Geeks Geezers And Googlization Podcast

Making the right business (and personal) decisions heading into 2022 can be freaking terrifying! We want certainty and predictability. We’re experiencing “VUCA-fatigue” from all the Volatility-Uncertainty-Complexity-Ambiguity). We’re hungry for facts and answers. Unfortunately facts these days get lost in the noise, misinformation, and abundance of bulls***.  That’s why in one of our most favorite Geeks Geezers Googlization episodes each year, we’re excited to welcome the experts from ITR Economics and this year we get to talk with Jackie Greene, Vice President of Economic and an “Economics Geek.” Here's why it's so important you pay attention to what Jackie has to say: ITR Economics holds the remarkable distinction of being the oldest privately held forecasting firm in the country (USA) and most accurate with a forecasting accuracy rate of 94.7% since 1985! Their employment forecast accuracy is even higher than that - 99% in most years.  What’s ahead for jobs and hiring?  Will businesses still struggle to f

If you’re thinking that the first place to start a career change is your resume, think again. On this week's episode of the GGG Show, we're thrilled to welcome expert career transition coach, Amy Sanchez, of Swim Against The Current. And she has a tip for you: if the first thing you do before changing jobs is to get your resume ready, history will likely repeat itself! With the Great Awakening in full swing, many folks are seeking out greener pastures in their professional lives. The movement is jaw-dropping with 2/3 of American workers reflecting on their purpose and 1/2 reconsidering the work they do. Simply put - most people are looking to make better career choices and do work they enjoy. Talk about the #shifthittingyourplans!   Amy suggests this: While listening to our inner voice may be a critical first step, having an advisor or coach to help you navigate those uncharted career waters is not only helpful and recommended. After all, this is one of the most important decisions we all make in our lives -

Schools are opening back up but education will never be the same. Let’s start with a record number of teacher vacancies, alarming quit rates, and 1 out of 9 high schools that produce more dropouts than graduates. What changes are needed? Like teachers, answers are in short supply. But our guest today Dr. Kevin Berkopes of Crossroads Education and his team are tackling this issue head-on by researching, testing, and incubating disruptive concepts in education to prepare students for the future of work.  He offers up one of the most innovative approaches you can hardly imagine - outsourcing education as a service! While the world is re-imagining the future of work, we must also reimagine the future of education. We are excited and grateful to welcome special guest, Dr. Kevin Berkopes to The Geeks, Geezers, Googlization Show “stage.” Join us as we explore how to reimagine the future of education to meet the demands of tomorrow!

The much anticipated post-pandemic return to work has gotten off to a very rocky start. Getting hybrid work to work it seems is definitely tougher than going all-in on in-person or all-remote. A recent survey conducted by BambooHR revealed that one in three (37%) office workers actually said they feel worse being in the office than they did at their lowest point during remote work—and we can all remember some pretty low lows from the past year.  Making all-or-none decisions as well as the wrong hybrid model creates a Catch-22 for employers: force employees to report back to their desks and some will quit. Close the office and others will jump ship. It seems flexibility has soared to the top of employee demands almost overnight, catching companies flat-footed without a playbook. What's the right recipe to get the best of both worlds? How can your company reap the benefits of hybrid work and avoid the headaches?  Scott Hirsch, a co-founder of TalentMarketplace, joins Geeks Geezers Googlization to explore the fu

It’s your choice. What will it be in 2022? There is no get-out-of-jail-free card to escape uncertainty. Change is accelerating and there is no pause button.  Our Geeks Geezers Googlization Show guest this week is no stranger to the show. Keith Campagna, long-term listeners might remember, was the 1st GGG co-host, before leaving to pursue his 2 life passions - sales and life-work integration. Keith shares why work-life balance just isn’t enough anymore and why we need to cancel our "default factor." He is transforming how employers create value for their employees and workers find positivity, productivity, and personal satisfaction, as well as changing how the HR tech world grows revenues with The ROI Shop.

