Have you ever wondered about how your people and culture influence your business financials? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Jolene who began in Financial Forensics on wall street to turning around companies through HR… using culture as her gateway drug into shaping companies for the better. You’ll hear how moving 33 times during the grades K-12 impacted her ability to connect quickly and build trust. Jolene shares her union negotiation tactics, call to action for leaders to be authentic, and how to solve HR problems by looking at them from a different angle. You will also learn how she used those connection skills during her union negotiations. We discuss the challenge of entitlement, catty behavior at work and how incredible it can be when you don’t do things the way you’ve always done them.

And don’t miss the workplace confession, read in an AI voice, to hear some of the more subtle ways that culture drives financials by reducing theft or sabotage at work.

Resources

Curious about the cost of culture on your company + the value of authenticity at work, here are some links to get started:

Not Just Soft Skills: Corporate Culture as a Key Company Value Driver | Columbia Business School

Managing Authenticity: The Paradox of Great Leadership (hbr.org)

What is Authentic Leadership? (The Theory and Model) (youtube.com)

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins