Pinky is the Chief Financial Officer of Ideal Industries, a ~$400M manufacturing company with a global footprint. She leads several enterprise-wise transformation initiatives, enabling the company’s business model to adapt to changing market conditions and disruptive market forces. In her prior role as the CFO & COO at U.S. Soccer, Pinky led the organization through its challenges in a highly-visible media environment, including the Women's National Team Equal Pay Litigation. She was central to the company's most significant commercial, legal, operational, and financial events. In this conversation, she talks about what it means to be a strategic CFO and how she thinks about the human aspects of leading finance.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Ideal Industries: https://www.idealindustries.com/us/en.html
• View Pinky's profile at Ideal Industries: https://www.idealindustries.com/us/en/about/leadership/pinky-raina.html
• Connect with Pinky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pinkyraina

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/
• O’Brien’s new book—How You Become You—is available now: https://a.co/d/22kZ0sV

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Timestamps:

(1:49) - Welcome Pinky!
(2:39) - What is a CFO’s job?
(4:15) - What does "accelerating value creation" mean to you?
(5:56) - What makes a good CFO?
(8:10) - Do your peers have the same mindset you do?
(9:48) - How handicapped are you working for a public company?
(11:29) - Why do public company executives care about short-term market changes?
(13:43) - Why is there a 3-5 year turnover rate for CEOs?
(15:40) - How did you develop your mindset?
(16:47) - How do you coach the people on your team?
(22:03) - What’s your mindset and what types of things are you looking for as a CFO?
(29:42) - Are you verbalizing your plan to your team on day one?
(32:40) - Who do you use as resources to help you navigate onboarding?
(34:08) - Can you talk about how you partnered with HR in onboarding?
(36:34) - Can you tell how you came to be in HR?
(39:28) - What surprised you the most about taking on an HR role?
(40:10) - What did you learn from your HR experience?
(43:26) - How do you plan succession roles?
(48:50) - As a CFO how do you think about talent and leadership development?
(55:04) - Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share?

Mike White and Ken DeBauche are Co-Founders of Secchi, an employee relationship management tool for manufacturing, healthcare, and other shift work environments. In this conversation, they share how the lessons they learned working in these environments influence how they are now trying to make work better for both leaders and employees.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Learn more about Secchi: https://secchi.io/
• Connect with Mike White on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-white-secchi
• Connect with Ken DeBauche on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-d-3b584110

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Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/

Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/

O’Brien’s new book—How You Become You—is available now: https://a.co/d/22kZ0sV

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Timestamps:

(2:38) - Introducing Mike and Ken and the Secchi origin story.
(8:28) - Can you talk about the "Us vs. Them" dynamics often associated with manufacturing and warehouse environments?
(11:57) - How do you see health care issues translating into a warehouse environment?(17:02) - How do you start skill building for supervisors to encourage them to adopt this new system?
(21:17) - In what format are the employees getting the recognition?
(23:42) - How do you get the supervisors to adopt recognition?
(26:30) - What other elements allow employers to influence their supervisors and front-line workers?
(30:51) - How do you reward employee points?
(38:18) - What other elements managers and supervisors are tracking with your systems?
(41:40) - What does a goal look like for these employees?
(52:36) - Where can people find out more about Secchi?

Brent Kedzierski is a sought-after keynote speaker and a leader of connected-worker ecosystems at Hexagon, an international data company working in industries from oil and gas to AI and manufacturing. He is focused on improving the human condition at work and creating a seamless collaboration between humans and machines. Brent has been involved in human performance trends in significant government and commercial industries, including the Department of Defense, executive and judicial branches of the US Government, aviation, healthcare, and nuclear industries.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Connect with Brent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentkedzierski
• Learn more about the concept of "cobotics": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobot

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/
• O’Brien’s new book—How You Become You—is available now: https://a.co/d/22kZ0sV

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Timestamps:

(2:05) - Welcoming Brent
(2:43) - What is your take on the state of employment these days?
(12:59) - Why should companies invest in people skills (soft skills) for their employees, especially if those skills are transferrable to other employers?
(20:17) - What are "cobotics"?
(24:37) - What recommendations do you have for business leaders today to prepare for the transformation from our current work setting to a work setting with generative AI?
(27:58) - What are the key traits from organizations that do training on new technology or business processes well?
(35:22) - What in your mind is the purpose of business?

Patti Temple Rocks is the author of I’m Not Done: It’s Time to Talk About Ageism in the Workplace, which was ranked as one of the 9 books Every Professional Should Read in 2019 by INC Magazine. Kirkus Reviews said, “Rocks writes succinctly but convincingly about the proliferation of age bias and its damaging, insidious, and demoralizing effects on businesses and employees alike.” She recently released a second edition called I’m STILL Not Done because of the impact she saw the pandemic have on older workers and the way they are treated.

Mentioned on the Show:

• I’m Not Done (book): https://a.co/d/hVSVdme
• I’m Still Not Done (book): https://a.co/d/dTtNayz
• Learn more about Patti Temple Rocks on her website: https://www.pattitemplerocks.com/
• Connect with Patti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattitemplerocks/

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/
• O’Brien’s new book—How You Become You—is available now: https://a.co/d/22kZ0sV

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Timestamps:

(2:15) - Welcoming Patti.
(2:58) - What is Ageism?
(4:06) - Has Ageism always been a problem?
(7:00) - Do you have examples of how this shows up differently for people?
(9:21) - How does Ageism show up differently for men and women?
(17:10) - Don’t people get less creative as they get older?
(22:17) - Why should employers care about ageism?
(26:26) - What do you think of the reasoning that the cost of the business requires it to replace older employees with younger ones?
(35:51) - How do we blend having difficult conversations and providing opportunities for young people?
(42:40) - What are things you see employers doing to get creative around retirement?
(46:20) - Are you not a fan of mandatory retirement?
(47:48) - Can you talk about mixing up social events?
(50:52) - Patti's final message.

Malissa Clark is an Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Georgia and Director of the Healthy Work Lab. She is the author of Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Never Not Working (book): https://a.co/d/3xGh9q0
• 
  
• Malissa’s website: https://www.malissaclark.com/
• Connect with Malissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malissa-clark-0387991a/

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/
• O’Brien’s new book—How You Become You—is available now: https://a.co/d/22kZ0sV

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Timestamps

(2:03) - Welcoming Malissa.
(2:24) - How did you come to study workaholism?
(3:41) - How do you define workaholism?
(10:48) - How much of workaholism is about the action work versus how you feel about the work?
(13:21) - It’s normal for achievement to take a lot of sacrifice. Don't we have to be workaholics to succeed?
(15:31) - What is "introjected motivation"?
(19:43) - How can we determine the difference between interjected and intrinsic motivation?
(24:05) - What impact does workaholism have on your health and relationships?
(28:46) - How influential are our phones and technology in fostering workaholism?
(31:08) - Can you explain what "working light" is?
(32:47) - Why is working light bad?
(34:47) - How do we break the cycle of responsiveness?
(48:05) - How do we let go of the guilt of not being productive?
(49:18) - What’s an example of a mastery experience?
(54:34) - Can you dispel the myth of needing employees to be workaholics for a company to succeed?
(1:00:49) - What one or two things someone struggling with workaholism should do to start?

