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Nobody really has their career figured out. And honestly, I think we do younger professionals a disservice when we pretend otherwise. In this episode, Rick and I have a pretty candid conversation about what it actually takes to build a career. Not the polished LinkedIn version. The real version. We talk about why so many employees are disengaged and why trust between employees, leaders, and organizations feels so broken right now. We get into job hopping and a question I think more professionals need to ask themselves: If every company, every boss, and every job keeps becoming the problem, at what point do you look in the mirror? We also talk about something that gets harder the further you go in your career: balance. Sometimes growth is uncomfortable. Sometimes the job is demanding. Sometimes you have to decide what you actually want and what you're willing to sacrifice to get there. Rick describes a career like writing a book. Every day and every week is another page. Some chapters are great. Some aren't. Some make absolutely no sense while you're living them. But eventually you stitch all those chapters together and they become your story. We cover: • Why you don't need your entire career figured out • What job hopping can signal to hiring leaders • Why accountability matters when the same problems keep following you • The growing lack of trust between employees and organizations • Why career growth and comfort don't always coexist • How to think about the different chapters of your career • Why younger professionals should focus less on finding the perfect job and more on learning from each experience If you're early in your career, questioning your next move, or even 20 years into it wondering what the next chapter looks like, there's something in this conversation for you. You don't need to have the whole book written. You just need to be intentional about the chapter you're writing right now.

Why Job Hopping Could Be Holding Back Your CareerHow long should you stay at a company? Does changing jobs every year hurt your chances of getting hired? In this episode, executive recruiter Chris Edward shares an honest perspective on one of the biggest red flags hiring managers notice: a pattern of short job tenures. Rather than focusing on a single move, Chris explains why recruiters look for patterns and what those patterns suggest about a candidate's long-term success. If you've ever wondered why you're getting interviews but not offers, or why recruiters aren't calling back, this conversation offers an inside look at how experienced recruiters evaluate your resume. Questions Answered in This EpisodeWhy am I not getting hired even though I have experience?Does job hopping hurt my career?How long should I stay at a company?Do recruiters care how long I stay in each role?Is leaving after one year a red flag?Why do hiring managers value career stability?What do recruiters think when they see multiple short-term jobs?How can I explain frequent job changes during an interview?When is it okay to leave a company?What are recruiters really looking for on my resume? What You'll LearnWhy recruiters evaluate career patterns—not just individual jobs.Chris Edward's perspective on the "three-year value cycle."How frequent job changes can impact trust with hiring managers.Why accountability matters when evaluating your career decisions.What candidates can do to improve their long-term marketability. Key TakeawaysEmployers invest in candidates they believe will stay and create value.A consistent pattern of short job tenures may raise questions about long-term fit.Every career move tells a story—make sure yours is one you can confidently explain.Sometimes the most valuable career advice starts with honest self-reflection. Who Should ListenThis episode is for: Professionals looking for their next career opportunitySales leadersProject ManagersEngineersOperations leadersAnyone struggling to land interviewsAnyone wondering why recruiters aren't reaching out Connect with Chris Edward ConsultingIf you're looking for career guidance, executive recruiting insights, or opportunities in AV, Unified Communications, Physical Security, Building Technologies, or related technology industries, connect with Chris Edward Consulting for additional resources and future episodes.

