Podcasts about know your company

In the podcast, REWORK host Kimberly Rhodes talks with 37signals co-founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, about their journey spinning off products. They stress the value of keeping contracts simple and how once the handover is done, it's best to take a hands-off approach and let the new team run things. They share their experiences with boards and underline the need for trust and flexibility. Key Takeaways:00:43 - The steps they took to transition "Know Your Company" into its own independent entity.04:49 - Contracts don't offer as much protection as people believe.10:58 - The differences in spinning off a startup vs. a long-established company.14:53 - Letting capable partners take the reins and run the show independently.18:51 - The challenge in finding the right partner for a spin-off business.20:12 - In any transaction, things may not turn out as expected, but it may be worth taking calculated risks.23:19 - Contracts don't necessarily prevent disputes and can sometimes escalate them unnecessarily.Links and Resources:Canopy, formerly known as Know Your Company‘Know Your Company' Deal StructureBooks by 37signalsSign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.comHEY World | HEYThe REWORK podcastThe Rework Podcast on YouTubeThe 37signals Dev Blog37signals on YouTube@37signals on X

Be sure to register for my free training on, "The 5-Step Formula to Closing More Deals without the Price Pushback, 'Think-It-Overs' or Ghosting"  (https://salesinsightslab.com/training/)KEY MOMENTS0:42 1. Don't Outsource Sales1:42 2. Focus on Processes2:44 3. Have a Repeatable Way to Get Cold Prospects3:33 4. Leverage Sales Automation4:21 5. Use VAs For The Research Of Prospects5:11 6. Know Your Company's Real Value6:05 7. Disqualify. Hard.6:55 8. Focus on Larger Sales7:43 9. Once You Have POC, Now Bring In Support

Be sure to register for my free training on, "The 5-Step Formula to Closing More Deals without the Price Pushback, 'Think-It-Overs' or Ghosting"https://salesinsightslab.com/training/KEY MOMENTS1:07 1. Don't Outsource Sales2:07 2. Focus on Processes3:09 3. Have a Repeatable Way to Get Cold Prospects3:58 4. Leverage Sales Automation4:46 5. Use VAs For The Research Of Prospects5:36 6. Know Your Company's Real Value6:30 7. Disqualify. Hard.7:20 8. Focus on Larger Sales8:08 9. Once You Have POC, Now Bring In Support

Als ik vraag: wat zijn de sterke punten van jouw bedrijf? Schieten er dan direct een aantal aspecten bij je te binnen? Of misschien juist als ik het tegenovergestelde aan je vraag. Wat zijn de minst sterke of zelfs zwakke punten van jouw bedrijf? Geen zorgen als je na het horen van deze vraag ook antwoord zou kunnen geven. Het is namelijk heel belangrijk om een duidelijk beeld te hebben van de sterke en zwakke kanten van je bedrijf. Waarom? Als je dit goed voor ogen hebt, kun je op een doelgerichte manier de tools gebruiken die voor jouw bedrijf werken. Daarnaast heb je een beter inzicht op welke beslissingen belangrijk zijn voor jouw bedrijf, en heb je een duidelijker beeld welke bedrijfsstrategie bij jouw bedrijf past. Lucky you, er bestaat namelijk een analyse die je perfect kunt gebruiken voor het in kaart brengen van die sterke en zwakke punten. Deze bespreek ik in deze podcast met je, inclusief Engelse key terms, zodat jij deze analyse kan toepassen op jouw bedrijf!

John Thrasher John Thrasher, Experience As A Service ™ EAAS ™, A seasoned senior management professional with over 25 years of executive management experience. Proven ability to tackle new challenges, critically assess situations, think strategically, implement tactically and execute consistently. A highly effective leader who can assemble, manage and nurture world class management teams. Proficient at: Sales enhancement, Profit and Process Improvement. Experienced at developing strategy, KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) managing cross functional teams to create, maintain and grow a Company's sustainable competitive advantage.   We talk about How do you set KPI's for the companies? What normally takes a company from good to great? When working with a client, how do you measure success? What is strategic planning? How does one go about preparing a company to sell? And much more…   Connect with John Thrasher   (626)824-5219. (3) John Thrasher | LinkedIn jthrasher@sprintmail.com Website https://www.johnthrasherconsulting.com/

In this week's episode of The Share Chair Podcast: Stories from School, we travel to Fruitport High School, where we meet Zoe Vanthof. In Zoe's last year of high school, she is very happy to be able to surround herself with friends and family. During the episode, Zoe tells us about her relationship with her mother, who was incarcerated when Zoe was in middle school, and how she has changed in the years since. Tune in for more on Zoe's story and be sure to listen in for more episodes from The Share Chair Podcast!

Sermon featuring Pastor Daniel D. Fluellen, Sr.  Today's message is titled "Know Your Company" taken from Acts 20:1-4 and Ephesians 6:21.  Thank you for listening and Be Blessed!

"It's amazing to watch their creative process in the agency space, they generally are very skilled at what they do (but) it's the financial piece that mystifies them, somewhat. And, even if they understand it, many of them have a very solid understanding, they don't have the tools that we have, and they don't have the backgrounds that we have. Were some things may be a little bit more obvious, so it'd be able to bring them ideas." - James EnneyThe finer details of this episode :What are the signs a business owner should know to tell them that they need a Virtual CFO?Why are a budget and a forecast important for business owners?What should a business owner consider before hiring a Virtual CFO? Episode resourcesSummit CPA website - www.summitcpa.netEmail us with questions - vcfo@summitcpa.net 

This week on the show, Wayne Washington from Grow Company profits joins me to discuss different ways that we can keep an eye on the overall health of our businesses, how to keep employees engaged, and how to implement changes within our operations. Wayne is an awesome guy, you're going to love this episode.

Thank you for joining us, the Host Bees, Shiva, and Vineet on this journey of building Empactful Organisations. Last week, we spoke about the 4 KYCs to build your business. This week we explore the 1st of the KYCs - Know your Company! This episode of "Knowing your Company" asks you to look within the company, defining the foundational components - Vision, Mission & Values - and letting these drive the strategy, operations and transactions of your company. Following the example of ocean-going vessels and how the different vessels have different capabilities and different objectives based on these capabilities; We look at how "Seeing with your Heart (Vision) and Listening with your Mind (Mission)" can help you resolve multiple queries and make the right decisions to build your Empactful Organisation. Finally, we explore the concept of how "Unique is your USP" and how companies can identify their company's differentiators through a 4-level filtration test. We urge our listeners to try this for themselves. First, they need to make a list of differentiators, and any other uniques aspects and strengths that they think make them stand out in the marketplace. Then they need to put each aspect or a related combination through the following 4 questions. As we pass each level, aspects that do not meet the criteria of the question/level are left out for the next level. Level 1: Does this aspect deliver actual value or benefit to both your customers and your company. Level 2: Is the aspect or feature rare to find or develop in the market – how easy or difficult would it be for a competitor to develop that aspect or feature within their company. Level 3: Is this aspect, or the value delivered easy to imitate or replicate by the competition (as stated in level 1). Level 4: Is your company able to fully use, develop and further grow this aspect or feature – do you have the right organization, structure, values, and policies that allow the company to fully use this aspect Do share your experiences, thoughts, and feedback on Seeing with your Heart, and Listening with your mind and your Unique USP. Connect with us at: Shiva: LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/shivakumarvs All Social Links: https://linktr.ee/ShivakumarValadi Vineet: LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/vineetngupta All Social Links: https://linktr.ee/vineatrepeat --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/be-empactful/message

