Jennifer McClure`

Helping Leaders Leverage Influence & Create Maximum Impact.

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The Greatest Story Ever Told, And What It Says About Leadership And Culture

I’m on a plane today, traveling to speak to Human Resources leaders at a conference about The Future of HR.

This is what I love to do, and I’m blessed to be able to have a career where my primary purpose is to encourage, equip, and inspire  business leaders of all kinds – not just HR – to embrace the future of work, and leverage their influence to create positive, lasting change.

I fully believe leaders have a tremendous opportunity to positively impact the lives of those that they lead and serve on a daily basis – not just through their actions, but also through establishing a culture where people can thrive, and use their gifts and talents in ways that move our businesses forward.

Company cultures are complex, multi-faceted, and ever evolving, but I’m a firm believer that you can learn a lot about a company’s culture, and their leadership, through the stories that employees tell. I agree with New York Times best-selling author, and marketing and customer service expert Jay Baer, when he says:

Everything great in marketing starts with great inside-out storytelling that values employees, because that is the hallmark of a strong organizational culture.

That’s why, when I came across this video today from the “HR Storytellers” series produced by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), I had to share it. It features my good friend and mentor Steve Browne, Executive Director of Human Resources at LaRosas, Inc., – a regional, family-owned pizzeria chain, and one of Cincinnati’s iconic and beloved brands.

I love this story.

I love that it’s representative of the leadership and culture at a company carrying the beliefs and actions of its iconic Founder into the future of work – and never losing sight of what makes their businesses unique and successful – their people, and their stories.

Your company’s stories can be a powerful tool in your recruiting and retention efforts, and they can radically affect employee engagement.

Please take 9 minutes to watch this video, and really listen to the story Steve tells. Then, think about your own company.

What stories can you tell?

Want to get more great stories from Steve, and learn how you can increase your effectiveness as a leader by focusing on the humans in your workplace? Get a copy of his first book HR on Purpose: Developing Deliberate People Passion. It’s available for order online through the SHRM Book Store. 

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11 Podcasts To Fuel Personal Growth and Leadership Development

I’m a voracious consumer of content in the areas that are of interest to me – specifically leadership, entrepreneurship, speaking and personal development.

Interestingly, I’m not a good book reader (fixing that is a goal for 2016). But I do buy lots of books. I just rarely read them.

So a couple of years ago, I decided to try podcasts as a way to continue learning, and to fill time that was normally spent listening to the same songs in my playlists or on the radio over and over again. Now, I listen to podcasts while driving, traveling, exercising, cleaning the house, fixing dinner, etc. Suffice it to say, I’m hooked on learning.

[Read more…]

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20 Of The Best Quotes From Leadercast 2015 #thebraveones

Last week, I was honored to be the emcee at the Leadercast: Northern Kentucky host site for Leadercast Live, the largest one-day leadership event in the world, with over 100,000 attendees.

Each year, Leadercast brings together an All-Star lineup of business and political leaders, sports figures, social activists and world class communicators at a live event in Atlanta, Georgia, which is simulcast to hundreds of host sites across the world.

The theme for the 2015 Leadercast event was “The Brave Ones” and speakers included:

Andy Stanley – Leadership Author and Communicator
Peyton Manning – Super Bowl-winning Quarterback & 5-time NFL MVP
Malala Yousafzai – “Bravest Girl in the World”
Ed Catmull – President of Pixar & Disney Animation Studios
Seth Godin – Best-selling Author
Rudy Giuliani – 107th Mayor of New York City (1993-2001)
Aja Brown – Mayor, City of Compton
Bill McDermott – CEO of SAP AG
CMDR Rorke Denver – Navy SEAL Commander & Author

Throughout the day, I shared some of my greatest takeaways from the speaker’s talks on Twitter with those who follow me (@JenniferMcClure | Twitter) and also those following the hashtags #leadercast and #thebraveones – both of which were global trending topics throughout the day.

Below are my top 20 tweets based upon replies, favorites and retweets:

I’m already looking forward to Leadercast 2016 – The Architects of Tomorrow – May 6, 2016!

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Dealing With Difficult Employees: What Not To Say [Entrepreneur.com]

As a Leader, it’s part of your job to sometimes have difficult conversations with employees. But nobody likes doing this, so it helps to prepare how you’ll handle the situation in advance.

Recently, myself, Donna Rogers and Susan Strayer LaMotte were asked to share some tips on what to say/what not to say during difficult situations in an article on Entrepreneur.com – Difficult Conversations: What Not To Say.

Entrepreneur.com logo

Here’s a tidbit from the article with my views on what can happen when an employee is angry and ready to unload:

As the person delivering awkward or unpleasant news to a staffer, you often try to make yourself feel better by giving the employee time to defend themselves, but this often disintegrates into an arguing and finger pointing. This then puts you in a defensive posture. “It almost always goes south the more explanation you provide,” says McClure. “If then you get some small fact wrong, it distracts from the actual conversation and you are both on the defensive.

Read more about how to handle this type of difficult situation, as well as two others by checking out the entire article on Entrepreneur.com.

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Unbridled Talent LLC is a consulting and advisory firm providing services to clients in the areas of leadership development, executive communication skills and talent strategy. Jennifer McClure offers keynotes, workshops and training that inspire and teach business leaders to be more effective in their careers and as leaders of their organization’s most valuable resource – people. Contact us to schedule an event or to discuss our strategic consulting and advisory services.

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