It’s DO-BE Time is for entrepreneurs who believe that their business exists to support them in achieving a personal vision. Tony Carnesi (DOing) and Brian Gorman (BEing) and their guests address the challenges that business owners face and what is required to move through them successfully.
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092: Taking on Tough Conversations (2 of 2)
Meredith Bell (Performance Support Systems), Tony, and Brian focus the second part of the conversation on changes in today’s workforce that require changes in leadership style. What is now important to workers is different than what was important when leaders were “down in the ranks.” Failure to respond to those changes results in ineffective leadership that has a direct cost on the bottom line through increased turnover, lower productivity, and more. Several insights on how to lead today’s workforce are addressed.
091: Taking on Tough Conversations (1 of 2)
The question isn’t whether the need for tough conversations will arise, it is “What do I do about it?” In Part 1 of this discussion, Meredith Bell, Co-Founder and President of Performance Support Systems joins Tony and Brian to explore the challenges of tough conversations and what is required to take them on. Among the questions addressed are the following. How do you as a business owner or leader approach a person working for you who is not fulfilling their responsibilities? How do you as a person whose supervisor is verbally abusive to you take on a tough conversation to address their behavior? And what is required for a tough conversation to come to a successful conclusion?
090: Who Cares? Why Care?
Mark Iorio, Founder of the Mega Group and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Brand and Culture Alignment Toolkit (BCAT), returns to the podcast for a far-ranging discussion with Tony and Brian. Beginning with an exploration of why managers are often hesitant to make decisions, the conversation turns to the importance of business owners and leaders at all levels of the organization caring about the people who work for them as people, and not just as employees.
089: Why Do Your Employees Work for You?
In this replay of Episode 38 (“It’s Time for A Leadership Evolution)”, co-hosts Tony Carnesi and Brian Gorman address what were then the early waves of the Great Resignation. They discuss a series of questions regarding employees and their relationships to their jobs, their managers and leaders, and their employers. And they introduce the roll-out of their 4-Day Work Week assessment, now available on the Do-Be Associates website.
088: Leadership Reinvented with Hamza Khan (3 of 3)
Concluding this conversation on leadership in 2022 and beyond, Hamza Khan, Tony, and Brian look at the importance of empathy, servitude, diversity, and innovation play and why these aspects of leadership are so important. Hamza makes the case that “we’re going to have to be more human as leaders.” The behavioral attributes of leaders who are successfully moving their businesses into the future vs. those who are trying to hold onto the past are also discussed.
087: Leadership Reinvented with Hamza Khan (2 of 3)
In Part 2, Hamza Khan, Tony, and Brian explore the impact that Covid has had on the future of work, and what that means for the future of leadership. Citing the differences between dark triad leadership personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) and light triad leadership personality traits (Kantianism, Humanism, and faith in humanity), Hamza makes the case for the latter as the leader of the future. The conversation also addresses the need to redefine the relationship between organizations and the people that work for them.
086: Leadership Reinvented with Hamza Khan (1 of 3)
Hamza Khan, author of Leadership Reinvented: How to Foster Empathy, Servitude, Diversity, and Innovation in the Workplace, joins Tony and Brian for an extended conversation on leadership for today’s workforce. In Part 1, we discuss the leader’s responsibility to the worker and the organization and different approaches to working with difficult employees. Hamza also tells the story of his TEDx talk (Stop Managing, Start Leading), now viewed almost 2 million times, and what led to his then supervisor calling it seditious.
085: The Gig Worker and the Future of Work (2 of 2)
In part 2 of this conversation, Elizabeth Eiss, ResultsResourcing Founder and CEO, Tony, and Brian continue the conversation about integrating gig workers into your business. The focus is on ow to create a team environment across employees and external contractors. As Elizabeth says, “the freelancer chooses the employer the same way the employer chooses the freelancer.”
084: The Gig Worker and the Future of Work (1 of 2)
Building your workforce, whether by hiring or contracting, can be a significant challenge. In Part 1 of this podcast, ResultsResourcing Founder and CEO Elizabeth Eiss shares what it takes to attract the right talent pool and how to screen that pool for the best candidate; it isn’t as easy as it might seem. Whether you are hiring or seeking to be hired, Elizabeth points out the importance of the entrepreneurial spirit in making a successful match.
083: Why Wellness? (2 of 2)
Tony and Brian continue our conversation with Lisa Snow (Founder and President of On the Mend Fitness and Massage) with a look at the benefits of wellness programs to both organizations and the people that work for them. Lisa describes the ways in which both in-person and virtual programs contribute to building person-to-person relationships, strengthen trust, and address a sense of isolation. Each of these changes benefit the individual and the employer.
082: Why Wellness (1 of 2)
One of the benefits that employers often see as unnecessary is the wellness program. Yet, those who have left, or are considering leaving, their jobs, “employers who don’t care about my physical and/or mental well-being” is one of the driving factors. Lisa Snow, Founder and President of On the Mend Customized Fitness and Massage joins Tony and Brian to discuss the benefits – to the organization as well as its people – of fitness programs. The conversation addresses ways in
which such programs can be integrated into both in-person and virtual workplaces.
081: A Business Plan Isn’t a Good Idea!
Part 2 of our conversation with Joann A. Seery turned from building relationships to business planning. At the heart of the discussion is business planning and business plans. Joann, Tony, and Brian make it clear, business plans aren’t a good idea, they are essential to the growth and success of the business. Among the roles that business plans serve are intentionally shaping the organization’s culture, hiring for passionate alignment to mission and vision, financial triggers for decision-making, and planning for the owner’s exit.
