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St. Louis arch
Podcast

Episode 28: Visiting St. Louis

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What else have you done that’s entertaining while in STL?

  • Union Station – restaurants, new giant ferris wheel, aquarium, hotel
  • Cathedral Basilica
  • Magic House – children’s museum in Kirkwood, MO, not far from downtown
  • Outdoors
  • Forest Park – what do you recommend people do there?
    • Art Museum, mentioned already above, has a nice restaurant
    • The Zoo – one of the best in the US and it’s free
  • MO Botanical Garden, Laumeier Sculpture Park, the Arch
  • The Arch is a must see!  It is now designated as a National Park and was recently completely renovated with a fantastic museum below ground.  You should definitely take a ride up in the Arch, however, things to know before you do:
    • The “elevator” is the same that was initially installed.
    • It is small.  We are big.  It is a cramped and a bit of a confined space.
    • You will be up high!  The windows are small.
  • Local wineries –
    • Try the MO wine.  There are some good ones, but you may have to try a few first.
    • Hermann, MO– great wineries (Hermanhoff and Stone Hill) with wonderful bed and breakfast options

     Foodie recommendations –

Hiring leader episode
Podcast

Episode 25: Tips for Hiring Leaders

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Special Guest: Michelle King

Tips:

  • Aim to ask specific questions to candidates so you get a real-life example of what actually happened and not a theoretical reply to how the candidate might handle the situation
  • Use follow up questions to probe on responses that are too vague to give you the level of detail you need
  • Assessments can help sort out some cultural elements but should be factored as only one of many data points in selection
  • In order to have legally defensible assessments in selection, there are a couple things to consider:
    • You have to use questionnaires that have been validated for selection. Most personality assessments are not a fit for selection assessment.
    • You have to show the characteristics you are measuring are job-specific.
  • Talk to everyone who has had contact with the candidate during the process. You might learn a lot from how the candidate has treated the receptionist.
  • Consider flexibility and remote options for the open role. Today’s workforce and talent supply requires us to be more creative in our thinking.
  • It’s now illegal in many states (e.g. California, Colorado, Illinois, etc.) to ask what a person is currently making in order to form your offer. You can ask the candidate’s expectations, but you should have knowledge of what the position is worth in the market in order to make the best compensation and total rewards strategy.
  • Pay transparency is a new trend but needs a lot of consideration around your culture and legal implications. There are many factors that influence pay and most often people are not informed on them.
  • Market data is worth investing in. Some websites also have credible salary information for free, but you have to use judgement on which to use.
Todaiji Temple Nara
Podcast

Episode 24: Sightseeing in Japan

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  • Hiroshima Peace Museum– Photo below is of the one building left partially standing after the explosion.  It has been reinforced and now serves as a visual reminder of the devastation caused by an atomic bomb.
  • Kabuki Performance– Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
  • Kamogawa Odori Performance Kyoto– No photos can be taken during the show.  This photo is of the advertisement hanging outside the venue.
  • Nippon Professional Baseball- In Japan they have “beer girls” who run up and down the stadium offering beer for purchase. 
  • Beautiful Buddhist Temple Photos- 
    • Todaiji Temple in Nara- includes the largest indoor Buddha statueKoyasan- mountain top with 117 Buddhist Temples.  We stayed overnight at Fudouin.
  • Peaceful Shinto Shrine Photos-
    • Photo- Small Shinto Shrine tucked into a downtown Tokyo street in the Ginza DistrictPhoto- Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is one of the most well known Japanese shrines due to its many red torii gates.
  • My favorite food- souffle pancakes at A Happy Pancake (Tokyo and Osaka
geisha walking
Podcast

Episode 23: Travel to Japan

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  • Sandy’s Itinerary
  • Japan Rail Pass is an economical way to travel on multiple train trips in Japan (including bullet trains).  Must be purchased in advance of your trip and can be done online. A voucher will be sent to your U.S. home and then is exchanged for the actual Rail Pass in Japan.  With a Rail Pass, seat reservations can be made on specific trains. Visitors can also purchase one-way/roundtrip train tickets at the train station.
person placing hands on bible
Podcast

Ep 21. Spiritual Disciplines: Reading the Bible

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Spiritual Disciplines: Reading the Bible

pen holding place in Bible
Podcast

Episode 20: Spiritual Gifts – Part 1

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In this episode, the Lead.Travel.Pray. team discusses ways to create habits around prayer, gratitude and attending church. We offer suggestion based on what we have tried…and are often still failing to do. Ultimately we believe each person can and will find the spiritual discipline that fits them.