On the Geeks, Geezers, & Googlization Show as we welcome Gil Cohen, Founder of Employee Experience Design, to discuss the changing demand conditions from employees. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me! Employees may not be singing this classic hit to their employers, but they're certainly telling them what they want and need in many other ways.  Forty percent of the American workforce is expected to quit their current jobs by the end of the year even without another offer in hand (McKinsey Q3 report). 90% of workers would trade money for purpose in the work that they do (Betterup) 51% want better work-life integration (McKinsey) 59% leave work feeling exhausted (SHRM) 30% dread going to work (SHRM) 26% do not feel emotionally safe at work (SHRM) 30% say their workplace culture makes them irritable at home (SHRM) Simply put...employers are swinging but missing employee expectations and employees are #swipingleft. Add to this the shrinking world population and expectation for many baby boomers to

The Great Resignation is in full bloom. Quitting your job is no longer a black mark on your resume but a badge of honor on social media. No one should be surprised because complicated relationships rarely last very long. And yet up until just recently, most employers barely heard or intently ignored the shrill cries of employees: "Why don't my bosses care about me?" or "Why is it so hard for my company to listen to what I really need?" A quick fix is elusive but immediate change is essential if employers are to stem the turnover tsunami. Listen to this episode as we tackle this issue with Workforce #Retention expert, Cara Silletto. Cara literally wrote the book employee retention: “Staying Power - Why Your Employees Leave and How to Keep Them Longer.” Let's face it. Employees are pushing back. After years of lip service to employee engagement and well-being, “enough is enough.” Something's got to give, and as the past few months have shown, work still can’t get done without workers. As employers brace for an

Leadership expectations are being transformed every second of every day. What has become painfully clear is that the leadership skills of yesterday won't solve or even manage the problems of tomorrow. To find the skills and mindsets that leaders will need to successfully navigate a never-normal VUCA world, Jacob Morgan interviewed the top CEO's around the world (140 +) for his latest best-selling book, The Future Leader.  Geeks Geezers Googlization is excited to welcome Jacob on this episode of The Geeks, Geezers, & Googlization Show. Jacob reveals what he calls The Notable 9 - 4 mindsets and 5 skills - that leaders need to adopt in order to thrive in the future of work. Here’s a glimpse into what you’ll hear. First, leaders will need to shift their approach and their organizations to a whole new world of work. The truth is that people are making different choices about what they do when they work, and where they work. As evidenced by the recent record-high quit rates, it now takes more than a paycheck t

We all have dreams. But the fact is that 7.5 out of 10 people have experienced loss, trauma, or betrayal and if people don’t transform that energy, they transmit it. Many of these people become leaders of organizations! Over the last 18 pandemic months, there has been a lifetime supply of loss, trauma, and betrayal. The choice all of us need to make is whether we become victims or spur a transformation. This is a defining moment for employers. The employer-employee relationship is on trial. Will you succumb to The Great Resignation or shift to The Great Awakening. Mckinsey's Q3 report indicates that in many organizations their future is trending toward more nightmare than dream: 40% of employees are likely to leave their current job in the next 3-6 months even if they don't have another opportunity in hand. The challenge confronting leadership at this moment is the growing chasm between the jobs people are doing and the sense of fulfillment coming from it. Jonathan Dunn and his Dream Leader Institute live at

With labor markets in freefall, there is no other business function that requires as much reimagination as recruitment and hiring. Can design thinking solve your organizations’ hiring woes and help companies fill their talent pipeline? Jodi Brandstetter, an ardent and passionate fan of design thinking, thinks so. In this week’s episode, you’ll learn what design thinking is and why Jodi feels it might just be the catalyst to transform your talent acquisition strategies.  Before starting her own company Lean Effective Talent Strategies, Jodi worked as a Director of Talent Acquisition and is the author of the book Hire by Design.

