Episode 74

Susan Signing Off – Thank you – It has been a wonderful journey! | HR 74

Episode Intro:

It is time to “sign off” with this being my final podcast in the series HR Inside Out. And wow, what a wonderful experience this has been, learning how to become a podcaster, having the courage to reach out to potential guests, developing the programs, working with an editor, undertaking the related research, meeting new people, and deepening my relationship with others – so many new experiences along the way. I sincerely hope that the series has accomplished its goal of providing you insights that have helped you personally, and in your people oversight responsibilities.

As shared in the podcast, at times I tackled a topic on my own. At other times, I reached out to experts in the specialized areas, my podcast guests. It is with huge gratitude to the individuals who agreed to be those guests over the tenure of the series: Malcolm White, Paul Moffat, Stuart McNish, Monique Liddle, Pamela Jones, Debbie Comis, David Harvey, James Ridge, Dr. Kieth Deats, Lisa Wilson, Victoria Miles, Tony Martignetti, Gwyn Teatro, Paul Harrietha, Dimple Dhabalia, Sharon Summerfield, Melissa Deally, Julia Wooster, Catherine Elliott, Steve Serbic, Cheryl Brewster, Sam Thiara, Barb Ashcroft, Amal Anup, Dr. Aliaa Remtilla, Kate Bravery, Ayo Owodunni, Tracy Lee Lorenson, Nadine Hanchar, Marc S. Miller, Carolyn Cooper-McOuatt, Heather Abbott, Stephen Hammond, Alex Cann, Cindy Rogers, Bill Howes, Ed Seymour, Brian Schramm, and Charlene Wright. Thank you to each of you for trusting in the process, in me, and in the product.

And thank you to my listeners. I have appreciated your time and support. I wish each of you well in your own endeavors. Remember – Dare to Soar! I believe you can! Fly high!


About the Host:

Susan has worked with people all her life. As a human resource professional, she has specialized in all aspects of employment, from hiring to retirement. She got her start as a national representative for a large Canadian union. After pursuing an undergrad degree in business administration, Susan transitioned to HR management, where she aspired to bring

both employee and management perspectives to her work. Susan holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Training. She retired from her multi-decade career in HR to pursue writing and consulting, and to be able, in her words, to “colour outside the lines.” She promises some fun and lots of learning through this podcast series. 

Susan is also the author of the book Leadership Inside Out: Effecting Change from

Within available on Amazon – click below. 

Leadership Inside Out: Effecting Change from Within: Ney, Susan G: 9781777030162: Books - Amazon.ca


If you wish to contact Susan, she can be reached through any of the following:

Website:          Home - Effecting Change from Within

Email:               susangney@gmail.com

Linked In:         www.linkedin.com/in/susan-ney-197494

Facebook:        www.facebook.com/susan.ney.5/

Phone:            (604) 341-5643


Thanks for listening!

It means so much that you listened to this podcast!  If you know of anyone else who might find this series of interest, please share. If you have questions about this episode, please send me an email at susangney@gmail.com


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Transcript
Susan Ney:

Hi. Welcome to my last podcast in the series. HR,

Susan Ney:

inside out, I'm your host. Susan nay, this podcast experience has

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been a truly wonderful one, and one that I partly encourage you

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to try. I took a class to learn how from amplify you great

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organization. I did this after meeting the head of the business

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at a course that I was taking on how to actually publish and

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write a book. Intrigued, I investigated further, and I'm

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sure glad that I did. When I gave amplify you noticed that

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I'd no longer be needing their editing services, I was actually

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congratulated on my persistence. As most podcasters, many new

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podcasters, don't stay with their creation after both the

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first five episodes. Was also reminded that I had recorded my

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first podcast back in February of 2021, so Hey, pretty good

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run. My intent had been to with invited guests. We have a

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tapestry of information, insights and guidance around HR,

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people management and the work processes that we can all

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understand and do better by sharing examples, both

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personally and through others who walked the path of daring

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greatly, insights for those who wish to support their own

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journey and become the best version of themselves, both

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personally and also within their organizations. As I prepared

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this podcast, I thought back and oh my goodness, I distinctly

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recall my anxiety when reaching out to someone that I very much

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respected, author, consultant and keynote speaker, John Izzo,

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I wanted to ask him to join me to talk about the importance of

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stepping up in purpose. He said yes, and he was my lucky 13th

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podcast. Oh my goodness. I was so nervous, and I had no reason

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to be. He was lovely. He's always lovely, and he's now

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doing his own podcast the way forward, generative

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conversations, a podcast you might want to look into further.

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I've had so much fun with this podcast. I've always been

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curious about others careers, ones that I didn't pursue, but

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felt that listeners might want to consider. So. It was a

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delight to interview individuals who kindly agreed to speak with

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me about their experiences in some of these professions. I

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still think of Malcolm white when watching the big tugboats

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that he assisted into the Vancouver harbor and of some of

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the harrowing experiences that he shared on the podcast on

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becoming a tugboat captain. Paul Moffat was a dear when he agreed

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to answer my questions about what it's like having to drive

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double decker busses in snowy conditions, and what do bus

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drivers do when they need to go to the bathroom? Lots of fun,

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lots of laughter in his podcast career choices, becoming a bus

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driver. Stuart McNish as another example. Stewart's the producer

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of the television series conversations that matter shared

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his career journey and our time together a career in

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broadcasting and conversations that matter. I learned from him

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that a high school teacher felt that he would amount to nothing.