A serial entrepreneur who entered the United States as a refugee from Ukraine at the age of 8, Diana had launched and sold millions of dollars worth of products and services by her early thirties. Today, she is an innovation consultant, leadership development keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author whose books have been taught in over 100 universities. And her parents would like you to know that her sister is a doctor. Diana is the author of Go Big or Go Home.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Go Big or Go Home by Diana Kander: https://a.co/d/5x73IOK
• Be sure to listen to Diana’s interview with O’Brien to learn how to receive her book for free
• Diana’s website: https://dianakander.com/
• Learn more about Diana’s other books here: https://dianakander.com/books/
• Jesse Itzler and the Big A## Calendar: https://jesseitzler.com/products/calendar-2024
• Gabrielle Reece on The Joe Rogan Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7HhQhQjC4A

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/
• O’Brien’s new book—How You Become You—is available now: https://a.co/d/22kZ0sV

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Timestamps:
(2:11) - Welcoming Diana.
(3:02) - How does one become an innovation consultant?
(3:44) - What is most misunderstood about innovation?
(6:51) - How do you limit your capacity so you have flex time?
(9:52) - What are examples of your "impossible tasks"?
(13:03) - What makes a person or a pitch memorable?
(15:22) - Can you talk about the level of research you do to prepare for a pitch?
(16:37) - Is that different than the old school build rapport?
(20:49) - How do you balance technical knowledge with relationship building?
(22:49) - What are tips to build trust in high-stakes situations?
(25:04) - What do you say to people who say these methods are cheesy?
(29:01) - How do you avoid starting a meeting by telling them about yourself?
(31:18) - What does it mean to take people on a journey with your pitch?
(33:23) - How important is it to have a global overarching theme?
(34:06) - How do you think about losses?
(36:03) - How do you think about surprise and how important is it?
(37:41) - Can you give examples of ways you’ve used surprise?
(39:16) - Why are 3D objects important?
(42:04) - Is it correct to say you need to be both thoughtful and vulnerable to make it a successful pitch?
(44:04) - How do you keep this fresh without burning out?
(45:28) - How do you guide people through resistance to the GO BIG OR GO HOME method?
(45:59) - What do you say to the person who thinks they’re not creative?
(48:49) - How do you apply these principles in your personal life?
(50:08) - Remember: you want to pitch something that is unique.
(53:43) - Where can people reach you?

In this special episode, O'Brien and past guest Jason Lauritsen announce a unique in-person event for People Business listeners who lead HR.

Designing Work for Humans: A People Business Summit will take place in Chicago on June 3rd and 4th, teaching HR leaders design skills they can use in their organizations to solve pressing business problems while making work better for the humans who work there.

APPLY HERE: https://peoplebusinesssummit.com/

This will be a project-based learning environment, meaning it will be immersive and hands-on, giving attendees a chance to practice what they are learning in real-time and with real-world applications.

We are partnering with Embarc, a Chicago-based nonprofit helping underserved students across 20+ schools by designing experiences that show them all the city (and the world) has to offer. Check out Embarc's mission here: https://embarcchicago.org/

If you are an HR leader who wants to be a better internal consultant to your executive team, who wants to help your organization face an uncertain future, who wants to improve the lives of your employees... this is the event for you.

Julie Dirksen is the author of the books Design For How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. She is a learning strategy consultant with a focus on incorporating behavioral science into learning interventions. She’s been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and is a Learning Guild Guildmaster.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change (book): https://a.co/d/hYJTByT
• Design For How People Learn (Voices that Matter) (book): https://a.co/d/9BoCfdX
• Augmented and Virtual Reality for Behavior Change (white paper): https://www.learningguild.com/insights/237/augmented-and-virtual-reality-for-behavior-change/
• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliedirksen
• Julie's website: https://usablelearning.com/

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/
• O’Brien’s new book—How You Become You—is available now: https://a.co/d/22kZ0sV

Timestamps:

(2:04) - Welcoming Julie
(3:58) - Do adults and kids learn differently?
(8:00) - Can you explain the title of your book ‘Talk to the Elephant’?
(18:34) - How does delayed gratification play into corporate training?
(26:53) - How do you feel about the concept of experiential learning?
(31:18) - How do you see people using augmented reality and virtual reality in the workplace?
(41:29) - Can you talk about what is extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation?
(49:49) - Can you talk about what is the difference between individual and group behavior change?
(1:03:20) - Where can people find you if they want to learn more about this?
(1:04:16) - What suggestions would you give people to start implementing instructional design?