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Dan Smolen discusses employee experience and future work with Professor Diane Gayeski.

Professor Gayeski teaches Strategic Communications at Ithaca College’s Park School of Communications. What is more, she is a noted thought-leader in employee experience or EX.

In the future of work, EX is a linchpin for people to find and do meaningful work.

In a wide ranging podcast interview, Professor Gayeski:

• Defines employee experience or EX. Starts at 4:07
• Discusses management by objectives (MBO) and the pivot to more talent-driven success outcomes. Starts at 6:49
• Contrasts tangible and intangible assets and their importance in the workplace. Starts at 18:47
• Digs into how members of the Gen Z cohort will approach work. Starts at 22:20
• Describes citizenship behaviors and their benefit to workforce professionals. Starts at 27:10

The connection between employee experience and future work is critical. To that end, Professor Gayeski believes that:

“employee experience has to be very carefully designed so that we don’t get to yet another version of management by objectives cranking out performance.”

About our guest:

Professor Diane Gayeski is Dean Emerita of Ithaca College’s Park School of Communications; currently, she teaches Strategic Communications at the school. Diane earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. in Education and Communications from the University of Maryland. She lives and works in Ithaca, New York.

EPISODE DATE: January 28, 2022

Social media:

– LinkedIn

– Putting employee experience on the balance sheet (October 11, 2021)

– Twitter

– Website

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:11 — 69.0MB)

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Dan Smolen discusses a startup parent’s workplace culture fix with entrepreneur and podcaster Sarah K. Peck.

Sarah is the CEO and founder of Start Up Parent and host of the popular Start Up Parent Podcast.

As a former start up executive, and the mom of two young children, Sarah is leading the charge to improve start-up business environments. To that end, she wants start-up enterprises to become as innovative in workplace culture as they are in technological advancement. Sarah truly is impacting the future of work for noble purpose. 

In a wide ranging interview, Sarah:

• Introduces Start Up Parent and its value to workforce professionals. Starts at 4:17
• Recalls her career journey as a start-up executive and chief corporate storyteller. Starts at 5:54
• Discusses how “frenetic” start-ups impede cultural innovation at work. Starts at 8:58
• Offers insight on how to change the narrative to make start-ups a better place for parents to work. Starts at 17:48
• Provides a personal account of being a business professional and mom. Starts at 34:17
• Describes the kinds of questions working parents should ask to further their future work goals. Starts at 43:12

Sarah’s startup parent’s workplace culture fix helps this space become more hospitable.

About our guest:

Sarah K. Peck earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Biology from Denison University and a Masters of Arts in Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives and works outside of New York City.

EPISODE DATE: January 21, 2022

Social media:

– Website

– Start Up Parent Podcast

– LinkedIn

– Instagram

– TikTok

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:03 — 61.9MB)

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Dan Smolen discusses Myers Briggs and the Great Resignation with expert Edythe Richards.

As 2022 begins, an estimated 20 million American workers opted for the Great Resignation. With such an unprecedented exit of active workforce members, we wondered about the correlation between Myers Briggs Type Indicators and the Great Resignation.

To help guide us through this critical discussion, we bring back Edythe Richards. Edythe is a world-renowned Myers Briggs expert who helps people discover their Myers Briggs Type. With such insight, people benefit greatly in their lives and careers.

In this episode, Edythe:

• Provides a quick review of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Starts at 4:27
• Explains how Myers Briggs insights factor into the Great Resignation. Starts at 6:29
• Offers five factors that motivate people in the Great Resignation. Starts at 12:53
• Discusses the loss of people skill and the need for workplace remediation to create new team leadership outcomes. Starts at 30:50
• Describes how the pandemic changed perceptions of MBTI. Starts at 38:29

Understanding Myers Briggs and the Great Resignation can help people to uncover key career sticking points.

And, among the factors affecting people in the workplace is boredom. Similarly, Edythe says that:

“Boredom is one of the clearest signs that [you are] in a career or a workplace that doesn’t suit your personality.”

About our guest:

Edythe Richards received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware and a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling from Seton Hall University. Her nationally recognized career counseling consultancy, A Top Career, is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

EPISODE DATE: January 14, 2022

Social media:

– Website

– EQ at Work Podcast

– Myers Briggs Question Corner Podcast

– LinkedIn Page

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:29 — 11.7MB)

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Dan Smolen says people should use SWOT to focus on career success.

That’s right. The time-honored business management tool, the SWOT analysis, can help careerists to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Getting to blissful work and experiences takes great planning and imagination. And this time-honored business tool can focus our minds on finding and doing meaningful work.

SWOT helps entrepreneurs focus for career success. That is, because, it prepares brands, businesses and themselves for abundant scale. And there is no doubt that SWOT can also help us supercharge our careers.

What are your career strengths?

Perhaps it is strong project management skill? Or maybe it is a strings of sales successes? Whatever they are, list them.

What are your career weaknesses?

Perhaps you lack access to the kind of training you fell will make your career successful. Identify and list them.

What are your career opportunities?

Maybe you seek work in EVs or renewable energy? Dream about them, then list them.

What are your career threats?

Suppose that you are used to working remotely, and you enjoy the experience, but your company leadership wants you back in the co-location? Whatever renders you career threatened, list them on the form.

I’m certain you will find benefit in using SWOT to focus career success. With it, you will establish the foundation for your career empowerment story. With a starting point, you will begin  the first big step in making the work that you do, or hope to do, truly meaningful.

EPISODE DATE: January 7, 2022