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Wow, was that teacher ever wrong? But you know,

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unfortunately, at a recent high school reunion, these same kinds

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of comments had actually been made to others, including

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someone who just graduated with her doctoral degree. But what

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these comments from people who we respect can do to our self

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esteem and self confidence. So bravo Stewart and the others who

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pushed past these potentially soul destroying criticisms in my

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podcast, loving my library as a career choice, you would have

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met Monique little, the manager of operations at the city of

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North Vancouver library, a place that she's called home for over

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a decade, but not a place that she had originally envisioned

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working when she graduated from the British Columbia Institute

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of Technology with a certification in design

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management, interior design management. Now our libraries

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are so much more than a repository of books and

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information, Monique was able to use the skills and expertise

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that she'd built over the years to secure a similar and yet very

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different type of position within her local library, and

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yes, she's actually been able to use her training and interior

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design as part of those respite possibilities as Valentine's

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gift, my husband bought me time with Pamela Jones, of sounds,

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right. I was so taken with her and my time with her that I

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invited her to share some of the tips that she taught me when she

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agreed to be. A podcast guest on I love my job. I help people use

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their voice more effectively. Now, Pam provided tips on how to

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use the speaking voice more effectively to present our best

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self, especially in situations where we're aiming to influence

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things like interviews presenting reports as two

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examples that I can think of. Pam absolutely loves her work,

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and it shows now she shared a little bit about her own career

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path, why she and her partner decided to establish their

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business. Sounds right, and some thoughts on her personal

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journey. I'd anticipated doing a lot more podcasts on careers,

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but what I discovered is that many people are not comfortable

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being in the spotlight, and we also bumped into the situation

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that some potential guests asked permission from their

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organizations and were told no, which I found quite interesting.

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So I appreciate the guests who were able to muster up the

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courage to be interviewed and have their shots, thoughts

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shared with you, the listeners reflecting on those past years,

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I know that there were times that I'd read a fabulous book

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and really felt the need to say something similarly challenges

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and organizations that I was learning about or working within

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the things that they were struggling. So sometimes I

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created the script for myself, but most times, I sought out an

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expert in the area that I was exploring. As a consultant, I

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had worked with Debbie comas when she was the chief

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administrator officer, administrative officer of the

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city of Parksville. I reached out to her to explore the topic

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of team dynamics within corporate culture, what it takes

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to build and keep vibrant teams, ones that most of us wish to

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work within. She talked about the impact of Team behavior on

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employee engagement. She talked about working with cross

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departmental teams, and also how great teams can effectively

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manage change. In her podcast, corporate culture and teams,

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when I wanted to talk about transitioning the culture of an

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HR department, I thought of a past boss that I'd worked with

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who I very much admire, David Harvey. He'd been my boss when I

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was at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. In this

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podcast, David talked about the transition of the human resource

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department from one that had been focused on administration

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and process to that of strategic partner, assisting with the

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building of the skills and knowledge of supervisors and

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managers. Its impact on the department, the HR department,

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when we made that transition, but also the organizational

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culture, the ripple effects of that, the challenges and, of

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course, the lessons learned. Now, David also shared insights

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on how HR is currently being perceived, as three seen through

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his students experience, he's a factor. He's retired now, but he

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was faculty at Kwantlen as they've worked through projects

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and assignments, so with a myriad of other organizations

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now, looking back at some of the podcasts broadcast. I shouldn't

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be surprised at the number that I chose to record on leadership.

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And when I think of leadership, I think of James ridge. He spoke

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on leadership and local government, and all about his

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experience as a chief administrative officer working

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in the public service. I also reached out to Dr Keith Dietz,

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my Scotland buddy, speaking on leadership and leading in

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uncertainty, sharing thoughts from his own experiences his

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schooling, and also reflections from the global dialog group.

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Recreate eight that I've often mentioned, that meets virtually

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every Thursday morning and again, something that I

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encourage you to investigate further. Guest, Lisa Wilson,

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author of leading with ease, addressed the reason for writing

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her book leading with ease. She'd been confronted with the

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reality of losing both her job and her health, and she chose to

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heal. She changed her mindset the goal of what she describes

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as what she used to be, or who she used to be. She, in her

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journey, witnessed the impact of both poor and great leadership.

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So she now coaches leaders to enable their teams the

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excellence that they deserve by creating exceptional workplace

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cultures.