080: Building Relationships – Your Voice, Your Values, Your Personal Brand (1 of 2)
As the Co-Founder of Serious Business Solutions and Executive Director of BNI (Business Network International) for the State of Hawaii, Joann A. Seery knows what it takes to build and sustain strong business relationships. In part 1 of this podcast, Joann, Tony, and Brian discuss how to be intentional about building and maintaining your personal brand, which is the basis for the relationships you establish.
079: Rethinking Leadership and Management (2 of 2)
Charles Bernard, Founder and CEO of Criteria for Success, continues his conversation with Tony and Brian with the premise that during unstable times you should be making promises to your customers. He describes how to do so. The conversation also addresses the application of a Management By Objectives approach to performance and incentives. But perhaps Charles’ most innovative idea in the podcast is how to establish leading indicators in sales that literally drive a change in the behavior of your sales team.
078: Rethinking Leadership and Management (1 of 2)
Criteria for Success Founder and CEO Charles Bernard joins Tony and Brian for a discussion of leadership and management in a Covid and post-Covid workplace. While Charles focuses much of his work and many of his examples in the sales arena, they are equally applicable in all areas of the organization. In Part 1 of the conversation, we talk about everything from “managing down vs. managing up” to when and how to have team meetings to reimagining 1:1 sessions with your reports.
077: How Does Your Organization’s Brand Align with Your North Star? (2 of 2)
Mark Iorio, Founder of the Mega Group and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Brand and Culture Alignment Toolkit (BCAT), Tony, and Brian focus in on specific ways in which you can align your brand with your North Star, as well as the commitment that it takes to do so. Mark uses a music metaphor (consonance, resonance, and alignment) as a framework for assessing whether the organization is delivering on the Brand Promise, and if not, where it is breaking down.
076: How Does Your Organization’s Brand Align with Your North Star? (1 of 2)
If you have an organization, you have a brand, whether intentionally defined or note. In part 1 of this discussion with Mark Iorio, Founder of the Mega Group and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Brand and Culture Alignment Toolkit (BCAT), Tony and Brian discuss what goes into defining your organization’s brand. What are the roles of leadership and others throughout the organization in fostering and shaping that brand? How do those inside the organization deliver on the brand promise? Mark describes the importance of identifying observable behavior changes as you work to build brand alignment.
075: The Office as a Purpose Driven Destination (2 of 2)
In Part 2 of his conversation with Tony and Brian, Nick Iovacchini (Kettle Co-Founder) discusses how to succeed in addressing the uncertain future of work and future of the workplace when there are no clear playbooks. How do you align people, purpose, and place, and use data to help you do so? Nick hypothesizes that it could be 5-10 years before the new models and templates for hybrid work settle out.
074: The Office as a Purpose Driven Destination (1 of 2)
Nick Iovacchini, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Kettle, identifies himself as a “man on a mission.” These days, his mission is to support businesses who are seeing the office as a purpose-driven destination. Kettle O.S. is designed to foster, track, and facilitate how, when, and where workers get together. In part 1 of this podcast, Nick, Tony, and Brian discuss the importance of being intentional in shaping the usage of the office going forward.
073: How to Earn an ROI on employee Happiness (2 of 2)
In part 2 of our conversation, Noah Pusey (co-founder and CEO of Ripple Analytics), Tony, and Brian tackle some fundamental leadership and management behaviors that need reframing. Words do matter; they affect mindsets and behaviors. While most employers and supervisors talk about their “employees” and “direct reports,” Noah refers to them as human beings; Tony and Brian call them people. It is important to not only listen to what they have to say; it is important to act on it.
072: How to Earn an ROI on Employee Happiness (1 of 2)
Who cares if your employees are happy at work? You should! In this episode, Ripple Analytics co-founder and CEO Noah Pusey shares Gallup data on the benefits of employ engagement and satisfaction. He tells Tony and Brian, “How managers and leaders do things is as important as what they do.” The toxicity of the annual performance review process, which Noah did in his role of partner in a large law firm, inspired him to create Ripple Analytics. By providing ongoing feedback across an organization, you can strengthen your people, strengthen your culture, improve employee happiness, and grow your bottom line.
071: Human Resources and the Future of Work (2 of 2)
Christine Pietrowicz-Joanis (Puzzle HR), Tony, and Brian discuss the importance of feedback and how to best ensure that honest, direct feedback is provided to managers at all levels of the organization. Perhaps now, more than any time since the industrial revolution, leadership training is essential to successfully addressing the shifting workplace and the changing expectations of employees. That training needs to address not only leadership skills, but also shifting mindsets that affect how they show up and interact with their employees.
070: Human Resources and the Future of Work (1 of 2)
Puzzle HR’s Christine Pietrowicz-Joanis joins Tony and Brian to share some of the insights she has gained on the role of Human Resources in the future of work. The conversation begins with a focus on the importance of empathy both within HR and more broadly with leaders across the organization. We move on to exploring the significant changes that have been taking place in the workplace and what those changes mean for Human Resources.
069: From Fear to Freedom: Facing Change with Brendon Baker (2of 2)
In the second part of this conversation, Brendon, Tony, and Brian focus on the role of the manager in today’s business environment. Brendon refers to the “flexibility revolution,” and describes the need to let go of micromanagement and focus on empowerment. He calls on managers to self-examine, ensure that they are bringing empathy to their roles, and shift their focus from the working time of their employees to the outcomes of the time put in. He concludes with counsel to employees whose managers are not hearing them.