Sales and marketing are working in sync? ✔️ The CRM appreciates data? ✔️ Our company owns and knows how to use an automation tool? ✔️ If you can check off the above questions, your company might be ready for Account-Based Marketing (ABM). In this episode of The ABM Podcast, Alex Moore, senior partner, marketing and technology at Stratagon, and Bobby Narang, EVP and co-founder at Opensense, talk with Brandon about how to know if your company is really ready to launch ABM. Brandon, Alex, and Bobby discuss: The tech and tools a company needs to get started in ABM Subtle signs that sales and marketing are not aligned How not to get duped when buying ABM software for your company How to measure account penetration The ABM Podcast is co-hosted by Christine Farrier and Brandon Redlinger of the ABM Leadership Alliance. Never miss an episode by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

You probably incorrectly thank you know what your company is worth or maybe you're wondering why you should even bother to know what it is worth and what benefits you'll receive from knowing that information now. Tune in and listen and discover why you must know your company's value!

Eliminate blindspots and build engagement by getting to know your company better - Interview with Claire Lew, CEO of Know Your Company, a software tool that helps business owners get to know their employees better and overcome company growing pains.

In the 3rd episode of Simplifynance, host Rachel Stewart, Financial Advisor, discusses your company retirement plan and the 6 key players in the space.     Show Notes:   :44----Introduction to topic of your Company Retirement Plan. 1:26-- There are 6 Major players in the retirement plan game 2:16-- 1. A plans financial advisor is the first major part of retirement plans 3:14-- 2. Third party administrator 3:43-- 3. Participant (you) are responsible for enrolling 4:10-- 4. Plans record keeper (wherever you log on for your account) 4:37-- 5. Your employer. 5:14-- 6. Mutual fund companies who provide their product to you through mutual funds   3 Key Points: Introduction of company retirement plans. There are 6 key players in the retirement space that you can use as resources to learn more. Reach out to these contacts to learn more about plans. There is a retirement guide on the Simplifynance website.   Tweetable Quotes: -       “ I want to go over the major players in the game so you know who to reach out to. There are a total of 6 contacts.” –Rachel. -       “Not all plans have an administrator.” –Rachel. -       “If you do not have an advisor on your retirement plan that you feel comfortable reaching out to, you can reach out to anyone on the simplifynance team” –Rachel.         Resources Mentioned:   simplyfinance.com   Contact Information: Rachel Stewart

This is "Exploring Leaders" episode 16 with the globally leading research scientist Dr. Stephanie Woerner, from MIT Sloan. She will share insights from the research and engagement with hundreds of organisations on their digital journey over the last years, also summarized in the book "Whats your digital business model".  Stephanie will share frameworks, examples and critical questions, inspiring you to take leadership in the digital age.

One-on-one meetings should not be used for a status update, rather to uncover problems. CEO of Know Your Company, Claire Lew, talks candidly with Happy Melly about what it takes to be a better manager and a more honest, open and communicative leader. She also explains why buying a book about what to do with her life at the age of 13 helped her get to where she is today. For more happiness, visit www.management30.com.  

As a serial entrepreneur who has been featured on CNN, USA Today, BBC, and the Wall Street Journal, Wayne talks frankly about self-awareness and depression as a leader in our interview. Claire: Hi everyone, I'm Claire, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today, I am super excited to have with me, Wayne Sutton, who is a… Read the full article

From the very beginning, nothing has been ordinary about Claire Lew's (@cjlew23) company, its business model, or the way she came to lead it. Learn how Know Your Company has generated millions in revenue with a tiny team, how Claire has met with over 500 CEOs and business leaders, and what she's learned about creating a successful company.Transcript, speaker information, and more: https://www.indiehackers.com/podcast/055-claire-lew-of-know-your-company

In this interview, Claire Lew talks about leadership, how to keep your team motivated and the things leaders should avoid. We also talk about the importance of building relationships with your customers and the real reasons why people buy from you.

Rob Walling is the Founder of Drip, an email automation platform. A serial entrepreneur who has published books, runs MicroConf, and hosts a podcast, Rob shares the importance of deliberate hiring, and focusing on trust instead of loyalty in teams. Claire: Hey everyone, I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company, and today I have a really special guest. I… Read the full article

David Cancel is the CEO of Drift, a conversational sales platform that has over 100,000 customers. Having started five companies previously, David shares lessons learned as a leader – including the importance of people, one-on-ones, and “no consensus” in teams. Claire: Hi, everyone. I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today we have a super special guest… Read the full article

An acclaimed nonprofit leader featured on the TODAY show, Steve shares his biggest lessons learned around empathy, self-care, and self-awareness as a leader. Claire: Hi everyone. I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. I am here in Chicago with honestly one of my favorite people in this city. We have Steve Larosiliere, whose… Read the full article

With a focus on diversity and inclusion, the CEO of a Chicago-based media company focused keeps it real about the myths and struggles of leadership. Claire: Hi everyone, I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company and it is my honor today to introduce a very good friend of mine who is on the heartbeat, the… Read the full article

