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What is the connection between being able to communicate with someone and being able to build and maintain trust with that person? How do you overcome or mitigate the challenges related to trust, best effort, safety, and more in a multi-lingual workplace?  In this 17-minute episode, Saúl Rodriguez explores the answers to these questions and more in a very straight-forward discussion, including practical strategies that are helpful.   EPISODE RESOURCES: >Connect with Saúl Rodriguez on LinkedIn >Saúl's bio >US Bureau of Labor Statistics  Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

How can our organization retain our most valuable team members? The costs of turnover are startling and the benefits of key person retention are exponential. In this 23-minute episode, Ryan McShane explores what you or I can do to retain our best team members, through meaningful and practical engagement.  Ryan goes through some of the characteristics which are most foundational and important in an ideal, successful team member. These individuals and the teams populated by them have major impacts on organizational success, customer and stakeholder success, and by extension, the success of every individual associated with the org. This episode discusses "the what" and "the how" of engagement that maximizes success.  EPISODE RESOURCES: >Connect with Ryan McShane on LinkedIn >Ryan's bio This episode edited by Michael Gordon.  Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Getting promoted at work is not always straightforward. In this 28-minute episode,  Alisa Patel, a VP of HR, talks candidly about what you need to do in order to be promotable, to learn about opportunities inside your company, and to effectively communicate your interest in the right way to the right people.  ----- About Alisa:  Alisa Patel is a strategic, people-focused HR executive with more than 20 years of experience leading human resources initiatives that drive both business performance and employee engagement. She currently serves as Vice President of Human Resources at Aalberts Surface Technologies, where she partners closely with senior leadership to shape workforce strategy, strengthen organizational development, and align HR practices with broader business goals. Alisa is a certified SHRM-CP and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business Executive Program in Strategic HR Planning. She’s deeply committed to continuous learning and advancing excellence in the HR field. Her experience spans employee relations, workforce planning, talent development, internal communications, and benefits strategy — all with a focus on building strong, inclusive, and high-performing workplace cultures. At the core of her work, Alisa is passionate about empowering teams and creating people-first solutions that support long-term growth, productivity, and organizational success. Aalberts is a global Dutch industrial technology company that designs and manufactures specialized engineering systems and components used in buildings, manufacturing, transportation, and semiconductor production. Aalberts HQ is in Utrecht, Netherlands and the company was founded in 1975. Today the company employs over 13,000 people across multiple continents.  EPISODE RESOURCES:   >Connect with Alisa on LinkedIn >Aalberts Surface Technologies Thanks to Michael Gordon for editing this episode.  Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

The Effective Workplace Feedback episode of Brain Chatter explores the role of effective feedback in building strong workplace cultures and improving leadership. Organizational psychologist Dr. Ken Chapman, founder of Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc. and author of The Leader’s Code discusses why traditional annual performance reviews often fail and what leaders should do instead. Drawing on decades of experience advising organizations around the world, Dr. Chapman explains why timely, specific, and goodwill-driven feedback is far more valuable than infrequent evaluations. The conversation begins by examining what meaningful feedback looks like in practice and why leaders should actively encourage feedback from employees, customers, and colleagues alike. Throughout the episode, Dr. Chapman highlights the elements that make feedback constructive—clear specifics, appropriate timing, mutual respect, and a shared interest in improvement. He contrasts this with feedback that becomes destructive or unhelpful and explains why the absence of constructive feedback is one of the most common causes of employee dissatisfaction with leadership. The discussion also explores the importance of trust, listening, willingness to cooperate, and empathy when giving or receiving feedback, as well as strategies for normalizing regular feedback in workplace environments where it may initially feel uncomfortable. The conversation concludes by addressing common challenges leaders and employees face around feedback, including defensiveness, resistance, or the misuse of feedback. Dr. Chapman shares practical strategies for soliciting useful feedback, responding to unfair or petty criticism disguised as feedback, and holding people accountable for growth and improvement. Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that feedback is a cultural practice—one that, when handled thoughtfully and consistently, strengthens relationships, improves performance, and helps organizations thrive.  This forty minute episode answers many other questions related to this topic, as well. EPISODE RESOURCES:   >Bio of Ken Chapman, Ph.D. >Follow Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc. on LINKEDIN >Follow Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc. on FACEBOOK >Books Authored or Co-Authored by Dr. Ken Chapman Thanks to Michael Gordon for editing this episode.  Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Having challenges and lack of understanding or lack trust between different generations inside your company? This 22-minute episode explores why that may be and what can be done to close the potential gap of trust. Organizational development and HR expert Ryan McShane offers practical insights and strategies for accomplishing this, for the benefit of all concerned.  EPISODE RESOURCES: >Connect with Ryan McShane on LinkedIn >Ryan's bio Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

What advice do most people wish someone would have offered when they were first promoted to supervisor? What are common missteps and mistakes newly promoted supervisors often make that are avoidable? What are strategies for navigating a promotion when your peers, yesterday, are your direct reports, today? This episode offers the insights of Beth Lanier (Savannah, Georgia), from her 30-year career in human resources and management consulting, working with numerous first time supervisors in heavy industry, public accounting, and other sectors.  EPISODE RESOURCES: >Connect with Beth Lanier on LinkedIn >Beth's Bio Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