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We also looked at the leadership of letting go guest Victoria

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miles shared her research, her insights and her personal

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journey of transition, a journey of what. Called liminal

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leadership, the focus of her Master of leadership, major

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project and her thesis and the podcast, the leadership of

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letting go, what guides the good goodbye, Victoria shared that is

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all about leading a transition and conscious in a deliberate

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way, about letting go in increments, about dealing with

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the betwixt and between of transitions and seeing

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uncertainty as an opportunity Victoria reflected on the value

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of showing up with integrity and recognizing that doubt and

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uncertainty are an integral part of the journey. Now, by this

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point, I felt that I had arrived as a podcaster. Publishers were

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actually starting to contact me to gage my interest in

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interviewing their clients. And so once I had read count flower

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lessons for leaders and knew how great a fit it would be for the

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podcast series, I met Tony Martinelli, or martinetti Tony

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unearth concepts like the significance of flashpoints in

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our lives, using question bursts, removing our social

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masks, using experimentation to fail forward, replacing fear

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with Curiosity, living our core values, making brave, brave

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spaces, slowing down to go fast and lots more. Tony uses the

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foundation of what he calls his three C's, curiosity, compassion

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and connection. One. He also considers his core personal

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values and ones he very definitely practices Now, if

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you're responsible, for people oversight, you're often in the

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middle of everything. You are a boss. You have a boss being in

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the thick of it, at work, dealing with change imposed from

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above, and leading your team through it. It can feel

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difficult and exhausting, but it can also be very rewarding. In

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the podcast, in the thick of it, mastering the art of leadership

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from the middle. Guest Gwen tea Troy, author of in the thick of

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it, mastering the art of leadership from the middle. And

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in this podcast, we were taken on a journey of awareness,

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growth and purpose to help master the art of leadership, to

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become the kind of leader that delivers results while valuing

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every human being and engendering trust and loyalty

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and bringing out the best in others. Gwen provided the map to

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successfully navigating the waters of planned and unplanned

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change and coached us on how to incorporate autonomy, mastery,

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purpose, innovation and creativity in our leadership

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toolkits. Now, given that I've continued to work as a

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consultant in my semi retirement years, I enjoyed researching and

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speaking on topics that, as I mentioned before, I saw

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organizations struggling with as they tackled their people

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oversight responsibilities. So I developed podcasts around those

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topics as examples changes dealing with the ripples created

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by change. Psychological safety, aging, what is a grievance?

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Communications and fierce conversations and demystifying

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corporate culture. I'll leave you to check these out if you're

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interested. Some of the areas that I wish to delve in

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definitely involved areas requiring others expertise. So

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it is with continued gratitude to individuals such as Paul

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harrietha, author of gender equity and the invisible rules,

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who spoke about the topic of his book's subtitle, what's really

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holding women back in business, and how to fix it. It hadn't

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really dawned on me before speaking with Paul that often

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due to home responsibilities, women are often not able to join

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in the after work get togethers at the pub, or perhaps weekend

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golf games, venues where bonding takes place, often between the

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males in the office, often helping these same individuals

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with promotional opportunities because they're better known

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entities due to this time socializing, Paul talks about

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the need to recognize some of these, what he calls norms, and

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in doing so, taking steps to change them, he confirms that

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women are held back from advancement opportunities,

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Particularly the C suite and board positions by a number of

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invisible rules that continue to tilt the playing field in favor

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of white men, using a quote from his book, Paul and his author

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wrote the book based on direct one to one interviews with 50

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senior one. Female Canadian executives who shared their

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personal insights, experience wisdom and real life challenges.

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It's a fascinating book. Now, as I shared in many of the

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podcasts, I believe that we are all leaders, that we don't have

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to be in formal leadership positions to display leadership.

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The topic is important enough to me that I wrote the book

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leadership inside out, affecting change from within. I also

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hosted a number of podcasts on my own over the series. As

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examples, I see you as a leader, C in quotation marks, the letter

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C, gratitude and leadership, conflict and conflict

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resolution, dealing with the ripples created by change

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leadership, reflections and leadership, you have all you

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need inside of you. I really believe that now. I also knew

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that keeping ourselves healthy and helping you as listeners

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with tips also seemed important given our stress laden work

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environments now, I relied primarily on the expertise

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available. Except for the podcast exploring stress

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management, I was thrilled to be provided the opportunity to

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interview dimple de Balia and the podcast, challenging the

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narrative of service before self. Dimple has woven both her

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own story and that of others that she's worked with into a

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phenomenal book, tell me my story, challenging the narrative

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of service before self, a book that digs deep into the

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realities that so many of us who provide service to others

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because, and I'll take a quote from her book, caring for others

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is inherent to who we are, and to do anything different would

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lead us feeling unfulfilled and restless and what we experience.

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Did you know that vicarious trauma can result from repeated

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exposure to other people's trauma and their stories of

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traumatic events, and that compassion fatigue can result

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from caring for those who are in significant pain and distress.

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It will likely come as no surprise that factors such as

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lack of transparency decision making that doesn't consider

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workforce health and perceptions of unfairness in the workplace

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can tip our organizations into what is termed organizational

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trauma, all of which contribute to toxic work environments,

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burnout, disengagement and sickness. If your role includes

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oversight of people, you could be having to deal with all of

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these both as the leader of the team you're responsible for and

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personally temple shared the good news that we can reset and

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redesign once traumatized cultures again. Another thought,

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they're all fabulous books and the podcast, nurture, nurture,

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nourishing your well being to prevent burnout. Sharon

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Summerfield, founder of the nourished executive, delved into

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the topic of stress and burnout, and how making small, micro

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changes, which begins with the desire of living a more

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nourishing in all contexts and fulfilling life, can turn

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adversity into adventure, active activism and alignment with who

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You are your core. Now. Sharon's a registered holistic

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nutritionist, and she's a certified breath coach, and

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she's certainly a model of lifelong learning and of paying

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it forward to help others in their journeys. Melissa dealey

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is a registered Health Coach and an integrated health

