Episode Transcript
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0:04
Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything
0:09
and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association.
0:13
Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR?
0:16
MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not.
0:21
I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.
0:25
Now it's time to thrive. Well, hello, everybody, and thank you for joining us and happy New Year.
0:31
And welcome back, Susan. Hey.
0:33
Well, Susan, since your New Year podcast from last year
0:36
is actually in our top ten podcasts of all time,
0:39
we thought it would be great to really bring you back this year
0:42
and share your insights for the coming year of 2024.
0:45
Yeah, I saw that, that it was in the top ten, but you know,
0:48
sort of thing too much credit because I was one of the first podcasts.
0:51
So it's top ten for a still call me season, right?
0:54
Okay. But for those of you who may not know, Susan
0:58
Fronk is MRA's president and CEO.
1:01
And you're really here today to help you get your new year off
1:04
to a great start, really help you and your business thrive.
1:08
So speaking of where to start, Susan, let's take a look at a recent national
1:12
Business Trends survey from the Employers Association of America, the EAA.
1:18
I know, Susan, you always talk about using data
1:21
THRIVEn decisions and using those for results.
1:24
So let's take a look at the results that we're seeing from the 2024
1:28
National Business Trends Survey.
1:31
We know that the economy impacts everything every day, life in work.
1:35
So let's talk about the numbers for this year specifically.
1:39
According to the survey, 67% of organizations
1:43
say the economy will improve or stay the same.
1:46
And that's an 18% increase from last year's report.
1:50
So we're really seeing greater confidence in this year's economy.
1:54
So my first question to you is, with business leaders
1:57
feeling more confident, how will that impact employers for this year?
2:02
Sure. Well, first, a word about the National Business
2:06
Trends survey and how relevant it is for our members.
2:11
The EAA, the Employer Associations of America.
2:14
Organizations like us across the country.
2:16
So employers of all sizes in all industries
2:20
and tens of thousands of employers.
2:24
So this survey is really reflective
2:27
of kind of coast to coast thinking in how they're planning for the next year.
2:32
And you're right, there is a greater confidence
2:35
that business will at least stay the same
2:38
or improve in the year ahead.
2:41
And that's great because where confidence goes,
2:45
usually production follows, sales follow and hiring follows.
2:50
So I know we're going to get into that, but
2:53
that's kind of a mixed blessing.
2:56
So hiring is still really tough.
2:59
When you look at the comfort index in production and sales
3:02
and where companies are going, that means there will be investments, investments
3:07
made in their companies, in mergers and acquisitions, plant expansions,
3:12
maybe more experimentation and innovation
3:15
as well as additional hiring.
3:18
Yeah, absolutely. And according to the business Trends survey, 52% of employers
3:23
here in the Midwest are looking to hire permanent staff.
3:26
So when it comes to hiring and recruiting for 2024,
3:31
what suggestions do you have for employers out there?
3:34
Really? Sure. Generally, when I'm talking with members, whether those are
3:39
our constituents or the C-suite,
3:42
they are still having great difficulty
3:45
finding qualified experience hires.
3:49
So if you think of hiring as filling positions
3:53
and not just hiring somebody from outside the organization
3:56
and bringing them in, it may make a little more sense.
3:58
And that's some of the creative D that I see.
4:02
Employers are not necessarily looking for that needle in a haystack.
4:06
Well, they certainly are, but they're also saying,
4:09
who in my organization
4:11
may have the ambition and the skills and characteristics
4:15
to move up and what kind of development
4:18
most training and professional experiences would I need to give them
4:24
to grow them into that position?
4:27
If you can't buy it, meaning hire,
4:30
you've got to make it and that'll develop.
4:34
Yeah, absolutely. And we'll talk a little bit more later, especially on emerging leaders and
4:40
from a CEO perspective, what qualities and characteristics
4:43
do you specifically look for in those emerging leaders?
4:46
We'll talk more later. But Susan Talent acquisition TA has been a serious challenge
4:53
for employer employers in the past year and this year looking ahead.
4:57
So let's talk about what executives identified as some other top
5:01
challenges of this year. Talent acquisition was top at 50 to 2%,
5:05
but also making the top five list was cybersecurity at 44%.
5:10
Talent retention also at 44%,
5:13
inflation coming in at 41%.
