Tips For Team Building Podcast

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Sean Peterson, Interim Director of Talent Strategies and Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager of Talent Strategies at BJC Healthcare. Peterson discusses motivating employees through a commitment to their wellness, an intentional effort in building relationships based on trust, and focusing on employee growth.Peterson worked in an HR role initially– he was in recruiting and talent acquisition. Peterson found that, while he enjoyed the sales part of the role, he missed the human connection in HR and talent acquisition. He ended up finding that human connection at BJC, and now he is the Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager for Talent Strategies at BJC.Peterson speaks about promoting wellness in the workplace by ensuring the wellness of the employees and then focusing on adjustment– both in terms of employee engagement as well as work as well. He focuses on ensuring wellness by emphasizing the onboarding process so employees understand the work environment and expectations. He emphasizes making sure the employee feels valued and engaged in the culture.Peterson draws on the importance of building strong relationships with employees. He underscores the importance of prioritizing the wellness of employees to ensure that they feel valued and respected. Peterson also reaffirms these values in employee retention– he brings up the importance of recognition, intentionality, managing virtual space, and focusing on personal and professional growth, all while building trust. All of the above play into promoting employee wellness.Peterson's commitment and respect shine through in his leadership. With years of experience in his field, Peterson now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Mr. Sean Peterson is a Sourcing and Brand Engagement Manager at BJC Healthcare. He has a proven track record of prioritizing employee engagement and wellbeing in the company.https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpetersonstl/https://www.bjc.org/

In this episode, Jaden speaks with Alden Mills, CXO Advisor, Speaker, Founder, and Investor at Alden Mills Company. Alden discusses his journey to becoming a leader and how he uses his mentality of being unstoppable to inspire more leaders. Throughout Alden’s life, he has always been a leader. Whether as a team captain in rowing, a Navy SEAL platoon leader, or a philanthropy chair, this has been constant. He’s experienced the trials of being a leader and learned what’s necessary to become unstoppable in the community and workplace.Alden emphasizes the importance of struggling as a leader. Being a leader inherently means that you struggle occasionally. However, it also means learning from mistakes and making sure similar ones don’t reoccur. Having an unstoppable mentality means working through missteps and realizing power as a leader lies in being present with everyone.Another important facet Alden discusses is how to create meaningful relationships. There are two main steps Alden follows to building the most positive relationships he can. The first is to be deeply curious, followed by learning how to specifically communicate and connect with that individual. To do this, Alden recommends suspending judgment of others and being a good listener. Although you cannot control others’ opinions, you should always present yourself in the best manner to show you’re an unstoppable leader. Now inspiring others through speeches and books, Alden influences change in the workplace by teaching the 3 levels of leadership. The first concerns being yourself and how you present to others, and the second with how workers act and lead. The third level is the community culture that arises as a result of the prior two levels. Alden leverages this framework and emulates these facets of leadership to become unstoppable. He joins us now to share his journey of leadership and to inspire future unstoppable leaders. More about our guest:Alden Mills—author including UNSTOPPABLE TEAMS—is a high-energy, humble, and charismatic leader with a track record of superior performance.As an Olympic Festival rower, he went on to become a standout at the US Naval Academy, then a Navy SEAL platoon commander (three times), then an entrepreneur. He founded and grew Perfect Fitness from zero to $63m in sales, becoming the fastest-growing consumer company in America (per INC. Magazine, 2009). Alden then continued to lead the Perfect Fitness team and grow the company even further after its acquisition by the private equity firm, Implus. Alden has created over 40 patents in the consumer sector.Between his time in the military and in business, Alden has accrued over 25 years of experience working on high-performance leadership, company strategy, growth, and team-building.His experience and vibrant storytelling skills make him a sought-after speaker around the world.Alden is the acclaimed author of BE UNSTOPPABLE: The Eight Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything and UNSTOPPABLE TEAMS: The Four Essential Actions of High-Performance Leadership (HarperCollins, March 2019) and Founder of BeUnstoppable.com.https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldenmills/https://www.alden-mills.com/

