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Dan Smolen meets with Rob Citronberg MD to discuss the pandemic and the workplace.

Dr. Citronberg is Advocate Aurora Health Care’s Executive Director of Infectious Disease and Prevention.

What is more, he leads his healthcare system’s Covid-19 response and addresses the needs of hospitalized Covid patients. Beyond his hospital responsibilities, Dr. Citronberg also counsels members of the business community on their return to the workplace.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Citronberg:

• Explains the scope of his work. Starts at 4:20
• Describes how the Delta Variant differs from the novel (original) Covid-19 virus. Starts at 6:04
• Offers key insight derived from Israeli Covid research and the likelihood of a Covid booster shot. Starts at 10:01
• Explains the push for vaccine mandates. Starts at 14:03
• Addresses changes in workplace density to keep people safe. Starts at 18:02
• Answers the question: “will vaccinated workers need to be boosted annually?” Starts at 24:06

Of business leaders’ insistence on vaccine mandates for their hired talent, Dr. Citronberg says:

“[They want] to create a safe environment where–if you’re coming into the office–you want to feel safe, that you are around people that are not going to make you sick.”

Going forward, how we relate to the pandemic and the workplace will impact the future of work.

About our guest:

Rob Citronberg MD earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Dr. Citronberg appears regularly on Chicago Channel 7’s morning newscast to discuss Covid-19. He lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.

EPISODE DATE: September 3, 2021

Social media:

– ABC7 Chicago

– Facebook

– Facebook Live

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

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Dan Smolen believes that Career and Technical Education or CTE is key for future work.

As students across the U.S. return to the classroom, more school systems are delivering STEAM instruction and career and technical education or CTE.

STEAM and CTE are key for future work. Provided together, they help students to gain access to well-paying jobs that don’t require a 4-year college degree.

This is indeed a positive development. But getting public school educators to engage students with the future of work has never been easy.

Even pre-pandemic, CTE and in-school career exploration plunged far down the list of academic priorities. In the 2000s, public school systems responded to No Child Left Behind directives by teaching to competency tests. As a result, the critical thinking and creativity needed for future work suffered, killing career dreams.

What is more, high schools in wealthiest communities emphasized advanced placement courses and four-year college tracks over CTE.

It’s an economic driver: public schools that graduate the most advance-placed students become the most-desired places to live.

However, our schools had done a terrible disservice by not teeing up and supporting amazing future work options for worthy students.

To enable millions more young people to prepare for career options that don’t require a 4-year college degree, we must respond boldly, to:

1. Foster career dreaming beyond elementary school.
2. Drive strong STEAM instruction that begins in Kindergarten.
3. Establish “early mentorships” with companies in advanced fields.
4. Build a big educational stakeholder table. It should include school administrators, community colleges, union training academies, workforce experts, elected officials, and members of advanced industries.

CTE is key for future work. It gets people accredited and into great new jobs, faster, than a four-year college degree.

EPISODE DATE: August 27, 2021

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Dan Smolen believes that times like these are perfect to turn crisis into career opportunity.

It takes a steeled spine to log onto the New York Times‘ website and read so much grim news.

However, it is in times of deep crisis that people can connect with the dream of doing meaningful work.

Right now, we can turn crisis into career opportunity.

Throughout Dan’s life, he has known people who set course on meaningful careers born out of crisis:

Rob Glassman and Dan attended overnight summer camp, together. And it was when their friend and fellow camper, David, contracted childhood leukemia that 14-year-old Rob decided he wanted to be a healer.

Adelle Settle founded Settle the Debt, a nonprofit that pays off student lunch debt so that kids can eat nutritious meals at school. A formidable activist, Adelle has also helped sponsor legislation that ensures that no Virginia school students go hungry. That legislation became Virginia law earlier this year.

Dan turned environmental crisis into career opportunity, as well.

As a high school senior in Montgomery County, Maryland, Dan reached out to his Member of Congress, Newton I. Steers, Jr., to stop a mining company from dumping asbestos-laden rock into the Potomac River. He recognized why that was important: Montgomery County, Maryland sourced all of its potable water from the river.

