Episodes

Summary: Skill-Based Job Setups, AI, Identity, and Team Dynamics 1. AI and Skill Identification in Organizations AI-Driven Talent Management: Organizations are increasingly using AI to analyze employee data, identify hidden skills, and match people to new roles or projects. This helps optimize workforce deployment and supports upskilling initiatives. Benefits: AI enables more efficient talent placement, better prediction of future skill needs, and proactive workforce development. Concerns: Rel...

#MadeInCanada Key Themes and Ideas As I reflect on my podcast, "Hope & Possibilities: A Love Letter to the Future of Work," I am excited to share the key themes and ideas that will guide our journey in 2025. This podcast, previously known as "The Janus Oasis" and then "Hybrid Remote Center of Excellence," is undergoing its third rebranding, driven by a desire for a more concise and evocative name, a deeper exploration of the future of work, and a shift to solo episodes. Rebranding and Rationa...

Made in Canada.

Made in Canada Putting the Social in Social Media from a Remote, Rural Location in Canada In this episode of the Hybrid Remote Center of Excellence podcast, host Nola Simon interviews Ingrid Deon, an award-winning entrepreneur who runs a world-class marketing agency from rural Nova Scotia. Discover how Ingrid built her successful business and created local jobs in a small town, overcoming challenges and leveraging the power of authentic social media engagement. **Key Highlights:** - Ingrid's...

Made in Canada Episode Title: Exploring the Generalist World with Milly Tamati Episode Introduction Join host Nola Simon as she interviews Milly Tamati, founder of Generalist World. Discover Milly's journey from New Zealand to building a thriving global community of generalists and learn about her innovative approach to career development. Guest Information Milly Tamati is the founder of Generalist World, a community dedicated to people with diverse skills. She has a background in teaching, sta...

Say What They Can't Unhear with Tamsen Webster In this episode, host Nola Simon interviews Tamsen Webster about her new book "Say What They Can't Unhear" and discusses effective messaging strategies for driving change. Key topics covered: Tamsen's background as a message designer and "English to English translator" The importance of understanding deep beliefs when trying to inspire change How to find common ground and build on existing beliefs rather than challenging them The "smart, capab...

Show Notes: Building Community with Rosie Sherry In this episode, Nola Simon interviews Rosie Sherry, a community expert and founder of Ministry of Testing and Rosieland. Key Topics: - Rosie's journey into community building, starting with local tech meetups in Brighton - The growth of Ministry of Testing from a small project to a global community - Challenges and opportunities in running in-person conferences post-pandemic - Creating inclusive spaces for introverts and neurodivergent individ...

This conversation features an interview with Hilke Schellman, author of "The Algorithm: How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, Fired, and Why We Need to Fight Back Now." The host, Nola Simon, shares her personal experiences and concerns about AI in hiring processes, which led her to Schellmann's work. Key points discussed include: The increasing use of AI in hiring processes, especially for high-turnover positions. Potential biases and inaccuracies in AI hiring tools, such as: Fa...

This conversation features an interview with Hilke Schellman, author of "The Algorithm: How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, Fired, and Why We Need to Fight Back Now." The host, Nola Simon, shares her personal experiences and concerns about AI in hiring processes, which led her to Schellmann's work. Key points discussed include: The increasing use of AI in hiring processes, especially for high-turnover positions. Potential biases and inaccuracies in AI hiring tools, such as: Fav...

Here are the show notes based on the transcript: Show Notes: Building Community with Rosie Sherry In this episode, Nola Simon interviews Rosie Sherry, a community expert and founder of Ministry of Testing and Rosieland. Key Topics: - Rosie's journey into community building, starting with local tech meetups in Brighton - The growth of Ministry of Testing from a small project to a global community - Challenges and opportunities in running in-person conferences post-pandemic - Creating inclusiv...

Here are the show notes based on the transcript: Say What They Can't Unhear with Tamsen Webster In this episode, host Nola Simon interviews Tamsen Webster about her new book "Say What They Can't Unhear" and discusses effective messaging strategies for driving change. Key topics covered: Tamsen's background as a message designer and "English to English translator" The importance of understanding deep beliefs when trying to inspire change How to find common ground and build on existing belief...

Show Notes: Podgagement Demo In this episode, Nola Simon demonstrates Podgagement, a tool to help podcasters improve discoverability and gather listener feedback. Key points covered: Introduction to Podgagement and its features Challenges with podcast discoverability and getting listener feedback Overview of recent changes in the podcasting industry Demonstration of Podgagement's ratings and reviews functionality Creating customized social media images from reviews Using the "follow page"...