In this week’s episode, Jaden connects with Dr. Cyndy Donato, an expert HR leader with over 30 years of developing people strategies. Cyndy champions meaningful relationship building as the gateway to reducing turnover and creating a resilient sense of belonging. Cyndy began her career in HR across agricultural, chemical, and IT, industries, to name a few, before shifting into healthcare. Seeking to connect her expertise to her empathetic ambitions, Cyndy found healthcare to be the ideal field for her. Most recently, Cyndy has served as the Chief People Officer for Novus International and a VP, HR for BJC Healthcare. From her experience, Cyndy is passionate about fostering connections with team members as a universal catalyst for organizational performance. Each relationship must be founded on trust and earned as a leader by listening to the specific needs of individuals. This forms the basis for respect, an integral component to success as a leader. Further, it fosters a sense of belonging that reduces turnover, improves performance, and enables tough conversations going forward.Cyndy additionally emphasizes authentic connection as a means of boosting individual performance. By learning her team members’ “superpowers”, Cyndy is able to better apply individual strengths and set up her team for success. In turn, individuals feel more productive, valued, and better applied. Beyond fulfillment, these ripple effects create a sense of belonging and enable individuals to be their authentic selves. This comfort allows team members to then better focus on producing quality results in a safe and productive environment.Cyndy’s passion for connection as a road towards success is not arbitrary but the result of decades of experience. Now reflecting, she shares the practical lessons she has learned on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Dr. Cyndy Donato is a Senior Human Resources leader skilled at creating a collaborative and innovative culture built on trust. She brings global experience leading, building and redesigning business structures and the human resources function across Asia, Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Americas.https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndydonato/Cyndy.Donato@gmail.com

In this week’s episode, Jaden speaks with Michael Yost Chief Total Rewards and HR Customer Experience Officer for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. Michael emphasizes communicating with all team members with respect and empathy. Michael started his career in the military’s Human Resources department and shifted to Afghanistan where he acquired a global perspective on HR and business. Michael spent some time as a military recruiter, after which point he shifted careers to a more sales-oriented role at Pepsi. After deciding that sales wasn’t for him, Michael moved on to Hospital Sisters Health System, where he took on an HR role. This led him to his current role in corporate benefits at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.Michael draws on his personal experiences and imparts advice on building meaningful work relationships. He emphasizes the importance of communicating with intentionality– he shares personal anecdotes about taking a few extra minutes to talk to team members about how their lives are going. Michael underscores the importance of ensuring employees feel listened to and respected in all communication. He also speaks about communicating with authenticity and treating a conversation as a two-way street. Michael’s focus on communicating clearly and with empathy helped his team with motivation, leading to an increase in productivity and morale. He advises communicating expectations early and keeping team members in the loop. He shares some of his learning curves in his career and advises leaders to be authentic and not put up a façade. As a team leader, Michael is focused on building relationships based on concise and respectful communication. Michael’s empathy and respect shine through in his leadership. With decades of experience in HR and leadership, Michael now shares his wisdom on the Tips for Team Building Podcast.More About Our Guest:Michael Yost is an Innovative Human Resources Executive with expertise in strategic planning, implementing change initiatives in healthcare, and managing complex projects with competing priorities across multiple states. Demonstrated history of building strong teams and collaborative relationships at all levels of an organization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelyost33/ https://eqtm.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_2001