Many years later, Dan rebranded his executive recruitment firm The Green Suits, to specialize in talent placement for resource sustainability, clean tech, and corporate social responsibility clients.

We have within us the power to turn crisis into career opportunity.

EPISODE DATE: August 20, 2021

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Dan Smolen discusses how the Code Red for Humanity’s future work will deal with existential crisis.

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that humans have changed Earth in ways both dire and irreversible. The IPCC calls this a “code red for humanity.”

Without intervention, during the next 20 years, human activity will cause Earth to get 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter. In the United States, that means a 2.7 degree Fahrenheit increase in the average temperature.

We know that if we do nothing to mitigate climate change, heavily populated parts of the Eastern Seaboard will drown.

Already this June, extreme heat on the West Coast of the United States cooked mussels in their shells.

The threat to planet and people is indeed dire. But, the Code Red for Humanity’s future work can help to ensure that Earth is habitable for future generations.

Dan applies his career journey components to the work we do and hope to do, to tackle the dire threat head on:

1. Dream to visualize work that will make you happy and well purposed. That may take you to great project management opportunities in sustainability, or, capitalize on the specialized skill you already have (such as accounting or finance or market research and analytics) in an assignment at a clean energy or sustainability focused company.
2. Explore opportunities by Googling. Use wide search parameters to locate companies, such as B Corporations, that are clearly chartered to protect the planet and people. Then narrow the parameters to identify companies that are in close proximity to your geographic location.
3. Strategize to increase your successful work search outcomes. And do that by intentionally building your LinkedIn network.
4. Act intentionally to jump at great opportunities that arise quickly. Quick action also benefits people who operate as cleantech entrepreneurs or do side hustles that may turn into full-time opportunities within purpose driven companies.

Through career intentionality, the Code Red for Humanity’s future work can be profound, protect the planet, and empower people. In other words, it can lead us all to meaningful work.

EPISODE DATE: August 13, 2021

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Podcaster Dan Smolen is in awe of Gymnast Simone Biles‘ future of work masterclass.

By far, the biggest story to emerge from the Tokyo Olympic Games has been mindfulness of elite athletes. And American Gymnast Simone Biles is the face of mindfulness at these games.

Biles exited team competition when her mind and body fell out of sync. Apparently, there is a name for such disconnection: the twisties.

What is more, Biles confirmed her Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. And neither the Japanese government nor the International Olympic Committee allowed her to take the prescribed medication which would have helped her to focus.

Yet, with so much pressure to outperform the hype, in the Olympics but also as a personal brand, Biles took great risks by exiting group competition. And yet that exit helped her teammates to secure the silver medal.

In favoring her team at the expense of herself, Simone Biles taught a future of work masterclass. Here’s why:

1. Biles recognized that the team’s success and her personal wellness mattered most. The past of work was done by people who disrespected their humanity by working ridiculously long, stressful hours as if work was the entire day. Biles teaches us that the team and personal health matter most.
2. She adhered tightly to the mission. Instead of hogging the spotlight like a lot of old school managers do, Biles measured success in team-focused terms.
3. Biles showed us the power of the new personal brand. No longer is value exclusively about winning. On the contrary; in the future of work, our personal brands are about doing profound work that makes the world a better place. Alongside Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps, Simone Biles became a global proponent for good mental health and wellness.

Work should not make us sick. And that is why Simone Biles’ future of work masterclass is so important to teach.

Main segment starts at 3:10

EPISODE DATE: August 6, 2021

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:29 — 51.5MB)

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Crisis and the future of work are now intertwined.

And, the effects of climate change and the pandemic altered the work that we do and hope to do.

During each day, practically everyone in the workforce addresses issues. Often, these are time and place-related included in the job spec. For instance: a marketing manager’s task is in overcoming customer loyalty erosion.

However, in the first seven months of 2021, the work we do became existential.

With fires on the West Coast, and the Covid-19 Delta variant spreading like wildfire, problems and crises reached our job specs and workplaces.

And, to that end, the workplace endures a new crisis: The Great Resignation.

