How do you retain your top talent? Cathleen is exploring the world of talent attraction and retention with Gerry Gadoury. Join them to learn about the nuances of becoming a "destination employer" and cohesive approaches to hiring and retaining top talent. Gerry shares his incredible journey from a Marine Corps leader to a successful entrepreneur, and how he's overcome significant setbacks and a life-altering injury. Whether you're an employer looking to reduce turnover or a listener seeking leadership advice, this episode is packed with valuable lessons that apply across industries. Tune in and learn how to create a workplace where employees feel valued, heard, and motivated to grow.

Episode Timeline:

• 06:34 Admire your youthful curiosity and bold experimentation.

• 12:37 Marine Corps leadership benefits small business operations.

• 20:40 Reflect, adapt, and improve through after action reports.

• 26:49 Lack of executive interaction diminishes role appeal.

• 33:35 Entrepreneurial drive stemming from trauma.

• 45:44 Unexpected recruiter journey.

• 52:25 Employee retention depends on alignment, growth, and fulfilment.

• 01:07:28 Interview should be a mutually beneficial conversation.

• 01:11:57 Finding suitable candidates requires a thorough, diverse search.

• 01:22:09 Salary discussions can cause recruiting challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• Gerry emphasises the significance of companies evolving into "destination employers" to attract and retain top talent. This involves understanding and aligning employees' aspirations with organisational goals, fostering a genuine employer brand, and maintaining an inclusive company culture.

• Gerry's personal story, which includes overcoming a debilitating neck injury that led to a drastic change in his career and lifestyle, highlights the virtues of resilience and adaptability. His journey shows the importance of persevering through adversity and continuously evolving both personally and professionally.

• From his Marine Corps experience, Gerry emphasises the importance of decisive action in high-pressure situations and the value of small-unit leadership. He stresses that enabling employees to feel heard and valued by engaging in authentic conversations can significantly bolster organisational effectiveness and employee satisfaction.

ABOUT Gerry Gadoury:

Gerry is a twenty-five year veteran of the Tech Professional Services industry. In that time he has been a recruiter, sales person, manager, consultant, trainer, executive, speaker, business owner, and best-selling author. Through all of it his primary focus has been on building successful teams.

Whether Technical, Sales, or Recruitment, Gerry has recruited, trained, and led diverse teams to successful outcomes. Utilizing that experience Gerry created the Destination Employer Methodology to empower Startup, Scaleup, and early stage companies to consistently Attract, Recruit, and Retain the top-talent they need to fulfill their critical missions.

Connect with Gerry:

Website: www.redbeardsol.com

Email: gerryg@redbeardsol.com

Social Media Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrygadoury/

Connect: 


Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan

Business: cathleenmerkel.com

Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

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Are you ready to revolutionise your approach to leadership and talent retention? Join host Cathleen O'Sullivan as she delves into transformative leadership strategies with Claire Chandler, president and founder of Talent Boost also known as the ‘leadership therapist’. In this enlightening episode, Claire shares invaluable insights on aligning people strategies with business goals, creating sustainable growth, and fostering genuine employee engagement.

Get ready to uncover key takeaways from Claire's latest book, "Growth on Purpose," learn about the critical role of HR in today's business landscape. We also explore the nuances of personal and professional development to ensure that your talent is retained even as your business grows

Here are the Highlights:

09:25 HR should empower growth, not just enforce compliance.

14:17 HR should separate compliance from talent management.

23:11 External advisors gain credibility over internal voices.

35:49 Entrepreneurs face boundless possibilities, unlike employees.

39:50 We are all human, vulnerable, and flawed.

46:56 Writing the book improved Claire’s business methodology.

51:22 Avoid comparison; embrace authenticity and entrepreneurial generosity.

55:59 Embrace inner child for pure creative joy.

01:10:54 Word-of-mouth referrals attract the best talent.

01:15:03 Organisations evolving roles to match employees' talents.

01:30:38 Leaders: Connect human-first to strengthen team performance.