In this week's episode, Jaden speaks with Antwan Lofton, Assistant Vice President and Interim Vice President of Human Resources at Duke University and Duke University Health System. Antwan talks about the importance of a strong team for success. Watch to learn how to best leverage a team so that everyone can thrive! During this episode, Antwan shows us how a good team can help an organization achieve any goal. He explains that it is important to bring your team along on the journey. Leaders can’t lead by trying to be both the visionary and the implementer. He believes that managers should rely on their team to show them the best way to go about their visions. Antwan made a point to emphasize the distinction between working for and working with someone. He explained that leaders should think of their team as people they are working alongside with to reach success. Antwan explained that it is important that teammates know how their work will impact the end goal. If they are unable to see the big picture it’s important that leaders establish trust. This way they will have enough trust to work towards the end goal. Antwan believes that leaders should also create relationships with teammates. Have a quick call over coffee or a five minute chat with a colleague before a meeting. Any effort to get to know the team will help establish trust. Antwan also spoke on the idea of leaving the door open for the next generation of leaders. By providing guidance and mentorship to these individuals, leaders can give back to their team and workplace. Now, Antwan joins us on the Tips for Team Building Podcast to talk with us. His advice will help leaders become connected to their team to get the best results. More about our Guests:Antwan Lofton is the Assistant Vice President of Staff and Labor Relations/Staff and Family Programs for Duke University and Health System. He has oversight for developing program initiatives and providing services to all employees. In this role, he provides HR policy support and guidance and manages the dispute resolution and disciplinary processes. Antwan also manages the collective bargaining agreements with employees represented by a union, and helps foster effective manager-employee relationships.Lofton is committed to supporting a positive work environment across the entire Duke community. He believes that a successful organization relies upon the mental and physical well-being of our employees and their families. To that end, his department provides resources and programs to support managers and employees in achieving a healthy and highly functional workplace. Antwan previously served as the Senior Director for Equal Employment Opportunity and Employee Relations at Howard University/Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. In this Lofton was responsible for the management of eight unions between the University and Hospital. He was involved in all major employee relations cases and provided oversight of the University and Hospital's Affirmative Action Plan.https://www.linkedin.com/in/antwan-lofton-director-79208a6/https://duke.edu/

In this episode, Jaden speaks with Ryan Culkin, the Chief Counseling Officer & SVP of Talk Therapy Operations for Thriveworks. Ryan talks about the importance of having real conversations with team members to break the professional wall. Watch to learn how to build a safe space and culture your team members will appreciate and thrive in. When Ryan was young, he was fortunate enough to know what he wanted to pursue as a career. He always had an affinity to helping others. Because of this, he received his Bachelor’s in Psychology and his Master’s in Professional Counseling. After entering the mental health industry, he found that many professionals experienced burnout. This led him to join Thriveworks. Ryan explained that he connected with their mission and admired the way the company did things especially operation-wise. Here he learned how to get past formal professional relationships and create genuine relationships with his teams. Ryan explained that he applied the same principles that he uses to connect with patients to his conversations with colleagues. Breaking down the professional wall that is present in a lot of jobs allowed for deeper and more down-to-earth conversations. Ryan was able to learn about his team members’ lives, problems, aspirations, and so much more. This helped improve communication and trust so that he could lead and help them reach their own aspirational goals. Creating this safe culture by breaking the professional aura also allowed colleagues to establish their own productivity goals. By creating these true relationships through personal conversations, Ryan also helped colleagues find their fit within the company. All of this gives team members more autonomy and helps them better connect with the company’s mission. Now, he joins us on the Tips for Team Building Podcast to talk with us. His insights will allow viewers to learn more about creating relationships past the professional ones. More about our guestAs Chief Counseling Officer, Ryan Culkin oversees the logistics and operations of all company clinics, telehealth, and clinicians nationwide. He brings over a decade of clinical experience and a unique business perspective to Thriveworks. Ryan is passionate about equipping clinicians with the skills needed to succeed as the field continues to modernize and evolve. Ryan is responsible for supporting the clinics through strategic planning, operational analysis, recruitment, and training for improved clinician success. He is also responsible for supporting the clinics by partnering with other executive team members. This allows them to execute the current strategic plan and develop future plans. It will also ensure performance that promotes both the clinician and client to THRIVE.Ryan has a Master’s in Professional Counseling and currently resides in Central Virginia with his wife and son. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanculkin/https://thriveworks.com/online-counseling/