During 2020 and 2021, women dropped out of the workforce, often because they could not secure childcare. And many others quit knowing that a return to the co-location meant also a return of toxicity and incivility.

Perhaps the biggest crisis of all originates with hiring manager who seek to restore workplace life to pre-pandemic conditions.

Accordingly, we must strive for truly intentional workplace practices. Hiring managers must be cognizant of the issues and problems their their hired talent endure on the job so that things don’t turn critical like an out-of-control forest fire.

Also in this episode:

The story of crisis and the future of work is also told through a personal financial frame.

And the way that we handle personal finances affects our opportunities to do the future work of our dreams. People who budget well and intentionally build wealth have more future work choices than those who don’t put in the time. Absent well-tended financial resources, some are left to do work that keeps them afloat, but offers no positive meaning.

Our guest, Angela Anderson, helps people build wealth so that they can live their dreams and do meaningful work.

Full interview begins at 8:25

We must no accept that crisis and the future of work are now intertwined.

About our guest:

Angela Anderson earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Spanish from Adams State University. She lives and works in Colorado.

EPISODE DATE: July 30, 2021

Social media:

– Facebook

– LinkedIn

– Website

– Media

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Podcaster Dan Smolen sees future work in local food production.

We have a serious food problem. And, according to the International Monetary Fund, the price of food has jumped 47 percent in the past year.

Our once reliable agricultural model scaled a food pipeline driven on abundant water, millions of acres of rich farmland, a huge supply chain, and cheap labor. However, the pandemic and climate change destroyed that model.

Most of the food that we eat travels long distances to reach our tables. During the long journey, our food loses nutritional value. Instead, growing fresh local food ensures that we are better fed. And that provides us better health outcomes.

To feed the nation and the world, we must pivot to a new model that drives future work in local food production.

Podcast guest Maurice Small is a nationally recognized regenerative farmer and social entrepreneur. He helps people to find and do meaningful work in regenerative farming.

Maurice also helps urban farmers to become instruments of food justice. As a result, people in need gain access to fresh and sustainable protein and produce.

“Food justice means that we all eat, and we all eat well.”

Maurice is leading the charge for future work in local food production.

Full interview starts at 6:37

About our guest:

Maurice Small has cultivated a national following for sustainable agriculture and healthy lifestyles in underserved communities. He collaborates with stakeholders in government, business, academia, and community to help people eat and live well. His company, Small Enterprises, and his farm are located in Atlanta, Georgia.

EPISODE DATE: July 23, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– Instagram

– LinkedIn

– Tumblr

– Twitter

– YouTube 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:51 — 52.0MB)

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Future of work podcaster Dan Smolen says that the time has come for healing an emotionally distressed workforce.

Gallup’s latest workforce study is out, and it indicates that workers across the globe are suffering.

And Jim Clifton, the Chairman and CEO of Gallup, minces no words:

“What if the next global crisis is a mental health pandemic?

It is here now.”

Gallup concludes that the global workforce is enduring a second pandemic.

People who work suffer mental and emotional distress at alarming rates:

• Nearly half of North American workers (48 percent) worry. More than half of female workers (53 percent) express worry versus 43 percent of male workers, and;
• 57 percent of North American workers endure stress. Of these, 62 percent of female workers are affected (versus 52 percent of male workers).

What is more, 80 percent of workers worldwide disengaged from the work that they do.

In North America, the share of suffering workers is 66 percent. However, professional talent in the US and Canada expressed disengagement several years before the pandemic happened.

Meantime, SHRM published workplace insights that are equally jarring. All told, SHRM estimates that 64 percent of the workforce suffers from disengagement. And that share of suffering aligns with Gallup’s 66 percent finding.

Stress and worry cause great suffering. And we know that people who mastered work from anywhere reject a return to commuting long hours and distances to the co-location.

Healing an emotionally distressed workforce is in everyone’s best interests.

Work should not make people sick. And hiring managers must embrace new strategies and arrangements that help their team members thrive.

Rowena Hennigan at RoRemote adds important perspective to this topic, here: Ways to integrate mental health awareness into remote working

Also in this episode:

Fostering a civil workplace is key to the future of work. Civility gets people closer to good mental health.

