Gut + Science - Real Talk With Ceos On Culture, Data, And Decision-making

“People don’t leave companies, they leave managers. And trust is a big part of this equation.” In this episode of Insights, we’re taking a closer look at trust. What does it mean to develop trust with our managers? What does it look like in practice?  Listen in as Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) dives into how you can make building trust a priority when coaching and developing your managers [and how this spills out to your other employees]. You’ll also hear from Levi Schrock, of Custom Concrete, and Jennifer Orozco, a certified transformational life coach and leadership consultant, as they discuss some of the challenges that managers face today when it comes to transparency. Spoiler alert: when trust becomes a core theme throughout an organization, your best employees are far more likely to stick around. Hear why on Insights.  Download Emplify’s Manager Report here Connect with Santiago Connect with Nicole Learn more about Emplify  Connect with Levi Schrock Learn more about Cust

In this first episode of Season 3 of Insights, we’re diving into managers and how we can invest in them.  Managers have a hard job. They often don’t know where to go to get answers to hard questions. So, how can we empower our managers to grow and lead in a way that both captures the mission from the executive level while meeting the needs of our employees on the frontlines? That’s what this season of Insights is all about. In this episode, you’ll hear from Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) on why your best employees want to lean in, and be engaged, challenged, and developed. How can they do this? [Hint: They need managers who are also being engaged, challenged, and developed.] You’ll also hear from Kevin Kruse (@kruse), Founder and CEO of Lead X, a company that offers AI-powered digital coaching for managers who are trying to improve employee engagement and the effectiveness of their teams. Having a great relationship with a manager is certainly something that matters to employees

Truth You Can Act On:  Purpose unlocks engagement. On your spiritual growth journey, understanding your purpose is key. As leaders, make sure you know your team members’ individual purpose. Help them help you understand their purpose. The mental game is huge. We choose our attitude, and you can’t be negative and in gratitude at the same time. Try shifting your attitude with the ‘cancel-cancel’ approach Tommy discusses in this episode. Physical development journey. Physical activity can help immensely with stress management, energy, and confidence. Whether it’s going for a daily walk or lifting weights, make sure your employees are getting the physical activity they need.  Social and emotional development journey. Don’t live in isolation - it’s important to build relationships and meet new people. Spend time listening to and understanding others.  Embrace feedback daily. Having a culture of feedback on your team can embrace transparency.  The importance of reading. What are you consistently doing to develop y

Truth You Can Act On:  Tune in to Part 2 of Tommy’s interview next week for Nikki’s full Truth You Can Act On, but in the meantime, share your takeaways and tag us on social media.  Full Show Notes: https://gutplusscience.com/tommy-richardson Book Recommendation:  Bringing Out the Best in Others by Thomas Connellan Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s really happening within a workforce go… to get honest feedback… and to understand what needs to change for people to love their work using simple and trustworthy data.

“You should never stop mentoring and you should never stop being mentored.” Alison Martin is the Chief Mentoring Officer at Diverse Talent Strategies, a training and development firm with a unique mentoring process aimed at talent development, promoting inclusion, employee engagement, and social responsibility.  As Alison points out, you would be hard-pressed to find a successful leader who doesn't attribute mentoring as a key aspect in helping them reach success.  How can mentoring help you shine a different perspective on problems and bring in fresh, outside ideas? In this episode of Gut+Science, Alison and Nikki hone in on the importance of peer, group, and one-on-one mentoring. Listen in to hear success stories of leaders overcoming challenges, tips on finding strategic solutions, and more.  SPECIAL OFFER: The Engage Mentoring Executive Talent Roundtables provide a confidential peer mentoring experience for organizational leaders striving to build highly engaged workforces. Build new relationships and le

Truth You Can Act On:  Understand Your Biology. As leaders, when you start to understand the biology behind your brain, you can demystify it in a way that you don't have to feel like you're being controlled by it. Neal recommends meditation as a tool to combat that stressed or overwhelmed feeling.  Emotion. Releasing and using your emotions is a core principle of mindfulness. As a leader, having emotions and showing vulnerability can bring your workplace together.   How Stress Impacts Your Workplace. If your people are overwhelmed at work, their brain produces cortisol, which results in stress and takes away creativity and the ability to absorb information. Have a space where your people can rest their brains to feel refreshed.  Full Shownotes:   https://gutplusscience.com/neal-phalora Book Recommendation:  Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify.

