Questions are Greater than Answers Podcast (Russell Robinson, EdD)

In this episode, I speak with Kevin Oakes, the founder of the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). In addition, Kevin is a keynote speaker and authored the book Culture Renovation:  18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakable Company. In this conversation, Kevin shares his experience and I4CP research on how to create and sustain healthy organizational culture. In addition, he provides his thoughts on the five traits that create a learning culture.

Kevin Oakes is CEO and co-founder of the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the world’s leading human capital research firm focusing on people practices that drive high performance. i4cp conducts more research in the field of HR than any other organization on the planet, highlighting next practices that organizations and HR executives should consider adopting.

Kevin is also the author of Culture Renovation®, an Amazon bestseller which debuted as the #1 new release in a dozen Amazon book categories. Drawing on data from one of the largest studies ever conducted on corporate culture, Culture Renovation™ details how high- performance organizations such as Microsoft, T-Mobile, 3M, AbbVie, Mastercard and many more have successfully changed organizational culture.

More on Kevin

I4CP Bio: https://www.i4cp.com/people/kevin-oakes

Culture Renovation: https://culturerenovation.com/

More on Dr. Russ

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-robinson-edd-4428b157/

Website:  www.amplifiedresearch.com         

On this episode, Valerie Jackson, the Chief Diversity Officer at Zuora, shares her views on Diversity & Inclusion. Valarie describes her thoughts on D&I through the prisms of strategy and change management; and the roles belonging and equity have in her D&I framework.

After a career of practicing corporate finance law and serving as the international policy advisor and negotiator for the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, Valerie channeled her efforts towards the D&I field.

Check out all of this awesomeness!

In this last episode of Season 6, Arielle Lapiano, a communication strategist,  shares how she developed her early leadership philosophy by watching her father.  In addition, she reflects on betting on herself from a career perspective, and it not working out the way she expected.

Arielle Lapiano is a brand and communication strategist, and a media and presentation trainer who helps companies and professionals become visible leaders

More on Arielle

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellelapiano/

More on Dr. Russ

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-robinson-edd-4428b157/

Website:  www.amplifiedresearch.com

In this episode, Love Rutledge, host of the FedUpward podcast shares her experiences navigating when there is a misalignment in core values.  She also talks about the power of saying, “No”, to strengthen her work/life harmony.

Love Rutledge hosts the FedUpward Podcast, a show for federal employees providing advice, resources and community for public servants. Love has spent more than 22 years working for the Department of Defense in the Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps, the Joint Staff and the Office of Secretary of Defense. 

Love holds a master's degree in public administration from The George Washington University, a master's of science in resource strategy from the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University, and is an associate certified coach through the International Coaching Federation. She's a wife, and mother of two, and grew up in rural Alabama.

More on Love

FedUpward Podcast:  https://fedupward.libsyn.com/

More on Dr. Russ

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-robinson-edd-4428b157/

Website:  www.amplifiedresearch.com

On this episode, Dr. Russ talks with Elida Sarmiento about her thoughts on the Future of Work.   Elida, a HR leader with the US Department of Justice, shares her experiences over the past year as it relates to leading staff and changing her leadership philosophy to become more flexible.  Additionally, she shares her feelings of gratitude for having more time to spend with her mother.  And, she explains how work-from-home culture can be a blessing for introverts.

On this Speakerbox podcast episode, Herb Rouson, Jr., the Interim Deputy Executive Officer with the District of Columbia Courts shares his thoughts on leadership, engagement, purpose, and the value of HBCUs.

In this episode, Galen Bingham, founder of Kiln Coaching and Consulting shares his knowledge and experience working in corporate settings, and how he navigated his life to consulting work where he can be his authentic self.  Also, Galen shares his thoughts on leadership and organizational culture.

Galen is a certified Executive Coach who offers insight from 30 years of operating experience with Fortune 500 companies and 6 years’ experience as a brick-and-mortar retail franchise owner. He has led in industry-leading corporations like Kraft Foods, Imperial Sugar, and Coca-Cola North America. He is consistently sought to advise or serve on premiere non-profit boards where he provides oversight in governance, board development, CEO selection and organizational leadership. He is host of The Whiskey, Jazz & Leadership podcast – which streams on all podcast platforms in 20 countries.

More on Galen:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galenbingham/

Website: https://galenbingham.com/

More on Dr. Russ

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-robinson-edd-4428b157/

Website:  www.amplifiedresearch.com         

Corey Greendale sits down and talks with Dr. Russ regarding Software-as-a-Service Tools. Corey is the Managing Director with First Analysis, which provides research and financial expertise to emerging growth companies through venture capital investments. In his role, Corey’s expertise is tailored toward the future of work, learning & education, and human capitals arenas.

On this conversation, Corey explains how he navigated his career to land at First Analysis. He also shares his thoughts on the past, current and future state of SaaS tools, and how he has come to embrace his company’s hybrid working model.

On Season 3, we will talk to thought leaders about the Future of Work as we move to a post-COVID-19 world.  Additionally, how does the Future of Work look when we factor in social justice, hyper-partisan politics, and AI/Robotics.

Tony Mitchell, the Chief Evangelist for Waggl, and Dr. Russ talk about whatever is on their minds regarding the Future of Work, COVID, and leaders that care vs leaders that don't care.

On part four of the six part summer series on employee voice and silence, we discuss how building a voice culture strengthens branding for the organization, managers and employees.

In the first podcast of Season 2, Steve Pemberton, the Chief Human Resource Officer for Workhuman, talks about leadership during crisis management. Topics includes wellness, communication and leading a virtual team.

A couple of times a week, I hear from leaders, supervisors, and employees about how to adjust to the new normal of the Return to Work. Organizational decisions regarding bringing everyone into the office, moving to a 100% remote environment, or some form of hybrid work has impacts on performance, culture, and morale.

The cool thing is that I have a dope squad of thought leaders in the human capital space. In part 2 of my conversation with Fatimah Moody, CEO of LinkVisum, we talk about data and best practices for leaders and supervisors to thrive in whichever Return to Work model their organizations and agencies choose.

Additionally, you can hear me drop more knowledge at The New Out of Office: Creating an Effective Hybrid Work Environment, which is part of LinkVisum’s Human Capital Insights and Speaker Series. You can register here: https://linkvisum.com/human-capital-insights/

We finish Season Three by having this conversation with Sheree Knowles, Founder and COO of Human Capital Consultants Consortium (H3C), LLC.  On this pod, Sheree shares her thoughts on how she navigated the pandemic, and pivoted the solutions provided to her customers.  Additionally, she shares her thoughts on Diversity and Inclusion and the impacts of the death of George Floyd.  Lastly, as a fellow University of Dayton alum, she explains why the AKA's charged so much for parties back in the day.  Enjoy!!!

In this episode, Bob McDonald, the former Secretary of US Department of Veterans Affairs and the former CEO of Proctor & Gamble, discusses leadership covering values, change management culture, authenticity and servant leadership.

In this episode, Peter Farnsworth, founder of FoxRock Partners, shares what he has learned on his journey in the sports industry. He talks about viewing his career in 10-year increments, entrepreneurship, and how he uses his SALA Series events to bring diverse people together to create meaningful impacts.

Peter Farnsworth is the founder and managing partner of FoxRock Partners, a boutique advisory firm specializing in strategic consulting and investment advisory services. With over 20 years of experience in the finance and investment sectors, Peter has established himself as a trusted advisor to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors.

More on Peter:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farnsworthpeter/

SALA Series Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sala-series-podcast/id1615509817

More on Dr. Russ

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-robinson-edd-4428b157/

Website:  www.amplifiedresearch.com         

Dr. Russ speaks with the drummer, Reggie Quinerly, about music, leading a band, and collaboration.  Additionally, Mr. Quinerly is a teacher in the New York school system, Hunter College, and his alma mater, the Julliard School of Music.

