Listen to Curt’s discussion with Mike Weinberg, international sales trainer and bestselling author (his latest book is “Sales Truth: Debunk the Myths. Apply Powerful Principles”). In this excerpt, Weinberg describes work environment in which managers use their salespeople as “hired help” to do everything but sales. Are you allowing your team members to do what they do best -- or using them as the “hired help” on projects and tasks that don’t fit their skill set? Learn more Mike and buy his book: https://mikeweinberg.com/

Team of Superheroes Podcast

Stop using your team members as the “hired help”

Some companies attempt to purchase “employee engagement” -- but does it work? Curt discusses this with Dr. Troy Hall, talent retention expert and Chief Strategy Officer for South Carolina Federal Credit Union. Dr. Hall also is the author of the book, “Cohesion Culture: Proven Principles to Retain Your Top Talent.” Dr. Troy’s mission is to advise executives on how to build a Cohesion Culture™ with the expressed intent of retaining top talent. When a culture of cohesion is in place, employees experience a sense of belonging, feel valued and align with the commitments of your organization.

Can you buy employee engagement?

Creating “job satisfaction” among your team members shouldn’t be the goal. That satisfaction should be a byproduct of something more lasting: fulfillment.

Job satisfaction shouldn’t be the goal

Curt discusses how to manage the growth of a team in a fast-growing company with Rick Krenmayer, co-founder and CEO of Stasmayer, Inc. Krenmayer founded the company in his dorm room, and today the company has 29 employees, is a staple on the Inc. 5000, and one of the fastest-growing companies in South Carolina.

From his dorm room to the Inc. 5000

HR Technologist reports that “only 42% of U.S. employees look forward to coming to work,” according to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For report. Further, a KPMG study finds that “85% of HR executives consider employee experience and engagement as a valuable metric, but only 24% are prioritizing the quality of experience in the next couple of years.” Curt discusses the cause-and-effect between these two sad statistics.

42% of U.S. employees don’t like coming to work

Rick Krenmayer co-founded Stasmayer, Inc. in his company dorm room, and today the firm has 29 employees, is a staple on the Inc. 5000, is one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing coimpanies, and is one of America’s leading Managed Services IT companies. In today’s episode, Rick discusses with Curt how he and his co-founder effectively communicate the company vision so that it’s shared by all their employees.

How to Communicate Your Company Vision

Curt shares the example of Scribe Media, led by J.T. McCormick, as an example of a company that understands that a sustainable brand is made up of the people within your company.  For more on Scribe: https://scribemedia.com/

Employee Engagement, Culture, and Brand

Curt Mercadante interviews Patrick Bryant, the “godfather” of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Charleston, SC. Bryant is founder of a number of thriving companies, co-founder of the Harbor Entrepreneur Center, and former chair of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. In this portion of their full discussion, Curt and Patrick discuss freedom and autonomy in the workplace, why employees leave bad bosses instead of jobs, and what Patrick found his employees value most.   To watch the full interview video: http://FreedomClubNow.com

Freedom in the Workplace with Patrick Bryant

In today’s episode, Curt shares previews of some upcoming interviews in which his guest experts discuss the importance of building freedom and autonomy within their corporate teams.

Employees need and want freedom and autonomy

Some organizations try to purchase employee engagement through throw-away retreats, employee happy hours and golden handcuffs. All this does is to ensure that your employees are extrinsically motivated out of fear -- rather than intrinsically motivated to perform at their best.

Why you can’t buy employee engagement

Curt interviews Pete Havel, author of “The Arsonist in the Office: Fireproofing Your Life Against Toxic Coworkers, Bosses, Employees and Cultures.” This book is a survival guide for enduring the toxic workplace (and toxic people) and a call to action for a bold new approach to addressing tough issues.   Grab the book: http://ArsonistintheOffice.com

Toxic workplaces and the arsonists in your office

Curt interviews Chris Roussos — a CEO with a track record of hiring thousands of U.S. veterans. Chris is the immediate past CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, where he spearheaded the hiring of 11,000 U.S. veterans over a five-year period. The effort to hire veterans is near and dear to Roussos’ heart, as he served for 11 years in the U.S. Army, completing his service as a Company Commander. He is currently CEO of Sequel Youth and Family Services — a leading national behavioral health organization that develops and operates a broad continuum of treatment programs for children, adolescents and adults with behavioral health, emotional and physical challenges.

CEO Insights: Leadership, development and hiring America’s heroes

Let’s rethink of the old notion of, “There’s no ‘i’ in team,” and discuss how personal responsibility is a foundational principle of building a Team of Superheroes.

Personal responsibility is a key to building strong teams

Curt describes what it takes to create a clear and compelling vision statement for your team -- and why it’s vital for branding, sales, and employee engagement.

Does your team have a compelling vision?

In today’s episode, Curt offers three “fictional” scenarios that demonstrate the importance of implementing effective processes in your workplace to empower the free flow of communication.

Empowering the free flow of communication on your team

Instead of putting warm butts in seats in trying to “engage” them, how about empowering your team members to unleash their unique superpowers to achieve key outcomes? They’ll be more fulfilled. You’ll be more profitable. Hosted by international speaker, trainer, and bestselling author Curt Mercadante, The Team of Superheroes podcast is about helping you build more purposeful, produtive, and profitable teams. Whether you’re in the C-Suite-, Human Resources, Sales, or in the process of building your team -- this is the podcast to help you build your … Team of Superheroes. Learn more about your host, Curt Mercadante, at http://CurtMercadante.com.