Success Secrets and Stories
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Success Secrets and Stories
Job Hunting? Don't Just Dodge Bullets, Look for the Green Flags
Ever found yourself stuck in a workplace that just doesn't fit? The secret might not be in avoiding what's wrong, but in actively seeking what's right. This transformative episode John Wandolowski, and Greg Powell shifts the conversation from identifying workplace red flags to recognizing the green ones—those positive indicators that signal a truly exceptional organization.
We dive deep into the three fundamental green flags every job seeker should prioritize. First, we explore how a robust culture strategy transcends buzzwords to create environments where values are lived, not just displayed. Looking at examples like Google and Southwest Airlines, we examine how authentic organizational cultures drive engagement, productivity, and retention.
The conversation then turns to diversity in leadership as both a moral imperative and strategic advantage. Companies that embrace diverse perspectives aren't just checking boxes—they're fostering innovation and creating resilience in an ever-changing business landscape. We discuss how organizations like Blackstone and Amazon implement leadership training programs that develop talent across backgrounds.
Beyond just searching company websites, we provide practical strategies for researching potential employers. From maximizing Glassdoor's potential to the irreplaceable value of face-to-face networking, we share actionable techniques to uncover an organization's true character before you accept an offer.
This episode serves as your comprehensive guide to workplace selection, helping you move beyond simply avoiding toxic environments to actively pursuing organizations where you'll thrive. Your career deserves more than just escaping the bad—it deserves finding the genuinely good. Listen now to transform how you approach your next career move.
Presented by John Wandolowski and Greg Powell
Well, hello and welcome to our podcast, success Secrets and Stories. I'm your host, john Lomoloski, and I'm here with my co-host and friend, greg Powell Greg hey everybody, yeah.
Speaker 2:So our subject for today how to find a good organization that you want to work for, and I think that's one of the biggest challenges, that the part that I think is not hard to find is the red flags for a lot of organizations because that's the easiest thing to find. So the part is to recognize the red flags is important, but also to identify green flags that have significant, healthy workplaces. The article from brainsmagazinecom and that's brain with a Z at the end of brain and magazine. It's an interesting website and I found this author by Keila Alt, executive contributor for the magazine, and she's a pioneer in terms of organizational culture and leadership. She's a founder and executive coach of culture and she has worked with companies like the Work Well Studio and her article, I think, was kind of the important point that caught my eye. Stop looking at the red flags, find the green flags. Find the companies that you would want to work for into the article.
Speaker 2:Embracing strategies like robust culture, development, diversity, leadership and staff career growth can empower organizations to thrive, innovate and ensure a healthy and safe work culture. These days, the idea of a red flag is everywhere. It seems that every time that she looks at a social media that there are versions of new red flags to look for, and organizations and their practices and their cultures are no exception. We hear a lot about micromanaging management practices, the quiet firing, promotions without a raise, and the list goes on. In terms of other red flags, it is also important for us to know that business practices and cultural norms are what we should be looking for when we're looking for a company. Knowing these green flags to show what we are looking for. That helps the staff and makes informed decisions when exploring career transitions, but it also empowers people to understand the managers and the organizational leaders and to innovate. And these are the green flags that you're looking for. To be more specific, in general, she's talking about three that are really key. Her first green flag is the culture of the strategy for success. I used to say that it used to be people who had an R&D department. That was one of the old school kind of approaches that if you were actually looking for the strategy and the logic of a company, they had research and development. But she goes a little bit more specific.
Speaker 2:A robust culture strategy is more than just a buzzword. It's the fundamental aspect of a healthy and successful organization Companies that prioritize developing and nurturing a healthy culture, tend to see a higher employee engagement, increased productivity and better retention. Engagement, increased productivity and better retention. A culture strategy involves the intent and efforts to define, communicate and reinforce values, behaviors, norms that guide interactions within the workplace. Organizations with strong cultures strategically have offered clear missions and vision statements that align with their core values. These values are not just words on a poster, but they're embedded into every aspect of the organization, from hiring practice to performance evaluations. Employees feel the sense of belonging and purpose when they see that their organization's living out their values authentically. A cultural strategy involves fostering open, multi-way communication, and these are channels that employees feel comfortable sharing feedback, ideas and concerns. Leaders who actively listen to their employees are reinforced by the collective decision-making process that demonstrates a commitment to building a culture of trust and transparency.
Speaker 2:The culture strategy is for a powerful green flag that signals that an organization is committed to creating a healthy, safe working environment where employees feel valued and supported. For me, it comes up with organizations like Google and Netflix and Southwest Airlines. They basically have strong cultures and they have contributed to their success because of the culture that these organizations are designed by and are actually fostering a positive work environment. You can see how it aligns with their goals, and that's what you're looking for. When you're looking at companies, you're looking for something like Google. It has innovative culture that prioritize employees' well-beings and give perks like free meals and parties and gym memberships, but mostly that they're trying to do something that they think the employees would actually appreciate. It's not just a salary, it's the environment, and that's one of the things that, if you're looking for a green flag, helps. Greg, you have an idea on green flag one.