On this podcast, Dr. Juliet Aiken shares her thoughts on COVID-19 from the prism of an industrial/organizational psychology researcher, professor and practitioner.   In addition, she will share her personal experiences on the impact of wearing different hats in the current work-from-home culture. Dr. Aiken is an Assistant Clinical Professor and the Program Director of the I/O Psychology Masters in Professional Studies program at the University of Maryland.

Dr. Russ talks about Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) with Dr. Nicole Dillard, from Northern Kentucky University.  We discuss D&I as a concept, its evolution and how it is impacted by Equity and Belonging.  Additionally, Nicole shares her thoughts on D&I’s relationship with change management, employee engagement, politics, education and immigration.

Dr. Russ talks Dr. DeRetta Cole Rhodes, the Senior Vice-President of Human Resources for the Atlanta Braves.  During this podcast, Dr. Rhodes shares her thoughts on servant leadership, fostering employee voice, and why she believes that HR is the conscious of the organization.

On this episode, Bob Lavigna, the Director of the Institute for Public Sector Engagement with CPS HR Consulting, talks about the state of employee engagement in the public sector. As an employee engagement researcher, author, Bob offers solutions to have impact in federal, state, and local government leaders.

You click on the following link to out more about his book, Engaging Government Employees: Motivate and Inspire Your People to Achieve Superior Performance.

For Season 5, the theme is "Experts and Storytellers".   We talk to various experts in the fields of finding purpose, diversity & inclusion, wellness, finance, developing human capital, and of course sports.

We go down under to chat with Ryan McGrory, the Head of Employee Experience and Internal Communications at Youi Insurance in Queensland, Australia.  On this episode, Ryan talks about things Youi does to foster mental and physical wellness for its call center employees.  Additionally, he shares how the company leaned into its values to navigate COVID-19, and how fostering connection meant sharing his struggles to adapt to a virtual work world.

Dr. Russ talks with Mike Anderson, a partner with Anderson Global Talent.  In addition, Mr. Anderson is the former CHCO for US Housing & Urban Development.  On this conversation, Mr. Anderson shares his thoughts on public and private sector leadership, crisis management and the values of both adaptability and spirituality.

Scott DiGiammarino, founder of MovieComm, shares his thoughts on leadership, communication.  In this conversation, taped in June 2020, Scott shares how leadership and communication have changed due to the events of 2020.  And, he and Dr. Russ talk about how they use MovieComm

This trailer is the overview of Season 4 of the Speakerbox podcast, a six-part series on The Basics of Employee Voice and Silence.

On this episode, we return to a conversation about the relationship between sports and leadership with Bill Banham of HR Gazette and Chris Bjorling of Fidello, Inc.

Bill, Chris and Dr. Russ talk about the teams they have supported and their fan experiences.  Then, they draw similarities between sports to culture, leadership and voice

Starting of season 3 of the Speakerbox podcast, Dr. Theresa Horne shares her thoughts on the Future of Work regarding training & development, and diversity & inclusion.  Dr. Horne also shares her personal experiences during the challenges we all faced in 2020.

This pod is a conversation with Dr. Matt Gosney, EdD, the Vice President of Organizational Development and Learning with UCHealth in Denver, Colorado.   Dr. Gosney shares his thoughts and lessons learned as a supporter of front-line health workers (doctors, nurses, etc.) during COVID-19.  Also, he talks about adapting to providing ODL services in a virtual environment; and, how he communicates to people with differing worldviews.

On this pod, Dr. Russ talks about resiliency with Tameca Brown. Ms. Brown is an international learning and development professional with over 18 years of experience in research, training management, facilitation, curriculum design and development, implementation, and evaluation. In November 2019, she was recognized by the Leadership Center for Excellence and named one of the Top 40 Under 40 Honorees in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Tameca, a 100% Jamaican, is civil servant and produces the It’s a Learning Life blog, which shares thoughts and ideas on personal and professional development and self-improvement.

On this episode, I discuss leadership with Dr. Patrick Malone, Director of American University’s Key Leadership Program.  Dr. Malone shares his thoughts on how COVID-19 impacts public sector leaders, and how to lead a virtual team.

