HRchat Podcast

OrgDev24 Preview with Sy Islam, PhD and Beth Messich

September 12, 2024 • The HR Gazette • Season 1 • Episode 743

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Can leadership lessons from popular media transform your approach to talent management? Discover the answer as we sit down with Sy Islam, PhD, Head of Research at Kaizen Human Capital and Beth Messich, Principal & Founder at Beth Messich Coaching and Consulting LLC, two remarkable pros on stage at OrgDev24 in Atlanta next month.

Sy brings a fresh perspective by integrating insights from TV shows and movies into leadership development, while Beth shares her expertise in executive coaching and creating robust internal leadership pipelines.

Tune in to learn why OrgDev24, along with the Association for Talent Development (ATD), stands out as a must-attend event for professionals eager for interactive, real-time problem-solving and networking.

About OrgDev

OrgDev24, a key event for professionals dedicated to organizational development, is happening in Atlanta on October 7-9. Learn more and get your tickets: orgdev.td.org

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's most downloaded and shared podcasts designed for HR pros, talent execs, tech enthusiasts and business leaders. For hundreds more episodes and what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit hrgazettecom and visit HRGazettecom.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to another episode of the HR Chat Show. Listeners, hello, this is your host today, bill Bannam, and in this episode we're going to be talking about OrgDev24, a premier event for professionals dedicated to organizational development, and it's happening in beautiful Atlanta between October 7th and 9th. And here to talk about the event are two of the speakers Sai Islam, phd, head of Research over at Kaysen Human Capital, and Beth Misich, principal and Founder over Beth Misich Coaching and Consulting LLC. Sai Beth, how are you Welcome to the show today? Let's get into some intros. If you don't mind, sy, why don't you go first? Take a minute or two, tell us a bit about yourself and what you get up to.

Speaker 4:

So I wear multiple hats, bill. So you know you mentioned that I'm head of research over at Kaiser Human Capital. I'm also vice president of consulting with Talent Metrics Consulting and I'm also an associate professor of psychology at Farmingdale State College. I've been in the talent development, talent management space as a consultant for about 15 years now and most of my work is focused on kind of data-driven talent development, talent management, so helping organizations to use data in a variety of different ways, whether that's using people analytics to make decisions, you know, designing training using learning analytics or doing leadership development type work. I've also written a couple of books, one about leadership in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I've got another one coming out in November about leadership in Avatar, the Last Airbender. Yes, I'm an adult man who enjoys very nerdy things and luckily I've also been invited to write a chapter for the ATD Handbook for Consultants. So lots of really cool stuff and I'm very excited to be here to talk to you about org dev.

Speaker 5:

Thanks for listening to this episode of the HR chat podcast. If you enjoy the audio content we produce, you'll love our articles on the HR Gazette. Learn more at HRGazettecom. And now back to the show.

Speaker 2:

So I you're not going to believe this. One of my New Year's resolutions, okay, was to finally start a new pod called something like the Worlds of Work and to dive into geeky shows like Star Trek, the Next Generation, and pick out HR leadership lessons. It still hasn't happened. It's been on my 2024 list now for quite some time, so I love that. I absolutely love that. Beth, can you take a minute or two and tell the listeners a bit about yourself?

Speaker 3:

I am an executive coach and I am a consultant specifically doing work in the talent management and learning and development space. I've spent about 15 plus years of my corporate career doing learning and development space. I've spent about 15 plus years of my corporate career doing learning and development and talent management for global organizations a lot in retail, also in the startup space and in my business I specifically work on helping companies develop internal pipelines an internal pipeline of highly capable leaders at every level. An internal pipeline of highly capable leaders at every level. So you know I'm focused not just on doing the work but how we do the work integrated solutions across the organization. And you know Cy is aspirational for me. So I've spent some time working with ATD for the past few years. I'm a contributing author to one of their books on um od the atd um org dev handbook for learning and development professionals, um and an advisory board member for the conference excellent.

