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Volunteer programs benefit careers and extend corporate social responsibility.

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.

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

Nearly one year separated from workplace 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 2:22
• How the pandemic changed volunteerism. Starts at 4:14
• The role of skill in driving volunteer programs. Starts at 7:14
• Ways that volunteerism helps to retain workforce members. Starts at 11:03
• Stakeholder value and how it drives corporate social responsibility. Starts at 17:07

When envisioned and executed well, volunteer programs benefit careers and make work and lives meaningful.

“We have to do volunteering better. We have to assume that companies that have corporate volunteering programs [must be] driving social movements with these programs. Anything less is not good enough.”

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: January 22, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– Facebook

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:09 — 57.9MB)

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Following a year of workforce disruption, career coaching empowers professionals to succeed in life and work.

Rich Gee is arguably one of the-most successful career coaches in the United States.

As principal the of Rich Gee High Performance Coaching, he empowers professionals to improve their on-the-job results and career outcomes.

Incidentally, when he encounters clients for the first time, Rich asks a bold question:

“[There are] people who make things happen. And there are people who watch things happen. And there are people who wonder what happened. Who are you going to be in 2021?”

In this episode, Rich:

• Tees up his company and the value provided to clients. Starts at 2:18
• Describes the high-performers he coaches. Starts at 3:47
• Speaks to the mental and emotional constrains of the pandemic on people who work. Starts at 8:31
• Discusses the pivot to remote or hybrid workplaces and how he gets “old school” hiring managers to support them. Starts at 14:24
• Embraces the four-day work week. Starts at 23:22
• Touts the benefits of gig work and sole-proprietorship. Starts at 28:56

Why does career coaching empower workforce professionals? According to Rich, it is because “they are one bad decision away from losing [their] job.”

Emerging from the pandemic, people who work need sound strategy to succeed. In 2021, more of them will recognize that career coaching empowers professionals.

About our guest:

Rich Gee was a successful executive in the market research space before finding his bliss as a nationally recognized career coach and principal of Rich Gee High Performance Coaching. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Ripon College and certification from Coach University. Rich lives and works in Stamford, Connecticut.

EPISODE DATE: January 15, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

– Rich Gee Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:19 — 51.3MB)

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Darren Murph works to unleash the remote workforce.

As GitLab’s Director of Remote Work, Darren is “the voice in the room” that evangelizes the trailblazing company’s remote work operating model.

What is more, he authored The GitLab Remote Work Playbook, which over 80,000 people around the globe have downloaded.

As 2021 unfolds, positive forces of change will unleash the remote workforce.

Those forces will enable millions of people to live and work wherever they please. And in doing so, they will support happier professionals who enjoy doing work that is part of the day and not the day.

To unleash the remote workforce is central to GitLab’s mission.

In this episode, Darren describes:

• GitLab and his role as Director of Remote Work. Starts at 2:26
• Why GitLab is a 100 percent distributed (remote) workforce. Starts at 4:27
• How he and the company found each other and his role materialized. Starts at 6:07
• Opportunities and challenges inherent in framing a remote work value proposition for recruited talent. Starts at 7:28
• The revolutionary aspects of living and working anywhere. Starts at 14:02
• Reengineering relocation to places where people want to live and work. Starts at 26:44
• The localistic benefits of livable communities unleashed when remote work is encouraged. Starts at 30:34

Amazing outcomes happen when you unleash the remote workforce. Darren says:

“For hundreds of years, we have fit life around the rigid confines of work. But, when you achieve remote work at scale, you can live your life and then fit work into it.”

About our guest:

Quite possibly, Darren Murph is the world’s first Director of Remote Work. He received a Bachelor of Science in Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management from NC State and an MBA from Campbell University. He lives and works remotely in North Carolina.

EPISODE DATE: January 8, 2021

Social media:

– Darren Murph on LinkedIn

– Darren Murph on Twitter

– Living the Remote Dream (Amazon.com book page)

– GitLab Website

– The GitLab Remote Playbook

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:10 — 5.8MB)

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The new year and the pandemic inform how we use space to live and work.

It turns out that one good thing happened in 2020. Because we sheltered in place for weeks and months, we discovered that we could work successfully from home or in a hybrid combination of traditional and untraditional work spaces.

In 2021, how we use space to live and work will be entirely up to us.

During the early pandemic months, millions of people left big cities for anywhere else. They bought homes in suburbs, exurbs, and rural communities. What is more, they are reimagining their new places as professionally designed TV studios for Zoom sessions.

By living and working remotely, people slashed their monthly out-of-pocket commuting costs. The hours of time recovered by not commuting provided people opportunities to engage with family members, rest, or increase their productivity.

Yes, in 2020, people became more productive on the job.

In the past 12 months, animal shelters emptied as people adopted dogs and cats. Surely, the happiest heartbeats in the home belong to our new furry family members.