Negative feedback may be the most important feedback you ever receive as a leader so long as there is a proposed solution. In this episode, we discuss This is Why Your Boss Deserves Your Negative Feedback by Jane Claire Hervey. The article is shared below. This Is Why Your Boss Deserves Your Negative Feedback Jane Claire Hervey, WOMEN@FORBES I romanticize my work. I love to solve problems. I want to be the change I wish to see in the world. (I'm also a millennial—what can I say?) So, when I started my first full-time job at a digital marketing firm, I had high expectations. I was ready to learn, maximize my role and help the company drive revenue. When I noticed a problem within our operations, I pointed it out. If I thought there were areas in which we could improve, I spoke up. If I had a good idea, I gave it. But, more often than not, this feedback was met with silence and inaction, and over time I began to contribute less and less. When I left the company after three years, the CEO was surprised. "I didn't see this coming," he said. That stumped me. I had been vocal about my needs, pointed out gaps in our infrastructure and nothing had ever changed. Wouldn't my exit be expected? It turns out I'm not the only one with this experience. According to Claire Lew, the CEO of Know Your Company, this phenomenon is common—and it's the reason she's got a job today. Before Lew started Know Your Company, a software tool that helps business owners collect and utilize feedback, Lew also hated her job. She couldn’t give feedback to her boss, and the problem frustrated her so much that she quit to find a fix. She launched a consulting agency to help CEOs build better work cultures, and surprisingly one of her first clients, Basecamp, happened to be working on a software prototype for feedback. Together, they launched Know Your Company as a product in 2013, and Lew became the project's CEO in 2014. Since, Know Your Company has served more than 15,000 people in 25 countries. A couple of weeks ago, I caught Lew's talk on building feedback loops at the Culturati Summit in Austin, Texas and I immediately had a million questions: How do we build work cultures within our economy that better prioritize women and healthy lifestyles? How can we empower employees to give negative feedback? What can we do better—as bosses, as leaders, as employees—to turn problems into solutions? In this interview, Lew and I thankfully get to some potential answers. Jane Claire Hervey: Who are you and what do you do? Claire Lew: I’m the CEO of Know Your Company, a software tool that helps leaders create more open, honest environments by getting ongoing employee feedback. We also founded an online leadership community called The Watercooler, with 500+ managers and executives from all over the world. Hervey: There’s a lot of pressure on women and people of color to advocate for themselves and negotiate harder to claim their seat at the table. The mindset behind Know Your Company implies that dismantling the power dynamic that may hold certain employees back is on the CEO/leadership team. What do you have to say to the former? What may be misleading about that way of thinking? Lew: Asking women and minorities to advocate and negotiate for their seat at the table is like saying that people who get mugged on the street should take self-defense classes or carry a gun on them. It’s placing the burden of the problem on the victim, instead of addressing the underlying root cause of the problem. The problem is the work environment and culture—not the lack of action on the part of women and minorities. On top of that, the fact is that negotiating compensation is empirically disadvantageous to women and minorities. So negotiating for equal pay, let alone a seat at the table, has a ton of deeply entrenched hurdles around it. Hervey: How can start-ups, small businesses and lean creative companies better prioritize and utilize their team’s expertise? Aside from language, how can we actively create cultures that are diverse, inclusive and, most importantly, thriving? Lew: To actively foster thriving cultures that are diverse and inclusive, I recommend looking at four buckets of things you can do different. No. 1: Attract your applicants differently. You can edit your job description to be more inclusive. The language used in job descriptions can heavily bias who applies. [For example,] Buffer experienced this firsthand, and you can also learn the exact words that often discourage female applicants. No. 2: Elect your candidates differently. Clearly articulate attributes for each role and “culture fit” in advance. When you set the criteria ahead of time and define culture fit per your company’s core values, you can avoid unconscious bias. [Here's how companies like Facebook tackle that.] You can also consider having a rubric to evaluate candidates to make sure unconscious bias doesn’t creep in. No. 3: Develop your new employees differently. This includes having a clear policy on negotiation. Negotiating compensation is empirically disadvantageous to women and minorities. Perhaps consider getting rid of negotiation in the offer process entirely, as Reddit has done. You’ll also want to monitor for bias in performance and promotion processes. Research shows women tend to get promoted based on performance, while men are promoted based on potential. No. 4: Retain your employees differently. Survey your employees. Giving your employees a safe place to speak up about how they feel about their environment is key. This way you’ll learn what’s working and what’s not, be it hiring practices, mentorship programs, employee benefits, etc. Also, consider drafting a code of conduct to establish what you view as acceptable behaviors. Even consider how environmental cues like naming all the conference rooms after men can influence the tone of your environment. You can also offer benefits that are attractive to all employees. Support underrepresented employees’ needs and actively ask your employees for input on this. For example, Google started offering transgender benefits starting in 2011, after creating a workgroup to access the company’s benefits. Hervey: At Know Your Company, you encourage leadership to be vulnerable about their struggles, which is somewhat emotional. In small company settings, how can you proceed with this vulnerability about the company’s obstacles without scaring employees or threatening their trust in the company’s growth? Lew: Great question. When choosing to be vulnerable about serious company obstacles, you’ll want to first provide as much context as possible. For example, if your firm just lost its biggest client, provide context as to what percentage of the business this was and how the other accounts you have will cover for it, etc. Without this context, it’s easy for employees’ imaginations to (naturally) run wild. The other thing you’ll want to do when being vulnerable about a dramatic company challenge is to share a path forward. For example, if your company sales underperformed this quarter, be clear about a plan of action ahead to improve business development going forward. This maintains your employees’ trust that you’re doing everything you can to have their backs in a tough situation. Hervey: With limited resources as an entrepreneur or small business, how can you reasonably manage expectations when gathering company feedback? Could you specifically expand upon your concept of “closing the loop” from this perspective? Lew: When gathering company feedback, there’s definitely going to be a time–or many times–when you can’t implement a piece of feedback. Or, when you simply don’t want to. Someone made a ridiculous suggestion about a company benefit. Or, someone has a great idea but one that financially isn’t feasible right now. What do you do? If you receive a piece of feedback that isn’t practical or doesn’t align with the company’s direction, tell your employees that. Explain why you’re not doing something. Expose your decision-making process. Explaining why you’re not doing something—or what I like to call “closing the loop”—is one of the most effective ways to cultivate an open, honest work environment. If you don’t, employees will wonder, “What ever happened to that idea I suggested?” They’ll assume that you’re not open to receiving new ideas, and they’ll hesitate to bring up feedback the next time around. Hervey: Any advice for companies building their operations? Where might they actionably start in incorporating feedback loops? Lew: As a company that aspires to foster a culture of feedback, it’s more than just doing one-on-ones and employee surveys and calling it a day. To have your team truly embrace feedback in their day-to-day operations, you’ll want to consider these three things: personal accountability, consistency and richness. Personal accountability: When it comes to feedback (and leadership in general), you’ve got to walk the walk. You can’t ask others to be open to feedback if you’re not open to feedback yourself. Model the behavior you want your employees to exhibit. If you want employees to admit their weaknesses and be forthcoming about their mistakes, you have to start with doing so yourself, first. Consistency: Holding all-company meetings and/or one-on-one meetings are great to initiate the feedback loop. But the power of them lies in how consistent they are. Do you hold those all-company meetings or one-on-ones regularly? Or just here and there, whenever you remember them? If it’s the latter, you’re sending the message: “Your feedback is not important.” Consistency of your feedback loops is what determines whether or not you’re building a culture of feedback–or if it’s a facade. Richness: You can’t assume that one channel of feedback is going to work for everyone. So the more avenues to provide for people to give feedback and weigh in, the better. Some people might prefer town hall meetings, while others prefer electronic employee surveys. The richness of how you communicate–the varying formats and mediums–allows you to reach everyone. One way is not the only way to foster honesty and transparency within your company. Hervey: When balancing the personal and professional in the workplace, especially in small companies, do you have any tips for founders that need to give really honest feedback on performance? Lew: If you need to give honest feedback on performance, and you’re worried about negatively affecting someone’s morale, there are four things to keep in mind. No. 1: Come from a place of care. You’re giving feedback because you care. You deeply care about this person’s personal and career growth. You deeply care about the project’s success. Communicate these things. For example, you could say something like: “I’m saying this because I believe in you and I want you to succeed…” No. 2: Come from a place of observation. Focus on the actions and the situation of what happened—what you observed—and not the personal attributes or characteristics of the person. For example, if you think a coworker wrote a sloppy email to the client, instead of saying: “I think you’re careless”… you could say, “I noticed that in the email you wrote, there were a few mistakes that were made.” No. 3: Come from a place of fallibility. Your feedback is not infallible. Don’t forget that your feedback is only an interpretation of what you observed, and your own perspective of how things can improve going forward. Be willing to admit this. For example, you could say, ““Is there any information that you think I might be missing?” No. 4: Come from a place of curiosity. When you give feedback, it should feel like a conversation. No one likes being talked at. To do this, simply ask after sharing your feedback: “What do you think?” Hervey: Can you describe a favorite feedback moment with your own team at Know Your Company? Lew: They happen all the time! Just the other day, I had an idea for marketing that our CTO gave me feedback on. Even though marketing is technically “my domain,” our CTO had some excellent thoughts on my idea. I easily could’ve been defensive toward him or dismissed his feedback–but I listened, and we ended up going with what he suggested. Acknowledging that I might have a bias toward my own idea helped me listen to feedback and make a more informed decision. Hervey: What’s your ideal working environment—both mentally and physically? Lew: Peaceful. Anywhere with little to no sound, and an uninterrupted period of time. Hervey: Any professional self-care routines that you could recommend? Lew: Giving yourself uninterrupted periods of time to get stuff done is my biggest saving grace. Also, sleep. You can’t do your best work without a good night’s sleep. Hervey: What do you wish for the future of work culture? Lew: I hope our future of work culture can be more open and honest–that employees and leaders alike don’t fear talking to each other, speaking the truth and what’s on their mind. I believe when we can all go to work in an environment where you feel free to be open and honest, we’re all happier. Interested in Hervey's work? Follow along on Instagram or check out her Texas-based nonprofit, #bossbabesatx. Check out more of Jane's work Women@forbes Be Bold Dave

