Leaders as Cultural Gardeners with Jaime Eisenhauer of Innovative

For the EVOLution of Business

[2:15] Working a stable job at Wegmans with a great culture, but looking for a challenge
[4:00] Differences between maintaining a great culture to shaping and codifying culture
[6:45] Lessons learned and advice for writing down your culture
[8:20] The "Four Truths" at Innovative
[10:45] Screening for "learn-it-alls" and emotional intelligence in the hiring process
"I'll never hire someone who won't increase our average."
"We're people plus technology. That culture piece is always screened out first."
[15:30] Starting the onboarding process before their first day on the job
"One of the best things you can do for employees when they start is show them how their role impacts the strategy and the long-term vision for the organization, because it creates instant connection for them to say 'I'm a part of something bigger and the more successful I am in my role the more I can impact the organization for the long haul.'"
[20:15] Scaling culture as you grow with more employees and new offices
[23:30] The bottom-line impacts of culture - 40% growth since culture focus in 2014, 5+ year employee retention compared to 18 month industry average
[26:30] Lessons learned from unsuccessful cultural programs and iniatives
[30:00] Lessons learned rolling out unlimited paid time off
[34:00] Getting feedback on the culture: both custom and benchmarked surveys, plus getting the pulse in person around the office
[37:00] Why innovative shares culture survey feedback on their website
"There's a lot of companies out there that put on the faquade that they have it all figured out, but the more that we go first and show that we don't and that we always have things to work on, people will follow that model."
[40:00] The importance of following up from feedback and how it happens at Innovative
[43:00] How Jaime measures success in her role as VP of People and Culture
[45:15] Self-promotion process
[47:30] From "soft skills" to "power skills"
[49:20] Building emotional intelligence in leaders
[53:30] Diversity and inclusion at Innovative and in Tech
Rochester Beacon article that interviews Jaime about women in Tech
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2019/08/01/a-new-era-for-women-in-tech/
"You have to holistically look at the belief structure of your organization. That's where it starts. You may bring in a lot of people that look, act and talk differently, but if the welcome isn't there and they don't feel like they're part of the family...they'll very quickly fail, and that's on us as leaders."
[58:30] Why more companies should have a head of people and culture

Listen to the podcast episode with Innovative Owner and CEO Justin Copie:
https://fortheevolutionofbusiness.simplecast.com/episodes/incubating-conscious-culture-in-tech

Listen to Jaime's DisruptHR talk here:
https://disrupthr.co/vimeo-video/the-most-amazing-culture-but-its-not-for-everyone-jaime-eisenhauer-disrupthr-talksyone/