Robert and Curt chat with Erika Yuag of Microsoft about the challenges that large organizations face in identifying culture, empowering employees, and what it takes to be a modern leader.

Meet Rebecca Braitling, founder of UpSpiral Leadership, feeding deep passion for developing better leaders and more positive workplaces Opening and introduction 1:40​​ The UpSprial Leadership mindset: thinking bigger, acting bolder, and collaborating better to create positive change in the world 3:30​​ A personal transition from litigating human resources issues to joining HR to solve human problems before they became issues in law 6:25​​ We are all different in what motivates us and it's important from a rewards standpoint for our organizations to recognize this distinction 11:20​​ A pandemic silver lining - seeing our colleagues in personal spaces reveals more of the whole human beyond just a co-worker 12:45​​ Leadership Forum Community study on 'leading' through Covid - discovery that greater flexibility and autonomy, not fear, has resulted in greater productivity and work/life happiness 14:25​​ Finding stability in rocky times and new practices for connecting and celebrating successes in a virtual corporate world 19:15​​ Total rewards realized by challenging self-development to think bigger about purpose rather than just growing into a new position 22:20​​ Needs, thus rewards, vary throughout our lives and may actually be very simple to provide 22:50​​ Tools to discover individual aspirations and informing organizational leaders toward a more synchronous relationship 26:05​​ Inspiration comes from a well-articulated vision, vision for Individual, Group, Organization, and Society realized through visual storyboard sharing 29:55​​ The more we focus on our differences makes it worse, rather, focus on what is common and our strengths and on what is possible. 31:30​​ Closing

Meet Enrique Rubio, founder of Hacking HR, where HR leaders share, support, and collaborate on HR transformation in this new era. 4:00​ How the pandemic has put a spotlight on underlying human issues 7:50​ HR potential to become THE trail-blazer leading people and organizations into the future work 10:30​ Once a minimum threshold of fairness in rewards at work is met, I view my total rewards are in the freedom to make decisions, to create, to be me at work, to learn from mistakes, give me credit when I succeed 17:00​ Specialization in work confines ones social identity, success in future of work are for those who can connect seemingly disconnected thoughts through multi-fields of expertise in distinct verticals or diagonals 20:00​ If you don't know where people are moving from/to, you can't offer that talent the best incentives to work for you. 21:00​ Learning curve for fields of work as never been shorter in history 23:15​ HR today 'trends to zero' on how well organizations know their people. What's learned outside can benefit inside. 30:00​ Inclusivity, diversity, and how to overcome the biases of Artificial Intelligence 38:40​ HR leaders embrace the principle of putting humans in center the work to make sure they find meaning, purpose, direction and growth for better outcomes 44:00​ Organizations could aim to foster enjoyment in work 47:30​ Innovation in people fist - the relevance of Tony Hsieh and his approach for Zappos 54:00​ We are actually not Human Resources, but rather we are resources for humans

Meet Todd Cherches. CEO and cofounder of BigBlueGumball, a NYC-based consulting firm specializing in leadership development, public speaking, and executive coaching, as well as a Founding Partner of the Global Institute For Thought Leadership. He is also a three-time award-winning Adjunct Professor of leadership at NYU, and a Lecturer on leadership at Columbia University. Todd is also a TEDx speaker, and the author of "VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life" (Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster, 2020). Post Interview Reflection 1:35​ Passion Skills Matrix helps each of us find our work/life 'sweet spot' 2:40​ Viewpoint of corporate path and non-traditional path 3:25​ Value of coaching for confidence and comfort to knock down barriers Highlights 5:50​ Welcome Todd Cherches and Who's There? ! set up 6:40​ 'VisuaLeadership' thinking - Top 50 business books for 2021 by Thinkers360 7:45​ Backstory on bad managers, must be a better way! Learned from reading 1,000 business books 10:00​ Don't light a fire under people, light a fire within them! 11:15​ Passions Skills Matrix helps people define what's important to pursue and make changes for 11:30​ Leadership qualities, values, and vision necessary to effect changes 12:00​ Hierarchy of followership, begins with trust, core values, listening, vision. Create alignment by1) Having a vision and2) communicating it in a clear, compelling and inspiring way 13:40​ What keeps you up at night, and what gets you going in the a.m. Accentuate worries and inspirations 14:10​ Human Resources versus a resource for humans 15:40​ How organizations set up workforce for success, it's essential to create compelling reasons for work 17:15​ Modern careers are not a linear path, rather, a roller coaster ride with exhilarating highs and terrifying plummets 20:00​ Work aligned with values can be freeing to know to navigate a more transient model of working 21:20​ Exponential change alters how leaders lead when the times are so Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) 24:00​ Lead to the opposite of VUCA, with Calm, Certainty, Simplify, Clarity (CCSC) then decide, act, move on 26:15​ Building teams for winning the quarterly stockholder report OR the 2-5 year vision 27:45​ Helping workforce members express their passions/ambitions begins with trust 31:00​ Carve a sculpture of an elephant by carving out everything that doesn't look like an elephant! 32:10​ Adapting to the post-pandemic when virtual and hybrid (virtual/in-office) changes the rules The Three Vs: Are you seen? Visibility. Are you heard? Voice. Are you making contributions? Value. 35:00​ Managers duty to provide resources and remove roadblocks (R&R), while Leaders duty to create strategy to set up people for success 39:00​ Who's There? ! Important for leaders to embrace workforce as mobile independent agents to arrange motivateds for productivity

Robert and Curt discuss the origin of their relationship and how the concept of Who's There?! came about.