As a creative leader who's worked with everyone from Apple to ESPN, Dan shares his biggest leadership lessons on servant leadership and how to ensure teams work well together. Claire: Hi everyone. I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today, I've got a good friend of mine with me that I'm so excited to… Read the full article

Running Olark, a company with 12,000+ customers, Ben shares the biggest leadership lesson he wishes he learned: The importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence as a leader. Claire: Hi everyone, I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company, and today I've got a really special guest. We have here Ben Congleton who is the… Read the full article

As the VP Engineering of Slack and prolific author on technical leadership, Michael discusses why being busy is a bad thing as a leader and how to delegate well. Claire: Hi everyone. I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company, and today I've got a very special guest. I have with me Michael Lopp, who might… Read the full article

As the founder + CEO of a 100+ person remote company, Sara reveals the importance of gut instinct in leadership, and how she learned that the hard way when starting her first company at 21 years old. Claire: Hi, everyone. My name is Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company and today I have a really special… Read the full article

Open enrollment is the time where you can sign up for or change your healthcare benefits to begin in January of 2018. Making the right elections or understanding your options is an important financial decision for you to make so I invited Charleton Lamb from Just Works to answer some questions around this and share my thoughts on healthcare options and picking the right one for you, your family and your budget. My biggest takeaway is to make sure you first have healthcare and secondly have the right coverage. The monthly expense seems like something your budget can’t afford, but I’ve seen may clients with tens of thousands of dollars of medical debts they’re trying to work through because they didn’t have healthcare to begin with. Please take the time to research your options and find the right fit for you and your budget. Notes for this show as well as links to everyone’s sites can be found on my blog, http://financially-blonde.com. Also, if you have any topics you would like for us to talk about during happy hour, please feel free to email me to shannon@finblonde.com or tweet to me @Blonde_Finance or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook group and let us know.  Until next time, take care!!

As an acclaimed nonprofit leader and public speaker, Halleemah Nash reveals what “authentic leadership” really means… Claire Lew: Hi everyone! I'm Claire Lew, and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. Today, I am incredibly excited because I have a very special guest and dear friend with me today. I have Halleemah Nash, who is the Executive Director… Read the full article

As the founder of a 300+ software company, Des talks about the silence cost to being nice, the pitfalls of transparency as a leader, and the power of consistency. Claire Lew: Hi everyone, I'm Claire and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company. I'm really excited today to have a special guest with me, Des Traynor, the founder of Intercom. Des… Read the full article

All of us know people who are good at opening the door for others to succeed. They are the people who everyone wants to know and be around. Neal Sales-Griffin is one of those people. As an adjunct professor at Northwestern University, he's had a tremendous impact on many students and has put his philosophies about helping others to the test by creating a nonprofit aimed at helping High School students learn how to solve problems through coding. There are a handful of people here at Launchpad Lab who take every opportunity to be around Neal, and after you hear this interview you'll understand why. The drive to be happy motivates all kinds of action. What is it driving in you? One of the reasons Neal Sales-Griffin wanted to succeed in college was because of the desire to have money. Since he grew up with very little money that motivation makes perfect sense. But in retrospect he realizes that it wasn't really the money he was after, it was happiness. Once he was able to discover what truly makes him happy (and it's not the money) he has oriented his life in a direction that fulfills that desire. What makes him happy? Opening the door for others to find their own happiness and success. You can hear how Neal does it and how that philosophy permeates his life, on this episode of The Critical Shift. Sometimes people who have ambition just need a nudge from you. An earlier episode of The Critical Shift featured Claire Lew, CEO of Know Your Company. In that conversation, Claire mentioned the powerful impact today's guest had on her. Neal Sales-Griffin is a man who's made it his mission in life to lift up others, to do what he can to value them so they are encouraged to accomplish all they were designed to accomplish. Claire is one example of the many people Neal has touched and inspired. His perspective is simple: people around you many times just need a nudge in the right direction. That's worth the effort, isn't it? Hear Neal's story and how he explains his motivation to help others, on this episode. You can be the one to open the door for others… and the impact can be incredible. There are people you meet every day who are struggling with their own sense of worth, struggling with the self-doubt and lack of confidence that they really can make a difference in the world. But you wouldn't know it because we all strive to put on our best face and keep moving. But since you know it's true, why not do what you can to help those people bust the doubts and move forward? Your simple words, questions, and encouragement can do it. Neal Sales-Griffin talks about the way he's been able to encourage others and help them move forward in what they are passionate about doing, on this episode of The Critical Shift. Why the focus of Neal's life is to become irrelevant. Toward the end of this conversation, Neal was kind enough to summarize the way he looks at the calling that is on his life. In his own words, the focus of his life is to become irrelevant. He wants those he teaches, encourages, and equips to outpace him in every area so that his place in their lives is no longer needed. Isn't that a refreshing perspective in this world of personal branding and promotion? You can hear Neal's story and why he believes that building up others is the best use of his life, on this episode. Outline of This Episode [2:06] Who is Neal Sales-Griffin? [4:45] Neal's journey to Northwestern, the first in his family to complete college. [16:20] Experiencing the benefits of leadership gifts and clear direction. [20:57] The passion that drove Neal in college and how it developed over time. [28:09] Why Neal takes the initiative to lead people. Resources & People Mentioned The Starter League - learn to code in 3 months Code Now Northwestern University Outcome Health Full Stack Academy ISBE at Northwestern Know Your Company Wildfire - Northwestern's startup incubator BaseCamp ClarityBox Connect With Tom and Launchpad Lab https://launchpadlab.com/ On Instagram On Twitter On Facebook On LinkedIn