As a self-described Chief Civility Officer, Sejal Thakkar applies her legal expertise and personal experience with discrimination to help civilize workplaces. Civility helps professionals of all backgrounds and cultures feel supported in their work. It also spares companies from lawsuits, low talent retention rates, and billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Full interview with Sejal starts at 8:06

About our guest:

Sejal Thakkar earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University. She is a TEDx speaker focused on bias. Sejal lives and works in the Bay Area of California.

EPISODE DATE: July 16, 2021

Social media:

– LinkedIn

– TrainXtra Website

– TEDx: The Pain, Power, and Paradox of Bias

– Gallup: The State of the Global Workplace in 2021

– SHRM Workplace Insight (via David Horning on Medium)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:31 — 37.8MB)

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Future of work podcaster Dan Smolen asks: do our best days lie ahead?

Lately, some workplace observers have taken me to task for the tagline of this podcast: our best days lie ahead.

With pandemic restrictions eased, we are in the midst of the biggest workforce and workplace disruption in over 100 years. Now, a career professional must come to an understanding of “new normal,” whether they office at home, remotely from another venue, at a traditional co-location, or at a hybrid combination of places.

Hiring managers from Fortune 100 CEOs to small business operators must strive for normality, to get their enterprises humming again.

However, career professionals who advocate for work as part of the day (and not the day); who drive agility and flexibility, and; who lead future of work goals will help all of us achieve better, more productive, and happier lives during work and non-work hours.

Revolutions are never pretty. But when we happy warriors render future of work goals present, then our best days lie ahead.

This, I am certain.

Also in this episode:

As the CEO of Realized Worth, Angela Parker leads an organization that inspires professionals at AT&T, Deloitte, Microsoft, Walmart and other companies with meaningful volunteer program engagements. She believes:

“Volunteering can be a safe and non-threatening space where we encounter our own humanity.”

Eighteen months separated from colleagues, people who work are seeking involvement in meaningful leadership opportunities. Oftentimes, volunteerism gets them there.

In this episode, Angela describes:

• Realized Worth’s unique value proposition and mission. Starts at 6:36
• How the pandemic changed volunteerism. Starts at 8:28
• The role of skill in driving volunteer programs. Starts at 11:28
• Ways that volunteerism helps to retain workforce members. Starts at 15:17
• Stakeholder value and how it drives corporate social responsibility. Starts at 21:21

The full podcast interview with Angela starts at 6:36

With Angela Parker and Realized Worth delivering meaningful volunteerism opportunities, our best days lie ahead.

About our guest:

Angela Parker is a nationally recognized thought-leader in corporate volunteerism. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies from Taylor University and an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies from IE University. Angela lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.

EPISODE DATE: July 9, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– Facebook

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:33 — 44.8MB)

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In this episode, Dan discusses becoming the future of work sherpa:

Months ago, I challenged myself to come up with a succinct value statement to explain the scope of my work. I also sought to differentiate myself from other experts in future of work.

And that is how I arrived at the notion that I am the future of work sherpa whose mission it is to help people connect with work that is profound, protects the planet, empowers people and communities, and is fun to do—meaningful work.

Although I have never mountain-climbed, I am a lifelong hiker who loves the adventure of an arduous trek. And, I have always admired the unsung heroes of the Himalayas who help others ascend the world’s highest peaks.

The challenge that people seeking future work have is that their work-journey involves more than job seeking. They must DREAM, EXPLORE, STRATEGIZE and ACT to reach their work and career goals.

Oftentimes, that is too big a lift for career seekers to do on their own. They need the future of work sherpa. And that is where I come in.

Also in this episode, we meet Larysa Kautz. She is the CEO of Melwood, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities find and do meaningful work. Larysa is not a sherpa, and certainly not a mountain-climber. But she helps her clients summon super-human skill to do the work of their dreams.

Interview begins at 6:16

Larysa Kautz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Connecticut College and a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School. Larysa lives and works in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

EPISODE DATE: July 2, 2021

Social media:

– Facebook

– Instagram

– Twitter

– Website