Speaker 2:

Thank you both. So we're largely here today to give a bit of love to the upcoming org dev conference, of course, and you guys are going to be front and center there. So I guess that's my next question. Si, I'll throw this one at you first why org dev? Why that particular event and generally, why ATD? Why are you a supporter of what they do?

Speaker 4:

So I'll start with ATD. I've been a member of ATD off and on for almost 20 years. I really love the organization. I think that one of the things that separates ATD from some of the other organizations that are out there is that they really do walk the talk when it comes know talent management topics. I want to highlight, you know, their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. They've really done a great job of including people from a variety of different backgrounds.

Speaker 4:

As one of the advisory board members for this conference over the last couple of years, one of the amazing things is that they took the idea of diversity really seriously and they're truly international. I was shocked when the first year I was on the advisory board, they had somebody from South Africa on the advisory board and I was like I've never had that experience before. That was incredible, that they really took it that seriously and, having attended OrgDev over the last couple of years, it's truly an international conference and I think one of the great things about this conference that's amazing is there's so many people from a variety of different places and there's so many opportunities in the way the conference has been built where you can really get some of your pressing questions answered by experts and by peers. And so the design of the org dev conference is not just that you're going to attend sessions with experts from a variety of different areas or listening to keynotes. You're also going to sit with your co-attendees and, in some cases, your co-workers or even speakers, and you'll be able to hash out ideas or talk about those ideas, and I think that really sets this conference apart in comparison to some of the other conferences that we see.

Speaker 4:

The ATD ICE conference is really great. Other, much larger conferences are excellent, but I think sometimes those are more like data dumps or info dumps for you, I think for us. If you're working in an organization, you want to get an answer. You want to be able to take it back to your workplace. I think this is a great conference for that.

Speaker 2:

Very good. Thank you, cy. Okay, beth, I'm going to change my question slightly for you, because I feel like Cy gave such a great answer and he covered a lot of things. So what else? What are the other reasons why it's a fit for you and why org dev specifically?

Speaker 3:

The thing about org dev work is so many of us in the HR space are doing org dev work and don't actually realize it. It's not something that has a really simple, clear definition. It is a field of research, theory and practice and it's really about improving organizational performance across, you know, across an organization in the analytics side, who are in the learning side, who are in the talent management side, which I think is really unique and org dev the conference itself, you know so I touched on this is it's interdisciplinary. You hear from people really across the spectrum and how that work all fits together, and I think what is so unique about that and so interesting about that is so often this will be my third year at the conference in talking to people. They're coming in not even really knowing they're like I've heard of more dev.

Speaker 3:

I think I'm I've gotten charged with doing this work in my organization right now. Right, my boss doesn't seem to know what it is. I don't seem to know what it is. So I think it's a really. It's a field that is continuing to grow. It's still a little bit unknown and I think this conference gives an opportunity for people with an incredible depth of knowledge across HR functions to come together and learn from each other but also really kind of get our hands around like what is org dev and how do we fit to? How does what we do fit into the broader piece of the puzzle of organizational development?

Speaker 2:

okay, wonderful, thank you very much. Uh, let's find out a little bit more about the sessions that you are going to be on stage for now. Then, if you don't mind, beth, let's have you go first. Talk to us a little bit about what you'll be getting up to in terms of being on stage at org yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3:

So in the past I've done, you know, I've done um, I've done a couple of sessions, I've done a workshop, I've done panels and so this year I'll be facilitating a panel one day. We're actually in the process of landing that content, landing our speakers, so more to come on that. And then, as an advisory board member, where I've chosen to spend my time this year is helping to fill in those spots where you know we're going to be doing in between the sessions themselves, we'll have opportunities for networking, for people to do kind of round robin or cracker barrel like question and answer sessions. So I'm going to be helping to facilitate some of those sessions. So this year I'm spending more time on the connective tissue, which I'm really looking forward to, to getting to see, and spend, you know, more time with people across the conference as opposed to just just a singular session.

Speaker 2:

Okay, thanks, Beth, and Sai what about you.

