This week the TalentCulture community talked with writer and filmmaker Heath Padgett about how to create the ultimate hiring experience. Heath has a very interesting story and it made for a great jumpstart to 2016.
While still figuring out what he wanted to do with his life, Heath Padgett quit his software sales job and convinced his new bride to hit the road on their 2014 honeymoon and work a different job in all 50 U.S. states.
They called their quest Hourly America and they filmed the entire journey for a documentary that will be released later this year. During his trek, Heath pitched more than 200 companies and experienced a myriad of hiring practices, both good and bad.
His shared how a company that rejected him turned him into a huge fan, how one business surprised him with the best hiring experience of his life, how he used online job search techniques to find the best companies to work for — and much more.
Want to hear his story? Listen to the recording and check out the highlights below:
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The TalentCulture #TChat Show is back live on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, from 1-2 pm ET (10-11 am PT). Join TalentCulture #TChat Show co-founders and co-hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman as they talk about why the best recruitment means smarter workforce marketing with this week’s guest: Abby Euler, Talent Acquisition Evangelist at IBM Smarter Workforce.
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00Meghan M. Birohttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngMeghan M. Biro2016-01-07 11:00:112020-05-31 14:38:19#TChat Recap: How To Create The Ultimate Hiring Experience
That’s a tough question to answer in a single 30-minute radio show. But this week’s #TChat guest came well prepared. China Gorman, CEO of Great Place to Work Institute, has been crunching numbers to create the 2014 best employers list — and her perspective reflects a lifetime of leadership and HR expertise.
• The 100 Best consistently perform 2x better financially than the stock market average • The 100 Best experience up to 65% less voluntary turnover than competitors • Companies returning to this year’s list saw unprecedented growth in 2013.
But even as China shared these facts, back-to-back tweets appeared on the Twitter stream. The first from #TChat regular, Donna Rogers:
In a follow-up book, How the Mighty Fall, Jim Collins (the author) revisited 11 of the 60 companies he had previously profiled as winners. These once “great companies” had stumbled for multiple reasons — from hubris, to overreach, to denial.
The sobering conclusion? Unless fallen companies return to the fundamentals that made them great, death is inevitable.
Two Implications for “Great” Employers Everywhere
1) Greatness can fade fast. Poor decision-making, heavy-handed micro-management, bad expansion bets, products that fail, fluctuating global economics, government regulation (or lack thereof) — many factors conspire to “kill” even the best companies. But the quickest road to ruin comes when organizations lose talent to competitors because employees lose “love” for what they do, who they do it with, and why they’re doing it.
2) Perpetual salvation requires rigorous work. The work that makes companies shine — a focused, flexible business model, a compelling value proposition, a workforce that feels fairly recognized and rewarded – is the same work that keeps them moving forward through peaks and valleys. Business is a non-stop gauntlet of no guarantees — and it never gets any easier.
So, what have we learned? Great is good, if you can get it. But good can also be great, if that’s where longevity lives.
#TChat Week-In-Review: Lessons From Great Workplaces
#TChat Twitter: Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, China and I joined the TalentCulture community on the #TChat Twitter stream for a dynamic open conversation, centered on 5 related questions. See highlights in the Storify slideshow below:
#TChat Insights: “Best” Employers: What Makes Them Work?
GRATITUDE: Thanks again to China Gorman for sharing your perspectives of effective workplace environments. We value your time, your expertise and your commitment to the TalentCulture community!
NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Did this week’s events prompt you to write about workplace culture issues? We welcome your thoughts. Post a link on Twitter (include #TChat or @TalentCulture), or insert a comment below, and we’ll pass it along.
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/800px-Tightrope_walking.jpg351700Kevin W. Grossmanhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngKevin W. Grossman2014-01-23 17:41:072020-05-27 16:59:14Workplace Greatness: No Guarantees #TChat Recap
“No company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” –-Jack Welch
You can’t necessarily “see” culture. But evidence of it is often easy to spot. Similarly, culture can’t be manufactured, manipulated or imposed upon employees. But without clarity, consistency and communication, it can rapidly erode.
Looking Closer Look at Corporate Culture
MIT Management Professor, Edgar Schein, presents culture as a series of assumptions people make about an organization. These assumptions occur at three levels — each is more difficult to articulate and change. Schein’s three-tier structure includes:
• Artifacts (Visible) • Espoused Beliefs and Values (May appear through surveys or other narrative) • Underlying Assumptions (Unconscious beliefs/values. Not visible; may be taken for granted)Illustration via Chad Renando
The Business Case for Culture: Zappos
In recent years, Zappos has become known for its deep commitment to culture as a competitive advantage. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, often speaks about the importance of workplace culture, and why it is his company’s chief priority. To understand Tony’s perspective, watch this brief video:
Below are Zappos’ “10 Commandments” — the core values that drive culture, brand and business strategies:
1) Deliver WOW through service
2) Embrace and drive change
3) Create fun and a little weirdness
4) Be adventurous, creative and open-minded
5) Pursue growth and learning
6) Build open and honest relationships with communication
7) Build a positive team and family spirit
8) Do more with less
9) Be passionate and determined
10) Be humble
What do you think of “commandments” like these? How does your organization articulate and reinforce cultural norms across your workforce? How effective are your efforts?