What impacts do effective onboarding and career pathing have on the health of a company culture? And what does such onboarding and career pathing look like? Patrick Frazier, Director of Organizational Development at ME Global (Tempe, Arizona) discusses the culture inside their foundries in Arizona and Minnesota. Working in metal foundries is hard, hot work. How do you continue to find, keep, and provide advancement opportunities for team members? How do you ensure you attract and retain team members who are the right fit for the organizational culture of an action-oriented, successful foundry company?   EPISODE RESOURCES: >Connect with Patrick Frazier on LinkedIn >ME Global >American Foundry Society Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

KC&A's David Stanfield explores the life and career of one of the NBA all-time greats, Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs). The focus in this episode is on the 'walking the talk' examples Tim Duncan provided throughout his basketball career, by focusing on wins for the whole team and other teammates, cool-headed calmness, sharing credit, being coachable, accepting accountability and mentorship, and showing gratitude to teammates, fans, family, and coaches. All the while, consistently being humble. EPISODE RESOURCES: >Connect with David Stanfield on LinkedIn >David Stanfield Bio >Tim Duncan Stats on ESPN >Biography of Tim Duncan on Wikipedia >Tim Duncan's Retirement Letter (on Sports Illustrated) >Air Alamo article referenced in episode Basketball sound effects used by authorization of https://uppbeat.io Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Whitney Tate and Delcia Petersen explore the practical side of Emotional Intelligence as it is most often encountered in the workplace. What is the cost of being  'A Bull in the China Shop' as it relates to EIQ?  How do we each avoid being that bull in the china shop in our own workplace, dismissive of competence about it at our own immense personal cost? If Emotional Intelligence is arguably the greatest predictor of success in a leader and in success within any given career, then how do we use it as an asset rather than suffer from the lack of success with it as a liability. RESOURCES: Whitney Tate on LinkedIn Delcia Petersen on LinkedIn Book Recommendation: The Social Animal on Amazon Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Stephanie Stuckey recently released her book "UnStuck: Rebirth of An American Icon". In this interview she discusses reviving and rebuilding one of the most iconic American roadside brands, "Stuckeys."  This 25 minute episode explores grit and how it can be contagious in organizational leadership. We look at the history of the brand, the various pivots that allowed it to survive and then thrive to its height of having 368 locations in 40 US States, why Stuckeys was able to weather so many storms along the way when competitors could not, and then the decline of the brand after her grandfather sold it months before his death. Stephanie has purchased the brand and trademark and is now on a quest to rebuild the brand and its old reputation, in a new era. She and her business partners are making lots of progress... you can now buy Stuckeys pecan candies in over 5000 retail locations, with more locations being added regularly.  EPISODE RESOURCES: >Stuckeys.com >UnStuck (Stephanie's new book):  --on Barnes & Noble --on Audible --on Books-A-Million --on Amazon >Stephanie on LinkedIn >Handle for Stephanie on Instagram, Facebook, and X:  @stuckystop >Stuckeys and The Green Book >Stuckeys History Timeline Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Michael Mendola is leading the effort at a 75,000+ employee consulting firm to implement Generative AI strategies for the benefit of their employees and clients. In this episode, Michael shares his insights on the impact Generative Artificial Intelligence is having and will continue to have on workplace cultures. He also shares a wide array of information about Generative AI, as well as some of the AI programs he is currently using the most.    ----- MORE ABOUT MICHAEL: Michael Mendola is a Manager at PwC Labs. He is a Certified Public Accountant. He and his wife live in Columbus, Ohio. He holds a Bachelors Degree from Miami University (Ohio) and a Master's of Accounting from Oakland University.  He has also earned a number of certifications and credentials related to Artificial Intelligence from Microsoft and Google.  EPISODE RESOURCES: > Michael Mendola on LinkedIn >PwC's Knowledge Base on Generative Artificial Intelligence >iNaturalist >ChatGPT >Microsoft CoPilot >Dall-E AI Image Generator Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Randy Sparkman delves into what an organizational leader needs to know about Artificial Intelligence (AI) right away. Randy is the author of LANGUAGE AI: A Guide for Humans.  It is an "amplifier of opportunity," as Randy puts it and he makes the case for why a leader needs competence on this transformative topic in order to make wise strategy decisions. Randy also makes the case on why and how an organization must ensure their employees are allowed to reasonably experiment with AI. He advocates that the organizational leader needs to find an AI 'sherpa' within their organization, who is capable of actively and rapidly connecting the fast changing tech with organizational strategy at critical points, and then evangelizing adoption where positively transformative.  Throughout this podcast episode, Randy defines various elements of AI and how each practically connects to 'the now' and to the future.  MORE ABOUT RANDY: Randy Sparkman is a native of Hartselle, Alabama. He is the author of LANGUAGE AI: A Guide for Humans, available in paperback and as a Kindle book on Amazon. Randy consults with various companies and other organizations on Artificial Intelligence, linking the technology to the individual organization's mission and strategy. Since 1985 Randy has worked in Information Technology and Infrastructure for major Federal entities, including as a manager who has led change through multiple rounds of transformative periods ranging from the widespread adoption of personal computers, the internet, e-commerce, social media, etc. Randy also serves as an elected member of the Hartselle City Schools Board of Education. He is a graduate of The University of Alabama at Huntsville. EPISODE RESOURCES: >A GenAI quick start guide by Randy Sparkman > Randy Sparkman on LinkedIn >Randy's Book: LANGUAGE AI: A Guide for Humans >Randy's Bio >Hartselle City Schools Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Tom McNany walks us through the role of organizational culture in adoption outcome (success or failure) of new technologies that transform an organization. Rolling out a new technology that changes how business is done is stressful and difficult for all involved. Whether it is an ERP system, manufacturing execution systems, warehouse and inventory software systems, or otherwise. Very rarely on the leader's mind before such a major undertaking is this question: "Is my workplace culture prepped to support this all the way through to success?" But to not first address that question can be perilous and costly.  Tom outlines the keys to success that lie within successful adoption- and they all reside in the culture of the workplace. He delves into how vital it is to proactively answer the 'why' questions for all stakeholders. Why are we doing this? Why is it important? As well as painting a clear impact picture of how successful adoption will matter to each individual. At the heart of successful adoption is also: consistent messaging from all levels of leadership, accountability, and trust. All of these together result in mutually beneficial results.  What was at the heart of some digital transformation blunders and failures Tom has observed? Leadership wasn't bought in. Different messaging from leaders. Buy-in and trust were never earned from employees. The impact or end result was never communicated to all stakeholders or in a relevant 'this is how this impacts you' method. Tom makes the case that to drive change, you have to have a strong culture with respected leaders in place. MORE ABOUT TOM: Tom is the Vice President of Information Technology at Flow Control Group. He and his wife Kim live in greater Charlotte, NC. They have two daughters. Tom serves on the board of directors of Queen City Robotics Alliance and on the board of advisors of NC TECH. Tom is an accomplished transformational IT leader who has an in-depth industry knowledge of global manufacturing, supply-chain management, and distribution systems. He has proven experience and success in driving business forward with IT led initiatives, system implementations and strategic management. He is a results oriented leader in all aspects of enterprise-wide technology systems and staffing, including strategic planning, enterprise infrastructure and architecture, project portfolio management, application development, and re-engineering business processes. EPISODE RESOURCES: > Tom McNany on LinkedIn >Flow Control Group >Queen City Robotics Alliance >North Carolina Technology Association (NC TECH) Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Nisha Patel explores what it takes to populate an organization with problem solvers and how to be one. Problems at work are most often negatively associated with stress.  Repeatedly, however, problems prove to be gates of opportunities for career catapults, entrepreneurial ventures, and other rewards for those who can leverage creativity, calculated risk, and resilience to solve them. And yet, that only happens in an organization that knows how to find, hire, develop, and empower proactive problem solvers. This podcast episode delves into the how-to of this desired strategy and outcome.  Nisha is the Director of Wellness and Administration at UAB Heersink Medical School. Previously, one of her roles was as Chief of Staff for the Medical School Dean and CEO of the UAB Health System. UAB is one of Alabama’s two largest employers. She has an undergraduate degree from Middle Tennessee State University, an MBA from UAB and a Masters in Healthcare Administration from UAB. She has also gone through Lean Six Sigma Green Belt for Healthcare certification, as well as being a part of UAB’s Innovation Academy. EPISODE RESOURCES: > Nisha Patel on LinkedIn >UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Office of Wellness >Wall Street Journal, As We Work Podcast: The Value of Being Invaluable at Work >Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense >Brené Brown Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.