On this episode, Dr. Reginald Wells, Professor and Executive-in-Residence with American University’s Key Leadership Program, shares his thoughts and public sector experiences leading staff through a crisis.  In addition, Dr. Wells makes the case for the value of leaders needing to have emotional intelligence to effectively navigate change.

In this episode, Marcia Williams Blakely, a former elementary school principal and currently an education consultant, shares what she learned on her journey.  Starting as a teacher and rising to a principal, she talks about how you navigate life when you get a leadership role sooner than expected. And she talks about the toll the COVID crisis had on educators.

Marcia Williams Blakely is an esteemed leader who currently serves as an education consultant after serving as an educat in the Southfield (Michigan) School System. With over 30 years of experience in the field of education, Marcia has dedicated her career to fostering academic excellence and nurturing the growth of students and staff alike.

More on Marcia

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-blakely-3295b3143/

More on Dr. Russ

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-robinson-edd-4428b157/ Website:  www.amplifiedresearch.com

On this episode, Dr. Russ shares his thoughts on employee silence; and why it is more powerful than most leaders think it is.

Starting off Season 5, Dr. Russ chats with Twan Russell, the Athletic Director for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  Twan, a former NFL athlete, talks about being a purpose driven leader and his decision to leave his corporate job and returning to his alma mater to manifest his purpose of impacting kids.  But this conversation goes into evolving leadership, religion, and values.

While playing for the Miami Dolphins, Twan established the Russell Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) which provides quality after school and summer learning services for kindergarten – 5th-grade students, through Russell Reading Rooms, for over 1,000 children in 11 locations throughout Broward and Miami-Dade counties annually.   

You can find more information on the Russell Education Foundation at the following link:  https://russelleducationfoundation.com/

Sit back and enjoy!

In part two of the summer series on Employee Voice and Silence, Dr. Russ shares how to build a voice culture within an organization.

On this episode, Tiersa Hall shares her thoughts on how the past two years have impacted the travel and hospitality industry. She is an HR Consultant with the Hartling Group, which includes resorts in her native Turks & Caicos. Additionally, as the Owner of Impactful Imprints, she will describe how HR leadership has had to change with the times. Last, she will discuss how becoming an autism advocate changed her purpose and work/life balance.

Tiersa is a member of the Forbes Human Resource Council.

On this episode, Dr. Russ talks about the new hybrid work environment with Fatimah Moody, CEO of LinkVisum Consulting Group (LinkVisum). In part 1 of their conversation, they discuss the how the work environment has changed over the past 27+ months and how leaders and followers can succeed in the new hybrid work environment.

Dr. Russ will be the keynote speaker at The New Out of Office: Creating an Effective Hybrid Work Environment, which is part of LinkVisum’s Human Capital Insights and Speaker Series. This free virtual event will be on Wednesday, June 29th from 10-11.30AM ET.

This speaker series, hosted by LinkVisum, will provide a forum for public and private sector thought leaders to connect and share ideas for addressing crucial human capital topics and the future of work.

To learn more and register for this event, visit www.linkvisum.com/human-capital-insights/.

On this last episode of the six-part summer series on employee voice, Dr. Russ argues that surveys should be considered as the starting point to get to a conversation to get to employee voice.

Dr. Russ is back with his podcast series, which is now call the Questions are Greater than Answers (Q>A) podcast instead of the Amplified Research Speakerbox podcast. While the goal is to bring thought provoking experiences and stories from thought leaders, the method will be by exploring the concept of what are the questions that leaders should be asking.

But first, Q>A will share six episodes taped in late 2022 and early 2023 with the following thought leaders:

·  Galen Bingham, Kiln Global Coaching and Consulting       

·   Marcia Williams, Marica Williams Consulting

·   Kevin Oakes, Institute for Corporate Productivity (I4CP)

·   Love Rutledge, The FedUpward Podcast

·   Peter Farnsworth, FoxRock Partners

·   Arielle Lapiano, Communications Executive

In these six episodes, you will hear this group share their thoughts on self-reflection, the power of resiliency, and why organizations should build a culture where leaders are always learning, curious, and asking questions.

Enjoy!

