I found both hilarious, and also really interesting. White folks have not had to think about race and racism. That has been the privilege of being white. I, like many other black and brown folks have participated in that system, because that was a survival mechanism of – I don’t want to talk about race, because I don’t know how you’ll react, and I want to stay safe. And we just have not had this conversation at this volume – I know in my lifetime – and I think probably ever. And that feels radical, and it feels scary, and it feels depressing, and it feels new, and it feels exciting, but I also feel in my bones that it feels different.

It feels like we’re on a precipice of big change. And I’m hopeful, because I think that we’re ready for it.” ~ Katie Augsburger #ImpactMakersPodcast

People & Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Katie Augsburger LinkedIn

Katie Augsburger Twitter

FutureWork.design

Dear White HR Ladies, We Need to Talk: How a Homogenous Profession Has Shaped Our Workplaces, and What We Need to to About It – Fistful of Talent 

5 Things Organizational Leaders Can Do This Week To Support Black Lives

From Personnel To Employee Experience: How History Has Shaped HR | Katie Augsburger | DisruptHR Talks

Laurie Ruettimann

Let’s Fix Work Episode 9 – Measure by a White Male Yardstick with Katie Augsburger

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 8 – Fairness Without Sameness: Embracing Diversity at Work and in Life with Sarah Morgan

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

 

 

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Leading With a People First Approach with Steve Browne

photo of Steve Browne

Are HR leaders the only leaders in an organization who can (or should) lead with a people first approach?

My guest in today’s episode – Steve Browne – doesn’t think so!

Steve has been my friend and mentor for over 20 years now, and he’s also a constant source of encouragement, wise counsel, connections and smiles for leaders around the world through his work as an HR executive, a board member of the largest HR association in the world, his popular blog (Everyday People), and his best-selling books (HR on Purpose !! and HR Rising !!).

Topics Discussed In This Episode:​​

Steve is well-known for his high-energy and positive approach to people leadership, and in this episode, we chat about:

  • What it’s been like to be an HR leader at an organization during a global pandemic, and the key approach all leaders must take in times of crisis.
  • The importance of building meaningful relationships to be able to lead effectively.
  • The shifts that are still to come in the workplace, and what leaders should be doing now to prepare themselves and their organizations.
  • Why Steve wrote his first best-selling book HR on Purpose !! and what compelled him to write his latest book HR Rising !!
  • How telling stories helps leaders to get their ideas and messages heard.
  • Why a people-first approach is key for all types of leaders, not just those who work in human resources.
  • And so much more!

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 40

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

People & Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Impact Makers Episode 003 – The Heart of Human Resources with Steve Browne

Steve Browne’s blog

Steve Browne LinkedIn

Steve Browne Twitter

HR On Purpose !! Developing Deliberate People Passion by Steve Browne

HR Rising !! From Ownership to Leadership by Steve Browne

Bob Goff

Lars Schmidt

Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Tom Lichtenheld

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Four Strategies to Meet Business Challenges in the Future and Deliver Maximum Impact on Results

I’m very fortunate that my dream job is also my day job, and through my work as a professional speaker, I have the opportunity to speak at conferences and events around the world to leaders in a variety of organizations.

Typically, I’m speaking about topics related to making an impact through people strategies, effective leadership, and personal branding, and one of my favorite audiences to speak to includes human resources leaders.

As a former HR leader and executive, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for HR and People leaders, and I’ve got tons of stories that I can share from my own personal experiences to connect with them.

While reviewing various audio and video files from past speaking events recently as I prepare for a website update, I came across the audio from my 2016 Mega Session at the SHRM Annual Conference, which was held in Washington DC. SHRM is the largest HR association in the world, with over 350,000 members, and every year, their annual conference draws 20,000 people or more. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking at the conference every year since 2012, and leading MEGA sessions – which can sometimes include over 2,000 people.

I decided to share the full audio from my MEGA session at the conference with my podcast listeners, because even though I’m speaking to a room full of HR leaders and many of the stories are HR-related, the core message is about how to make the most impact at work, and the strategies and advice shared can be applied by any leader who wants to make a difference.