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practitioner. Now she had originally been employed as a

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business executive in the in hotel industry, getting let go

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when big fish bought little fish, as she says, And when the

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reality of both daughters suffering concussion,

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concussions from sports injuries, caused her to reassess

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priorities and to refocus on a different journey, one that has

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led her to her current work. She talks about her journey, and

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she's shared invaluable health tips, tips meant to help each of

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us on our own health journeys. And the podcast, your health is

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important. Don't wait for your wake up call

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Melissa reminds us that health isn't everything, but without

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it, everything else is nothing. Helping others improve their

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health journeys has become her life's passion and purpose, and

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it shows words like newfound energy, gut health, dealing with

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brain fogginess, certainly caught my attention, and Melissa

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continues to share her wisdom through her podcast. Don't wait

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for your wake up. Call her YouTube channel your guided

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health journey and the programs that she offers, I suspect that

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many of you are like me, especially when it comes to how

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we're feeling perceived by. Our worlds, we all pick up on body

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language changes in vocal tone and other indicators that an

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individual's words as one example may not be an accurate

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reflection of what they're truly feeling. And yes, this provides

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a wonderful playground for those negative voices inside of us in

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the podcast, grappling with our Gremlins, those negative inner

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voices I talked about, that negative chatter inside our

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heads. Some call it our gremlins. It is the stuff that

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holds us back, erodes our self confidence, and can create havoc

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in our ability to present as our very best. I've not yet met

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anyone who doesn't struggle with this. In the podcast, we explore

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identification of those Gremlins and tools to use to enable a

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refocus when they're having their fun with us. Guest Julia

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Wooster grew tired of being an administrative assistant. She

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also hated her fingernail biting habit. Hypnotherapy answered

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both of her quandaries when she decided to pursue certification

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with the National guild, if hypnotherapists now, that was

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more than a decade ago. She's now a seasoned hypnotist and a

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Reiki Master. She helps people kick their habits, heal from

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past traumas and begin loving the life of their dreams. In the

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podcast hypnotherapy and healing, Julia told us about the

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career choice and provided answers to all those questions

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that you might have about hypnosis, how it works, whether

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it sticks, and for those of you worried that you might start to

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collect like a chicken, she answered the entertainment

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hypnosis questions to fun podcast. We all know that

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there's sometimes things that happen to us that we have no

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control over, like life altering illnesses, employment

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termination and then being cut off Ltd benefits. Dealing with

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one of these is difficult enough, but when all occur at

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the same time, it can feel like a virtual tsunami. We can let

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these kinds of circumstances take us out, or we can decide to

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fight those choices, determined where we go next in this life of

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ours, in the podcast resurfacing from circumstances beyond our

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control, you met Katherine Elliot, one of my heroes,

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someone who models courage, resilience and tenacity and what

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Deciding to react differently can look like even in truly

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adverse circumstances. Another hero of mine, Steve servic,

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shared his personal story and the work he's doing to change

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the culture and fire and protective services departments

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across North America are working with him and much of what he's

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written about in his book The Unbroken, a firefighter's

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memoir, and the podcast Steve Steve servic, Assistant Fauci

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talks about fire culture and mental health, contains many of

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those insights Steve talked about the Culture of fire

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services departments, and the fact that although surveys

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conducted have found that 95% of firefighters feel critical

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incident stress, 65% are traumatized by calls. Over 80%

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of firefighters don't feel that they can talk to a peer or seek

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help about how they're feeling due to a concern that they might

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be perceived as weak or unfit for duty. Horrible. Statistics.

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The suicide rate for this profession is high. Steve

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continues to make it his business to bring voice to this

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reality and to this concern, in the podcast, I also talked about

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personal development, the process of working to become the

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very best version of ourselves. It takes time, and it takes self

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awareness as such, it made sense to explore and provide podcasts

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around the topic of personal development, I created podcasts

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passion and legacy, finding and living the power of your joy,

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nurtured by nature, what can happen when you say yes, and

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then reached out to very valued guests for More. Have you ever

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heard of negativity bias? Have you ever felt yourself

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constantly ruminating over a comment where you felt

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criticized, perhaps still fuming over that driver that gave you

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the finger on your way to work, really down over that

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disappointing performance review, and hypersensitive over

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what felt like a disappoint. Did look towards you from your boss,

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perhaps? Do you like me, tend to brush off compliments, focus on

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the poor grades you received instead of the good ones, and

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look to the next goal without really recognizing and

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celebrating the one that you just accomplished. You're not

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alone. GUEST, Cheryl Brewster helped us understand why we do

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this and provide us with tips to help change this in her podcast,

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understanding and dealing with negativity bias, we need to be

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modeling this, because when we help ourselves, we also help

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those that we lead, and these tools help all aspects of our

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lives, so also those that we love. Guest Sam theara in the

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podcast, ignite the dream does a deep dive in discovering the

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extraordinary and the ordinary. Why? I'll use the quote from his

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book, everyone's life is an autobiography. Make yours worth

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reading. He encouraged everyone to go towards a path that is

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authentic to them, because often we're in a role that earns us a

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paycheck. But is that enough? In the podcast, we learned of Sam's

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journey as also captured in his book, Lost and Found, seeking

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the past and finding myself, Sam talked about living by

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gratitude, changing the world and dealing with the haters as

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examples and of the power of acronyms and anchors to help

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discover who we are and how we can learn to live our best life.