Speaker 4:

So there's two main areas that I'm going to be speaking on. First, I've got a session about psychological safety, specifically how leaders can use data to kind of leverage and develop psychological safety. I'll also have like a little preview blog post about that coming out on September 9th on the ATD site. So that'll be an opportunity for anybody who kind of wants to get a preview of what I'll be talking about. That'll be a great place for you to you know, just read a little bit about it and learn a little bit more.

Speaker 4:

At last year's org dev, I spoke a little bit about psychological safety, presented a little model about it.

Speaker 4:

We're going to take that a little further and we're going to help leaders kind of develop more psychologically safe environments.

Speaker 4:

Beth and I and the other advisory board members will also be helping with these action planning sessions.

Speaker 4:

So I mentioned that one of the big things that makes this conference so good and so useful for the average kind of talent development professional talent management, professional is there are these built-in opportunities not only to network, actually to like build solutions and to bring those back to uh, you know your workplace and be able to say like, hey, I talked with some experts about this and this is some ideas that I that I came up with and to immediately show some value um from this conference, and I think that's one of the really cool, unique things. It's one of my favorite things to do and I think Beth and I have a lot of fun talking with people within different organizations and it's just so much. You know, there's so much excitement in that when you have attendees, kind of being able to say like oh, I didn't know I'd have a chance to talk to you about this particular idea that I had, that's a great way to get people excited about what we're talking about and to take it back and implement it.

Speaker 6:

This episode of the HR Chat Podcast is supported by Nebula Academy, a technology industry-focused workforce accelerator that offers learning programs to prepare individuals for successful careers. Our approach is centered around cognitive neuroscience research, combining the latest research and modern learning methods to create informative and psychologically safe learning experiences. Our programs enable individuals to achieve career readiness and immediate impact in their chosen field. Moreover, we help businesses create positive learning experiences, increase productivity, enhance team performance and build upskilling resources to meet the needs of today's modern workplace. Learn more at nebulaacademycom. Thanks, and now back to the HR Chat Show.

Speaker 2:

So there is a heck of a lot of amazing content. Some awesome speakers Keynotes include Maxim Williams, danielle Besson and some others and then loads and loads of streams. Lots and lots of content happening in October For each of you. What sessions or speakers are you excited to see from the audience? Who'd like to go first on that one Sai? What about you?

Speaker 4:

You know, that's a really good question. I think the keynotes to go first on that one. Sai, what about you? That's a really good question. I think the keynotes are going to be really great and I'm really actually excited to see sessions from my advisory board member pals. This might seem a little like, oh, I'm going to get to see my friends talk about this, but they're also great that I'm really excited to see what they have to say. So, specifically, lakeisha Brooks and Tanya Wilson are going to be talking about, you know, a couple of really exciting topics that I think will be loads of fun. Dr Ed Hassan is going to be on one of the on one of our panel discussions and he's a really great expert on diversity, equity, inclusion, and he's a really great expert on diversity equity inclusion, and I think there's going to be a number of fun and exciting topics that will kind of touch on different issues. Beth, did you want to hop in on this? Did you have a specific keynote or speaker that you were like, yeah, I really need to see this?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, there are a few that stand out. I will tell you, as an advisory board member, one of the great things is being at the conference. There's so much you know. There's so much I want to learn as well.

Speaker 3:

We have a couple of sessions specifically focused on AI one on AI and inclusion and one on leveraging AI for change. I think you know, obviously it's a hot topic out there and I read a lot of things that are super high level. I think what's great about you know org dev, it's really about implementation and how you use these. So AI and change in particular is really interesting for me, and we have a number of topics or a number of sessions that are in well-being, and there's one in particular around integrating mental health and well-being into the employee journey. That again, I think well-being, mental health, is something we've been talking about for years and companies really struggle with.