It's really a hard thing to know what you want. It takes a lot of soul-searching and more than most of us want to admit, it also requires a lot of experience with things you don't want. Claire Lew is one of those people who has traveled that journey of discovery. Her story is almost enchanting because as she tells it, you see the pieces that led toward her own sense of desire and purpose falling into place perfectly. On this episode of The Critical Shift, you'll hear Claire tell about her journey in her own words and find out how she came to the point that she had no doubt about what she was meant to add to the world. What happens when a child grows up with confidence that they are fully loved and supported? Most of us have a pretty clear picture of what happens when a child is run down or berated as they grow up. But have you ever known somebody who grew up in exactly the opposite environment? Claire Lew is one of those people. She's blessed to have had parents who told her that anything was possible and no matter how hair-brained or disjointed her plans may have seemed to them as she discovered her own sense of purpose, they were always there with encouragement, telling her that she could do anything she wanted to do. That's what fuels her even today as she pursues her passion of making companies and employees true partners in purpose and direction. Problem-solving is the purest form of entrepreneurship. Claire Lew was a Sophomore in college when she realized that her path forward would be that of an entrepreneur. She loved solving problems - for friends, in class, for the student body - anywhere she could. When she enrolled in a course about entrepreneurship and saw that the basic job description of every entrepreneur is to solve problems - she was all in. Today as she leads “Know Your Company” she's in her sweet spot, routinely working alongside companies to solve a problem that she's experienced personally and is passionate to fix. You'll enjoy her story as she shares it on this episode of The Critical Shift. Knowing what you really want is paramount to fulfillment and impact. It's a lot of work to figure out what you really want. But when it happens, when you get clarity on what you want, all kinds of things open up to you. You begin to see opportunities that you didn't notice before. You take steps of faith (risks) that you would never have taken before. You begin to learn from people and experiences like never before. Claire Law's story demonstrates all of those things and you'll be encouraged and challenged by it if you listen - so please do. Do you know what you want? If you're going to figure out what you really want to do in the world it's going to take a lot of work. You'll have to make some hard choices, you'll have to say “no” to many, many things, and you'll have to take steps that seem like leaps of faith. But through it all you'll discover things about yourself and what's truly on your heart that you can't know any other way. Listen to Claire Lew tell how she took that journey and the amazing results that have come from it, on this episode of The Critical Shift. Outline of This Episode [0:22] Meet Claire Lew, CEO of “Know Your Company” and why she's a guest on the show. [3:40] Why Claire was asked to take over a company the Basecamp team had created. [7:00] Constant moving because of her Dad's job, constantly being the new kid. [9:52] Wanting to understand how to be happy at work, even as a kid. [16:40] True success: Living life on your own terms. [29:50] Leaving her first successful startup because of burnout. [36:20] The response of her parents when she quit her job to pursue her own business. [41:15] Building out her philosophy through case studies and connecting with the Basecamp team. Resources & People Mentioned Know Your Company Jason Fried BaseCamp BOOK: What Should I Do With My Life? 37 Signals BOOK: Rework BOOK: Getting Real Groupon The Starter League BOOK: The Alchemist   Connect With Tom and Launchpad Lab https://launchpadlab.com/ On Instagram On Twitter On Facebook On LinkedIn

Know Your Company is a software tool that helps you truly feel in touch with your employees. Jess Singer, head of Business Development for Know Your Company, discusses this software tool that help bring down barriers between C-level executives and their employees.

Rip takes Ch'arles and Crick to his home away from home on the range, while Counselor Rayvek helps the crew face the varmints within. Improvised February 12, 2017, from a suggestion by Scott Morales via Facebook. Edited by Chris Rathjen Featuring Rayna Caskey as Bobbi the Intern, Lupe the (Holo)wolf Eleanor Hollingsworth as Counselor Rayvek, Jonathan the (Holo)wolf Sean Kelley as Lt. Cdr. Crick Watson Eli Mandel as Rip Stipley, Lt. Jeremy Swanson Nick Wagner as Ch'arles Lorem, Holographic King Kong Mary Cait Walthall as Dr. Zarlene Zonalzon Julia Weiss as Lt. Rita King, Mama (Holo)wolf Sponsored by Know Your Company, a member of the Chicago Podcast Coop

Managing For Career Development with Claire Lew and Dan Hodos Follow us on Twitter @techdoneright (http://www.twitter.com/tech_done_right), leave us a review on iTunes, and please sign up for our newsletter (http://techdoneright.io/newsletter)! Guests Claire Lew (https://twitter.com/cjlew23): CEO of Know Your Company (https://knowyourcompany.com/) Dan Hodos: Table XI’s (http://www.tablexi.com/) Director of Operations Summary How can you get honest feedback from co-workers, even when you are their manager? How can you support your team's career growth and support them as they improve their skills? Claire Lew, the CEO of Know your Company, and Dan Hodos, Table XI's Director of Operations, join Noel to discuss why listening is the most important thing you can do when getting feedback, how specific questions can break the "fine" reflex, how sticky notes can help with career growth, and the one thing you should never do in a one-on-one meeting. Notes 01:33 - Why One-on-One Meetings Are Important 03:16 - Creating a Safe Space for Employees: Make Empathy Your Mission 05:03 - Active Listening and Asking Questions 07:15 - How often should these meetings occur? 08:58 - Sponsorship and Career Mentoring 10:19 - Table XI’s “Sticky Note Game” 12:56 - What are the things you shouldn’t do during a one-on-one? 15:18 - Receiving Feedback - Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High (https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/1469266822) - Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration (https://www.amazon.com/Yes-Improvisation-Reverses-Creativity-Collaboration-Lessons/dp/0062248545/) 19:41 - Favorite Questions 21:03 - Balancing Natural Conversation with Asking Tough Questions 24:12 - Conducting Remote One-on-Ones 25:29 - Investing in Your Mentees 29:17 - Surprising Revelations Learned While Building Know Your Company - Our Biggest Blindspots (https://knowyourcompany.com/learn/guides/1-blindspots/1-our-biggest-blindspots-as-CEOs/) 32:24 - Creating Environments for Employees to Flourish Resources: Claire: * Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High (https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/1469266822) * The Know Your Company Blog (https://blog.knowyourcompany.com/@cjlew23) * The Know Your Company Knowledge Center (https://knowyourcompany.com/learn/) Dan: * Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration (https://www.amazon.com/Yes-Improvisation-Reverses-Creativity-Collaboration-Lessons/dp/0062248545/) * Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805) * taking an improv class. Noel: * RSA Animate — Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us (https://vimeo.com/15488784) * Bossypants by Tina Fey (https://www.amazon.com/Bossypants-Tina-Fey/dp/0316056898/) Special Guests: Claire Lew and Dan Hodos.