Can your company culture survive when your workforce works remotely? Is it possible to create that spur-of-the-moment water-cooler or passing-in-the-hallway moments on Zoom?  “Where do you work” took on a whole new meaning and importance beginning March 2020. Prior to that, people went to work and the hybrid work model was almost taboo. Today where, when, and how people work is evolving on an hour-to-hour basis.  Organizations and businesses of all types and sizes are being forced to create the post-pandemic workplace on-the-fly. What do owners and executives need to consider? What remote work lessons did we learn over the last 18 months? How should managers personalize employee health and safety concerns? For answers, Farissa Know, founder and CEO of RLM Media, joins us for this Geeks Geezers Googlization episode. Farissa embraced the hybrid work model for her large team of employees and will share lessons she learned and offer tips for CEOs and owners who are in the midst of reimagining their workplace. Fa

Trust is deteriorating all around us. We have lost trust in our government, military, police, public health officials, business leaders, and even neighbors and family members. And who hasn’t done something to break trust? To make sense of what’s happened to trust, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Yoram Solomon to this episode of Geeks Geezers Googlization. Yoram will explain why trust is not what most of us think it is and shares a few of his 8 laws of trust. You don’t want to miss his tips on how to build trust in a team, what you can do to be more trusted, and even regain the trust we lost. And as a bonus, we took a detour and explored the relationship between Yoram's other passion - innovation - and trust. Dr. Yoram Solomon is the founder of the Innovation Culture Institute, Author of The Book of Trust, the book series Can I Trust You?, and host of The Trust Show solo podcast. Published a total of 15 books and more than 300 articles on Trust, Innovation Culture, and Entrepreneurship. Holds a Ph.D. in organi

No job candidate should be left behind. In a labor market when overall jobs are up 96% compared to pre-pandemic norms and job openings significantly exceed available workers, no company can afford to lose a candidate due to a friction-filled FCDD*up candidate experience. But in just a few weeks (October 2021) Google in its Google for Jobs search engine is going to throw another wrench into your recruitment and hiring efforts when it shines its massive spotlight on the job seeker apply experience. JobSync CEO Alex Murphy joins Geeks Geezers Googlization today to explain how this will impact your candidate traffic, what changes you must make, and who will win and lose the race for talent as the latest Google for Jobs update rolls out.  (*Frustrating-Confusing-Disappointing-Distracting) New to Google for Jobs? Check out this free online course. Alex Murphy is CEO and co-founder of JobSync, the Workflow Automation Platform for Talent Acquisition. Alex has successfully started, grown and turned companies around i

Recruiting and retention woes are wreaking havoc on businesses as a result of the collision of the Perfect Labor Storm and the Great Resignation. One reason why may be due to the “largest unheard conversation in history!” For starters, 68 million conversations happened in the last year around the candidate experience. To put that in perspective, that’s 2.5 X more than the 2020 Olympics! So why aren't employers listening? What do you need to do to pump the brakes on unfilled jobs and quit rates going through the roof? During this episode, we’re going to take a deep dive with Employment Brand and Candidate Experience evangelist Tracey Parsons (Worqdrive) on the disconnect between job seekers and employers, the rising importance of recruitment marketing, candidate experience, and employment brand. Tracey doesn’t just hype ideas or toot her own horn. She brings the data to back up her recruiting solutions.  If you are struggling to access, hire, or retain talent, click to listen now.

This episode is a masterclass on what your company must do to recruit and retain Gen Z in a Tik-Tok World. Gen Z is the newest cohort to join the working ranks. Knowing how to attract Generation Z employees starts with understanding who they are and their job search habits. Meeting them on their own terms could be the difference between filling open jobs quickly and prolonged vacancies and high quit rates. What must your company do to recruit and retain Gen Z? That is the question we asked two incredible Gen Zs - Danielle Farage and Rosa Beltran. what’s important to them, what’s not, and what turns them off? What do they want out of a job and employer? How important are a company’s culture and employment brand? How do they use social media and which channels do they prefer? Should you be using Tik Tok to recruit? You surely don’t want to miss this episode! Part of our conversation focused on the importance of the employment brand. Check out this free webinar to learn more, hosted by Ira S Wolfe with special g