Navigating AI in Recruitment – Promises, Pitfalls, and the Human ConnectionIn this engaging episode, Chris (Host) interviews Leah Harrigan, a highly experienced talent acquisition specialist with over 20 years of expertise across agency and corporate recruitment. Having worked in dynamic industries such as tech, construction, airline, and agriculture, Leah brings a pragmatic and insightful view into the evolving recruitment landscape. Their conversation dives deep into the influence of AI on recruitment, the challenges faced by job seekers and recruiters alike, and the importance of preserving the human element in the hiring process. Key Themes Covered:Diverse Recruitment Expertise: Leah kicks off the episode by sharing her perspective on the balance between agency and corporate recruitment models in her 20-year career across varied industries. She emphasizes the importance of partnership between these models, highlighting the unique strengths each brings to the table. The Impact of AI on Talent Acquisition Efforts: Leah assesses AI’s role in recruitment, discussing its benefits and drawbacks. While automation ensures faster applicant screening and increased efficiency, AI systems struggle to identify candidates lacking well-optimized resumes or keywords, creating gaps in quality. Chris and Leah discuss scenarios where recruiters face an overwhelming volume of applications, often from bots or AI-generated submissions that sacrifice quality for quantity. AI’s Strengths and Weaknesses in Recruitment: Leah delves into how AI is transforming recruitment workflows, enabling even less experienced recruiters to hit the ground running. However, she thoughtfully critiques that AI may protect weak recruiters while exposing their limits, especially in tasks requiring human judgment and deeper insights. She speaks candidly about some resumes being overly polished through AI tools, which creates mismatches when candidates fail to meet expectations during technical interviews. Authenticity Matters – AI vs. Human Connection: Throughout the conversation, Leah stresses one fundamental truth: AI cannot replace the human touch. She explains that empathy, authenticity, and genuine relationship-building remain irreplaceable aspects of recruitment, particularly during negotiations and candidate evaluation. Leah and Chris agree that while metrics and data dominate the recruitment landscape, the emotional connection often gets lost when systems prioritize speed over thoughtfulness. Advice for Job Seekers – How to Stand Out: Leah offers valuable advice for candidates struggling to break through the noise despite their qualifications. She advocates showcasing personality and individuality in resumes, sharing examples like a candidate adding humor into his achievements section to stand out. Leah also underscores meaningful storytelling, encouraging candidates to quantify accomplishments and give specifics that resonate with recruiters. LinkedIn Validation and AI’s Effect on Communication: Chris and Leah explore the interplay between resumes and LinkedIn profiles, emphasizing LinkedIn’s role in validating claims made on resumes. Leah warns against mass, automated messaging via AI tools, stating it diminishes authenticity in communication and may hurt relationships with candidates. Evolving Expectations in Recruitment: Leah wraps up the episode with advice for employers: focus on the quality of hires rather than speed alone. For job seekers, the message is clear—show your humanity, highlight your intentions, and bring something genuinely unique to the table. Why Listeners Should Tune In:Whether you're a recruiter navigating the rise of AI or a job seeker trying to stand out in today’s competitive market, this episode offers sharp insights and practical strategies suited to your needs. Leah Harrigan’s expert take on AI’s promises and pitfalls in recruitment invites reflection on how technology shapes the future and what must remain deeply human in the process. Thoughtful, captivating, and relevant, this conversation promises to shine a light on the real impact of AI while offering actionable advice for both sides of the hiring equation. Tune in to learn how the right balance of technology and human connection could transform the recruitment world!

This episode dives into what operations really looks like when a company starts to grow faster than expected — and what leaders get wrong when ops is treated as a reactive rather than a strategic function. 1. When Growth Catches You Off GuardA lot of companies don’t plan their way into growth. They back into it. What starts as a small, focused business can quickly turn into something much bigger — sometimes in directions no one anticipated. We talk about: Why fast, unexpected growth exposes operational cracksHow ops often gets pushed aside until it becomes a problemWhat it looks like when operations lead growth instead of chasing it The big question: Is your ops team driving the business forward or just trying to keep up? 2. Patience as an Operational and Leadership AdvantageThere’s a real conversation here around leadership maturity — especially for people early in their careers or stepping into bigger roles. We unpack: Why rushing titles and responsibility usually backfiresThe value of staying in roles long enough to actually learn themHow patience builds better operators and stronger leaders over time This isn’t about slowing ambition. It’s about earning depth before scale. 3. Solving the Right Problems (Not All the Problems)High-performing operations aren’t built from templates. They’re built by understanding context — where a company is today and where it’s actually capable of going. This part covers: Why companies oversell capabilities before ops can support themHow to prioritize the few pain points that actually matterThe shift from transactional work to deeper, strategic partnerships Instead of trying to solve everything, the focus is on solving the right problems well — the ones that unlock long-term growth and stronger relationships.