This week, we finish off Video Game Movie Month Level 2 with the infamous 1994 fighting-game disaster Street Fighter The Movie, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia! Jon Espino of HollywoodChicago.com joins us to talk about the film's troubled history, Bison's muddy plan for world domination, and where all the street fights went. Take a listen and check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Know Your Company as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related links:  Polygon's excellent oral history of the making of Street Fighter: the Movie Every line Chris Klein says in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li

Video Game Movie Month continues apace, as Wagnificent Mile blogger (and advocate for Illinois gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar) Lauren Faits joins us to talk about 2001's Lara Croft Tomb Raider! Angelina Jolie straps on a tank top, tight shorts and two giant video game-y pistols to track down the Triangle of Light to stop the Illuminati or whatever, with sexy pre-Bond Daniel Craig in tow. Enjoy with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Know Your Company as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

Space & buckets, together at last. Improvised December 18. 2016 from a suggestion Rob Taffen Edited by Roger Payton Griffen Eckstein as James T. Jamms Eleanor Hollingsworth as Counselor Ray ek Sean Kelly as LtCdr. Crick Watson Irene Marquette as En Holga Chris Rathjen as Cmdr. Corbomite Hayes Mary Cait Walthall as Dr. Zarlene Zonalzon Nick Wagner as Lt. Ch'arles Lorem Matt Young as Cpt Julius V Baxter Sponsored by Know Your Company, a member of the Chicago Podcast Coop

Our Fair City's Betsey Palmer plants seeds of knowledge about Cannabis in Dottore's mind-garden. Learn how it works and why it's still so darn illegal in the US! Help us thrive! Visit our new Threadless store and our Patreon page. Get rewards for your support!  This episode is sponsored by Know Your Company, the software tool that helps you know your company better. Blastropodcast is a member of the Chicago Podcast Cooperative. This episode features "Quirky Dog" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.  

We're continuing VIDEO GAME MOVIE MONTH LVL. 2 with the 2007 film Hitman, starring Timothy Olyphant, Olga Kurylenko, and scores of anonymous Eastern European cannon fodder! Based on the classic stealth action game, Hitman shows us what happens when a production company shits out a lame cash-in on both a video game franchise, Jason Bourne films, and The Transporter. Even worse is poor Olyphant, a normally amazing actor forced to grit his teeth through mealy-mouthed expository dialogue. Find out what we thought along with our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Thanks to our sponsor Know Your Company as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

Alex Kliner has wanted to write film scores since he found out his biggest musical idol (Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails) was getting into the business himself. This self-proclaimed former "mall goth" went from taking piano lessons from an uber Christian teacher to writing music for friends' shows in college to touring with the Second City as a musical director to scoring a crowd-funded feature film and beyond. Get into his influences, methods, and favorite projects to work on as a composer and enjoy your own ability to passively listen to music without deconstructing everything you hear in order to mimic the style. Notes: Kliner did not send those pics of himself as a mall goth. Inquire via Twitter? Alex's film scoring debut Competition Kitchen Kickstarter Thanks to Know Your Company for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Coop for a home.  

This week, we take another month-long stab at video game movie adaptations with 2016's Warcraft! Grant of Chip & Ironicus, Sex Archie, Six Feats Under and History Honeys comes back on the show to explore Duncan Jones' ambitious, convoluted adaptation of the popular strategy game/MMO universe. Check it out with our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Thanks to our sponsor Know Your Company as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

Jenn Bane feels she wouldn't be the woman she is today without Neopets; It introduced her to gaming, message boards, and friends she still keeps in touch with. What started as and could have easily remained a conversation about the land of Neopia awaiting users at Neopets.com ends up being a discussion about Jenn and MBS's social habits as young people and how Neopets and youth have changed over the life of the Internet. There's talk of brands, business acumen, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Brink! (there's always time for Brink!). Notes: Jenn is a cohost of the Friendshipping podcast along with MBSing episode 100 guest Trin Garritano. They made a friendship sandwich across 100 episodes of MBSing. Heck yeah. There was A LOT of coverage of The Day The Neopets Message Boards Went Mod-less. MBS's favorite post is, "Y'ALL NEED JESUS." Thanks to Know Your Company for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for all their hard work.

Summary Allison McMillan (@allie_p) and Bradley Schaefer (@soulcutter) talk about remote work in the age of Slack. What makes a good remote worker, or a good remote working team? How can you support more junior team members who want to work remotely? How do you email cake to remote workers on launch celebration day? How can you improve code review for remote workers? Guests Allison McMillan: Software Developer at Collective Idea (http://collectiveidea.com/) and Rails Girls (http://railsgirls.com/) Bradley Schaefer: Senior Developer at Table XI (http://www.tablexi.com/) and the RSpec (https://github.com/rspec) Core Team Show Notes 01:07 - Working Remotely: Getting Started, Setups, etc. Allison McMillan: Even the Justice League Works Remotely @ RubyConf 2016 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Z0uS2x_cY) 03:19 - Coworking Spaces STARTMART (http://startmart.us/) 04:34 - What makes an individual successful to be able to work remotely? 07:30 - Gains and Challenges of Working Remotely 10:18 - Transitioning From Onsite to Offsite Work 11:48 - Being the Only Remote Person: How can companies help remote workers feel included? Slack (https://slack.com/) Know Your Company (http://www.knowyourcompany.com) 21:10 - Building Trust Between Companies and Remote Workers 24:30 - Working Remotely in Other Fields First 25:42 - Working Remotely as a Newbie 30:08 - Cultivating Teams and Positivity - rubocop (https://github.com/bbatsov/rubocop) Tips & Resources: Allison: Schedule weekly pairing sessions and make it a goal to ask questions. Zach Holman: Remote-First vs. Remote-Friendly (https://zachholman.com/posts/remote-first/) SheNomads (http://www.shenomads.com/) Bradley: Try to find pairing tools that work well for you. Remote: Office Not Required (https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Office-Required-Jason-Fried/dp/0804137501) Special Guests: Allison McMillan and Bradley Schaefer.

You are the type of person who never wanted to just say "work is fine." You wanted to be passionate about your work and solve problems that interest you. When someone asks you how work is you want to say "AMAZING" and go off on a tangent about your latest project or entrepreneurial feat. You aren't a typical 9-5 corporate culprit. You are a boss entrepreneur who overcomes a lot of different pains but doubles that pain with growth. Todays guest, Claire Lew, is the CEO of Know Your Company. She has overcome her own growing pains as an entrepreneur and helped create the tools for companies to overcome their unique pains as well. In this episode you will... Know how a bootstrap company works & its benefits Hear how Claire's dad's work influenced her Value why you can't let your "inspiration expire" Strengthen your ability to trust yourself Uncover how Claire has grown as a leader & CEO Learn about Claire's relationship with Basecamp RESOURCES: She Did It Her Way Podcast She Did It Her Way Twitter She Did It Her Way Facebook Claire's Twitter Know Your Company Twitter Claire's Website Know Your Company Website Claire's Instagram "What Should I Do with My Life" by Po Bronson "Rework" by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson Starter League Software The Lively Show Podcast Ben Horowitz article Basecamp 1 Password Draft INSIGHT: “Being a bootstrap company, the fact that you are deliberately choosing not to take on outside funding, what that means is that cash flow is everything.”- Claire Lew “I just don’t want to say that work is ‘fine’ because clearly it’s not when you’re saying something is fine.”- Claire Lew “We’ve grown up in a society that gives us a lot of signals,clues, paths, and symbols for what success is and it’s very easy to listen to those things.”-Claire Lew “The greatest source of motivation, the greatest source of you being able to accomplish what you want to do, has to come from within yourself."-Claire Lew “My greatest source of happiness comes from helping other people and I think the best way that I could possibly do that was to start a company.”-Claire Lew “How you feel about your work affects how well you actually do your work.”-Claire Lew “If there’s something that really pisses you off ride that momentum and just take advantage of that feeling in the moment and ride it out.”-Claire Lew “Well, this inspiration has an expiration date. It’s fleeting and if you don’t just kind of jump on it right then in the moment it will really pass.”-Claire Lew “In terms of thinking ‘how did I know that this was the right thing to do or go after’ or ‘how did I know this was the right problem to solve,’ I didn’t. I just decided and took advantage of the inspiration when I felt it.” -Claire Lew “I am my own worst critic and I know that I can be very hard on myself, so being able to brush things off, being able to tell myself that it’s ok and everything is not in my control because that is impossible, learning to be patient with myself, learning to take vacations, learning to take more reasonable hours, that is a learning process.”-Claire Lew