Beyond Zappos: 100 Great Company Cultures
Of course, Zappos is only one of many organizations that invest deeply in culture. Last week, Fortune Magazine offered 100 other examples in its 2014 “Best Companies to Work For” List, developed by Great Place to Work Institute.
Even before the list was revealed, Great Place to Work CEO, China Gorman, shared several key observations about the cultural characteristics that help great companies attract top talent.
As the moderator of this week’s Twitter event, I’d like to thank the hundreds of professionals who literally contributed thousands of ideas about what makes organizations “tick.” Your input is always welcome — the more, the better. So let’s keep this conversation going…
“No company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” –-Jack Welch
You can’t necessarily “see” culture. But evidence of it is often easy to spot. Similarly, culture can’t be manufactured, manipulated or imposed upon employees. But without clarity, consistency and communication, it can rapidly erode.
Looking Closer Look at Corporate Culture
MIT Management Professor, Edgar Schein, presents culture as a series of assumptions people make about an organization. These assumptions occur at three levels — each is more difficult to articulate and change. Schein’s three-tier structure includes:
• Artifacts (Visible) • Espoused Beliefs and Values (May appear through surveys or other narrative) • Underlying Assumptions (Unconscious beliefs/values. Not visible; may be taken for granted)Illustration via Chad Renando
The Business Case for Culture: Zappos
In recent years, Zappos has become known for its deep commitment to culture as a competitive advantage. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, often speaks about the importance of workplace culture, and why it is his company’s chief priority. To understand Tony’s perspective, watch this brief video:
Below are Zappos’ “10 Commandments” — the core values that drive culture, brand and business strategies:
1) Deliver WOW through service
2) Embrace and drive change
3) Create fun and a little weirdness
4) Be adventurous, creative and open-minded
5) Pursue growth and learning
6) Build open and honest relationships with communication
7) Build a positive team and family spirit
8) Do more with less
9) Be passionate and determined
10) Be humble
What do you think of “commandments” like these? How does your organization articulate and reinforce cultural norms across your workforce? How effective are your efforts?
Beyond Zappos: 100 Great Company Cultures
Of course, Zappos is only one of many organizations that invest deeply in culture. Last week, Fortune Magazine offered 100 other examples in its 2014 “Best Companies to Work For” List, developed by Great Place to Work Institute.
Even before the list was revealed, Great Place to Work CEO, China Gorman, shared several key observations about the cultural characteristics that help great companies attract top talent.
As the moderator of this week’s Twitter event, I’d like to thank the hundreds of professionals who literally contributed thousands of ideas about what makes organizations “tick.” Your input is always welcome — the more, the better. So let’s keep this conversation going…
Maybe that’s why Fortune Magazine‘s “100 Best Places to Work For” list is so popular. Each year, it shines a light on what really works. We’re reminded that organizational excellence is all around us, and we have a chance to learn from those examples.
Fortunately this week, the TalentCulture community gets a front-row seat in that learning process, as China Gorman joins us at #TChat events!
As many of you know, China is CEO of Great Place to Work Institute — the firm that produces the “Best Companies to Work For” list. The 2014 edition was announced last Thursday, so we’ll be looking at the very latest results. And based on what I’ve seen, this year’s list deserves closer attention.
Sneak Peek: Shifting Priorities
To set the tone for this week’s events, China joined me for a brief “sneak peek” Hangout, where she explained that the 2014 study reveals two new top management priorities:
What are your thoughts about employers on this year’s “best” list? Do you see evidence that organizational culture is gaining ground as a source of competitive advantage? What role should “best practices” play in improving talent strategies? Join us this week to share your ideas and opinions with the #TChat crowd!
Immediately following the radio show, Meghan, Kevin and China will move to the #TChat Twitter stream, where Dr. Nancy Rubin will moderate a live discussion with the entire TalentCulture community.
Everyone with a Twitter account is invited to participate, as we address these 5 related questions:
Q1: How does a company become a “great place to work”? Q2: What characteristics do fast-growing and great workplaces share? Q3: How does an employer brand interact with the recruiting process?? Q4: Why is a great workplace more about business strategy than HR? Q5: How can HR convince leadership that workplace technology is a smart investment?
We look forward to hearing your ideas and opinions, as talent-minded professionals who care about the human side of business.
Throughout the week, we’ll keep the discussion going on the #TChat Twitter feed, and on our LinkedIn Discussion Group. So feel free to drop by anytime and share your questions, ideas and opinions.
We’ll see you on the stream!
https://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/China-Gorman.jpg299597Tim McDonaldhttps://talentculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TCLogo_web-272x60-1.pngTim McDonald2014-01-18 13:07:592020-05-27 16:53:27Best Employers: What Makes Them Work? #TChat Preview
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