Early in May, the Workforce Investment Disclosure Act was introduced in Congress. Also referred to as Human Capital Management Disclosure, it will require public companies to disclose information about their workforce management policies. If the act is passed, these companies will need to include specific HR metrics in their public filing. What does this mean for your business? Many claim this act will be a game-changer and finally make companies to walk-the-talk when it comes to touting “people are our most important asset.” To help cut through all the noise, we reached out to Jeff Higgins, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Management Institute (HCMI). Jeff advised Rep. Cindy Axne and Sen. Mark Warner on this legislation. Jeff discussed: What your need to know about human capital disclosure requirements What prompted the SEC to mandate human capital disclosure requirements What this trend has to do with the recent push for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) The consequences for businesses that fail

Engagedly recently announced the “Top 100 HR Influencers of 2021” and Geeks Geezers Googlization host Ira S Wolfe was one of them! During the show, Wolfe interviews Engagedly’s President and Co-Founder, Srikant Chellappa, to discuss the origins of the the Top 100 Influencers List, how the honorees are selected, trends over the last 5 years, and how the 2021 list differed from prior years. This annual list recognizes Human Resources and People Services disruptors and leaders from across all domains who are making tremendous strides in innovation, growth, and technology to impact the people practice. Chellappa explained the intention behind this recognition: “Honor the champions of people practice. The last year has challenged people leaders like never before, with a rapid transition to remote work environments while maintaining a positive culture." This year’s honorees are special as they led us through these challenging times and we thank them for their leadership.” In addition to Wolfe, other honorees includ

The quit rate of U.S. employees is at a record-breaking pace. In June 2021 alone, nearly 1 million workers left their jobs. This couldn’t come at a worse time with job openings reaching record highs and labor participation rates falling to WWII levels. Employee Turnover expert Dick Finnegan sums up this new work reality in two words: doom loop. The HR doom loop occurs when new employees don’t show up, ghost the employer, or quickly quit restarting the repeating churn of recruit, hire, quit, recruit, hire, quit. Finnegan has a solution that helps companies increase retention and cut turnover by 30 percent. On this week’s Geeks Geezers Googlization. Finnegan will reveal his “secret employee retention sauce” and share the 5 questions he asks every employee. Finnegan is the author of SHRM’s best-selling book, “The Power of Stay Interviews” and will be a speaker at the 2021 SHRM Annual Conference.

In March 2020, the physical workplace went dark for millions of businesses including a company called Puzzle Break. The multi-million dollar business went to $0 in one day. His entire business depended on teams of people going to his physical locations. So he asked “how can we create a similar experience when people can’t leave their house?” Millions of workers and employers were scrambling to figure out the same thing: how to make remote work work! Zoom just wasn’t cutting it for many organizations and “team-building events are terrible. They are just the least events you can have….if you get people to really want to be there, you’ve already won.” In order to save his business (and help others save theirs),  Puzzle Break CEO Nate Martin, “the Founding Father of Escape Rooms,” designed and developed a virtual experience that took off. He has helped teams from Microsoft, Starbucks, and Deloitte. He‘s had the two top revenue days in the history of his company and is growing at a rocketship pace. Join us on this

Where have all the workers gone? That is the question nearly every employer is asking. So I invited Futurist David Houle to tell us! Houle believes the 2020s will be the most disruptive and transformative decade in history. Never-normal will be the norm and our perception of reality will be challenged. Making sense of life’s unpredictable, fast-changing, and often incompatible events will make keeping up with the “shift” difficult. Millions of people are at risk of being left behind in what Houle describes as a “Decade of Cognitive Dissonance” (which also just happens to be the title of his newest book.) In the book, Houle suggests that we need to adopt the mindset “be like water" and why the metaphor "light at the end of the tunnel" is a dangerous one. Tune in to find out why living with cognitive dissonance will be our normal, and why COVID19 was just training wheels for the decade ahead.  In the 2nd segment, host Ira S Wolfe continues the conversation about adaptability and introduces 3 new webinars: July