For the last month of 2021, we finally covered a topic that I have been rooting for since the beginning of the year, Disrupting the Status Quo. It’s actually such a wide topic that we could turn it into a monthly feature and tackle it from various angles and relating to many different industries and, within those industries, individual systems, and further still how those systems interact.

The common focus of our panelists during our discussion of the topic this month was talent. Toni Lorraine Johnson is a storyteller, relationship currency negotiator, HR and OD expert, and Ph.D. candidate studying the obstacles that inhibit black female entrepreneurs from scaling their businesses. Ira Wolfe is Chief Googlization Officer at Success Performance Solutions, TedX Speaker, and Best Selling Author on the future of work who has helped companies improve their access to talent.

Join the C3 Community today to watch the replay to see what our answers were these compelling questions, and more:

• What were some of the technologies of the past 15 years that have disrupted our daily lives?
• What are the biggest areas in need of disruption?
• Where is the most logical place to start disrupting talent?
• From what kind of training would all hiring managers benefit?
• Is disruption an accurate term for what is really needed?
• How can some of the technologies be better utilized to screen quality in talent acquisition?
• What do companies regularly do a horrible job at that inhibits the quality of hires?
• What are the major challenges of disruption and how can leaders overcome them?
• How can we become more welcoming of change?
• What quality do we laud as highly valuable, yet makes it harder for us to unlearn bad behaviors? How do we find balance?
• What is the source of our attachment and the key to unlocking it?
• What needs to change before an organization can change?
• What makes people more apt to adapt?
• How do applicants navigate the contradiction of being confident and being vulnerable and authentic?
• What are the 5 skills critical to adaptability?
• Besides having the right people, how does a company create the right conditions and culture for change?
• What is the #1 predictor of career satisfaction and life success?
• What is a psychological contract?
• What question can leaders ask their team members early on that will help them navigate change better?

Recommended reading related to our conversation:

• Recruiting in the Age of Googlization, Ira Wolfe
• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, Amy Edmondson
• The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Organizations Transform While Others Fail, Charlene Li
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth
• HBR – How to Become More Comfortable with Change
• Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ, Daniel Goleman

Lawrence and I are meeting tomorrow to craft our vision for C3 in 2022. It’s hard to believe that we are about to enter a whole new year. I’m sure many share both my trepidation and yet hope, that we are collectively better prepared to navigate whatever next year may hand us. I’m thankful for the C3 community, full of people who are poised to lead others forward through whatever may come and willing to learn and teach to better prepare us all.

Not a member yet? Join today so that you can watch the replay. Tomorrow’s always almost here.

Karen Huller is the creator of the Corporate Consciousness Ripple Blueprint and author of Laser-sharp Career Focus: Pinpoint your Purpose and Passion in 30 Days. She founded Epic Careering, a leadership and career development firm specializing in executive branding and conscious culture, in 2006. 

While the bulk of her 20 years of professional experience has been within the recruiting and employment industry, her publications, presentations, and coaching also draw from experience in personal development, performance, broadcasting, marketing, and sales. Her solutions incorporate breakthroughs in neuroscience, human performance optimization, bioenergetics, and psychology to help leaders accelerate rapport, expand influence, and elevate engagement and productivity while also looking out for the sustainability of the business and the planet.

Mrs. Huller was one of the first LinkedIn trainers and is known widely for her ability to identify and develop new trends. She is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Certified Career Transition Consultant, and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with a Bachelor of Art in Communication Studies and Theater from Ursinus College and a minor in Creative Writing. Her blog was recognized as a top 100 career blog worldwide by Feedspot. 

She was an Adjunct Professor in Cabrini University’s Communications Department and an Adjunct Professor of Career Management and Professional Development at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. As an instructor for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, she has helped two of her students win the 2018 National Competition to be named America’s Next Top Young Entrepreneurs, to win the 2019 People’s Choice Award, and to land in the top 8 during the (virtual) 2020 National Competition.

She is board secretary for the Upper Merion Community Center and just finished serving as Vice President of the Gulph Elementary PTC, for which she received recognition as a Public Education Partner and Promoter from the Upper Merion Area Education Association. She lives in King of Prussia with her husband, two daughters, and many pets, furry, feathered, and scaly.