Authenticity Wins: LinkedIn Branding Insights Unlocking the power of personal branding on LinkedIn! Patrick Kelly from Zoom shares invaluable insights on authenticity, content strategy, and overcoming imposter syndrome. He emphasizes the importance of being yourself, embracing failure, and consistently providing value. Key takeaways: Mix business and personal contentFocus on quality over production valueUse a structured approach for posts Want to boost your LinkedIn presence? Watch the full video for more tips and tricks from Patrick's journey. #PersonalBranding #LinkedInTips #AuthenticityMatters

Dive deep into the essence of leadership in our latest podcast episode where Rick Hill, an experienced sales leader, shares transformative lessons that challenge traditional notions of success. With years of wisdom and experience, Rick offers a perspective guaranteed to shift how you approach leadership, influence, and collaboration. Why You Can’t Afford to Skip This Episode: ✅ Do you want to be right or rich? 🌟 Rick delivers an eye-opening piece of advice from one of his early mentors that strikes at the heart of decision-making in leadership: "Rick, do you wanna be right or do you wanna be rich? You can choose one or the other, but you can't choose both." This poignant moment acts as a guidepost for anyone seeking collective success rather than personal validation. ✅ Humility Matters 🤝 Ever wrestle with maintaining influence and productivity while keeping your ego in check? Rick highlights critical examples of how humility shapes effective leaders. He contrasts his approach with a mistake he witnessed firsthand—a hyper-controlling leader who sabotaged team meetings, deaf to input and collaboration. ✅ The Power of Reflection 🔍 Rick leaves listeners pondering a powerful reminder for those navigating the challenges of leadership: "Remember why you started." This episode is packed with actionable wisdom and relatable anecdotes, perfect for aspiring leaders, seasoned executives, and anyone striving to balance ambition with teamwork. You’ll Learn: How to prioritize collective success without compromising authenticity.Key strategies for fostering collaboration and flexibility within teams.The dangers of ego-driven leadership and how to avoid these pitfalls.

💡 Most leaders think culture is about perks, pizza parties, or slogans on the wall. The truth? Culture shows up in how your team communicates when no one’s watching. I sat down with Curtis, a seasoned organizational leader, and here’s what stuck with me: 👉 Communication is the baseline. “If I’m 100% and you’re 100%, that makes 300%. The invisible entity is teamwork. And that all starts with making sure our words mean the exact same thing.” 👉 Red flags in culture are always visible. Watch for inconsistent actions, lack of shared ownership, or behavioral drift in how teams interact. 👉 Ego-driven leadership kills trust. Curtis said it best: “If you come in forcing your will over what’s already existing, you’re not gonna get the result.” Observation before action builds buy-in. 👉 Empowered leaders own their results. “I don’t set goals for my leadership team. We’re the leaders. Why would I try to do something I have 100% control of? I expect it.” 👉 Culture must outlast the leader. The ultimate win? When the team can “call their own plays and still score touchdowns” without you. For executives in hardware, software, or tech integration companies, this isn’t just philosophy—it’s survival. High performers won’t stick around in a broken culture. Neither will your customers. The challenge for leaders isn’t building culture for today. It’s building culture that lasts beyond you.

🚨 Most leaders fail at transformation before it even begins. Why? Their team doesn’t believe them. In our latest conversation, I sat down with Ehrika to talk about the brutal realities of leading through change. Here’s what stood out: 👉 75% of communication is nonverbal. Your team reads your body language before they ever hear your words. 👉 Top performers disengage quietly. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll lose them without warning. 👉 The hardest truth? Leaders usually know who won’t make it through transformation on day one. The challenge is respecting the people who got you here, while preparing for who will take you forward. Ehrika nailed it when she said: “Isn’t leadership the key part of anything we’re doing? People are looking to the leader. Culture is at the heart of every transformation. How you communicate dictates how fast your organization will move.” If you’re a CEO, CRO, VP of Sales, or Ops leader inside a hardware, software, or technology integration company—this episode is for you. Because transformation isn’t just strategy. It’s people. It’s talent. It’s leadership.