068: From Fear to Freedom: Facing Change with Brendon Baker (1 of 2)
Australian change practitioner Brendon Baker shares his insights on “the Great Reshuffling” that he is witnessing. He, Tony, and Brian look at the parallels between what is occurring in Oz and the US, including “forced flexibility,” and the apparent lessening of trust by employers despite the performance of their remote employees over the past two years.
067: The Great Resignation, Shifting Cultures, and the 4-Day Work Week (2 of 2) Replay
Organizational culture is at the heart of addressing the challenges of the Great Resignation. A 4 Day Work week – whether fixed or flexible – may be a key element of the solution. Joe O’Connor (Coordinator with the US team of the 4 Day Week Pilot), Tony, and Brian continue to delve into the realities of surviving and thriving in today’s disrupted business environment.
066: The Great Resignation, Shifting Cultures, and the 4-Day Work Week (1 of 2) Replay
In collaboration with the 4-day week global movement, US Companies are preparing to launch their 4-day week pilots in April. In the UK, 500 companies have signed up for information sessions on joining the pilot program there. In this replay, Joe O’Connor, a Research Fellow at Cornell University on Workweek Time Reduction, Coordinator with the US team of the 4 Day Week Pilot, and Chair of the 4 Day Week Ireland, joins Tony and Brian to explore the intersection of the Great Resignation with the 4 Day Work Week movement.
065: Working for Jerks vs. Enlightened Management
This episode is excerpted from a one-hour webinar presented in collaboration with Puzzle HR, KettleSpace, and Ripple Analytics. It has been close to seven decades since the evolution of office worker to knowledge worker began. While office workers required a top-down “command and control” management style, that approach to management is ineffective with today’s knowledge worker and is a key factor driving the Great Resignation. After reviewing the evolution of management practices over the years, Tony and Brian compare the former approach (labeled Theory X in Douglas McGregor’s 1960 book The Human Side of Enterprise) with the latter (Theory Y) across the multiple factors driving the Great Resignation.
064: The Why and What of Enlightened Management – An Introduction
In this episode of it’s DO-BE time, Tony and Brian introduce their longtime focus on “enlightened management.” By the 1950’s, the workforce was shifting from order-takers to knowledge workers. Up until that time, organizations were structured based on an early twentieth century military model – command and control. While the workforce has continued to evolve over the past seventy years, in many organizations management has not. The Covid pandemic has amplified what millennial employees have been telling us since they entered the workforce; command and control management is not the way to motivate, engage, or retain today’s workforce. It’s time to ensure that your management is enlightened!
063: Making the 4-Day Work Week Work with Meghan Keaney Anderson (Part 2 0f 2)
In the second part of the conversation, Meghan, Tony, and Brian continue to dig into factors contributing to Wanderlust’s successful transition to a 4-day work week a year and a half ago. The lessons they have learned are valuable for any organization planning to make this shift.
062: Making the 4-Day Work Week Work with Meghan Keaney Anderson (Part 1 of 2)
Wanderlust, an outdoor technology company, is another organization that has successfully implemented the 4-day work week. In Part 1 of this conversation with Tony and Brian, Wanderlust’s CMO Meghan Keaney Anderson talks about their transition to the 4-day model, the metrics that they use to track the impact of this shift, compliance, and the benefits for team members.
061: Charlotte Lockhart, Co-Founder and CEO of 4-Day Week Global (Part 2 of 2 replay):
It won’t be instant, nor should it be, but the 4-day work week is coming. The movement that started in New Zealand and spread around the globe is formally launching in the United States. Participating organizations begin their training, preparation, and onboarding in January 2022 and launch their six-month trials in April. In part 2 of their conversation, Charlotte, Tony, and Brian discuss the role that a 4-day work week can play in helping to address the Great Resignation as well as the importance of piloting the program and engaging employees in its design. This is about 100% of current pay for 80% of the current work week in exchange for 100% of current productivity. What is your future of work?
060: Charlotte Lockhart, Co-Founder and CEO of 4-Day Week Global (Part 1 of 2 replay)
As 2021 draws to an end and we prepare for 2022, there is great uncertainty for business owners, leaders, and employees. What will be the continuing impact of Covid and its variants in the new year? What, if any, “return to office” date can employers and employees count on? How long will the great resignation continue? How do organizations not only survive, but thrive in this uncertainty? In part 1 of this 2-part podcast, Charlotte Lockhart, Tony, and Brian discuss the genesis of the 4-day week global movement and the role it can play in addressing many of the factors driving the great resignation. As you think about your own organization’s future and/or career path heading into the new year, this podcast will give you a great deal of food for thought.
059: Being Successful While Doing Less with Banks Benitez (2 of 2)
In the second part of the conversation with Banks, Tony and Brian explore the importance of bringing the entire workforce into the preparation phase, Uncharted’s approach to optimization, the importance of piloting a 4-day work week before committing to it, and the organization’s proactive outreach to key constituents prior to launching their pilot. Banks discusses Uncharted’s experience as a “4-day work week gym” with the company continuing to work on their fitness as they continue to learn to de-prioritize and re-prioritize and highlights the statistically significant achievement of their 4-day work week goals.
058: Being Successful While Doing Less with Banks Benitez (1 of 2)
Uncharted, a social impact accelerator, is one of the early adaptors of a 4-day work week. In this episode, Banks Benitez, Co-Founder and CEO, joins Tony and Brian to discuss their journey from a (somewhat) traditional 5-day work week to today. Banks discusses the criteria that were set out for success and the 30-day “pre-mortem” period between the announcement to the staff and the launch of a 90-day pilot. Uncharted made the 4-day work week company policy in September of 2020.