My Midlife Career Switch: Lessons Learned I'm Nola Simon and I recently shared my story of making a midlife career switch in Maclean's magazine. Why I Made a Midlife Career Switch - Macleans.ca While the article provides context about my personal career journey, I wanted to offer more specific actions and advice based on my experience. Here's what I've learned: Start Earlier Than You Think I began contemplating a career change back in 2014, but due to life circumstances, I didn't make the leap...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Hybrid Remote Center of Excellence podcast, host NolaSimon explores the new podcast studio at the Georgina Public Library, discussing its impact on remote work and community resources. **Key Points:** - The Multi-Use Recreational Center (MURC) in Georgina now offers a fully-equipped podcast studio and AV room[1]. - The facility provides high-quality sound equipment, a green screen, and technical support[1]. - Noah highlights the benefits of having a dedi...

Host: Nola Simon Guest: Meagan Williamson, Pinterest Marketing Expert Overview: In this episode, Nola Simon interviews Meagan Williamson, a seasoned Pinterest marketing expert. They discuss Meagan's background, her transition from educational psychology to Pinterest marketing, and her insights on using Pinterest effectively for business growth. Key Topics: Megan's Background: Originally trained as a school psychologist in Canada and the UK. Transitioned to blogging and social media content c...

Host: Nola Simon Guest: Meagan Williamson, Pinterest Marketing Expert Overview: In this episode, Nola Simon interviews Meagan Williamson, a seasoned Pinterest marketing expert. They discuss Meagan's background, her transition from educational psychology to Pinterest marketing, and her insights on using Pinterest effectively for business growth. Key Topics: Megan's Background: Originally trained as a school psychologist in Canada and the UK. Transitioned to blogging and social media content c...

Mental models can help simplify complex ideas. Hybrid or remote work is more than just policy, strategy or design. It's all of it working in concert. Metaphors like garden design, an ecosystem or an orchestra can help us think about work in different ways. It's helpful to zoom out and use your imagination to understand how roles, departments and divisions intertwine and how does this lead to success? What are the immovable pieces that give strength and stability but also make flexibility harder?...

Karen Ferris asked me to blurb her new book Be Remarkable. This is the first time I've been asked to do this for anyone so this podcast episode logically followed. Karen has the honour of being the only guest I've invited to the podcast twice. She's very vocal in talking about the leadership crisis that exists now and this book provides useful resources to help immediately. This is the blurb I wrote: "Are you looking for a practical guide to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of work? L...

"Exclusion does not need a reason. Just an excuse." The Canary Code is a leadership book, a lesson in how to design workplace culture. The lesson starts with the design of the book itself. During this discussion, Ludmila mentioned that many of the challenges people with ADHD encounter mirror the symptoms of overwork. So the inclusive design of the book means that it's easy to digest for anyone. And that's really the message - if you design for the people who need workplace accommodations becau...

"Exclusion does not need a reason. Just an excuse." The Canary Code is a leadership book, a lesson in how to design workplace culture. The lesson starts with the design of the book itself. During this discussion, Ludmila mentioned that many of the challenges people with ADHD encounter mirror the symptoms of overwork. So the inclusive design of the book means that it's easy to digest for anyone. And that's really the message - if you design for the people who need workplace accommodations becau...

Sponsored by Nola Simon Advisory: Learn More From This Bonus Podcast Episode The right to disconnect is legilslation designed to protect employees from work creeping into after hours work. It's popping up all around the world including Ontario, Canada, where I live. The thing about legislation is that it's a guardrail to protect us from the worst abuses. As an employer, you never want your employees to have to invoke legislation. It's not good for trust and relationships or the employer brand. S...

For years, I've recognized that the way change happens in organizations is disconnected from the way that executives and senior leaders perceive change to happen. Top down initiatives often fail and employees resist the change, often because the change is done to them, not with them. They can't see themselves reprsented in the story of change. I've been following Jeppe Hansgaard on Linkedin because he's found a mathematical way to identify the 3% of staff who influence the other 90%. The key is...

This post was inspired by a conversation I had with Tom Goodwin that started on Twitter and which he expanded on LinkedIn. He gave me permission to base this podcast episode on these posts. I often think a lot about how lucky I am to have started my career with 25 ish years of in-office/store work, passive training, oversight, exposure via proximity, and camaraderie . This is by no means an anti-remote work thing, it's just an honest reflection on the head start being in a packed workplace from ...

Let me tell you a story 50 years in the making. I moved to the Town of Georgina when I was 18 months old. I've lived here 50 years. We've never had much tech infrastructure so I can't tell you how excited I was to learn that our new community centre has an audio and video recording studio I can use for podcasting. I thought it would be a simple matter to get someone from the town on my podcast to talk about the MURC (Multi-Use Recreation Centre). Not so. It's an ongoing adventure. This episo...