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Businesses that Care Podcast (formerly Mere Mortals Unite)

Mere Mortals Unite (MMU) and Businesses that Care (BTC) are two distinct series in this podcast. BTC is focused on building a business culture that allows your business to recruit and retain good talent. Our guests share ideas that work, to create a culture of engagement. On previous episodes of MMU we share superpowers that everyone has although they may not have discovered them yet, or forgotten them or given them away. Take them back, increase their use in your life. provides skills and techniques so you can discover your superpowers. The result is an increase in success and joy in your life and the lives of those that surround you. Let’s change the world one person at a time, starting with you!
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Now displaying: June, 2017
Jun 28, 2017

104 Engagement Through Employee Recognition - Terryberry

URL: http://www.julieannsullivan.com/engagement-through-recognition/

 

What do people really want from their jobs? We all want a paycheck, but we also crave recognition for our accomplishments. We all want to feel valued and affirmed. Our guest today shows how one company excels at recognizing employees and creating a great workplace culture.

I’m excited to bring you this interview with Mike Byam. He is the Managing Partner and a 4th generation team member of Terryberry, a family-owned business. Next year, in 2018, Terryberry will celebrate its 100th year in business. You don’t reach that without creating a great workplace culture. Terryberry is in the business of employee recognition, but today we are going to talk about what they do in-house to give what I say are the two most important feelings any human can have: being acknowledged and having value. In 2016 Terryberry was named one of the Best and Brightest companies to work for in the nation. After listening to this episode, you’ll see why. 

Terryberry is helping their employees to achieve their best potential.  The research shows that employee recognition is the #1 driver of engagement. Employee recognition is much more than perks or gifts at Terryberry. It's about being present, listening, and genuinely appreciating people for who they are and what they bring to the team.

Exposure to this culture begins even before an employee's first day. Upon acceptance of an offer, employees receive a welcome kit including a guidebook with information about "what to expect" and a "Welcome Aboard Questionnaire." The questionnaire asks employees about what kind of recognition is meaningful to them, and about favorite drinks, snacks and restaurants for managers to use to personalize the recognition they receive.

New employees are inducted into Give a WOW, our social media-style recognition program, where they receive welcome messages from peers and leaders. From the very start of their employment, all employees are encouraged to recognize others in the organization whenever they see someone demonstrating Terryberry's core values in an exceptional way.

 

You’ll discover:

  • A unique idea used at Terryberry to create a better workplace culture.
  • Ideas for engaging Millennials through workplace recognition.
  • Why two important parts of fostering recognition are the leadership, and connecting with people offline.
  • A description of the in-house platform Terryberry uses for recognition.
  • Why employees often invite their family and friends to join the team.
  • Outcomes and benefits from adding on another product to their employee engagement strategy.
  • The first steps for a business that wants to do better at employee recognition.

 

Interview Links & Other Resources

Terryberry.com

Follow Terryberry on Twitter

Terryberry’s philosophy of employee recognition (video)
Businesses That Care on C-Suite Radio

iTunes - Subscribe, Rate and Review

Jun 21, 2017

103 Navigating the Game of Life - Mo Gawdat

URL:  http://www.julieannsullivan.com/solve-for-happy/

 

How can happiness arise from a devastating loss? Is it possible to choose happiness over despair? What can we learn about life from video games? These may seem like unrelated questions, but today’s guest brings them together in a fascinating discussion.

I’m thrilled to share my interview with Mo Gawdat, the Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X]. This is an elite team of engineers who make up Google’s futurist “dream factory.” At the early age of eight, Mo decided to focus on a topic of interest each year and learn as much as possible. This incredible habit lead to some life-changing discoveries. I found his new book, Solve for Happy, to be a wonderful mixture of engineering genius and a huge empathetic heart. You’ll see this unique mix in our interview.

Mo’s bio: In the past ten years, Mo has made happiness his primary topic of research, diving deeply into literature and conversing on the topic with thousands of people in more than a hundred countries. He is also a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded more than twenty businesses. He speaks Arabic, English, and German. In 2014, motivated by the tragic loss of his son, Ali, Mo began pouring his findings into his first book, titled Solve for Happy.

 

You’ll discover:

  • Why Mo describes his superpower as “navigation.”
  • The tragic story of losing his son, and how it has changed his life.
  • How to look at life as a game, and strategies for navigating the hard parts.
  • Concepts to be better navigators in life.
  • How to reframe your emotions by reframing your thoughts.
  • Three types of thoughts happening in our heads.