🚨 Most sales leaders underestimate how brutal transformation really is. The truth? You can’t wait for people to get on board; you’ll lose the race before it starts. In our latest conversation, I sat down with Larry and Paul to unpack what it takes to lead effective sales team transformations, especially in private equity-backed businesses. Here’s what stood out: 👉 Impatience is a strategy. “The biggest mistake is not being impatient. You have to be impatient.” Waiting for people to adapt costs time and kills momentum. 👉 Team transformation is the hardest job in sales leadership. Shifting teams—whether inherited or rebuilt—to align with new goals is where most transformations stall. 👉 Frontline leaders reveal the truth. If your frontline managers resist, your sellers will too. That’s the first red flag of deeper misalignment. 👉 Sometimes you have to let go of top performers. Larry put it bluntly: “You may have to move away from high performers if they don’t buy into where the company needs to go.” Yesterday’s results can’t outweigh tomorrow’s vision. 👉 Succession planning is a blind spot. 90% of companies lack it. Which means when transformation hits, they lose talent they can’t afford to lose. 👉 Compensation drives behavior. Shifting from hardware to software models? Incentives must reward the new direction—or the team won’t follow. Transformation succeeds not by strategy alone, but by talent, urgency, and the strength of your leadership.

Thinking about jumping into sales? Here’s the truth: it’s not about perfect timing—it’s about the mentality you bring to the table. I sat down with Mark, a tech professional who made the leap from engineering to sales, and here’s what stood out from his journey: 👉 Perseverance beats instant results. At the 6-month mark, Mark thought he was failing. His boss reminded him: “You’re calling customers. You’re prospecting. You’re building relationships. Keep doing what you’re doing.” 👉 Adopt a hunter’s mentality. Mark thrived in roles where he was compensated for opening new doors. His advice? “Where do you start? You gotta pick up the phone and just go for it.” 👉 Stick to what you know. Shifting industries was one of Mark’s toughest challenges. His lesson? “Stay in your swim lane. Sell what you understand.” 👉 Culture and leadership matter. Great management vs. poor management can make or break your sales career. Do your due diligence before jumping in. Mark’s story is a reminder for anyone in hardware, software, or tech integration: Sales isn’t about being flashy—it’s about consistency, trust, and putting yourself in the right environment to succeed. The leap might feel risky. But if you’ve got the mentality, it can change your career trajectory forever.

Most Tech Integrators say they want recurring revenue… but few are actually set up to sell it. 🎙️ Just recorded a powerful episode with Andrew Gross from Xyte — and this one’s packed with insight. We talked about: ✅ What’s changing in buyer behavior across tech ✅ Why managed services still feel out of reach for many integrators ✅ The mindset shift companies need to compete ✅  What type of Talent is needed ✅ Where the industry’s headed — and how to stay ahead This wasn’t just talk. It was the kind of convo that cuts through the noise. If you’re a Technology Integrator in: ➡️ Workplace Technology (AV, Video Conferencing, Digital Signage) OR ➡️ Building Technology (Access Control, CCTV, Structured Cabling, Data Centers) And you are navigating industry shifts and exploring new ways to serve your clients while growing revenue — this one's worth your time.

Ever heard of a "skip level talk"? 🤔 It's a powerful leadership technique where executives bypass the chain of command to connect directly with frontline employees. This means stepping out of your office to chat with IC's (Individual Contributors) who see everything on the field. It's not about micromanagement... but about staying in touch with the real pulse of your team's process on what is going very well and what can be improved, sometimes even immediately addressed. Why is this important? Because the view from the top isn't always clear, skip-level talks help leaders stay grounded and make informed decisions. If this is not a strategy you are using in your organization, I would highly recommend it. From the talent acquisition lens and from the feedback we get from talent in the market, this is a strategy that could provide a huge ROI.

The 30-60-90 Day Plan? Straight to the Trash. Let’s be real – no one actually uses that thing. You put one together for your final interview and straight to the trash it goes The traditional 30-60-90 day plan is a waste. It’s filled with shallow milestones, checklist-ticking, and rushing through “stages” that don’t move the needle. Plus, the whole process takes way too long. So, what should a new sales leader focus on when they step into a company? I’m 100% aligned with Larry on how he views his entry as a CRO/Global Sales Leader/US Sales Leader. ⚠️ Forget arbitrary timelines and pointless checklists. The best Sales Leaders I’ve worked with, recruited for, and strategized with, focus on these things: 🟢 Who’s my top talent? 🟢 Who are our best customers, and what do they really think of us? 🟢 Who are our top vendors or partners, and how do they view us? 🟢 Is our sales compensation driving the right behaviors? No predetermined plan here. This is about being strategic, not reactive. Your best sellers, customers, and Vendors/partners will tell you exactly what’s working – and what’s not. The real planning starts when you figure out what's broken and what’s actually working.