This week, fellow Chicago film critic Jacob Oller joins us to unpack the pure-strain craziness of 1978's The Manitou! When a woman finds a rapidly growing fetus-tumor on her back, her tarot card-reading boyfriend (Tony Curtis) and the Native American guy who hates it when you litter (Michael Ansara) join forces to exorcise an evil 400-year-old demon. Space lasers, noble savage stereotypes and earnestly goofy special effects abound, and we talk about it all with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Know Your Company as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

While we focus mainly on the politics of the time (and of ours), this conversation with Cody certainly reveals in him a broad, deep-seeded love of this time in our nation's history and a ton of insight on how it got us where we are as a nation. Cody just got back from some touring through the colonial states, so be prepared for more delightful Marquis de Lafayette stories than you can shake a musket at. There's also plenty of chatting about how we would fix the current political landscape (because clearly we are experts) and how the Internet Age has become its own Enlightenment of sorts. Check out In Falsitas Veritas and/or Star-Spangled Sitcoms for the fruits of Cody's creative labor, all in some way inspired by these topics. Ticket link for Cody and I's shared slot at the Chicago Podcast Festival. Thanks to Know Your Company for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for their continued support and community.

Know Your Company is a two-person company that is experiencing steady revenue and customer growth in more than 15 countries. With Kickstarter, Medium and Airbnb on their client list, I had to find out more. Know Your Company is a software tool that helps you uncover insights into your company that you didn't know before.  Every week, you’ll learn three different things... You'll learn how your employees feel about your business, the work, the culture, etc. You'll uncover blindspots in your company. You'll be able to address issues before they turn into bigger problems. You'll learn what everyone in the company is working on.Everyone will be on the same page. No one in the company will feel in the dark about what's going on. You'll learn more about everyone in the company as people.This could be a favorite recipe or movie. The small connections will bring everyone a little closer together. I invited CEO Claire Lew onto the show to learn more. Guest Info https://knowyourcompany.com/ @cjlew23

Claire Lew is the CEO of Know Your Company, where she has helped over 10,000 people at companies like Airbnb and Kickstarter. Her mission in life is to help people become happier at work, and her software revolves around exactly that by asking the right questions to identify blind spots.

In 1999, Sega stormed(?) the video game world with the release of their Dreamcast. Except no one really talks about it any more. Let's fix that with this week's Talking Games, in which Tim, Clayton, and Kellen invite guest Shawn Bowers to chat about the System that Kind of Was. Was the Dreamcast ahead of its time or just kind of weak? Also, what's up with Leonard Nimoy's Seaman? Thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Know Your Company, courtesy of the Chicago Podcast Coop! And hey, if you like this show, check out the Nerdologues' Patreon page and help us do more cool stuff?

Dave Stecco and Sophie Shrand rejoin Mark in a joyous muffing of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Return to our enchanting version of Middle Earth where footless Hobblets struggle, mask-wearing Gollums belt showtunes, and flaxen-haired heroes examine broaches for a bit. This is part one of a two-part episode. Blastropodcast has a new Patreon site! If you think this show is worth at least a dollar, please consider supporting this podcast. This episode is sponsored by Know Your Company, the software tool that helps you know your company better. Blastropodcast is a member of the Chicago Podcast Cooperative. Muffed Movies is a fan production which celebrates film through parody. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was written by J.R.R. Tolkein. Its film was distributed by New Line Cinema.

The Sisyphus encounters a ... Romulan Warbird? While patroling a Zone? A Neutral Zone! Definitely neutral. But is everything as it seems? I wanna say yes. Unless you think it's no. Improvised February 7, 2016 from a suggestion by Ross McKinnon(@Ramck001) via Twitter. Edited by Christopher Rathjen StarringGriffen Eckstein as Fritz Fassbinder, Lt. Leopold LackeyEleanor Hollingsworth as Counselor RayvekSean Kelley as Lt. Cdr Crick WatsonEli Mandel as Tom the Romulan/Steve the Reman, Rip Stiply, Lt. Jeremy SwansonNick Wagner as Lt. Charles LoremMary Cait Walthall as Jill the Romulan/Gertrude the Reman, Dr. Zarlene ZonalzonJulia Weiss as Lt. Rita King, Ensign Spot, Ensign MosquitoMatt Young as Captain Julius Valentine Baxter, Lt. Greg Sponsored by Know Your Company, a member of the Chicago Podcast Coop.

The crew has some Deja Vu and let's it ride.​ Improvised December 13, 2015 from a suggestion by William Halley via facebook.Edited by Chris Rathjen ​ Featuring ​Sean Kelley as Lt. Cdr. Crick WatsonShad Kunkle as Lt. Cdr. Jonas Jeremiah and The Eldest ElderEli Mandel as Rip Stipley, an Elder of Nor'turn, Lt. Jeremy SwansonChris Rathjen as Cdr. Corbomite Hayes, an Astronomer of Nor'turnNick Wagner as Ch'arles Lorem, an Elder of Nor'turnMary Cait Walthall as Dr. Zarlene Zonalzon, an Elder of Nor'turn, En. OperatorMatt Young as Captain Julius Valentine Baxter, Lt. Greg, an Elder of Nor'turn ​ Sponsored by Know Your Company, a member of the Chicago Podcast Coop

Your Christmas gift came early this year! Part 2 of Andy and Mark's It's A Wonderful Life parody is replete with necromancy, child-punting, and all the usual bullshit that you've come to expect from us. This is also Andy's final episode on Muffed Movies! Be sure to thank him for his valorous service and check out his future endeavors on his blog, Big Games with Ace. Thanks for all the good times Andy! This is part two of a two-part episode. A new episode of Blastropodcast will be released in late December. This episode is sponsored by Know Your Company, the software tool that helps you know your company better. Blastropodcast/Muffed Movies is a member of the Chicago Podcast Cooperative. Muffed Movies is a fan production which celebrates film through parody. It's a Wonderful Life was produced by Liberty Films and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. This episode features "Quirky Dog" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