Helpful apps for prayers and devotions:

diversity
Podcast

Episode 18: Bias

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Show notes:

According to ECU, Equality challenge unit, unconscious bias refers to a bias that we are unaware of, and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.

Implicit bias refers to the same area, but questions the level to which these biases are unconscious especially as we are being made increasingly aware of them. Once we know that biases are not always explicit, we are responsible for them. We all need to recognize and acknowledge our biases and find ways to mitigate their impact on our behavior and decisions.

(Source: Harvard’s Project Implicit) The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is commonly used to measure implicit bias in individuals. The IAT measures the strength of associations between concepts (e.g., black people, old people, or gay people) and evaluations (e.g., good or bad) or characteristics (e.g., athletic, smart, or clumsy). The IAT is based on the observation that people place two words in the same category more quickly if the words are already associated in the brain. For example, the rate at which a person can link the words “black” or “white” with “good” or “bad” indicates their implicit bias.  

On an Ohio State University website they mention “Our brains are incredibly complex, and the implicit associations that we have formed can be gradually unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques.” Some popular debiasing techniques include:

  • discounting commonly held stereotypes
  • using context to influence implicit responses
  • changing the way an out-group member is evaluated and categorised
  • using contact to change the level of threat evoked by an out-group
  • using motivation to change responses to an out-group
  • encouraging people to take responsibility for their implicit biases

Resources:

Good overview video: https://youtu.be/OoBvzI-YZf4

Thinking fast and slow – Daniel Kahneman

If you have any suggestions or recommendations to share on the topic, please comment so our readers and the Lead.Travel.Pray. team can benefit from this knowledge.

Check out our twitter feed to read or hear more about each of our core topics of leadership, global travel and faith. We appreciate you!

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Podcast

Episode 26: Tips for Job Candidates

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Special Guest: Michelle King

Tips:

  • Always attach your resume to the applicant tracking system – don’t just fill out the job history information.
  • Make sure you have an email and phone number listed on your resume.
  • In North America, LinkedIn is a critical tool for getting noticed.
    • List more than your job and title – also list what you have accomplished.
    • Don’t use this platform for things beyond business. It’s not the place for political posts, etc.
  • Go beyond stating responsibilities on your resume (e.g.  Performs full cycle talent acquisition duties) and state accomplishments (e.g. Has placed job candidates in 40 days on average with a 95% retention rate at year 1) so you can demonstrate growth and value.
  • Do a spell and grammar check. Have someone take a look at it with fresh eyes. You won’t be best at editing your own document.
  • Be specific and tailor the resume for the job. Don’t make it difficult for the recruiter or hiring leader to find your relevant experience and expertise.
  • Highlight job competencies and skills in a summary section near the top of your resume.
  • Showing up early to an interview is key. “To be early is on time. To be on time is late.” 15 minutes early is a good rule of thumb.
  • Remember everyone you encounter onsite is important for making a good impression. Most hiring leaders and recruiters will ask the receptionists how they were treated by a candidate.
  • Focus on the question being asked and be as specific as possible versus a canned response that talks about the topic more generally. Don’t hesitate to ask “Did that give you enough detail?” to the interviewer if you think your answer might have been too vague.
  • Be authentic.
  • For video interviews…
    • Test your technology before. Most companies will provide a test opportunity for you.
    • Look in to the camera.
    • Look professional.
    • Be in a quiet space.
    • Alert family members and keep those distractions to a minimum.
  • When answering interview questions…
    • Practice with a friend so you don’t sound rehearsed but are increasingly comfortable with answering standard/expected question.
    • Work to keep your responses brief. Aim to tell each story in less than 1-2 minutes.
  • After the interview…
    • Follow up within 24 hours with a short thank you including sharing that you are still interested in the job and what value you think you’ll bring to it.
    • Don’t follow up excessively.
    • Consider a creative follow up, where applicable. Like a pizza box for a food-related job.
  • Top must do
    • Be kind to everyone you come in contact with
    • Candidly share your development areas and what you are doing about them
    • Talk to everyone in your network who knows someone who works there
  • Top don’t do
    • Don’t “cuss like a sailor”; carefully chose your words if you have a habit of using swear words. It might not be appropriate in this culture.
    • Fail to articulate a development area – not an overplayed strength
    • Venting about your current job or situation. Victim mentalities are off-putting.
  • Best advice you were ever given
    • Interview is a 2-way process. Take time to ask thoughtful questions of your interviewee to learn if this job and organization is a good fit.
    • Don’t be too humble. Find a balance between selling yourself and being honest about how you contributed to a project.
    • Run towards something…not from something. Otherwise you’ll risk settling for a new role that is not best long term just to get away from a current situation.