“Who are your stars and who are are passengers?” 

We should all thank Tim Brennan for his curiosity. Tim is the Chief Visionary Officer at FitFirst Tech, a software company with some really cool science under the hood that allows companies to access the intelligence that helps them answer questions like who to hire and who will be the best fit.


“I see solutions in problems that have not been attempted before.”


After spending 13 years at Hostess Frito-Lay in Sales, Management, IT and HR, Tim Brennan developed new insights into the differences between top performers and bottom performers and how to find, hire and keep the best people. In 1998, he founded the Brennan Group of Online Companies with the goal of helping North American businesses improve hiring and employee retention. In eight years they built a network of over 40 partner companies and hundreds of clients across North America including The UPS Stores, Humpty Dumpty Snackfoods and Westmont Hospitality. 


“Information is just information - It doesn’t do anything. It is only a starting point.”


Then in 2006, they joined forces with Jan van der Hoop to launch HiringSmart - a revolutionary approach to hiring that helps companies change their bottom line results. This evolved into FitFirst Tech, which is taking employee intelligence to a whole new level. Tim’s most successful "Karaoke Capitalism" moment has been the concept of Lean HR based on the Lean Management principles from manufacturing.


During our interview, Tim shares some remarkably powerful insights, including:

Three Characteristics of a Successful Fit
1. They learn quickly and don’t get bogged down
2. They have personal accountability and responsibility
3. They keep a sense of humour and ability to diffuse stress


Four Aspects of a Successful Fit
1. Fit with Job
2. Fit with Manager
3. Fit with Team
4. Fit with Organization & Purpose


Tune into this value-packed episode to to learn about these 3 Characteristics, 4 Aspects of Successful Fit and much, much more. It just might be the best thing you do all week!


LINKS
Tim's Email 
Tim on LinkedIn 
FirFirst Tech on Twitter 
FitFirst Tech Website 
TalentSorter Website 

“We absolutely need more female CEOs that can set a positive example for women of the future, and that will change the world if we can accomplish that”


It's Brynne Kennedy’s mission to democratize global mobility for all of the 7.5 billion people in the world. She believes that more open borders and easier global mobility solves global problems, fosters opportunity, and drives economic growth. 


Brynne Kennedy is the CEO of Topia.com, formerly MOVE Guides, a platform she founded for the world’s mobile workforce. Topia manages benefits, compliance and careers for employees who relocate, expatriate and travel frequently, a growing segment of the current and future workforce.  Brynne founded MOVE Guides after being an extensive road warrior herself as an investment banker, and has raised more than $90 million dollars from top venture capital funds NEA and Notion Capital.  


“Brynne Kennedy is the kind of role model that I want my Daughters to know about”


Brynne is also the Founder of #Mobility4All, to which she contributes corporate revenues to help those fleeing poverty and conflict.  Brynne is frequently recognized as a leading entrepreneur and thought leader.  She has won Entrepreneur of the Year in the Women in IT Awards and Women of the Future Awards, London Business School’s Distinguished Entrepreneur Award and Management Today’s 35 Under 35.  In 2017, she was named a Workforce Game Changer, one of 25 people changing the HR industry, and recognized with the Meritorious Service Award from the global mobility industry. Brynne is a former elite level gymnast for the United States.  She speaks four languages and holds a B.A. in History from Yale University and an MBA from London Business School.


Topia.com moves and manages the mobile workforce. We automate business processes, connect a global partner and support network and uses data science to reduce the cost and friction of mobile employees. We are the only software platform for the global mobility management market, replacing corporate relocation BPOs. We have raised more than $90M to help companies and individuals work everywhere.