  Truth You Can Act On:  Get Permission to Lead. Don’t assume people are ready. Building trust and building relationships with people take time - this doesn’t happen overnight.  Serve Your People. What can you do for your people? Take time to listen to your employees and follow up on what you heard. People want to follow selfless servant leaders.  Small Deposits Make an Impact. Know your people’s names, write notes, and remember what others share with you. It’s the little things that help people know you care.  Full Show Notes: https://gutplusscience.com/marcia-barnes Book Recommendation:  The Maxwell Leadership Bible by John C. Maxwell Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s really happening within a workforce go… to get honest feedback… and to understand what needs to change

  Truth You Can Act On:  Take Time Out to Team Build. Spend time getting to know the people you work with.   Purpose is the Core of a Business. Reiterate the purpose of the company regularly and pour into the purpose of your people. What is their personal purpose? How does your business help that come alive? Leaders Are Doers. Jump in more often!  Full Show Notes: https://gutplusscience.com/don-brown Book Recommendation:  Exponential Organizations by Salim Ismail Sponsor: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s really happening within a workforce go… to get honest feedback… and to understand what needs to change for people to love their work using simple and trustworthy data.

Truth You Can Act On:  Partner with K-12 to Attack the Talent Shortage Problem. We have to start educating children on career options earlier on and keep in mind the opportunities to skill up aside from the traditional college path. Who’s Your Team? Have a group of people that you can collaborate with and support each other to overcome problems. Be sure to email Nikki at nikki@emplify.com if you need ideas on how to find groups of people like this. Be Involved in Your Community. Everything works better with community participation Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/david-decker Book Recommendation:  StoryBrand by Donald Miller Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s really happening within a workforce go… to get honest feedback… and to understand what needs to change f

Truth You Can Act On:  We Can Shift Our Attitude in Minutes. Get cut off in traffic? Did an incident at work or at home get you down? Take a few minutes to list out the things you’re grateful for in life. Gratitude is the foundation to shifting your attitude.  Attitude Times Behavior Equals Consequence. Reflect on this in your current life scenario. Enhance your life by working on your attitude and behaviors.  As a Leader, Be Real. The way to be real? Be you! Relationships influence employee engagement so be authentic when it comes to interacting with your people. Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/mark-schulman/ Book Recommendation:  The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google by Scott Galloway  Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s really happen

Truth You Can Act On:  Focus on the Result. Lead with the end in mind and help your people see their goals clearly. Paint that picture of what success looks like. Leverage Technology with Video. Encourage both audio and visual aspects for remote meetings to bridge that distance. Treat Your Remote Workforce like Insiders. Take a look at how you interact with both 1099 and remote employees. How can you enhance this to treat them more like a trusted colleague? Constant Gratitude. As a leader, express your thanks in hand-written notes, calls, or texts. Gratitude is another key to relationship building.  Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/kate-colbert/ Book Recommendation:  Think Like a Marketer by Kate Colbert Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s really happening within

Truth You Can Act On:  Healthy Teams. You may have superstars sitting next to each other, but they don’t work well together. Sound familiar? As a leader, don’t be a referee. A healthy team consists of  people helping each other be bigger than themselves. Get Uncomfortable. Yes, you heard that right. As Chris says, getting uncomfortable is vital to your organization. Talk about how you’re feeling, and look at the bigger picture.  The “Ideal Leader.” An ideal leader isn’t someone shouting orders - it’s someone who is listening. Try starting your one-on-one meetings by asking your people how they’re doing as a human. Let them know right off the bat that they’re psychologically safe, and can be themselves around you.  Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/chris-hutchinson/ Book Recommendation:  No Ego by Cy Wakeman Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a

Truth You Can Act On:  Know Why Your People Work. It’s a great exercise to do as a team or at your next one-on-one. You should also know why YOU work. Understand the 17 Components of Employee Engagement. There are 17 different things that bring people to work. Email Nikki at nikki@emplify.com if you want to learn the definitions of all 17 components.  Gain Data Quarterly. It’s important to be agile in your people strategy. Data will help you understand what’s working and what’s not.  Build Relationships with Your People. Understand what's behind the hat they wear at work and truly get to know your employees. Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/employee-engagement Book Recommendation: Email Host Nikki Lewallen at nikki@emplify.com for a full list of book recommendations from our past guests. Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure

Throughout this season of #Insights, we’ve made an effort to go beyond the buzzwords, digging deep to understand how to truly build a winning employee engagement strategy. Along the way, we talked with industry experts about how to deconstruct these buzzwords and get to the root of the issues. Now, it’s time to break down the buzzwords. What do we do once we’ve identified them? How do new understandings help transform our organizations?  You’ve heard Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) sprinkle in his ‘insights’ when it comes to employee engagement. Now, listen in as we tie our findings together. Download the first chapter of Santiago’s book, Agile Engagement Connect with Santiago Connect with Nicole  Learn more about Emplify 

Let’s be honest: Some of us love getting feedback. While others hear this phrase and have nightmares. The same goes for the giver. It always feels good to give someone feedback for a job well done, but when it comes to delivering critical feedback, it can riddle even the strongest leaders with anxiety. In this episode, you’ll hear from Chris Bittinger (@c_bittinger), President of Open Pivot, Inc. Chris explains why it’s important to view feedback as an ongoing conversation between both parties to reduce the anxiety that comes with event-based feedback, in which employees find themselves bracing for what they’re about to hear.  Listen in as Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara) discusses why moving toward a new understanding of feedback is a necessary step for leaders who want to empower their top talent and create the type of culture where everyone thrives.  Connect with Santiago Connect with Chris Learn more about Open Pivot, Inc. Learn more about Emplify

This week on #Insights, we’re tackling the buzzword “employee wellness.” You know, things like ping pong tables, relaxed dress codes, kombucha on tap! Wait, are those things actually wellness related? According to Liesel Mertes (@lieselmertes), Founder of Handle with Care HR Solutions, wellness is about what an employee experiences during disruptive life events. It seems simple, but why are organizations unprepared to support their employees in times of crisis? How can we learn to navigate those situations in a way that truly sees our employees as human. Listen in as Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara), shares how the most disengaged employees in an organization are often the ones we listen to the least and what we can do to elevate their voice and re-imagine what employee wellness really means. Connect with Santiago Connect with Liesel Learn more about Emplify 

This week on #Insights, we’re digging into that set of buzzwords ‘talent war’ and understanding what it means to have employees who are connecting their work with their head, heart, and hands. As leaders, our goal isn’t to provide satisfaction for our employees. It’s to help them unlock their own potential. One-on-ones are a small step in that direction, according to Bobbie Shreiner, President of Progression Partners.  In this episode, you’ll hear Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara), explain why your people want to hear from you. So, how can you spend time helping them develop and grow? Connect with Santiago Connect with Nicole Connect with Bobbie  Learn more about Progression Partners Learn more about Emplify 

In this first episode of Series 2 of Insights, we’re diving into how to actually build a winning employee engagement strategy [while killing the buzzwords]. Spoiler alert: It’s much bigger than a paycheck.  So, what are we missing? What is it that people - the talent - are craving?  In this episode, Carla Taylor, a leadership and development coach, discusses Ikigai, the reason for being. You’ll also hear from Emplify CEO and Co-Founder Santiago Jaramillo (@santiagojara), who recently spoke at Emplify’s Live Insights event in Indianapolis on employee engagement. Listen in to how Santiago defines the reason for being, what success is, and how organizations can communicate more effectively to increase productivity.  Connect with Santiago Connect with Nicole Connect with Carla  Learn more about Emplify 

As leaders, it's important for us to model behavior that is healthy for our people.  Listen in as Gut+Science host Nikki Lewallen (@nikkilewallen) and Nicole MacLean (@nicolemmaclean), Director of Marketing Relationships at Emplify, discuss the importance of rest - and how it directly impacts employee engagement.  If you haven't scheduled that vacation yet, maybe this episode will give you some inspiration! Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/nicole-maclean/ Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s really happening within a workforce go… to get honest feedback… and to understand what needs to change for people to love their work using simple and trustworthy data.

Truth You Can Act On:  70/30. 70 percent of our time should be spent on what fires us up, and 30 percent of our time can be spent on ‘the other stuff.’ Review your calendar and make it a practice.  People want to follow relational, trusting CEOs. It’s all about our ability to communicate and build relationships with our people. If you truly get to know your people, this will ultimately drive trust.  Know yourself and lead yourself. Take time to reflect and determine opportunities to make yourself a better person and leader. It’s important to research and find tools that can help you with feedback and self-awareness.  Full Shownotes: https://gutplusscience.com/jeremie-kubicek/ ‎ Book Recommendation:  Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney Sponsors: Emplify – Are you still using pulse surveys? How about annual questionnaires? If your organization relies on either of these, it’s time to discover Emplify. Emplify has created a new way to measure employee engagement. It’s where CEOs who want to know what’s real