057: Keys to Challenging the Great Resignation
When this podcast was first released under a different title in September 2020, the Great Resignation wasn’t on anyone’s radar even though the seeds had been planted. But even then, Deutser Founder and CEO Brad Deutser recognized the need for business owners and leaders to “step back so we can look forward.” The key messages Brad brought to that discussion are even more critical today. This includes the importance of leader vulnerability, honesty, and willingness to connect at a deeply human level. Step back to look forward this holiday weekend and listen to Brad, Tony, and Brian discuss how to redefine your organization in a way that will challenge the pull of the Great Resignation.
056: The Great Resignation, Shifting Cultures, and the 4-Day Work Week (2 of 2)
The conversation continues as Joe, Tony, and Brian counter the perceived rigidity of a 4 Day Work Week. As Joe explains, it is a metaphor for more flexibility with a commitment of 100% of pay and 80% of the existing workweek, in exchange for 100% of the current productivity. This calls for business owners, leaders, and managers at all levels to define success and the metrics required to measure success before making this shift. It also calls for using the 100/80/100 model as a lever to focus the conversation with employees on how to maintain productivity while reducing the work week. As Joe says, “This is where we see the magic happen.”
055: The Great Resignation, Shifting Cultures, and the 4-Day Work Week (1 of 2)
Joe O’Connor, a Research Fellow at Cornell University on Workweek Time Reduction, Coordinator with the US team of the 4 Day Week Pilot, and Chair of the 4 Day Week Ireland, joins Tony and Brian to explore the intersection of the Great Resignation with the 4 Day Work Week movement. In Part 1, Joe discusses how in Ireland they were able to bring business, government, and unions to the table to build coalitions that are collaborating to develop an approach to work that is better for workers, for workers families’, for business, and for the environment. Joe also challenges the wisdom of US multi-nationals that make working 12-14 hours a day “a badge of honor.”
054: 4-Day Work Week Lessons from the United Kingdom
As the leader of the 4 Day Week movement in the U.K., Joe Ryle has worked with businesses, unions, and governmental agencies. In this conversation with Tony and Brian, Joe shares some of the insights on the successful – and unsuccessful – implementation of a 4-day work week that he has gained from his own experience, as well as from others both in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe. As we hear over and over, Joe emphasizes the importance of a focus on productivity and profitability and the positive evidence of the 4-day work week’s contribution to both.
053: The Shifting Dynamic of Employee/Employer Relationships with David Nour (2 of 2)
David, Tony, and Brian continue the conversation, exploring the pandemic-driven shifts that are taking root and those that are not. The Great Resignation has made clear that the power dynamic between employers and employees has shifted, making it increasingly important that leaders ask better questions and deeply listen to the answers. The conversation concludes with David describing “the three C’s” that business leaders need to succeed in the journey “from now to next.”
052: The Shifting Dynamic of Employee/Employer Relationships with David Nour (Part 1)
David Nour, global consultant on strategic business relationships, joins Tony and Brian for a far-ranging conversation that is critical for business owners and leaders to hear as they face the Great Resignation. Among the topics addressed in Part 1 of this two- part podcast are the importance of the dynamic interplay between relationship and business; the shifting expectations and positional power of employees as we come out of quarantine and face what “return to work” means; the interplay between the personal, team, organizational, and social; moving from work-life balance to work-life blending; and the role of a flexible 4-day work week in addressing the Great Resignation.
051: Charlotte Lockhart, Co-Founder and CEO of 4-Day Week Global (2 of 2)
The conversation on the global 4-Day Week movement continues with an exploration of the shifting relationship between employees and employers that is fueling the Great Resignation. Charlotte, Tony, and Brian address questions such as “How do we measure productivity?” and “How do we conduct performance reviews?” The importance of engaging the workforce in designing the shift to a 4-day work week has shown to be a powerful team-building exercise. Also surfaced are important insights into the important mindset shifts that are essential to successfully implementing a 4-day work week in your organization. The US 4-Day Week movement is also introduced.
050: Charlotte Lockhart, Co-Founder and CEO of 4-Day Week Global (1 of 2)
Charlotte Lockhart, Co-Founder and CEO of 4-Day Week Global joins Tony and Brian to discuss the intersection of the Great Resignation and the world-wide movement to shorten the work week. In the first part of this two-part podcast, Charlotte describes how she and Andrew Barnes successfully implemented the 4-Day Week in Perpetual Guardian and some of the critical lessons they learned. Like the Do-Be’s 4-Day Work Week, the global 4-Day Week movement is not to be taken literally. It is an approach to increasing productivity and profitability while reducing work hours and has to be custom designed to fit the organization, it’s clients, and its employees. A shorter work week, as envisioned by Charlotte, Andrew, Tony, and Brian is a key element in addressing the factors driving the Great Resignation.
049: Everybody Matters
In the third part of our Blabbit interview, Tony and Brian discusses with hosts Paul Geiger and Glen Ingram the importance of recognizing that every employee matters as you define your New Normal 2.0. We also look at the contributions that a hybrid and/or 4-day work week makes to the environment, the economy, and personal health.