My guest this week for the Future of Work podcast is Hal Halladay, the Chief People Officer at Infusionsoft.  Infusionsoft is a sales and marketing automation company, specifically focused on small businesses.  They have around 700 employees and are headquartered in Chandler, Arizona.  Infusionsoft stands out for having won many awards being a ‘Best Place to Work’ for different topics such as Women and Millennials, and received numerous awards for all around excellence.  As the Chief People Officer,  Hal speaks on why culture is the greatest competitive advantage in business today.  Hal leads a team that helps design many of the things Infusionsoft is implementing to create a great corporate culture. Infusionsoft has intentionally tried to create a culture that engages people to do their best work.  The company was founded on the principle that people come first. At Infusionsoft, Hal leads the people operations team.  This team supports business leaders by providing resources they need. These resources include providing talent, training, as well as processes and systems needed to complete tasks.  This is a different approach as operations is not usually paired with HR.   Combining these departments enables more of these tasks to be provided with a service aspect toward the business leaders in the company, as well as, remove any negative connotations with the title Human Resources.  Infusionsoft made the decision on what their company culture was going to be, they didn’t just let it happen.  Having employees who are doing the work they love, engaged, and inspired, produces better work, which in turn, means happy customers. What you will learn in this episode Why Culture Is So important What is a Dream Manager? Flexible Work and the Freelancer Economy Millennials and Culture What is Native Genius? How Can an Organization Choose Their Corporate Culture? Building a Culture of Care and Connectiveness How to Know Your Company’s Culture is Working Links from the episode Infusionsoft.com (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

The Doctor Montgomery Moro Museum and Memorial House remains a hotbed of unapproved science, illegal cohabitation, and fraternization with MolePeople as the survivors of the Ant Invasion hole up and try to survive.  Will noble, productive Project Manager Charles Wynn teach them the errors of their ways, or will they continue their slide into infamy?  Find out, as the story of Our Fair City...continues. The Narrator— Ansel Burch Elizabeth Rourke— Tara Schile Doctor Herbert West— Ryan Schile Theodora Thoreau-Roosevelt— Kat Evans Simon Von Hagens— Mark Soloff Sandy— Abby Doud Clay— Clint Worthington Cassandra Wilkins— Ele Matelan Andrew Snidge— Frank Sjodin Doctor Montgomery Moro— Mark Soloff Doctor Emily Caligari— Marsha Harman Charles Wynn— Jared Latore The Queen of the Ants— Lauren Faits Written by David Rheinstrom. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Episode Art by Dann Tincher.  Produced by David Rheinstrom and Jeffrey Gardner. Recording Engineering by DJ Catnip. Production Management by Betsey Palmer. Created by Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Know Your Company!

Y'all, Extra Life is a great cause that raises money for Children's Miracle Network hospitals through video gaming. If you're not familiar with it, you should read up! Then you can listen to this episode where Tim, Clayton, and Kellen discuss their upcoming Extra Life 24-hour gaming marathon this Saturday, where they'll be hooked up to Twitch playing games for a day straight (with special guests like the Nerdologues, Jenn & Trin, and more!). You can donate to their Extra Life campaign here and check out their Twitch stream here on Saturday starting at 8 AM. It's gonna be a really good time that also does some good, so help out! Thanks to our sponsors for today's episode, Know Your Company, and as always to the Chicago Podcast Coop.  *Note: apparently this episode takes place in an alternate universe where Jeb Bush resigned from the presidential race yesterday. 

Claire is the CEO of Know Your Company, a software tool that helps business owners with 25 to 75 employees overcome company growing pains. The software was originally built by Basecamp (formerly 37signals). Since then, Know Your Company has helped over 7,000 people at companies like Airbnb and Kickstarter.

Using the extracted scent glad of the old Ant Queen, our “Buddy Group” goes in search of the new Queen.  But the tunnels are long, and more insidious threats than the Ants lurk deep in the warrens…and within the Buddy Group itself. The Narrator— Ansel Burch Elizabeth Rourke— Tara Schile Doctor Herbert West— Ryan Schile Theodora Thoreau-Roosevelt— Kat Evans Simon von Hagens— Mark Soloff Katherine Sullivan— Whitney Jones Doctor Montgomery Moro— Mark Soloff Doctor Emily Caligari— Marsha Harman Charles Wynn— Jared Latore The Queen of the Ants— Lauren Faits Written by David Rheinstrom. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Episode Art by Ali Cantarella.  Produced by David Rheinstrom. Recording Engineering by DJ Catnip. Production Management by Betsey Palmer. Created by Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Know Your Company!

MCAmy (AKA Ms Sumpta if ya nasty) joined me for a second time (I LOST THE FIRST ONE. AN MBSing FIRST. SHE TALKED ABOUT THE WHITE SOX AND IT WAS A GREAT EP, TOO) to talk her love of everyone's favorite hip hop group featuring three Jewish dudes from NYC. After laying down the truth on how the Boys' gear change around '94 to clean up their lyrics turned her into a feminist, Amy breaks down the origins of her all-female Beastie Boys tribute band, She's Crafty. Yeah. You read that right, and it's the best. They have performed all over Chicago and a bit beyond, and they have hosted MCA Day celebrations for the past couple years to honor the memory of Adam "MCA" Yauch, who passed away in 2012 due to cancer. All the acts are Beastie related, and all of the ticket sales go to two different cancer charities. You should go after you listen to this 2 legit ep. Tickets to MCA Day 2015 - August 15th at Lincoln Hall My guest spot on An Hour With Your Ex, a fellow member of the Chicago Podcast Coop. Thanks to Know Your Company for sponsoring this episode.

For the last handful of weeks, the "What Are You Playing?" segment has been full of talk of Witcher 3. This week -- after a brief recap of E3 Day Zero news (more coming next week, guys!) -- that chat expands into a whole episode! Tim, Clayton, and Kellen get into the nitty-gritty of Witcher 3 here. See why these guys think it's a touchstone game for its genre and, probably, game of the year! Thanks to Know Your Company for sponsoring, and to the Chicago Podcast Coop for being lovely!

Jay Sukow came by to drop some firsthand knowledge on the use of improvisation in film. Jay and his production company, Group Mind Films, have made multiple features using [mostly] written scripts in conjunction with excellent improvisers to lead into and out of scenes, find unique, hilarious moments in scenes, and even at times improvise entire exchanges. Major themes include all of the creative and business prep involved in independent filmmaking, knowing when to strike out on your own away from established institutions and methods others have used in the past, and not hesitating to make a physical product or ask people to collaborate.  Thanks to Know Your Company for sponsoring this episode and Chicago Podcast Cooperative for facilitating sponsors. 

This week's Talking Games tackles one of 2015's big hot button issues... evolution! Or we're just talking about Evolve, the new "asymmetrical multiplayer game" from Turtle Rock Studios. Yeah, that's the ticket. Clayton, Kellen, and guest Tommy Reahard chat about one of the year's more high-profile game releases, then get into a general discussion about the multiplayer gaming experience.  Thanks to our sponsors for the episode, Know Your Company, and thanks to the Chicago Podcast Coop for the support!

Claire is the CEO of Know Your Company, a software tool that helps business owners with 25 to 75 employees overcome company growing pains. The software was originally built by Basecamp (formerly 37signals). Since then, Know Your Company has helped over 7,000 people at companies like Airbnb and Kickstarter.