In this episode, Jaden Smith talks with Philip Harrison, Executive Director at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest, about his road to leadership and how he effectively connects with and leads his team.Philip’s desire to lead started early on when he was at summer camp. While there, he became inspired by his camp counselors who sparked a desire to lead. Philip wanted to be and lead like them and eventually inspire someone else in the future. Once he was older, Philip decided to follow this passion at the YMCA where he thought he would spend a year developing his skills and working.However, his one-year plan did not last as he fell in love with the role and found himself working there for four years. While there, he learned what it meant to serve those who attended Camp Reed while also leading and connecting with his team members. After working there for four years, he decided to pursue his career elsewhere and worked in marketing for Dorian Studios.After two years, though, he returned to continue his work with the YMCA at Camp Reed. During this time and as his leadership roles progressed, Philip found himself constantly reminded how important it is to connect with his team and not use a “one style fits all” leadership style. He learned and understood that he has to tailor his leadership approach to the individual rather than make the individuals fit with his.With the advancement of his leadership and his wealth of experience, Philip has now recently found himself starting a new opportunity. In September of last year, he became an Executive Director at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest, where he continues to serve the community and his new team. Watch to learn about his many accomplishments in this new role and how he connects and leads his employees.More about our guest:Phil was born and raised in Spokane and has deep connections within the community. Phil has extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, having grown his career at YMCA’s Camp Reed, where he started as seasonal summer staff and excelled into the role of Executive Director. His experience is supported by a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington and a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Over the years, Phil has attended various events and supported the mission of serving more families by participating in the Make-A-Meal program. As a person driven by service and uplifting others, Phil was naturally drawn to RMHC INW’s mission. Phil states, “I promise to give my best to ensure the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest will always be a ‘Home-Away-From-Home’ for families requiring critical medical care from our premier hospital community.”---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-harrison-8470674a/https://rmhcinlandnw.org/

In this episode, Jaden Smith talks with Kyle Kingston, Vice President of Operations at Great Expressions Dental Centers, about the importance of being a support system for your team and celebrating their successes. Watch to gain a better understanding of what truly goes into leading your team and how to stay positive while you do it.Kyle began his leadership journey as a Respiratory Therapy Manager at UI Health and has continued to grow and expand his leadership prowess over the past 10 years. Kyle attributes this success of leadership to both his leadership style as well as the team members that he has had the pleasure of leading over the years. Although some of his leadership styles have changed, one thing that has remained constant for Kyle is his focus on having positive relationships with his team.Whether it is a large or small success Kyle tries to celebrate this as he believes that a crucial part of creating a successful team is celebrating wins of all sizes. As well, Kyle believes in encouraging his team and giving positive feedback and reinforcement to strengthen the relationships on his team. Now in his new role at Great Expressions Dental Centers, Kyle hopes to continue to build upon his leadership skills and journey while helping his new organization grow. With hundreds of people led and a wealth of experience, listen in as Kyle gives his best tips for team building!More about our guest:Kyle started as a Respiratory Therapy Manager at UI Health in 2013 after graduating from Robert Morris University - Illinois. After a few years of helping this organization, Kyle began working for the University of Chicago Medicine as a Respiratory Therapy Supervisor. Kyle then moved on and worked for Allegheny Health Network, where he first started as a Practice Manager for Pulmonary, Sleep, Allergy, and Critical Care, where he led a team of 80, with 15 direct reports, generating $30M in revenue by overseeing the daily operations for a multi-disciplinary physician division and integrating the use of the EPIC EMR systems throughout multiple physician practice sites.After a year of working for Allegheny Health Network, Kyle was promoted and changed roles, becoming Regional Practice Manager. In this new role, Kyle led a team of 110, with 7 direct reports, while driving the direction of day-to-day operational processes. This included delivering solutions-based and clinical operations leadership for 7 specialty divisions with annual revenue of $50M+. After another year in this role, Kyle moved on to the next step in his leadership journey.Kyle then went to work for Concentra, where he performed the role of Director of Operations. In this role, Kyle led a team of 250+, with 5 direct reports, overseeing 43 occupational medicine and urgent care sites with $60M in annual revenue, this included holding P&L responsibility. He then switched roles to Director of Implementation and Field Support, in which he led a matrixed team of 10 while serving as the operational logistics leader for 525 medical centers, overseeing the support of thousands of clients while managing the successful negotiation of service contracts, which included managing a $4M annual budget.Kyle has served in the role of Vice President of Operations for the Michigan market of Great Expressions Dental Centers since February of 2022, and he looks forward to helping the organization continue to grow. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-p-ki...https://www.greatexpressions.com/