Speaker 1:I do, John, Unfortunately, at this writing. There is some political turmoil around the DE&I initiative in the United States, but top companies proudly illustrate the highlights of their culture on their website. They put it on the recruiting materials and other communications collateral. Because you spend so much time and mental energy with your employer being aligned with the company culture is critical.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it falls right into, you know, green flag number two diversity and leadership. Diversity and leadership is her second point and I want to make sure that she's on the mark in terms of this. In terms of leadership, diversity and leadership is not only a moral imperative, but it is a strategic advantage for organizations. Again, a star in it. It's a strategic advantage. Companies with diverse leadership teams tend to be more innovative, resilient and better equipped for the negative complexities of challenges.
Speaker 2:No-transcript organizations that prioritize diversity and leadership actively recruit, retain and promote individuals with different backgrounds. Intentionally, they invest into programs and initiatives to support and develop and advance a diverse talent, such as mentorships, leadership training and network opportunities. I'm going to stop there for a second. If you have an organization that's capable of doing all those things that they're training, that they're mentoring, that they're helping you with networks that's the key of a good organization, without a doubt. She goes on to say diverse leadership teams being a variety of perspectives, experiences, ideas to table, to foster, to create a culture of creativity and innovation. When people with different backgrounds and viewpoints come together to solve problems and make decisions, they can generate more innovative solutions and drive better business outcomes. Period.
Speaker 2:The piece for me is that I've seen organizations that have done this so well that they've engaged their staff and it's like the entire organization's pulling at the same time. Companies like Blackstone are used as examples, or LinkedIn or Amazon. Take Blackstone for an example of knowing that their leadership training programs are part of what they do. In order to understand what it means to work for Blackstone and your commitment to the organization and to your customers Amazon, for the different things that they do do a very good job of cross-training people for leadership and a very good job of helping people to get training and have an outstanding approach in terms of healthcare and education. Those are all things that are showing you that you have an organization that is looking out for the employee and helping them to develop. Those are green flags. Those are things that you should be looking for, greg.
Speaker 1:So, john, there are large and mid-sized companies that are committed to staff and leadership development, and they typically have an HR function that's equipped with the kind of leadership they need to make it work. They have a robust curriculum and a direct connection to what we call talent assessment and advancement programs. A fully integrated talent assessment strategy contains all the components. I recall working for Unilever and I was always impressed with how they connected all of their global companies with initiatives that would share talent development across the world. There was a specialty training facility called Four Acres in England that was used to provide specialty training for the best and the brightest, john.
Speaker 2:Wow, man, I'd love the training to go off to England. That'd be awesome. You have to like that. In summary, she tries to pull this all together.
Speaker 2:In today's ever-evolving professional landscape, the prevalence of red flags in organizations and practices and cultures is undeniable. However, in recognizing these red flags, it becomes equally critical to identify and champion the green flags that significantly show a healthy and thriving workplace by understanding the priorities of green flags, such as a robust culture strategy, diversity in leadership and a commitment to staff leadership or career development. Organizations that can foster environments where employees feel valued, empowered and inspired. Embracing these green flags organizations can pave the way for growth, innovation and success in an ever-changing world.
Speaker 2:And I think you know the summary kind of brings together that you should be looking for organizations like that, but it's not that easy to get information to understand what green flags organizations have no-transcript on their stock offerings and usually they have a description of what their goals are. But there's one thing to have that kind of information and there's another thing to have a PR department creating a happy image for you to read. You need to actually dive in and talk to people. Greg, this is something that I think you understand very well, having the experience in human resources, how people are looking for good organizations and what you've recommended for them to find.
Speaker 1:Sure thing, john. So one resource we'll talk a little bit about it, we'll talk more about it is Glassdoor. It is a valuable tool for researching companies and let me give you a little guide to how to navigate it effectively, because there's a lot of information on the Glassdoor website. So let's start off with the first one. Search for a company. You can use the search bar at the top, it's that easy. The homepage to input the company name you're interested in and you can look at industry, location, job title it's that easy. Explore reviews Navigate to the reviews tab on the company page, read feedback from current and former employees about workplace culture, leadership and overall experience Pretty straightforward. You can also look at things like how supportive is the management, career development and work-life balance. Again, as we're talking about flags, you're looking for those green flags. Check ratings Review the numerical ratings for categories like work-life balance, career opportunities, company culture and, more Especially, things that are important to you personally, and higher scores in these areas are often indicated with green flags.
Speaker 1:Number four, and look at salary insights. Right, you kind of want to know what the range is. How's the compensation compared to what the work is required? Glassdoor provides salary information for a number of jobs. I can tell you this for a fact, and transparency about pay is often a sign of responsible management. If they're willing to give you the ranges depending, of course, on your experience and education you've got a good place to start. Good place to start. Examine the interview feedback. Yes, you can actually find out what 10 people felt about like after they took the interview, initial interview, how they felt about that process, and that's a good section to look at, especially for things like how respectful are they, how professional are they? Right? Great way to get feedback.