048: Define Your New Normal 2.0
With the “great resignation” underway, some industries are leading the way while others cling to failing paradigms. Your New Normal 2.0 has to be tailored to your customers, your employees, and your business. In part two of our Blabbit conversation, Tony and Brian discuss with hosts Paul Geiger and Glen Ingram how business owners can successfully define their New Normal 2.0. Acting now is critical to keeping your best employees and giving you the ability to hire the best employees from anywhere.
047: The Great Resignation, New Normal 2.0, and the 4-Day Work Week
On August 20, Tony and Brian sat down with Blabbit hosts Paul Geiger and Glen Ingram to discuss the Great Resignation, New Normal 2.0, and the 4-Day Work Week. In this, the first part of that conversation, we discuss our own evolution of our 4-day work week belief and approach. We also lay the foundation for exploring the alignment between the great resignation, the new normal 2.0 that is beginning to emerge, and the 4-day work week.
046: Addressing “The Great Resignation”
In this episode of it’s DO-BE time, Tony and Brian continue their exploration of the disconnect between business owners and leaders and their workforce. Taking the right steps now can be a competitive advantage in both retaining your best employees and attracting the best from your competitors. Taking the wrong approach can result in undermining all that you have worked so hard to build. Listen as we discuss what you need to be doing, and who you need to be being, to successfully address the Great Resignation.
045: The Economics of the 4-Day Work Week- Replay
Although the voices of many corporate leaders continue to proclaim the importance of everyone returning to the office, the data doesn’t support that conclusion. While they may not like having empty offices or not having management eyes on workers for 8 hours a day or more, “in the office” is not what drives performance. As one recent guest said, “just because people are at their desks it doesn’t mean they are working.” While the outbreak of Covid-19 certainly caused a disruption in productivity in the short-term, that turned around long-ago for most businesses. Some even created their own version of a 4-day work week, and found that their productivity held steady or increased. In this replay on the economics of the 4-day work week, Tony and Brian present some of the data supporting the economic benefits of the 4-day work week.
044: Coming “Back to Work” is Not the Answer
If you are expecting your employees to come back to the office or workplace, the commute, the hours, the stress, take a minute to stop and think about it. In large numbers, that is not what the workforce wants. In this episode, Tony and Brian begin by looking at the 2016 findings of Gallup when they researched what Millennials want from work. As Millennial turnover has long demonstrated, it isn’t what the traditional workplace was providing. As we emerge from the pandemic, many Gen-X and Boomers are raising their voices, along with the Millennials, and are saying “no” to coming back. If you want to retain your best employees, now is the time to act. Listen to the voices of your workforce and co-create with them your version of a 4-Day Work Week tailored to serve your clients and customers, your employees, your business, and you.
043: If You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know…
Now is not the time to make decisions about the future of your business without consulting your workforce. In this episode, Tim Morton, Founder and President of Prompta AI, shares what the data is saying about employee sentiment as more and more companies call for some form of “back to normal.” Tim discusses with Tony and Brian why back to normal is being rejected by so many people and how real time data is helping employers make better, more informed decisions and co-create the future with their employees.
042: Forward to Normal 2.0
Futurist, author, and speaker Joyce Gioia shares the workplace trends she is uncovering as we emerge from the disruption of Covid-19. Work from home has driven a major re-evaluation of values, creating a significant gulf between employers who are calling for a “return back to normal” and employees who are seeking to move forward to Normal 2.0. Joyce describes Normal 2.0 to Tony and Brian as “flex place, flex space, and flex time,” aligning with the Do-Be Associates own version of the 4-day work week.
041: Navigating the Challenges of Today’s Work Environment
In this, the second part of our conversation with Ira Wolfe (Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization), we explore ways to navigate today’s change challenges. In the course of the conversation, we uncover some of the risks of black and white thinking (work from home vs. return to the workplace); challenge assumptions that many leaders are bringing to their decision-making; and discuss some of the factors that should be explored to inform decisions about whether to move to a hybrid (workplace and work from home) solution.
040: VUCA, Never Normal, and the Challenges of Change
Ira Wolfe (Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization) joins Tony and Brian in the first segment of this two-part podcast on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders as pandemic restrictions are lifted. In this episode, Ira discusses VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), the ever-increasing pace of change, and the dynamic disruption of the past year as he and the Do-Be’s begin to explore what all of this means for you and the future of work.
039: Are Your Ready for a 4-Day Work Week?
This week, Tony and Brian raise a series of key questions that business owners and leaders should be asking themselves as they consider how to successfully move their organizations into a post-lockdown world. While providing some examples of what some businesses are doing, this podcast asks you to reflect on what you are seeing and hearing from your customers/clients, your employees, your family and friends, and your gut. Is there a version of the 4-day work week (less hours worked + more employee satisfaction + more client satisfaction + more profit = 4-day work week) that is right for you?
038: It’s Time for a Leadership Evolution!
If you are pushing to get your business “back to normal,” beware! It’s possible your employees are ready to return to the commuting, the chats around the coffee pot, and the endless hours in face-to-face meetings. It’s possible that they are content missing the time with their partners or spouses and their children that the pandemic offered. It’s possible that they would rather eat take-out at their workstations than take the time to sit down and eat with their families. It’s possible. But the evidence is getting more and more clear that it is unlikely. As a business owner or leader, it’s time to re-examine the relationships you are fostering between your employees and their jobs because that is exactly what they are doing!
037: Health, Happiness, and the 4-Day Work Week
The 4-day work week has the potential for significantly impacting not only the financial success of your organization. It has also demonstrated beneficial impacts on health and happiness. In this episode, Tony and Brian discuss some of the research in this area and talk about how some of our clients are applying lessons from the pandemic to preparing for a 4-day work week.