Dr. Rochelle Haynes, PhD, the founder of Crowd Potential Consulting shares her thoughts on how to create a flexible and agile HR enterprise based on remote work and the Great Resignation.   She also shares her experiences using resilience to navigate the craziness of 2021.

You can find more information on Dr. Haynes and Crowd Potential on their website (https://www.crowdpotential.co.uk).

The UK’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development released a report regarding employee wellness in the workplace. Often times, we focus on wellness based on physical, mental, and emotional aspects. Rarely do we focus on the impact financial wellness on how employees present themselves in the workplace.

This conversation focuses on financial wellness with Saundra and Sid Curry from BC Holding of Tennessee. The Curry’s share thoughts on how people at any level can build generational wealth based on their experiences collaborating with government agencies, church parishioners, and NFL and NHL athletes. And, they share how financial wellness impacts employee engagement. BC Holdings was selected as a part of Forbes Next 1000 for impact of their innovative financial education platform.

Check it out

On this episode, Kimberly Penn with professional services consulting firm, CliftonLarsenAllen (CLA), shares her thoughts about the Future of Work.  Ms. Penn provides practical applications to transition to providing consulting services in a virtual environment.   And, she shares how the past year has motivated her to exercise her voice and build an more inclusive work culture at CLA.

Jessica Broome, PhD shares her thoughts on both qualitative and quantitative research. As the Founder of Southpaw Insights, Jessica leads a team of researchers to help organizational leaders solve problems through the thoughts and concerns of stakeholders. She talks about some of Southpaw’s recent research and navigating the past two years as a small business owner.

Additionally, Jessica shares a report on Parenting During the Pandemic, which addresses the challenges with life, work, finances and health during the past two years. 

Click here to view report summary

Dr. Russ chats with Cheryl Middleton Jones, the Chief People Officer with Co-op Financial Services, on her perspective of how organizations can lead and connect with employees during times of crisis.

Welcome to the Amplified Research Speakerbox podcast series.  In this preview episode, Russell talks about the goal of the podcast series, and highlights some of the season 1 guests and topics.

On this episode, Dr. Russ talks about the basics principles of employee voice and silence.  He also discusses their importance and organizational impact.

On this Speakerbox podcast, Dr. Russ talks with about employee engagement with two heavy hitters, Dr. Brad Shuck and Jason Lauritsen.  They share their insights on employee engagement as a concept, where it has come from, and where it is heading from the research and practical implementation prisms.

Both Brad and Jason share information about their books, Employee Engagement: A Research Overview, and Unlocking High Performance:  How to Use Performance Management to Engage and Empower Employees to Reach Their Full Potential, respectively.

On this episode, Dr. Russ talks about the relationship between voice and sports from the prisms of the coach/manager and players of team and individual sports.

On this podcast, Dr. Nailah Thompson, DO, MPH talks about the Future of Work from the prism of a health care provider. As a primary care physician with the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Dr. Thompson shares her thoughts and experiences navigating COVID-19 from the front lines. Also, she shares her thoughts on my COVID-19 had more of an impact on people of color, and the transition to providing services virtually. Her son, Niam, decided to make a guest appearance, so Dr. Thompson explains why she has a greater appreciation for working mothers.

In this episode, we talk about emotional intelligence with Faroshia Ashley, the founder of Emoworks, which is based in the Netherlands

On this episode, Inspiring Workplaces' Stefan Worburton transitions from behind the scenes to sit in front of the microphone.  Stefan talks about race a year after the death of George Floyd, his love of Chelsea FC, and which football manager he would love to play for.  Additionally, he shares his thoughts on leadership based his behind the scenes role at Inspiring Workplaces.

Ladies and gentlemen, Stefan Worburton!!!

Dr. Russ and Matt Manners, founder of Inspiring Workplaces, talk sports and leadership.  Nice change of pace in this COVID-19 world.  We talk NFL, EPL, The Last Dance, and Phil Jackson.

Dr. Russ previews Season 2 of the podcast, which was taped in April 2020.  The theme of Season 2 is how to lead during a pandemic and social unrest.