Scott Gehman grew up camping in New Jersey but college and starting his career caused him to put that passion on hold for many years. He’s also always been obsessed with loud, fast cars. Now that his son is a Boy Scout, he’s able to combine the two as he loads up his Mustang GT to spend a weekend camping.
In this episode, we talk about how important it is to be willing to share, no matter how small — something on your desk, a picture on your office wall, or computer desktop wallpaper are simple ways to show your hobby or passion. We also discuss how he felt like an outsider since he really isn’t into sports but how he was able to approach co-workers and clients from another angle to create stronger relationships.
Scott Gehman is a Retirement Plan Consultant with Conrad Siegel Actuaries in York, PA. He also handles some marketing and business development for the firm.
He graduated magna cum laude with a BS degree in Marketing from Messiah College.
Maya really likes chocolate. No, I mean really likes it. It all started when she was in college and a chocolate fudge brownie a la mode sundae made her lose track of time and space as she was in total flow with that moment in time. And now she uses chocolate to start client meetings, which brings everyone together and also puts them in a great mood. She also actively participates in chocolate festivals throughout the country and even hosts chocolate tastings. So it looks like Boston just moved up to the top of my cities to visit next!
In this episode, we talk about how your value to your organization is much more than your intellectual capital -- it's the social capital of all your connections as well. And in this world of virtual teams, it's even important to create these personal connections. And she also offers some really great tips about how to decide which chocolate is actually your favorite.
Maya Townsend is the founder and lead consultant at Partnering Resources. She's also the co-editor of the Handbook for Strategic HR: Best Practices in Organization Development from the OD Network.
She graduated with a BA degree in Community Studies from Oberlin College and later went on to get an MS from American University and a Certificate in Organization Development from Georgetown University.
Mike says that he isn't good at it but he really enjoys playing the guitar. He finds that concentrating on something other than work allows him to disconnect and gives him a release to come back to the office refreshed. He also likes to be outdoors hiking, which he says is also a fun way to have a business meeting, creating a "remember when" experience with clients or coworkers that creates stronger bonds.
In this episode, we talk about how you, yes you, have permission to talk about your hobbies and passions at work. This gives your coworkers and clients a deeper, pneumatic connection so they'll actually remember you. Mike also adds that the best organizations create a culture that empowers each employee to truly be themself while also being a representative of the organization.
Mike Michalowicz is an entrepreneur and popular keynote speaker on innovative topics. He's also a former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal; is the former MSNBC business make-over expert; and is the author of Surge, Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, which BusinessWeek deemed “the entrepreneur’s cult classic.”.
He graduated with degrees in Finance and Management Science from Virginia Tech, where he was a member of the lacrosse team.
Andrew Tarvin is a funny guy and is well-known nationally within the ComedySportz improv world. He also does stand-up comedy -- his first paid gig was opening for Pauly Shore. A few years ago, he left his Project Manager position with Procter & Gamble to start Humor That Works to show corporations across the world how humor can enhance their bottom line.
In this episode, we talk about how he realized early on in his career that humor helped him be more effective with coworkers. One of his first managers encouraged him to push the boundaries, which he did by creating his own title: P&G Corporate Humorist. He would include jokes, cartoons or videos in his team emails and found that sharing his passion of humor was the single most important thing to benefit his personal brand at work.
Andrew Tarvin is the world's first Humor Engineer. He teaches people how to enjoy their jobs more while doing them better. Prior to running his own company, Humor That Works, Andrew was a Project Engineer with Proctor & Gamble.
He graduated from the Ohio State University, Magna Cum Laude with Honors in Engineering.