Also, this particular program is my most popular keynote speech, which I’ve been giving in some form since 2014. If you’re interested in what makes an effective keynote that’s received countless positive testimonials, has takeaways for audience members at all levels of an organization, and has earned multiple 6-figures in income for me, pay attention to the structure of this program. You’ll hear numerous stories, learn four key points, and also get some great takeaways that can be applied immediately.

Although I’ve thought about retiring this program for the last couple of years, it continues to be requested – and I love delivering it. It’s updated regularly to keep the data current, and I’ve since made the stories shared in this version sharper to meet the shorter keynote slot times that are becoming more common, but the bones are still good bones.

I hope you enjoy listening to my signature keynote – The Future of HR: 4 Strategies to Meet Business Challenges in the Future and Deliver Maximum Impact on Results!

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 39

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

Show Highlights:

  • The top challenge global CEOs predict for their organizations in the future
  • How to make the most impact in your business, through analyzing data to make decisions
  • The difference between “being strategic” and thinking strategically
  • How to identify the most important problems that your business is facing, and take the lead in developing solutions
  • Why the ability to influence others is a super power, and is key to creating impact at work and in life

More Info and Resources:

King University
SHRM Annual Conference & Exhibition
Jennifer McClure / Keynote Speaker

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Thanks to King University, who’s support makes this podcast possible! King is proud to offer sixteen online degrees with accelerated programs and affordable tuition so you can start a new career faster than ever. You can choose from programs in technology, communication, and business – like an online MBA with six concentrations including human resource management. And because the program is offered fully online, you can earn your degree on your own schedule in as little as 16 months. Visit https://online.king.edu/impactmakers to learn more about the King Difference today.

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How to Identify Your Career Drivers and Take Action

Last year, I attended a conference called BridgeCon, which is produced by the team at Instructure. The conference was held in beautiful Park City, Utah, and it was a great opportunity for me to learn more about their Bridge Career product — an employee-centric career development tool that aligns career vision with core values and skills to increase fulfillment and clarity and drive personal and business growth.

At the conference, I had the opportunity to meet Steve Arntz – Product Director at Instructure, and he led me through a process to determine my “career drivers”, using Bridge’s Career Drivers deck – a deck of cards designed for leaders to use with team members to facilitate insightful career discussions, and to create action steps to help them grow in meaningful ways.

I found the whole Career Drivers discussion to be fascinating, and using the card deck to facilitate the discussion was really helpful in guiding our conversation, as well as pulling out some insights that I wasn’t aware of. So, I invited Steve to join me on this episode of the Impact Makers podcast to share more about the process he and the team at Instructure went through to develop the Career Drivers exercise, as well as how it’s helped him personally in his interesting career journey thus far.

If you’re a leader in your organization, I think you’ll find this conversation helpful to you as you think about what motivates you personally in your career, but also how you can help your team members to identify their own career drivers in order to create more impact at work and in life.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 38

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

Show Highlights:

  • The origins of Steve’s passion for career development and helping people to find their “Why”.
  • How Steve strives to help people connect with each other one-to-one, and his passion for working at the intersection of human connection and personal growth and development.
  • The creation of the Bridge Career Drivers card deck, and learning that that people care more about key motivations and drivers than they do about roles in their career journey.
  • The importance of taking the time to have conversations with your team members about their career goals, and the only mistake you can make in that process.

More Info and Resources:

King University
Steve Arntz on LinkedIn
Instructure
Bridge Career
Bridge Career Drivers cards

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Thanks to King University, who’s support makes this podcast possible! King is proud to offer sixteen online degrees with accelerated programs and affordable tuition so you can start a new career faster than ever. You can choose from programs in technology, communication, and business – like an online MBA with six concentrations including human resource management. And because the program is offered fully online, you can earn your degree on your own schedule in as little as 16 months. Visit https://online.king.edu/impactmakers to learn more about the King Difference today.

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