Welcome back to the Don’t Tell Me About Yourself podcast. We are at Unleash at the Shaker booth and we are sitting with >> London Porter. >> London, tell us a little bit about what you do. >> A little bit about what I do is human resources assistant director of HR at a local municipality over here. >> Okay. >> And so I get to see people on their best day and their worst days. >> Oo wow. I’m sure you have some stories that are aligned with that, right? >> True. But it’s all about turning conflict into connection. >> Interesting. Can you tell us something about your industry that most people completely misunderstand? >> The most common misperception is that HR is the police department. >> I’m like, hey, we can be your best friend, not the police. >> So, and then also, what’s wrong with being police? You know, police are there when we call 911, so on and so forth. However, but that’s the biggest misconception. >> Yeah. Like enforce and protect, it sounds like. >> Thank you. And how about inspire too? >> That’s true. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that’s a great point. Um, what is something that’s changing in your industry right now that maybe outsiders haven’t caught on to yet? >> I think people still haven’t caught on to AI yet, like how to really use it, like blocking and tackling like really practical reasons. And I mean, for instance, like um how many HR departments conflict with the marketing department every once in a while, right? You know, it’s like you put out a message or you’re trying to communicate a message back and forth. You know, AI for instance, Gemini can create images so fast. So you can just talk to it, say the image that you want to create, send it to marketing, and then they have a visual to go off of. So you can spend I mean, you can save about a week’s worth of time just by showing them what your vision is and then letting them refine it. >> Yeah, I hear you. And what I what I think I’m hearing you say is like as individuals, we’ve probably come some way in terms of leveraging AI to save us some time. you know, we were just using chatbt literally over there to help us with some content. So, I feel like we’ve done that, but as an enterprisewide, as as a company, how are we leveraging AI to work together better? I think that’s where maybe some of the gap is. Is that what you’re saying? Cuz I love that. >> Exactly what I’m saying, Victoria. So, you see where the conflict can be turned into connection with a tool like AI and then also you just being the director of it. It’s like, how do I want to connect better? Where are the gaps? you know, where’s the friction with me and other individuals in the organization? My personality doesn’t have to get in the way of progress. And so, that’s where AI can make some of those connections for us. >> Absolutely. Yeah. Um, one question I have is what’s the number one thing talent leaders need to know going into the year ahead. >> Relationships times three >> relationship relationship. Relationships. >> Um, they need to know their team. Okay? You need to know what motivates your team nowadays. Number two, you need to know the people that you’re speaking with. So, people that interact with the organization, anybody that’s on some of your list, your hiring list, how are you staying in touch with them, those drip campaigns, how are you turning those cold calls into friends over time? And then also, you need the relationship with your own brand. How many people work at an organization and they don’t know how their brand is actually touching people on LinkedIn and other social media? And then we need the relationship with AI that we just mentioned. How about that? Yeah. >> Now, the final relationship is the relationship with yourself. >> I was going to say that, London, >> leaders need to redefine and re-evaluate where the H double hockey sticks you’re at. I mean, where are you at, >> you know? So, I’d say relationships. >> I love that so much. Now, you were telling us just before we got started that you did you have written a book and there’s some some some tips in there. So, knowing that we’ve said people need to work on relationships. >> Thank you, Lorna. with, you know, themselves, with people around them, with potentially leads and customers and potential hires and whatnot. What are some of the things that people can do either directly from your book or just from your experience to help work on those things? >> Okay. So, are leaders busy? Absolutely. The best leaders are the busiest. >> Yeah. >> So, this book is just designed um to have reflective questions on your leadership style. And so you can lead a person uh you can lead um a team of one yourself or you can lead a whole organization. So this book is really designed for starting off your day with focus and clarity. Simple as that. It’s a daily read. 365 days. Wow. >> And so one page a day. I call it the shameless book. Right. How many leadership books do we have that are sitting on a desk and you haven’t read all the way through? Yes. >> So you can pick this up when you want, how you want, anytime you want. 90 seconds you start your day. There are 88 core competencies in there. Wow. You know, anywhere from, you know, ambiguous decision making, critical thinking, you know, your style, empathy, so on and so forth. >> And so that’s that’s why I wrote the book to fill that space. You’ve got many like um I have a daily read and it is the um I’m I’m blanking on the name. >> Um come back to me. I >> say I’m trying to read your mind, >> right? Oh. Oh, excuse me. Oh, so so the stoic. >> Yeah, I haven’t heard of that one. >> So the stoic. I’ve got a daily read on that. I’ve got a daily read on faith. I’ve got a daily read on fun. >> Cool. >> This is a daily read on business. So that’s the gap that needed to be filled. >> Great point. I totally agree. And I do think like um you know building habits over time and repetitive when you’re learning something or trying to learn a new skill like having that repetitive nature of it like every day learning something new reminding yourself kind of forming that habit having something like this would be really helpful for that. So that makes a ton of sense. Yeah. >> And at the end inside of you’re fine at the I’m with you. We got some water right. >> Yeah. Give me one quick second. I just >> All right. Take your time. >> No worries. And so um at the end of each page is an action item and a reflective question. >> Yes. >> So it’s just not talking to people or at people. >> It’s just asking people you know to think about where you’re going this or think about where you’re going this day. >> Yeah, that makes sense. And it’s also not like an online module or like you know so often like a lot of the leadership development or you know selfwork that we see in corporate America is like here watch this video you know on this online module and it’s like uh it’s kind of nice not to have to sit at your desk. >> Thank you. >> And >> right I’m with you V. I’m still with you. Excuse me Victoria. >> No you can you can call me V. That’s what my friends call me. So you’re good. My husband too. So, um, yeah, because I I think about that’s why I think social media is taking off in the way that it is because it’s kind of meeting people where they’re at, right? And when they get to consume information how and where they want and so having leadership development in a book form, podcast form, social media form is meeting people in a different spot than these traditional ways that we’ve done that learning. >> V, I think that is a beautiful point that you made is meeting people where they’re at. And, you know, just to square the circle on the conversation of AI, >> you know, it’s important to meet people where they’re at. >> Yes. you know, the people that are pro AAI, anti AI, the people that are in the middle, whatever the case is, it’s going to become a part of our every our everyday life. Whether you’re doing the thermostat before you get home or whether it’s, you know, our defense missiles, whatever, right? Everything in between. >> Yes. Literally, it touches everything for sure. Um, well, thank you so much for this wonderful conversation. I really enjoyed, we really enjoyed speaking with you. Laura will come back. Um, that’s all right. She’s She’s alive and well, just in case anyone was worried. Okay, here we go. >> Might as well finish it off. >> Yes. >> All right. Hi. I’m back. >> Let’s hear your voice so everyone knows you’re okay. >> I am okay. I have what, another day and a half to like fully lose my voice. So, this is just the start, you know. >> Well, you just got the email that you just won the lotto. So, that’s all that, >> you know, I did. Yeah. And I’m still going to work here because I love it. So, it’s fine. Um, I couldn’t hear what you guys were talking about, so we’ll just fast forward to this part. Um, did we talk about where people can find your information? >> Yes. So people can find me at londonporter.ai AI and they can also find me on LinkedIn. And so those are the two best places to find me. >> Fantastic. And where can they find your book? >> They can find the book at Amazon. >> At Amazon. >> We’re really excited. Well, thank you so much for your time today. It’s been a pleasure meeting you and it was like the best way to start off our day. So, thank you. >> That’s very hard. Thank you to you. >> Thank you.