036: The Economics of the 4-Day Work Week
The 4-day work week™ can certainly bring more balance into your life and the lives or your employees. But it can also bring more profit to your bottom line. Companies around the world that have successfully transitioned to the 4-day work week have seen their profits increase along with employee satisfaction. In this episode, Tony and Brian present some of the data supporting the economic benefits of the 4-day work week.
035: Wellbeing and Working from Home
In February 2020, most employers and their employees would have said, “Work from home? No way!” Fifteen months later, it’s a very different story. While some businesses want all of their employees back in the workplace, in this episode, Tony and Brian encourage a more intentional approach. We discuss some of the key factors to consider including ways in which working from home has proven to benefit the bottom line, employee wellbeing, performance, and job satisfaction. Simply put, there is no single right answer. In a broader context, finding the right mix of working from home and in the workplace is one of the building blocks of a 4-day work week™, so don’t jump to conclusions.
034: The 4-Day Work Week. Why? Why Now?
Since 2018, the Do-Be Associates have been focused on how business owners and their employees can create greater life/work balance while increasing profitability in a sustainable way. By 2019 we were sure that it was possible and had begun to develop a program for helping others to make it happen. That year we trademarked 4-Day Work Week™ with the intention of launching the program in the Spring of 2020. Covid had other ideas. But now is the perfect time for you to consider the 4-day work week for your business. In this podcast we talk about why a 4-day work week can benefit your business as well as your life and the lives of your employees; and we discuss why now is the ideal time to begin exploring how to make it work.
033: It’s Time for Your 4-Day Work Week!
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on how, when, and where you do your work. For many, this has made it difficult to separate work and home lives, to run their businesses successfully, and to meet their business goals. Last fall (Episode 20), Do-Be Associates Tony Carnesi and Brian Gorman introduced our approach to a 4-day work week™. With this replay, we begin our roll-out of a program designed to help you return to – or gain for the first time – the balance between your professional and personal lives that you want, to attain the business success you are seeking, and to lead your organization into a fulfilling future.
032: Your Path Through Change
On December 6, 2020, Do-Be Associate Brian Gorman (“Mr. BE”) gave a talk for TEDx Hartford. Through the story of his own life and his work with clients facing change over the past five decades, Brian has come to understand Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as the path we take on each change we move through. He shares how to improve the likelihood of successfully moving through change, some of the risks you face along the way, and how to address them. This podcast is a re-broadcast of Brian’s interview with Paul Geiger and Glen Ingram about his TEDx experience and the change journey. The interview was conducted on the online program and podcast Blabbit on December 11, 2020. The TEDx Hartford talk is available at TEDxHartford.com and on YouTube (search “TEDx Hartford Brian Gorman”).
031: Business Success Isn’t Just About Selling
When she started Jillian’s Circus, Jillian Weston thought that her job was to sell social media marketing services to prospective clients. As she discusses with Tony and Brian on this edition of it’s DO-BE time, she was wrong. In fact, Jillian is an educator. By bringing an understanding of social media to clubs, libraries, schools, chambers of commerce, and elsewhere, she is creating a deeper understanding of the world of social media marketing. In doing so, she has become a vital member of her community and a successful business woman.
030: Update on PPP Round 2 and Other Relief Programs for Business Owners
With Congress’s authorization of a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Joel Brach (JD Capital Strategies) returns to the it’s DO-BE time studio with Tony and Brian. In this podcast, Joel discusses the significant ways in which the second round of PPP is different from the first and more accessible to smaller business owners. He provides an update on first round PPP forgiveness and the EIDL program. Joel also offers insights on programs for business owners offered by New York City and New York State.
029: Entrepreneurship Isn’t a Solo Venture
As entrepreneurs, it can sometimes feel like it’s us against the world or “if I let others in on my idea they’re going to steal it.” When imaware™ co-founder Jani Tuomi was ready to enter the world of at-home health testing, he knew he was challenging healthcare norms. After all, testing was used to confirm doctors’ diagnoses, not to provide an early warning to patients. In this revealing conversation with Tony and Brian, Jani describes his initial efforts to be a disruptor in the multi-billion dollar healthcare industry, and how he learned to achieve success instead by recruiting an army of people that shared his passion, and then letting go.
028: Business Owner or Business Leader?
Running a business is not the same as leading it. In this episode, Tony and Brian reflect on the lessons that Theresa Moulton (Editor-in-Chief of Change Management Review), Scott Mason (Principal of Scott Mason, LLC), TJ Chernick (Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, New York chapter), and Andy Presti (Managing Partner of Presti & Naegele, CPA) shared about their growth into truly being leaders of their organizations. As different as each of their businesses is, growing it and successfully moving it forward has required not “managing the business” but “leading the business.” The lessons in becoming a leader that are shared here are universal.
027: To Grow Your Business, Grow Your People and Yourself
Andy Presti, Managing Partner of Presti & Naegele, began his career in a two-person accounting firm and has grown it to a 40-employee business. In this episode of “it’s DO-BE time,” Andy, Tony and Brian discuss what it takes to successfully achieve such growth. As Andy put it, “just because you know your profession well, it doesn’t mean you can run your business well.” He shares his own trajectory from Certified Professional Accountant to business leader and the critical lessons he learned along the way about himself, his employees, and business success.
026: it’s DO-BE time at the Intersection of Your Business and Your Employees – Replay
It’s important for your employees to know your vision for your business. It helps them to understand why you work the way you do and why you expect what you do from them. If you’re like most business owners, you proudly talk about your plans, hopes, dreams for the future. And, if you’re like most business owners, you have no idea about the plans, hopes, dreams of your employees. In this replay of one of our most liked podcasts, Tony and Brian invite you to ask your employees what brings them to work every day, and to invest in helping to make their work more fulfilling. Echoing and building on the voices of luminaries such as Simon Sinek, Bob Chapman (CEO, Barry Wehmiller), and Dan Price (CEO, Gravity Payments), we explain why doing so is a bottom line investment.
025: Transforming from Manager to Leader
Working in international human rights, TJ Chernick’ s career took him from Morocco to Finland, but it didn’t prepare him for his role as Executive Director of the New York chapter of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. While the move from human rights to his first Chamber position in membership was challenging, even more difficult was the move from manager to his current leadership role. In this episode, TJ discusses the part those you serve can play in your professional growth when you have the courage to ask, and to listen.
024: Losing a Job and Finding Your Purpose
When Scott Mason lost his job in what he now recognizes was a “finger-pointing, cover your rear end” government agency, he never expected he would find himself on the mat of a martial arts studio. But that is where he found himself, both literally and authentically. In this riveting episode, Scott, Tony, and Brian discuss the relationship between doing and being in finding and living into your true purpose.
023: The Challenge of Entrepreneurial Leadership
Theresa Moulton, Editor-In-Chief of Change Management Review, is a serial entrepreneur. She has a seemingly unending stream of great ideas that become new strategies, or even new businesses. The challenge is that being an entrepreneur is not the same as being a business leader. In this episode, Theresa talks with Tony and Brian about what she had to do and who she had to become in order to be successful as an entrepreneurial leader.
022: What Does Your Success Really Require?
In 1976, Elaine Koyama, a third-generation Japanese American woman, became an animal feed salesman for Cargill in rural Iowa. She had a Stanford degree, sales training, all the animal feed knowledge her employer could provide, the Chevy four-door sedan, and her own experience growing up on a farm in rural Montana. But that wasn’t enough to make the sale. In this insightful discussion with Tony and Brian, Elaine reveals that the key to your success may not have anything to do with your job title or position description.
021: What Kind of a Leader are You?
When Quantuvos Founder and CEO Gregg Bedol’s dream job turned into a nightmare, he kept at it. He was there for his team, for his customers, and for his employer, continuing to be the leader he has always been and doing the things he thought he should be doing. Only in retrospect did Gregg realize that the leader he was serving was a different type of leader, one whom Gregg doesn’t serve well. In this podcast, Gregg shares this experience with Tony and Brian, passing on the lessons that it taught him about leadership styles and alignment.
020: At the Intersection of Life and Work – Your 4-Day Work Week
Almost nothing in life drains our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy in a sustained way as the events of the past nine months have done. The impact of COVID-19, #BlackLivesMatter, and demands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion surround us as we try to juggle work, family, home schooling, caring for aging parents, and more. Even if you had achieved work/life balance prior to all of this, it is likely to have been lost again. How far out of balance are you? In this episode, Tony and Brian introduce some of the keys of DOing and BEing required to achieve your version of the 4-day work week. In the coming months we will be expanding on these both in this podcast and in other offerings ranging from DIY guidance to hands-on support. “When times are tough in business, it’s DO-BE time!”
019: At the Intersection of Communications and Results – Replay
As the Do-Be Associates prepare to change the format of it’s DO-BE time, we wanted to share with you one of our most popular podcasts to date. Stand by on October 13 for a new and pithier version of our podcast focusing on the DOing and BEing of business success. In this replay, ResultsMap® founder Caroline Kealey discusses with Tony and Brian the importance of communications strategy and offers some simple models for improving communications.
018: At the Intersection of New Challenges and Your Leadership
Successfully leading your business through today’s ongoing uncertainty takes more than skill; it requires that you achieve a level of vertical development that allows you to see the world more broadly, and to live in complexity and ambiguity. In this episode, Sparks Group founder and CEO Jessica Bronzert joins Tony and Brian to introduce vertical development, discuss its importance to entrepreneurs and business leaders, and to offer a three-step process for increasing your vertical development.
017: At the Intersection of Ethics, Trust, and Culture
Yonason Goldson, Director of Ethical Imperatives, refers to himself as a hitchhiking rabbi and ethics warrior. In this engaging conversation with Tony and Brian, Yonason shares his path to understanding the importance of ethics and discusses the vital role that it plays in shaping our organizations and determining their future.
016: At the Intersection of Safe Space, DEI, Positivity, and the Future
As a business owner, as a leader, it is up to you to set the tone, to define the culture of your organization. In doing so, you set, or redirect, it on the path to the future. In this wide-ranging podcast, Deutser Founder and CEO Brad Deutser joins Tony and Brian to explore how leaders create safe space for their employees; the difference between making Diversity, Equity and Inclusion something that your organization does and making it part of your organizational being; and the role that positivity plays in organizational success.
015: At the Intersection of Your Business and Your Employees
Your employees make the difference in whether or not your business succeeds. As a business owner it is up to you to shape the difference your employees make. In this episode, Tony and Brian share their own insights, as well as those of Simon Sinek, Bob Chapman (CEO, Barry Wehmiller), Dan Price (CEO, Gravity Payments), and others, on how to help your employees help your business.