 

Interview Links & Other Resources

SolveForHappy.com

Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat

Mo’s interview with Lewis Howes
Mo’s interview with the Free Library of Philadelphia

Follow Mo on Twitter (use hashtags #10MillionHappy and #SolveForHappy to tweet about Mo and the book)

Connect with Mo on LinkedIn

Connect with Mo on Facebook

Mere Mortals Unite on C-Suite Radio

iTunes - Subscribe, Rate and Review

Jun 14, 2017

102 Developing Company Culture - Professional Movers

URL:  http://www.julieannsullivan.com/developing-company-culture/

 

Great business leaders are found everywhere--office buildings, warehouses, stages and concert halls. Today you’ll hear from a leader in an industry you might not expect: professional moving.

I’m happy to bring you this interview with Andrew Androff of Professional Movers. What intrigued me about his company is that his management team all began as movers. For Andrew, although a college education is supported, those that have vested their time and grown within the company, possess the qualities to become leaders too. Professional Movers has created a culture that has been voted the Best Moving Service for five consecutive years by their community. Their Company Manifesto acts as their Culture Compass. Let’s find out how he does that.

More about Professional Movers: Professional Movers is a Residential and Office Moving Company that does things so positively different, they forever alter a customer’s expectations for the better. Since 1978, they have redefined the moving industry by creating a company-wide culture that values a compassionate connection with their customers. they take the time to understand their customers’ needs and provide solutions that saves money, relieves their stress, and transforms their perception of what to expect from a professional moving company.

More from Andrew about how Professional Movers developed its company manifesto: We invited our Team Members to put their individual fingerprint on the development of our Company Manifesto. We began by providing each with a document that explained what a company manifesto was and provided examples of other really emotionally positive company manifestos done well. We then provided a questionnaire that asked them specific questions about their role in the company.

We placed a manifesto box in our office and asked the team members to anonymously submit their completed questionnaires. We then utilized their answers to develop our company manifesto. We had the company manifesto printed into a really large design board and mounted it on our office wall for all to see. The Company Manifesto acts as our Culture compass. It reminds us of the fabric of our organization and the direction and goals we are collectively working towards.

You’ll discover:

  • Why a company manifesto is important, and how team members helped develop it.
  • How the company is positively impacting the public’s view of their whole industry.
  • Practical ways they address a customer’s pain points.
  • Why they view their work as a “craft.”
  • Specific things they do that other movers don’t do.
  • Practical ideas Andrew uses to engage employees and develop their company culture.
  • How a simple reminder on the back wall of each truck reminds movers how they can make a difference.
  • How the company’s leaders spot positive attributes of each team member and help develop their leadership.
  • Why their different way of doing business has benefited the company.

 

Interview Links & Other Resources 

ProfessionalMovers.com

Follow Professional Movers on Twitter

Businesses That Care on C-Suite Radio

iTunes - Subscribe, Rate and Review

Jun 7, 2017

101 The Power of Storytelling - Kelly Swanson

URL:  http://www.julieannsullivan.com/storytelling-kelly-swanson/ 

 

We usually think of storytelling as a skill reserved for movies, fairy tales, and novels. What if you could harness the amazing power of stories to better connect with your audience or customers? Today's guest shows us how.

I'm excited to bring you this interview with Kelly Swanson, an expert storyteller and comedian. Kelly not only knows how to tell a great story. She also understands why stories work and can help you improve your storytelling as well. You’ll learn a number of practical tips that will take your influence and engagement to the next level.

Kelly’s bio: Kelly Swanson is an award-winning storyteller, motivational speaker, comedian and author of The Gutsy Girl’s Pocket Guide to Public Speaking Kindle series and Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale?: How to Hang on to Humor When Life Doesn’t Go The Way You Planned. She’s also the creator of Prides Hollow and the wacky cast of Southern characters who show up when you least expect them.


Kelly has won awards for her storytelling from the Film Advisory Board of Hollywood and the National Parenting Publications Association. She was a featured entertainer for Holland America Cruise Lines and has been coined one of North Carolina’s funniest women.


She delivers funny, motivating programs on how to master the art of connection and engagement through the power of story. Woven into her powerful content on how you can craft your words to have more impact is her delightfully wacky and moving personal story of finding out how being the weird kid would turn out to be her greatest gift and biggest asset in business.

 

You’ll discover:

  • Why we are all salespeople (and what that means).
  • The biggest element of stories that people leave out.
  • What “wound marketing” means and how you can use it.
  • The biggest emotional need that people have.
  • The three stories we should be telling.
  • Several experiences where Kelly’s stories made a difference for her business and for her audience.
  • Why you should make your stories as short as possible.
  • Practical tips that can make your stories better.
  • Why the audience must feel that you genuinely care about them.

 

Interview Links & Other Resources

KellySwanson.net

StoryImpactAcademy.com

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn

Connect with Kelly on Facebook

Follow Kelly on Twitter

8 Women Dream

Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale? by Kelly Swanson

Mere Mortals Unite on C-Suite Radio

iTunes - Subscribe, Rate and Review

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