Links:
Brynne Kennedy on LinedIn
Brynne Kennedy on Twitter @BrynneSpeak 
Topia Website 

“Sometimes, when you follow the Masses, the “M” gets dropped!”
Joshua Miller is a master certified personal & executive coach who spends his life supporting people to bury their bullshit and uncover the greatness they already have. He also just happens to be one of the most authentic people you will ever meet.
Joshua started his career as a Creative Director in advertising, responsible for the campaign strategies of Fortune 100 brands, and now creates and supports executive leadership development for many of the same companies. He’s a TED Talk speaker, a Linkedin Top Influencer with over 200,000 followers, a contributing writer for Thrive Global, Inc. Magazine and Medium, and creator of  “myinstantCoach”, the first life-coaching app for the iPhone. Joshua is married with two children, living in California.

This former Manhattanite is currently dedicating himself to finding the best “slice” of pizza on the West Coast while he watches the exponential sales growth of his Best Seller book “I Call Bullshit - Live Your Life, Not Some Else’s”, a brilliant book that should be a must-read for everyone.
Join us this week on Inspiring Leaders as we zero in on how to Live Authentically.


Links
Josh Miller on LinedIn 
Josh Miller on Twitter 
Josh Miller’s Website 
Josh Miller’s Book “I Call Bullshit - Live Your Life, Not Someone Else's” 


Next Week’s Show:
Brynne Kennedy, CEO of Topia.com joins us to discuss Global Mobility.

Nobody wants to work for an Intolerable Boss, but for many people, the Fear Monger just happens to be the worst of the worst. 


When our safety is threatened, there is a chemical reaction that happens up in our brains. A part of our Hippocampus gets triggered into what is commonly called an Amygdala Response or our Fight or Flight Response. It’s an automatic response that happens in the oldest, most primitive parts of our brains. Researchers believe that early humans developed this response to protect us from attacks from Sabre Toothed Tigers. Well, there aren't many Saber Toothed Tiger Attacks in offices these days, but the Fight Or Flight Response is still there and it’s still automatic, beyond much of our choices. What happens when we are triggered is that the Amygdala floods the Brian with Cortisol, a hormone that prevents our Executive Functioning, or Logical Thinking from happening in the Pre-Frontal Cortex, the region behind our forehead. So in effect, the brain is protecting us by prioritizing a survival mechanism. We either run or start swinging. 


It’s pretty safe to say that fighting or running away are not the most effective strategies in boardrooms. But before we dig into our recommendations to survive Fear Monger Bosses, let's take a closer look at this Intolerable Boss style so that we know what we are dealing with. 


Yelling at people does work, at least in the short term. But while it may be effective in the short term, experts say that it doesn't work in the long run. One reason may be that bosses who spread fear are, well, let’;s face it, they are unapproachable. It is risky to talk to a Fear Monger about what is really going on. That leads to wrong assessments and labeling.


It could be that Fear Mongers are plagued by their own fears or maybe they lack self-confidence. Or perhaps the person learned as a child that the authoritarian who threatens consequences gets results? 


What is really interesting is to learn that most Researchers believe that many Fear Monger Bosses don't even realize they're spreading angst. They simply think that they are “getting things done”.


If somebody is behaving in a way that seems evil to you, or if what they are doing seems incomprehensible, like they have bad motives, well, most of the time, in THEIR minds, they don't. THEY think that they are doing the RIGHT thing. It's just that their perspective is different from ours.


Here are five strategies that the Leadership Brothers recommend to survive a Fear Monger Boss. Please note that much greater details are available for each strategy on the audio show.


1. Become an EQ Ninja and use the Stop, Breathe & Check Intentions method.

2. Shrug it off. Don’t let it get to you.
3. Document and wait.
4. Suggest Assessment and Coaching.
5. Consider Exit Strategies.


For all the lovely details of each recommendation, click PLAY and listen to this episode. It might be the best thing you’ve done for yourself all week.


LINKS
Emotional Intelligence book by Daniel Goleman 
Terry Lipovski’s Website 
Terry Lipovski’s Email 
Pat Lipovski’s Website 
Pat Lipovski’s Email 


NEXT WEEK’S SHOW
Living Authentically with Joshua Miller