Larry Satterfield breaks down one of the most underestimated aspects of sales success: the sales compensation plan. 💡 Key Insight: A well-designed comp plan isn’t just about numbers—it’s about behavior. It drives motivation, aligns individual goals with organizational objectives, and ultimately determines the success of your sales team. 🚩 The Problem: Misaligned or overly complex comp plans lead to: Confused sales teams. Lack of motivation. Missed revenue targets. ✅ The Solution: Build a sales compensation plan that is: Simple: Clear and easy to understand. Aligned: Directly tied to business outcomes. Motivating: Rewards the behaviors you want to see.

The question that I really wanna ask you is because you've led a lot of different teams in different environments and have had a lot of successful teams that you built out, I have no doubt that you've had your fair share of underperformers. How do you deal with underperformers? S1 Speaker 1 00:16 - 01:54 The biggest challenge you have as a leader is to figure out why they're underperforming, what the problem is. And, the best way to do that is through coaching. So the first place you look when you have people who are performing, it's are they hitting those KPIs or tables or whatever a business wants to call them, but the 3, they're the 3 or 4 things that a seller has to do to be successful. And so if you find out they're doing those things and yet they're still not being successful, then it's incumbent upon you as the sales leader. And usually this is the first line sales leader. If you find it, this, this person, this individual is hitting all of their metrics that you felt were important to do it. Then a lot of what you have to do is going to involve direct contact with that seller, going out and visiting customers with that seller and having discussions about those visits at the each visit. If you develop a culture of coaching, you can give constructive coaching to the individual. When you look at all those metrics, if you can look at them and be really thinking constructively about how they can improve those tangibles, then you wanna talk to the individual about what they're doing long. What many sales leaders don't do is get involved to the detailed level, why they're not making those metrics. And then when they do get involved, they don't provide proactive coaching because what's important is that that individual has to face up to what they're doing wrong, typically to to try to progress them to become a performer. S0 Speaker 0 01:54 - 02:10 Anecdotally, just in conversations with leaders, I could say they're probably not doing this because the feedback I get from candidates is they've been told, you know, or coached out. But the words you use or the tones you use, like how important is that? S1 Speaker 1 02:10 - 04:29 You know, words are important, but the frequency of coaching is I think the critical factor. I wasn't the kind of sales leader that looked to try to demean you. What I would like to do is just to talk about where you're doing well, where you're not doing well. And if you're not making your number, it's a problem. And you need to know that it's a problem. Sales leaders are funny. You know, one of the things they don't, most people don't make their quota. Like if I'm a sales manager, it's gonna be hard to make my quota if I don't keep a full staff. So I can't have a lot of attrition and I can't be fired a whole lot of people. A lot of sales leaders will, permit underperformance to relax and just continue along their way because maybe they believe they've got some over performers that are going to cover up for them. I never thought that was a good idea. I always thought that what you needed to do is to build up a funnel of potential candidates that you could always go to. And so you're not, reluctant to have that tough conversation with your underperforming salesperson. So the idea that you go out with a salesperson and they do a whole lot of things wrong, and you say, oh, it was a pretty good call. Yeah. You, you may wanna be able to think about doing this and doing that the next time. No, you can't do that. You have to say, you know, the call was really bad. Okay. That was not a pretty good call. Call was really bad. You got to set the tone really upfront. The call was really bad. I was disappointed that you let these things take place during the call. It doesn't appear to me that you were listening properly, but I set the tone while I lead the meeting with that was not a good call. I'm doing the person a favor, but staying in it extra nights when you're not, because when you, when you don't say it very directly, they may not hear it. And so you're not giving them a chance to fix it because if they don't think it, if they think something was pretty good, but you really thought it was pretty bad, then they're gonna go away with not thinking that they need to fix something. You need them to go away thinking that they need to get something fixed. S0 Speaker 0 04:29 - 04:42 I've heard of leaders through the voice of the sellers, like the aggressive nature of just rating. Is there a time and a place for that? Yeah. Or not as even doesn't even exist. S1 Speaker 1 04:42 - 06:04 If, if you're being described as somebody just be rating somebody that's usually means that you're not just offering them constructive advice. But I will tell you that it is important as a sales leader, people see you treat everyone fairly. Some people say, well, I would never have a, have any constructive conversation in public, in a public forum, in, in like in a sales manager meeting. Well, I don't think this, I don't agree with that. I think that if your seller is, hasn't been performing and hasn't been doing what they're supposed, it's okay to talk about that in sales meeting. It's okay for me to say Chris, and we've got the other sellers around Chris, you're not hitting any of your metrics. Your funnel is weak and you're not making your number. We're gonna have to talk about that. And the reason I think it's important that other sellers hear the op in the sales meeting environment is because now you're setting, you're setting the tone for the business, you know, and they're hearing it. Now I didn't demean you in any way. I just talked about the 3 things that you're not doing. We can have that dialogue. I doubt we want to have it back and forth, but you did hear me Yeah. In the middle of the meeting. And all the other reps heard too. So if they're in that state, it becomes a culture that can handle that. What I'm S0 Speaker 0 06:04 - 06:16 what I'm curious is because you've worked in the bigger companies and you've worked in start ups. What are the differences, if there's any, when coaching people underperformers or dealing with underperformers? S1 Speaker 1 06:16 - 08:07 Technically, there shouldn't be any difference. Okay. But in the bigger companies, the formal personal improvement plan is critical in a startup. You should do a formal one, but many times you're every year, every year running so fast. You just gotta go. Hey man, the informal is, hey, look, man. We talked about this last week. We talked about it a month ago. You're still not doing any of these things. We gotta move on. In a bigger company kit, you gotta do the personal improvement plan, even though you talked about it, you talked about it. And the reason I say that there shouldn't be any difference. The key is that the salesperson know that they're not meeting their number. Does the salesperson know that you believe that theirs, they're not meeting their number because they're not hitting the metrics that they should be? Have you told them that? Have you coached them on how to do it? All of that can take place in 3 days. Okay. Yeah. All the things I just thought can take place in 3 days, but it's important that it takes place and that should take place in a bigger company or the smaller company. If you're a frontline sales, normal, Jerry, you have to be touching your sellers all the time, especially the ones that are underperforming. The ones that are hitting their number is fine, but 30% are not. You should be focused on that 30% because you can potentially help them improve to so that you will have an 80% number or 90% number, but you also, but the way to do that is to also be strategic about building your funnel of candidates. Because I think that most sales managers, if they knew they had somebody in their funnel that could come in and do the job, they'd be more likely to coach on a more regular basis. S0 Speaker 0 08:07 - 08:13 How do you deal with underperformers that are giving you these sob stories that are very compelling? S1 Speaker 1 08:13 - 09:41 Yeah. I'm gonna be very direct with with them. I hear you. And, you know, and I'm I'm I'm quite confident you're gonna be able to work through that. Let's get back to focusing on what you're not being with. Okay. So I'm not, I, I, I'm not getting involved in what they got going on. I hear you too, and I'm confident you're going to take care of it. And as a sales leader, like I said, move me. I can't count a one horn. People who have come up to me with that as it is coming up to bring their personal problems is that we're shooting. That just doesn't happen. And I think it's because I've shut a business tone in my discussions. We coach each other, we talk to each other daily, but it's all business. But I said, I, you know, very, I didn't face that a lot because I did stay in the business lane so much with the one that you should work with. And ultimately by doing that, they found me to be frail. They found me to be, focused on their well-being from a job standpoint. I mean, the job is an important piece of your life. And I'm I am being when they do the job well, I am enthusiastic on giving credit and try to make sure they get as much money as they can get. And when they do the job poorly, I want them to know what they're doing poorly so that they can potentially fix...