Surely, we are in, or are about to enter, the worst part of the Covid pandemic. During the next weeks and months, we will lose more people, everyday, than died on 9/11. And Covid will, for the foreseeable future, be our leading cause of death.

But when we get through Covid, we will be a stronger, more agile, and happier workforce. And that is because we will have more say in the work that we do and our space to live and work.

EPISODE DATE: January 1, 2021

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:48 — 40.9MB)

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Comedy empowers veterans careers: see how ASAP’s novel stand-up comedy training program helps the people who served enjoy meaningful lives and work.

The Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP is a nonprofit organization that uses stand-up comedy training to empower people to connect with beautiful dreams and meaningful work.

ASAP cultivates community and growth among veterans, service members, military families, and caregivers through the arts. But their real impact is in liberating people from fear, pain, and loss, to get them to a place of joy and empowerment. People who have benefitted from ASAP training and programming use their newfound creativity to confidently express themselves and their purpose, and find greater success and happiness in life and work. ASAP programming is available in the Washington DC metropolitan area as well as in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

To understand how comedy empowers veterans’ careers, we met with ASAP’s executive director Brian Jenkins. We also sat down with Monica Daly who performed her five-minute stand-up comedy set before a live audience at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia.

During this episode, recorded in the Fall of 2019, you will discover:

• What the Armed Services Arts Partnership is about. Starts at 2:28
• Comedian Monica Daly’s take on ASAP and the benefits that it provides her. Starts at 7:07
• A sampling of Monica’s stand-up set. Starts at 13:54
• What participants may expect during their stand-up comedy training program. Starts at 15:02

As comedy empowers veterans careers, we hope it can extend to the millions of front-line workers who are fighting the Coronavirus pandemic.

About our guests:

Brian Jenkins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. His life path, which aligned with community building and social responsibility, prepared him well to be the Executive Director of the Armed Services Arts Partnership. Brian lives in Northern Virginia.

Monica Daly grew up in the Washington, DC suburbs of Northern Virginia and is a US Army veteran. A member of the federal government workforce, she is settling into a new assignment based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Before agreeing to relocate to Indianapolis, Monica made sure that there were plenty of comedy clubs for her to play.

EPISODE DATE: December 25, 2020

Social media:

ASAP website

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:26 — )

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In the Spring of 2017, we interviewed noted labor historian and academic David Jacobs, and we asked him: what does it mean to work?

Nearly four years have passed since we interviewed Professor Jacobs, and yet very little in the workforce has changed.

People who work still have to place their financial concerns above all other considerations. And yet, in this interview, Professor Jacobs describes the ways that our work can become meaningful and fulfilling.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What does it mean to work? Starts at 3:18
• The concept of “labor capitalism.” Starts at 5:12
• The current lack of a social safety net for workers. Starts at 10:31
• Where he believes that the workforce is headed. Starts at 27:37
• The emergence of the worker-activist. Starts at 28:44

What was true in 2017 remains true entering 2021: finding and doing meaningful work may not happen with employment in one job. Many of us are doing gigs and side-hustles to make ends meet, but also do work with greater purpose. Nearly four years later, we are still asking: what does it mean to work?

About our guest:

David Jacobs is an Associate Professor of Labor and Sustainability at the Graves School of Business at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. What is more, he is the author of The Disunited States of America: Employment Relations Systems in Conflict. Professor Jacobs lives in Montgomery County, Maryland.

EPISODE DATE: December 18, 2020

Social media:

– Amazon.com book page

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:38 — 54.5MB)

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When you discover your personality type, you can benefit in the future of work doing meaningful work.

Globally recognized Myers-Briggs expert Edythe Richards returns to podcast. By administering Myers-Briggs assessments, she helps people enjoy better life and work experiences.

In this episode, Edythe takes us through the utility and benefits of a Myers-Briggs assessment by reviewing Dan Smolen’s personality type results. To that end, knowing your Myers-Briggs type can help you engage better with others, and, find and do meaningful work.

In key interview segments, Edythe:

• Summarizes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and its components.  Starts at 4:27
• Reviews in detail the results of Dan’s Myers-Briggs assessment. Starts at 5:21
• Differentiates between Extroverted and Introverted personality types. Starts at 8:51
• Contrasts Sensing and Intuitive personality types. Starts at 10:59
• Compares Thinking and Feeling personality types. Starts at 14:56
• Describes Judging and Perceiving personality types. Starts at 17:09

Clearly, when you discover your personality type success often follows.

“[Myers-Briggs] helps us feel more empowered to make better decisions for our lives and careers.”