Key Takeaways:

• Claire Chandler emphasises the need for HR to transition from compliance-focused roles to strategic partners in organisations.

• Building genuine trust requires leaders to be self-aware, engage authentically with employees, and foster psychological safety.

• Cathleen and Claire explore the therapeutic benefits of writing as a form of personal and professional development.

ABOUT Claire Chandler

President and founder of Talent Boost, Claire Chandler deeply believes that leaders shape cultures, and stronger cultures drive greater success. She specialises in helping businesses expand without losing their best talent. Leveraging 30 years of experience in people leadership, human resources, and business ownership, Claire advises purpose-driven executive leaders looking to achieve perpetual growth. Claire’s services include keynote and motivational speaking, cultural integration and strategic alignment, thought partnership, talent ecosystems, leadership retreat facilitation, performance acceleration, executive and cohort coaching, organisational assessment and design, team dynamics and alignment, and growth

readiness.

Claire holds a certificate in strategic HR leadership from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, a master’s degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University. She has appeared as a guest on more than 150 podcasts, is the author of several books on leadership and business strategy, and is a contributing writer for Forbes. She received the 2023 Best of America Small Business Award as Best Entrepreneur—Business Consulting.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://www.clairechandler.net/

Book: https://www.growthonpurpose.com/

Social Media Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairechandlersphr/

Twitter: https://x.com/TalentBoost

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talentboostllc

Connect: 


Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan

Business: www.cathleenmerkel.com

Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

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How do you handle setbacks and challenges? Do you struggle, or do you stay afloat? Cathleen sits down with Russell Harvey, known widely as the resilience coach. With a career spanning over two decades in learning and development, Russell brings a wealth of experience and personal anecdotes that illustrate the profound impact of balancing humanity, data, and processes within organisations. Tune in to explore the essential components of resilience, strategies to adapt in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world, and the importance of building a robust support network. Get ready to embrace change and discover the keys to thriving through adversity with actionable advice and heartfelt stories that will inspire you to become a legendary leader.

Episode Timeline:

• 01:07 Handling setbacks and understanding resilience as a tool.

• 09:13 Leadership involves resolving dilemmas ethically, creatively and adaptably.

• 11:50 Resilience is springing forward with learning, not bouncing back.

• 27:33 Adaptability is openness to change, not action.

• 39:35 Repeated experiences taught self-care and practical tasks.

• 48:16 Personal challenges taught resilience.

• 56:51 Leaders need training on managing emotions during change.

• 01:03:38 Team gathers situational awareness through conversations.

Key Takeaways:

• Russell emphasises fostering a supportive community and maintaining continual communication are crucial for organisational resilience. Leaders must consider emotional intelligence and open dialogue to manage their teams and create a resilient culture effectively.

• According to Russell, resilience encompasses multiple components: attitude, purpose, confidence, adaptability, support network, meaning, and energy. Resilience involves a combination of being open to change, maintaining a positive attitude, and leveraging one’s support network for energy and strength.

• Both Cathleen and Russell discuss the importance of adaptability and agility, especially in the face of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA). Leaders need to be proactive in their decision-making, maintaining situational awareness and clarity amidst change.

ABOUT Russell Harvey:

Russell Harvey, "The Resilience Coach", is a dynamic and engaging Leadership Coach and Facilitator, Public Speaker, Managing Director, NED, Podcaster, and Radio Host. With over 20 years of experience in Learning, Leadership, and Organizational Development, Russell has specialised in Resilience and VUCA for the past 18 years. Russell's areas of specialisation include Resilience in our modern world of uncertainty

and ambiguity, executive coaching and leadership development, talent management and career coaching, facilitation, change leadership, and creativity. He has worked with a wide range of clients, including NHS, BT, The Co-operative Group and Bank, WM Morrisons, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and many more.

Connect with Russell:

Website: https://www.theresiliencecoach.co.uk/

Social Media Links:

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/theresiliencecoach/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russelltheresiliencecoach

Connect: 


Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan

Business: cathleenmerkel.com

Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.