Susan Ney:

In the podcast, finding or rediscovering your life's

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purpose. Barb Ashcroft shared that she works with individuals

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with a desire to grow, to change the current normal and unearth

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what might be holding them back from a more fulfilled, vibrant

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and healthy life. She asks, and I quote, are you ready for some

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self development and confidence building as a natural leader.

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She's learned a great deal about mindset, attitude and positive

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thinking with the desire to raise people up to their full

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potential, she helps shifts people's belief in themselves.

Susan Ney:

She asks, Are you ready to lose your frustrations and fears? As

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Barb said, your mind is your biggest barrier to an optimal

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life. Now with the podcast titled HR, and set out it was

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important to address topics of the media and interest to those

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with people oversight responsibilities. So I hosted

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recruitment tips and tails importance of fun play at work,

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conflict and conflict resolution, but again, sought

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other expertise from other areas of interest. We're aware that

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our work teams are comprised of multi generations, and research

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indicates that each generation tends to have specific

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preferences and characteristics. GUEST Amal Anup chats about one

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of these Gen Zed on the podcast, Amal T Anup on engaging Gen Zed.

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Amal is originally from Kochi karala In India, and he speaks

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passionately about changes that we could be making to our

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education systems and our organizations to better engage

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this newest generation to our work environments. Did you know

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that 50% 57% actually, of employees feel invisible at

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work, and 20% of new hires will quit their first job in the

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first 45 days? Many don't even show up on day one, particularly

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when the gap, there's a big gap between the job offer and the

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start date,

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according to a 2021 research study by McKinsey, a lack of

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connection and appreciation is the number one driver for

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attrition. In fact, people are nearly three times more likely

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to quit because they don't feel that they belong at work than

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because of poor compensation. In the podcast with guest Dr Alia

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remtilla, enhancing the employment experience,

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onboarding and retention, we learned that it is Dr REM Tiller

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mission to help companies foster stronger, more authentic human

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connections amongst their employees. She's the Chief

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Scientist and co founder of storytelling, a platform that

Susan Ney:

uses anthropology and technology to bring more authenticity to

Susan Ney:

workplace relationships. It's a simple, automated way to create

Susan Ney:

impactful, personalized films that show employees that they

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matter. Kate bravery, co author of the recently published book

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work, different 10 truths for winning in the people age. The

Susan Ney:

10 truths, headings, goodbye, employees, hello. Contributors,

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stressed out, burnt out and quietly quit. Thing, it doesn't

Susan Ney:

pay to stay purpose, rules and empathy wins. Trust and

Susan Ney:

Accountability are a team sport. The new rhythm of work. Skills

Susan Ney:

are the real currency of work. Supply is unchanged.

Susan Ney:

Intelligence is getting amplified, and sustainability

Susan Ney:

starts with people piqued my curiosity, as did the learning

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of the impact of AI ESG and the very vocal expectations of our

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younger generations. Kate shared her research and her insights in

Susan Ney:

the podcast work different 10 truths for winning in the people

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age, originally from last Nigeria, ayo owoduni migrated,

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immigrated to Canada in 2016 as an economic migrant. His his

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initial experiences were not positive ones, and I don't think

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he's, it's, he's that's unusual. He learned from these and he now

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works with both businesses and individuals to change this.

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Canada needs the 500,000 immigrants scheduled to make

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Canada their new home per year. I shared what we as their

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colleagues and they as new immigrants can and should be

Susan Ney:

doing differently to make this experience better for everyone

Susan Ney:

in his podcast, ayo owadoni on the Canadian immigrant

Susan Ney:

experience, Tracy Lee Lawrence, and in her podcast insights into

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organizations use of personality profile tools and Tracy's

Susan Ney:

Paragon Strategic Services, she dove into the topic of

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personality profiling tools, tools that we often use In

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Recruitment Training and as a communication tool within our

Susan Ney:

organizations for personal insights and growth and how they

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can be effectively used and misused. GUEST Nadine hanshar on

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the podcast, creating better relationships at home and at

Susan Ney:

work, Knowing Me, Knowing you, the Pep. Pep personality

Susan Ney:

researched and developed her own personality profile instrument,

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one that I found knew me better than any of the others that I've

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been introduced to in my career. Now, if you're interested in

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learning more about the impact of shame and the inner critic of

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the toxic shame spiral and our shadow and of the negative

Susan Ney:

impact that unexpressed anger can have on our health, you

Susan Ney:

would have found the podcast anger management with guest

Susan Ney:

Alistair moose fascinating as he explored the importance of anger

Susan Ney:

management. Alistair shared that the pain, sadness, hurt, fear,

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anxiety, shame, and often trauma that we experience are what

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leads us to react disproportionately to events,

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and it's only when this is examined with compassion and

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deep respect that we can alter our response to the triggers in

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our lives and learn To relate to the emotional reactions that

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have led us astray. Alistair moose and his team at Moose

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anger management have been humbled and inspired by the many

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people who have taken up the courage to take on this type of

Susan Ney:

investigation. My friend and guest Mark Miller spoke on

Susan Ney:

strategic HR and the role of HR technology in his podcast. Now,

Susan Ney:

Mark published his first book, heroic HR in May 2012 and he

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calls it a little book with big ideas, where he presented his

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passion and philosophy, philosophy of the need for HR to

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align itself with the business of the company in which it works

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to present strategic value added information to all stakeholders,

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stakeholders, and to move from data management to information

Susan Ney:

craftsmanship. In his most recent book, The Death of HR,

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who killed H Harriet R rose job is a cautionary tale and a

Susan Ney:

detective story which provides further insights and actions for

Susan Ney:

all members within the HR workforce, HR technology, human

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management, capital, HCM strategies, workforce, cyber

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awareness, all leveraging technology to position HR as a

Susan Ney:

strategic partner, and each of which remain a huge passion for

Susan Ney:

Mark that he continues to teach, consult and to speak on in the

Susan Ney:

podcast, we also talk about mentoring, both the formal and

Susan Ney:

the informal versions that our experience. Experiences with

Susan Ney:

these one of the podcasts on mentoring with guest Carolyn

Susan Ney:

Cooper mcquot. Over the years of her careers, Carolyn's been very

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involved in setting up mentoring programs through her role as a

Susan Ney:

trainer, advisor and coordinator at local college. Now, these

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have been quite structured. My personal experiences have been

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with the more laissez faire ones and those that just simply came

Susan Ney:

about because, well, they just seemed meant to in this era of

Susan Ney:

so much brain drain, engaging that wisdom and experiences, one

Susan Ney:

way to pay it forward is something that we're both

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certainly encouraging and we even deal with finances. Guest

Susan Ney:

Heather Abbott's passion is helping empower individuals with

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confidence in their finances and joy in their lives. Yeah, I

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think that's the first time I put finance and joy in the same

Susan Ney:

sentence, combining the left brained money and financial

Susan Ney:

details with the right brained emotion, spiritual Woo to

Susan Ney:

improve your life is her specialty. In the podcast on

Susan Ney:

financial clarity for prosperity, Heather shares tips

Susan Ney:

to make the money stuff more manageable. It is your future

Susan Ney:

that we're talking about here, and Heather encourages us to

Susan Ney:

make it a prosperous one. I met Stephen Hammond, a lawyer turned

Susan Ney:

professional speaker, many years ago, and was impressed at how he

Susan Ney:

delivers his message now. Stephen helps clients avoid the

Susan Ney:

landmines that are getting so many people and workplaces in

Susan Ney:

trouble. For 27 years, he's educated 1000s of Canadians

Susan Ney:

about the importance of preventing and responding to all

Susan Ney:

the inappropriate stuff that does go on at work. In

Susan Ney:

particular, he's focused on harassment, bullying and

Susan Ney:

discrimination. Now, despite the serious nature of these issues,

Susan Ney:

Stephen's known for his humor, his wit, and for discussing

Susan Ney:

issues that are current and relevant in the podcast,

Susan Ney:

bullying, harassment and discrimination, Steven shared

Susan Ney:

the importance of dealing quickly with matters that can

Susan Ney:

erupt very quickly into more serious situations, especially

Susan Ney:

when these appear To violate individuals ability to work in a

Susan Ney:

respectful work environment or in it or an infringement on the

Susan Ney:

protections provided on human rights, on the charter of

Susan Ney:

freedom legislation. Steven stories are real, taken from

Susan Ney:

actual cases. His lessons using his recent book, the new norm, a

Susan Ney:

manager's guide to improving workplace behavior and keeping

Susan Ney:

out of legal hot water are practical. Steven makes a

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subject that could be overwhelming and mired and

Susan Ney:

legally approachable and understandable. Alex Kane,

Susan Ney:

Senior Project Manager with Maximizer software incorporated

Susan Ney:

dug deep into the topic of employee engagement, looking at

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some of the statistics around disengagement, and reviewing the

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practices and culture that Alex has found successful in helping

Susan Ney:

to create an engaged workforce. In his podcast with me,

Susan Ney:

exploring employee engagement, digging deeper, Alex provided

Susan Ney:

lots of tips for those who lead teams and for those struggling

Susan Ney:

to keep excited about their own employment.

Susan Ney:

I reached out to guest Cindy Rogers as well, who taught to

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talk about employee engagement, both her own and that of the

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employees that she's worked with in the podcast, engagement on

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our employment experiences. Cindy also talked about the

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employee engagement project that she had assigned to her

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students. She talked about what they've learned from their

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research and how that learning compares with their own

Susan Ney:

employment experiences. To date, I rounded out that podcast focus

Susan Ney:

with my own podcasts on what's happening to customer service,

Susan Ney:

on simplicity and a further exploring employment engagement.

Susan Ney:

I also wanted to do podcasts from the union's perspective, as

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I shared my book leadership inside out, affecting change

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from within. I became interested in the union movement when I

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first started employment after graduating from high school.

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Now, the interest led me to accept employment with the

Susan Ney:

Communication Workers of Canada, first as a union organizer and

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then as a national representative. But eventually,

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the call of love and returning to the West Coast drew me back

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to Vancouver to pursue an undergraduate degree at SFU and

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to the eventual employment within human resources I've

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always cherished. The years I worked for the CWC, the lessons,

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the mentoring I was provided, the people I met, many of whom

Susan Ney:

remain friends to this day, the time I spent on the. Quote, the

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other side, unquote, gave me tremendous insight into how the

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worker sees things and how individuals representing the

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workers view issues. It is an experience that I hold dear, and

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I really hope that it's positively impacted my how as I

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practice my people recite responsibilities over the years.