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. Edythe is a globally recognized expert on Myers-Briggs and Emotional Intelligence. Her career counseling consultancy called A Top Career is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

EPISODE DATE: December 11, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– Myers Briggs Question Corner Podcast

– LinkedIn Page

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:18 — 59.5MB)

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As the pandemic rages on and unemployment spikes, one online platform engages former employees.

Forward thinking brands that must furlough large numbers of people use online alumni community platforms. They help former headcount develop new skill, find jobs at other companies, or return to the company in new full-time employment roles or contracting assignments.

To that end, alumni communities engage former employees, because of tech innovators like James Sinclair. He is the co-founder of EnterpriseAlumni.

In this episode, James describes:

• The value proposition of alumni community platforms. Starts at 2:21
• Benefits associated with engaging former company workers. Starts at 3:21
• How the protests happening across the US in 2020 are driving corporate social impact. Starts at 11:01
• Two interview questions managers are now asking hired talent. Starts at 17:27
• The benefits of an agile workforce. Starts at 26:40
• How to achieve meaningful work. Starts at 36:23

What is more, by leveraging the EnterpriseAlumni online platform to engage former employees, James demonstrates the positive future of work impact of alumni engagement:

“One of the things that [companies] haven’t done that we start to see is tell you ‘Hey, take a moment and take stock of your life. Where are you? Where do you want to be? And, how do we help you get there?’”

About our guest:

James Sinclair is the Chief Executive & Co-Founder of EnterpriseAlumni, an online platform that engages former company employees. James’ background is in large enterprise innovation; previously, he worked for IBM, SAP & EDS. He lives and works in Southern California. 

EPISODE DATE: December 4, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:17 — 51.3MB)

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In this episode, two headhunters discuss recruiting.

During 1998, Victoria James and Dan Smolen both entered the executive recruiting field. After 20 years, Dan moved on to future of work thought-leadership and podcasting, However, Victoria still enjoys a great run in placing executive-level candidates.

Victoria is the founder and president of Victoria James Executive Search.

Her company is a nationally recognized recruitment firm that places top marketing and sales executives across the U.S. Victoria relies on finely tuned consultative sales skill to draw top candidates into great executive roles.

In this episode, Victoria describes:

• Being a successful female executive in a male-dominated culture. Starts at 2:10
• The events that led to her surprising headhunting career-pivot. Starts at 5:28
• The critical importance of well-written candidate résumés. Starts at 16:44
• How technology, and LinkedIn, have transformed headhunting. Starts at 21:46
• The success that she enjoys in working from home. Starts at 23:34

On knowing when to leave a job, Victoria says:

“Sometimes, you just [meet up with someone and] don’t hit it off, no matter what you do or how good you are. That’s a signal for most people to start thinking about another environment.”

When these two headhunters discuss recruiting, listeners can discover valuable insight that they can use to find and do meaningful work.

About our guest:

Victoria James earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bloomfield College and an MBA from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business. She and her company are based in South Kent, Connecticut.

EPISODE DATE: November 27, 2020

Social Media:

– Facebook

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

– Victoria James Executive Search Website

– Featured Blog Post: Tackling the Work from Home Dilemma (Again)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:01 — 50.8MB)

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One thing is clear: localism shapes the future of work.

This week, we re-visit our 2018 interview with Doug Ross and Morley Winograd. They are, with Mike Hais, the co-authors of the book Healing American Democracy: Going Local.

When Joe Biden becomes President on January 20, 2021, he will engage with a deeply divided government. Meantime, real governing power is “going local” by moving to our nation’s city councils and county boards.

And besides, local lawmakers, not the president nor Congress, will scale our nation’s economy and drive the future of work.

In this episode, Doug and Morley discuss how localism shapes the future of work. They:

• Explain why so many Americans have lost faith in our current top-down form of American Democracy. Starts at 4:47
• Define their concept of “constitutional localism” and describe how it would operate and provide benefit. Starts at 7:05
• Illustrate how “turning scale upside down” to create and staff smaller numbers of new jobs—dozens versus thousands—would help local communities thrive. Starts at 20:01
• Identify how localism can become the linchpin for success in creating more meaningful work opportunities. Starts at 23:47

Furthermore, as localism shapes the future of work, Morley says:

“People aren’t trying to create the next Budweiser. [They are trying to create] the next IPA that they can sell in the local bar and to drive a nice little employment world that is self-contained and capable of hiring and keeping people at work in their community.”

About our guests:

Doug Ross and Morley Winograd are nationally known and respected political practitioners who cross solid data and wishful thinking to paint a hopeful portrait of America based on the idea of constitutional localism.

Doug was a state senator from Michigan and a U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton. Morley is a Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School Center on Communication and Leadership Policy. He was a Michigan state political party chair and White House Senior Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore. Along with their co-author Mike Hais, they’ve written six books between them.

EPISODE DATE: November 20, 2020

Social media:

– Healing America: Going Local Website

– Mike and Morley Website