014: At the Intersection of Resilience and Recovery – Replay
As summer winds down and we continue to face a highly disrupted and uncertain fall, our own resilience continues to be tested, as does the resilience of colleagues, clients, family, friends, and strangers. Heading into what for many will be a low-key Labor Day weekend, we decided to provide a replay of our most popular podcast to date. Dr. Linda Hoopes, founder of Resilience Alliance, joins Tony and Brian “At the Intersection of Resilience and Recovery” to discuss your resilience muscles, the energy that powers your resilience, and being not okay.
013: At the Intersection of Business Success and Rock Balancing
What can business owners learn from a professional rock balance artist? As it turns out, a great deal. Travis Ruskus is highly attuned to the integration of doing and being that is as critical to every entrepreneur’s success as it is to the creation of his art. In this episode, Travis joins Tony and Brian to share what he has learned on his journey to living his passion. And he describes the seven principles for living into your dream, principles that will serve you well.
012: At the Intersection of Time and Priorities
It isn’t time you manage, but how you manage your priorities in the time that you have. In this episode Tony and Brian share their experience and insights on both the DOing and the BEing of managing your priorities. Because each of us is different, they don’t provide “the secret to successful time management.” Rather, they offer a variety of suggestions for being more successful at accomplishing what it is that is most important to you.
011: At the Intersection of Tough Conversations and Performance
Leadership and managerial success, as well as the success of workers at all levels of the organization, are dependent on difficult conversations. In this episode, Harris Ginsberg (HRG Consulting), Tony, and Brian explore what makes some conversations difficult, how to prepare for them, and how to achieve the results you want.
010: At the Intersection of PPP, EIDL, SBA, Etc.
As an entrepreneur, understanding the array of federal assistance available may be of vital importance. In this episode, recorded on July 22, 2020, JD Capital Strategies co-founder and managing partner Joel Brach discusses the current status of federal programs with the Do-Be Associates.
009: At the Intersection of Real Estate and Reality
Both personal and business-related real estate costs impact the lives of entrepreneurs and other business leaders. In this episode, residential realtor Carl Ekroth (Douglas Elliman) and commercial realtor David Green (Cushman-Wakefield) discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the New York City real estate market. What is happening in New York can be seen in other cities as well. Join Carl, David, Tony, and Brian for this important and insightful conversation.
008: At the Intersection of Settling and Soaring
Why do some business owners begin with passion and then “settle in,” waiting for retirement, while others make their business soar? What is the difference between being victimized by factors outside your control and being victorious despite those circumstances? In this episode, Tony and Brian delve into the DOing and BEing at the intersection of settling and soaring.
007: At the Intersection of Leadership and Performance
As a leader, what do you need to DO and who do you need to BE to “G.S.D.” (Get Stuff Done)? In this wide-ranging interview with Tony and Brian, Meg Manke and Rachel MK Headley of Rose Group International discuss the role that leaders play in the performance of their organizations. In their book iX Leadership: Create High-Five Cultures and Guide Transformation Rachel says, “We are experts in G.S.D.” There is a lot to learn from these experts in this edition of it’s DO-BE time!
006: At the Intersection of Resilience and Recovery
Sometimes resilience is bouncing back, sometimes it’s hanging on by your fingernails, and sometimes it is coming back stronger than ever. In this wide-ranging conversation, Linda L. Hoopes, PhD (Resilience Alliance), Tony and Brian explore several aspects of resilience including your resilience muscles, the energies that fuel resilience, and whether it is okay to not be okay.
005: At the Intersection of Communication and Results
For almost two decades, ResultsMap founder Caroline Kealey has been engaged in organizational communications. Her passion is not on producing the communications, but in working with others in the creation and execution of communications strategy. In this episode she discusses with Tony and Brian the importance of communications strategy and offers simple models for improving your communications.
004: At the Intersection of Capsizing and Stabilizing
We all have “anchors” in our lives, those things that provide a sense of stability, security and control. Sometimes we let go of our anchors without intending to. In other cases, circumstances tear them away. COVID-19 has ripped away many of those anchors, whether they be going to the office, the products or services offered to customers and clients, or the loss of colleagues. In this podcast, Tony and Brian discuss anchors as a metaphor, and explore how business owners can re-establish anchors for themselves and their employees in order to regain a focus on success.
003: At the Intersection of Physical and Virtual Cultures
Culture is at the heart of every organization. While some employees thrive in a physical workspace, others are better suited for virtual work. Each requires a different set of behaviors, motivators and a different perspective on the ideal work environment. Humantelligence’s CEO Juan Luis Betancourt joins Tony and Brian to explore the different requirements of physical and virtual cultures, and how businesses can leverage those differences for competitive advantage.
002: At the Intersection of Resignation and Reinvention
Author David Sax (The Soul of the Entrepreneur) shares DO-BE Time with Tony and Brian. David shares his insights on what is truly required for entrepreneurial success based on hundreds of interviews with small business owners. He and the Do-Be’s explore the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on David (whose book launched in April) and other entrepreneurs, and what will drive business owners to make the adjustments they need to bring their business successfully through the current uncertainty.
001 At the Intersection of Leading and Letting Go
Leah Garcés shares the lessons that she has learned as the virtual leader of an international organization. She and the Do-Be’s discuss the importance of trust and letting go of micro-managing, the advantages of being a virtual organization, the value of clearly defined outcomes, tools for virtual work, running effective virtual meetings, as well as additional insights for successfully leading virtually.
000 Introduction to it’s DO-BE time
In this episode, meet Tony Carnesi (DO) and Brian Gorman (BE), the Do-Be Associates, as they introduce themselves and the it’s DO-BE time podcast.