Many company leaders are asked to serve on boards of directors, whether with nonprofits or for-profits of various sizes. There are many questions and issues to consider before saying yes and after saying yes. It is always an honor to be elected to boards, and it allows someone to have far-reaching positive impact beyond their normal job or company. Board service comes with fiduciary responsibilities and can include personal liabilities and reputation risk.  In this episode, Laura Gregory, an experienced attorney and now a management consultant associate with KC&A, explores the spectrum of questions we should ask and issues we should evaluate related to board service. Our leadership is important to nonprofits all around us- industry associations, local youth sports leagues, homeowner associations, school booster organizations, chambers of commerce, hunting clubs, civic clubs, etc. And our leadership can also have far-reaching positive impact on job-creation and economic opportunities with for-profit boards of small, medium, or large companies, whether closely held or publicly traded.  Laura provides a series of questions and concerns to consider before saying yes, as well as a series of responsibilities and methods to maximize your impact and usefulness on a board after saying yes, including when to stop serving.  She also offers a list of strategies to measure your success in board service, as well as specific, critical, and costly mistakes to avoid. EPISODE RESOURCES: > Laura Gregory on LinkedIn >Laura Gregory Bio >US Bar Associations' Directories >West Alabama Community Foundation >Eagles Wings >Weekly Leadership Quotes on LinkedIn Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.