Speaker 1:Number six investigate company benefits. A lot of companies say, hey, we got great benefits. What does that really mean? So you hit that tab that highlights perks and programs offered. So some people like things like tuition reimbursement. Generous benefits are real important to them because maybe their family situation, wellness programs, flexibility all really strong green flags. You can learn that about companies on Glassdoor Research, leadership and culture. Look for mentions of transparency, inclusivity and ethical practices in the company overview section. Good leadership usually trickles down and creates a positive environment, and I recall too they will oftentimes give a rating of the CEO of the company how favorable that individual is. So a lot of good information, as long as you take a look at it and sift through, like you would, any kind of information on a review. You take the highs, you kind of look at them. You take the lows, you kind of look at them, but really work on that sweet spot in between, because that's probably a good indication of how they normally are. John.
Speaker 2:But you know, as you've said, there's things that you have to be careful when you're dealing with Glassdoor as the end-all to beat-all answer for an organization that you can expand on. Some of the things that Glassdoor is important to actually concentrate on is what are the top companies within that industry? So, as you know a little bit about the background that one kind of struck me and also understand in terms of risk, what rate of people are they adding or subtracting from the overall headcount of the organization? You need to take a look at this data before you say yes to a job offer. Do your research so that you're not surprised when you walk in the door.
Speaker 2:And you didn't do any research and you expected it to be a glorious opportunity. If you're only hearing the title and you hear the amount of money and you're not doing your homework, you could easily fall into a trap of chasing and finding out golden handcuffs. And if you don't know what golden handcuffs are, you accept a position for a great salary but there is no advancement. Your advancement was the higher pay and, yeah, again, I've experienced that, unfortunately. So I didn't do enough homework. So, yes, that is a valuable lesson that you don't need to learn. Greg, you have other input in terms of Glassdoor.
Speaker 1:Yes, I mean with Glassdoor. Again, the information is there. You've got to be a savvy user of information in that. I like to call it the smell test If it kind of looks like it's not true and it seems suspicious, there's probably something to that, and try to find other ways to get more information. But one thing I wanted to mention. I'm going to slip over to networking. As important as Glassdoor is, the real magic dust is networking. Networking offers significant value professional advancement. It includes access to job opportunities, career advice and totally new ideas. Networking also fosters personal and professional and business growth. It strengthens relationships and provides that competitive edge for you. Essentially, networking helps professionals build a supportive community, learning from others and staying ahead of the curve in their industry. So networking isn't like oh, I did networking last week. I'm done for a while. It's ongoing. It's an ongoing process, ongoing types of activities and by actively participating in networking events and engaging with professionals in your field you can unlock a wealth of opportunity and build a strong network that will support your career goals.
Speaker 2:John, and we've had other podcasts where we've talked about how important it is for people to understand that the social skills and the ability to actually meet with people is far more important now more than ever. And so many organizations are seeing such a drop off of people actually attending meetings and going for what they think is old school approach of networking. Trust me, the social media is not going to give you the same kind of return on investment of time as actually meeting people, shaking their hands and having a personal connection. It is not an old school answer. It is really the secret to a lot of advancement that people actually get is through networking. Now, if you feel that you've done a very good job to network electronically, great. But understand that it's harder and all those things in terms of building a connection, having that trust, and that development is dangerous to do strictly socially on the internet, you really should have that contact as an individual.
Speaker 1:Greg. You know, I think it's something very simple, john, and I discovered this really in full form in Indiana when there are neighborhood get-togethers right, you're kind of new in the neighborhood, maybe you've got a couple of small kids, you're relocated from somewhere else, you're in the backyard barbecue and what do people do? They?
Speaker 2:start talking, what's one of the first questions they ask? Oh, what do you do for a living? Where do you work at Right? Oh, I work at such and such. Oh, I work here and I do this, this and this.
Speaker 2:And you'd be surprised that by the time you've worked the room or the backyard, you have got all kinds of potential connections to employers throughout that area. And it's just as simple as being sociable. And early in my career, I worked for a great organization, but I was for different reasons. I had to move on from that company and I had to move out of state and I wanted to stay. I was actually in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it was a beautiful place. We had a great place that we were living, the family was settled and I just didn't have the connections to try to find another job at Indy Hindsight being 2020, if I just would have done a better job of engaging in social activities, I could have made connections and that whole hope of staying in Indianapolis would have worked.
Speaker 2:But it takes effort and it takes time, and those are the things that are going to reap the most amount of reward if you put in the time and the effort. That's really the essence of it. Be in charge of your own career. Don't expect somebody else to do it for you. They're not. So if you like what you've heard, yeah, my book is available on Amazon and Barnes Noble. The podcast is available on Apple, Google, Spotify and what you're listening to, so thank you. Available on Apple, Google, Spotify and what you're listening to. So thank you, Dr Durst. His books and his MBR program is available on successgrowthacademycom and if you want to get a hold of us, we have a website. It's wwwauthorjawcom, and music has been brought to you by my grandson, so we want to hear from you. When you get an opportunity, drop us a line. Your input has helped us in terms of subjects and what we need to take a look at as far as doing a better job to bring the stories to you. So thanks, Greg, Thanks, John as always.
Speaker 2:Yeah, next time yeah.