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So I reached out to two of my mentors when I worked for the

Susan Ney:

CWC, hoping they might agree to be interviewed. They became

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immediately obvious I was still the new guy to them, and they

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loved the chance to share their own stories. It wasn't a tough

Susan Ney:

sell. First, I reached out to Bill house for a podcast titled

Susan Ney:

a career of building equity and justice. Now Bill someone who,

Susan Ney:

through every action, every word he spoke, exuded leadership

Susan Ney:

alignment with core values and absolute passion for what he

Susan Ney:

did. He knew what he was good at. He built leaders along the

Susan Ney:

way, and he has continued to make a positive difference, even

Susan Ney:

in his retirement activities. Bill spent most of his career

Susan Ney:

working for and with unions as a paid employee within those

Susan Ney:

organizations, as Bill shared when we are able to fulfill our

Susan Ney:

life's purpose, in Bill's case, helping ensure people's voices

Susan Ney:

were heard, inequities were addressed and choice was

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actioned as part of the responsibilities of what we're

Susan Ney:

paid to do, we tend to infuse really positive stuff onto those

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that we work with. I was one of the lucky ones. Provided that

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opportunity at a very early point, point in my career, being

Susan Ney:

able to work with such an individual Bill Howes, I also

Susan Ney:

reached out to my other mentor, Ed Seymour, for the podcast, the

Susan Ney:

importance of mentors in creating our personal career

Susan Ney:

histories with guest Edward e Seymour in this podcast, Ed

Susan Ney:

shared his thoughts on the importance of mentors,

Susan Ney:

especially during your key developmental years and when

Susan Ney:

you're feeling stretched beyond what you think you might be

Susan Ney:

capable of. He also spoke on the creation of our personal career

Susan Ney:

histories, the ones that evolved from the decisions that we make

Susan Ney:

along the way, when we say yes to opportunities and create, at

Susan Ney:

times, roads less traveled as part of our learning and

Susan Ney:

development. Using Ed's rich and diverse career history as a real

Susan Ney:

life example of the tapestry that we can choose to weave over

Susan Ney:

the years, I remain very glad that I became a thread in Ed's

Susan Ney:

tapestry, and of course, he and mine. Next, I reached out to

Susan Ney:

Brian Schramm. Now Brian was working as the business manager

Susan Ney:

for the West Vancouver Municipal Employees Union when I was the

Susan Ney:

director of human resources and payroll services with the

Susan Ney:

district of West Vancouver, Brian left the wvmea to join

Susan Ney:

another union, the BCG you where he became an expert on the BC

Susan Ney:

public sector pension plans. At the time that we recorded our

Susan Ney:

podcast, he was probably one of the most knowledgeable

Susan Ney:

individuals around when it came to public service pensions.

Susan Ney:

Brian joined me on the podcast understanding BC public sector

Susan Ney:

pension plans, where he shared some of his knowledge and

Susan Ney:

addressed questions that we've both been asked in our

Susan Ney:

respective positions over the years. And the next chapter, I'm

Susan Ney:

in the semi retirement chapter of my life. I took early

Susan Ney:

retirement to be able to what I called color outside the lines.

Susan Ney:

My HR years were wonderful, and I was fortunate to be able to

Susan Ney:

leave full time employment and transitioned into working as a

Susan Ney:

consultant, Coach and Trainer. I'm well aware of the challenge

Susan Ney:

that employment transitions can create, especially when the

Susan Ney:

decision to move to a next chapter might not be our own. It

Susan Ney:

was an area that I felt warranted a deeper dive. In my

Susan Ney:

conversation with guest Charlene Wright on the podcast on career

Susan Ney:

transition, especially for creatives, Charlene noted that

Susan Ney:

people only really get ready for a career transition when they

Susan Ney:

have to and thus find the process something that really

Susan Ney:

shakes them to their core. She also talked that we need to get

Susan Ney:

better at self managing our careers. Charlene founded smart

Susan Ney:

career solutions. SCS to recognize and celebrate that a

Susan Ney:

significant number of professionals don't fit into a

Susan Ney:

traditional service model, and that not all professionals wear

Susan Ney:

a suit or would consider themselves an average job

Susan Ney:

seekers. Seeker. She asks a. Are you an out of work creative

Susan Ney:

professional that wants a new job or wants to build a creative

Susan Ney:

business or both? Do you leverage your creative and

Susan Ney:

artistic skills to your advantage? Are you missing out

Susan Ney:

on better opportunities? Have you married the elements of

Susan Ney:

being creative, finding meaningful work and generating

Susan Ney:

money. She offers job search online courses and career

Susan Ney:

coaching if you're ready to leverage your superpower, or at

Susan Ney:

least be willing to be held accountable. And all her work is

Susan Ney:

aligned with her belief that creatives bring valuable

Susan Ney:

contributions to the workplace and to the world. I heartily

Susan Ney:

agree. Cheryl, Brewster of the intuitive life, left her

Susan Ney:

corporate job to pursue a calling. Cheryl walks us through

Susan Ney:

the aha moment and the journey that she's been on to find and

Susan Ney:

to live her true purpose, the business that she has grown as a

Susan Ney:

result, and the lessons that she's learned through the

Susan Ney:

process in her podcast, leaving corporate to become an

Susan Ney:

entrepreneur. Now, retirement is a topic becoming of

Susan Ney:

significantly more importance and interest to individuals of

Susan Ney:

my generation, the boomers, and it's also something that those

Susan Ney:

just wishing for those golden years should start giving some

Susan Ney:

thought to although it might not feel like it at the time, the

Susan Ney:

years do pass by quickly, and more importantly, once you're

Susan Ney:

finally there, thanks in large part to our better health care,

Susan Ney:

many of us have many years ahead of us. And for those of you have

Susan Ney:

been going warp speed for decades, the sudden stop can

Susan Ney:

feel like heading into a collision with a brick wall, and

Susan Ney:

it doesn't need to be that way. With a little planning. We're

Susan Ney:

all different, and we all yearn for different things in our new

Susan Ney:

chapter, in the next chapter, a topic that I addressed in the

Susan Ney:

podcast, transitioning to retirement. In the podcast,

Susan Ney:

there was resignation and reality, reassessing priorities.

Susan Ney:

We learned that 50% of our workforce were considering

Susan Ney:

quitting McKinsey and Company and Harvard Business Review

Susan Ney:

articles in September 2021 when the podcast was broadcast, noted

Susan Ney:

that people were choosing not to return to work, even without the

Susan Ney:

safety net of alternate employment. Very unusual, they

Susan Ney:

shared that we're assessing our priorities, yearning to be

Susan Ney:

appreciated and recognized, to be considered and treated more

Susan Ney:

than a transaction, and that companies that understood this

Susan Ney:

were doing what needed to happen to change. Still others were not

Susan Ney:

willing to shift. And resignation isn't truly an

Susan Ney:

option for many of us. In the podcast, I talk about what we

Susan Ney:

can do to help create the changes that we wish to see in

Susan Ney:

our own lives, as individuals, within our teams, within our

Susan Ney:

organizations. Two years later, this is still relevant.

Susan Ney:

I find myself increasingly speaking with individuals who

Susan Ney:

have chosen to lead their careers to pursue something

Susan Ney:

different in their later years. Perhaps you are mid career and

Susan Ney:

asking whether there could be something more or a way you

Susan Ney:

could be applying your skills, experience and education

Susan Ney:

differently, like me, you want to color outside those

Susan Ney:

proverbial lines and do differently with more passion

Susan Ney:

and refining that sparkle that you haven't seen lately when

Susan Ney:

looking at you in the mirror. In the podcast, career choices,

Susan Ney:

even after retirement, you met individuals who made that leap

Susan Ney:

and never looked back. And for many of you who spent your lives

Susan Ney:

at one speed, full on, retirement might not be what you

Susan Ney:

had contemplated. For those who had absolutely no time

Susan Ney:

whatsoever to pursue hobbies and fashions, the hours now

Susan Ney:

available to you may seem long and unproductive, perhaps

Susan Ney:

becoming a podcaster might be of interest to you. I really didn't

Susan Ney:

have any idea what I gotten into when I began my podcasting

Susan Ney:

journey. I had no idea that I would need a license and that I

Susan Ney:

would need to either self edit or engage an editor. I didn't

Susan Ney:

know I would need a better microphone and that I would need

Susan Ney:

to have everyone else off the internet, internet, when I

Susan Ney:

scheduled podcast recordings, I have learned so much about

Susan Ney:

myself. I've learned from my guests and the research required

Susan Ney:

of each episode. Thank you again to Pam Jones of sounds right for

Susan Ney:

teaching me how to prepare my voice and posture before

Susan Ney:

recording podcasts. I still forget that coffee and dairy are

Susan Ney:

no no's and that I need to be well hydrated. Thank you to my

Susan Ney:

guests for saying yes and for sharing their expertise. Thank

Susan Ney:

you for my loving husband for his constant support, and to you

Susan Ney:

my listeners for making the decision to listen to HR and. It

Susan Ney:

out for your time and for your interest. It's Susan signing

Susan Ney:

off, saying a farewell. Finally, for the last time, remember,

Susan Ney:

dare to soar. Believe you can I do and always will. Take a look.

Susan Ney:

Take a listen. There are the wealth of podcasts with

Susan Ney:

wonderful individuals on your favorite podcast site still

Susan Ney:

available to you for your listening and for your your

Susan Ney:

learning. It's Susan signing off. Have a great day, everyone.

Susan Ney:

Bye for now, and thank you. Thank.

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About the Podcast

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HR Inside Out
Demystifying HR & People Management

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About your host

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Susan Ney

Susan has worked with people all her life. As a human resources professional she has specialized in all aspects of employment, from hiring to retirement. She got her start as a national representative for a large Canadian union. After pursuing an undergrad degree in business administration, Susan transitioned to HR management, where she aspired to bring both employee and management perspectives to her work. She retired from her multi-decade career in HR to pursue writing and consulting, and to be able, in her words, to “colour outside the lines.” She promises some fun and lots of learning in this, her podcast HR Inside Out: Demystifying HR & People Management. Susan also holds a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training.