Speaker 3:

Okay, we want to support that. How do we do it? And so really hearing from some of the experts here on how are they using these tools, implementing these different initiatives into the actual employee experience inside organizations, is super exciting. I mean, those are three off the top of my head, I think I don't even remember the number that we have of sessions, because we run concurrent sessions each day and I will tell you, sometimes the hardest thing is like, oh my gosh, there are three sessions running at the same time and I was picked to be at all of them and trying to figure out which one to go to.

Speaker 4:

Actually, let me hop on that answer one more time, because I remembered that we've got a session that I was really excited about, and it's about leading transformation at Delta Air. It's a case study, and I'm really excited about that one, and that's one of the other cool things you'll see at this conference is that there are a number of really exciting real-world case studies that will illustrate concepts and ideas that you will be able to use, you know, in your actual work. You'll be able to listen to people that have actually done it and then you'll be able to talk to them afterwards to find out how they did it. You know, I think there's a lot of really cool stuff there.

Speaker 2:

Okay, thank you both. We are already coming towards the end of this particular conversation. We'll just have to get you back on soon so I can ask you lots more questions. But for today, how can we connect with each of you and learn more about all of the cool things you get up to? And also, it seems apt to ask are there any other events coming up for you guys in the next sort of six to 12 months that you want to highlight? Sy, do you want to go first?

Speaker 4:

Sure, I'll be happy to talk about things I'm doing. So I'm going to be a keynote at the State University of New York Human Resource Conference in lovely Rochester, and I believe that's October 16th. I've got a couple of virtual sessions coming up. I'll be posting about those on LinkedIn over the next couple of months with a know a couple of brown bag groups talking a little bit about the development of situational judgment tests and also learning analytics by design, you know, using data to kind of design instructional content more effectively. That'll be for the International Personnel Assessment Council.

Speaker 4:

We haven't finalized the date just yet, but once that is there, I'll post it on LinkedIn. The number one way to get in touch with me is if you want to follow me on LinkedIn. It's the place where I spend the most of my social media time. The other place to check out you know, things that I'm up to, things that I'm doing. You can check out the Talent Metrics website at wwwtalentmetricsio. Or, you know, if you can, you can find me on Twitter as well. I'm one of the few people that's still left on that platform and I still, I still use it.

Speaker 4:

you know who knew? But yeah, feel free to reach out and I'm happy to talk about any of this stuff. It's very, very exciting.

Speaker 2:

Twitter, you say. I seem to remember it. Okay, very good. And Beth, what about yourself? How can folks connect with you? How can they learn more about what things are getting up to? Any other events happening for you in the next little while?

Speaker 3:

Sure, I am not on Twitter so.

Speaker 3:

I'll let Cy take that one. Over the next few months, I am deep in client work. I am currently writing a blog post that will be coming out for ATD in the next month or so. I have a couple of other podcasts coming out the Modern Mentor podcast and the Smart Gets Paid podcast, speaking specifically around creating boundaries at work and also just talking about how I developed my business.

Speaker 3:

So, looking forward to those, um, and I do, um, I do writing for the people managing people website. Uh, I'm just about to start a new article for them, which I believe will be coming out in September. So, um, those are some of the things that you can expect from me. And, um, I, too, am on LinkedIn. That is my, that is my uh social media choice. So, best message uh, you can find me there. And then my, my company website, which is uh wwwbestmessagecom. Um, and again, I you know I'm, I'm I nerd out on this stuff too, so I would love to, uh, I'd love to have some conversations and love for people to reach out perfect and, of course, as always, there will be links in the show notes listeners, in case your pencil broke when you're trying to get all of that down just a moment ago.

Speaker 2:

Um, so that just leaves me to say for today beth and sy, you're a lot of fun to hang out with. I'd like to have longer conversations with each of you, so I'll be bugging you for follow-ups, but for now, thank you both for being my guests on this episode of the HR Chat Show.

Speaker 3:

Thank you so much. It's been great.

Speaker 2:

Thanks, bill. We really had a good time and listeners as always. Until next time, happy working.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show. If you enjoyed this episode, why not subscribe and listen to some of the hundreds of episodes published by HR Gazette and remember for what's new in the world of work? Subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit HRGazettecom.

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