5:15
And then developing future leaders, as you've mentioned, at 34%.
5:19
Looking at that, cyber security is new on this list for this year
5:24
and really an issue top of mind for executives And,
5:27
you know, all employers.
5:30
What are you hearing from other organizations
5:33
in business leaders overall on how
5:36
what they are doing to increase cybersecurity?
5:39
Sure. And it's coming up in many business conversations.
5:43
Before we move to that with your commission,
5:46
Sophie, could I circle back to the talent, get perhaps a lesson?
5:49
Because the survey did highlight some things
5:52
that I think are worth underscoring in this conversation.
5:56
One is that compensation, as a starting wage went up.
6:01
No surprise there, but also that the ranges of the jobs
6:05
themselves have been adjusted upward
6:09
in the majority of organizations.
6:11
And again, no surprise with inflation
6:15
being kind of break away in 2022
6:18
and maybe moderating a bit in 2023,
6:22
just that those are table stakes.
6:25
Right. We all know that compensation alone
6:29
isn't a satisfying necessarily, but it's a dissatisfying.
6:32
So what I mean by that is if you don't get it right, people will leave.
6:37
But even if you have it right, meaning that you pay competitively
6:41
and you know what the market pay is and your benefits are appropriate,
6:44
the right amount of paid time off, just the fact that you get that right, those are table stakes.
6:48
That doesn't mean people won't leave.
6:51
You have to have culture and environment and professional growth
6:54
and development opportunities as well.
6:56
The innovation is just the doubling down on the fact that it is a total package
7:01
and human resources is right at the center of that and leadership
7:05
conversation to say, here's
7:08
here's how we have to touch all those bases.
7:11
So pay alone will get you there.
7:13
But you do have to know how your jobs stack up to off.
7:18
And I think business leaders may say
7:22
this job title and what does this job title pay?
7:26
That almost doesn't matter because titles are just that.
7:30
You have to really look at the responsibilities and the role itself and the job duties
7:35
to make sure that you're comparing apples to.
7:38
Absolutely. Thank you for circling back. Sure. Yeah.
7:40
I think that was an important point, and I neglected to say that originally.
7:44
Absolutely. If you asked me about cybersecurity. Yes.
7:47
Well, I think it is a big question.
7:51
It's like describing the you and I am no cybersecurity expert,
7:56
but I do have the catbird seat, I guess I would say, and I always feel
8:02
honored to have those conversations with so many business leaders.
8:06
But our members do share confidential information with us,
8:10
and cybersecurity is keeping people up at night.
8:13
It can ruin a business in the blink of an eye.
8:16
Before I get to a couple of recommendations that I would make
8:20
as a layperson, not as a cybersecurity expert,
8:24
but as a business leader, that that does have this advantage
8:27
of talking with a lot of other smart business leaders.
8:30
Anecdotally, I happen to be
8:34
in Las Vegas last fall for my husband's birthday,
8:38
and it was during the MGM
8:40
data breach and Hurd worldwide, everybody was talking about it
8:45
because they decided not to play ball with the threat actors.
8:50
And there are a thousand decisions that businesses need
8:54
to make about cybersecurity.
8:56
But one of them is am I going to capitulate,
9:01
potentially pay ransom, try to secure my data and hope and pray that
9:06
that the bad right. You're going to honor their word, which is interesting all by itself mean
9:11
you trust in criminals to do what they say.
9:13
That makes no sense. But then the other branch is to say, forget it.
9:18
I'm going to take what comes right.
9:21
And what was so unique about the MGM?
9:24
Brett breach is that just prior to that, the whole Caesars
9:28
Entertainment family worldwide was in it.
9:32
They paid a seven figure ransom.
9:36
Whether that was there's two huge
9:39
hospitality, gaming, entertainment, playing in the same space,
9:44
trying to attract the same customers in the same industry.
9:47
And they went in it very different ways.
9:49
So I guess an umbrella is you have to know your own company,
9:54
your own culture, your appetite for risk, and
9:59
that the subject matter experts you've got on hand and higher
10:03
tech to move you through any threat, hopefully to prevent a threat.
10:08
And then what's the fallout?
10:11
Can your company with stand whatever it is
10:15
from your employees, from your customers, from your vendors who say,
10:20
maybe I don't trust you as much anymore,
10:22
So now two organizations, very similar,
10:28
could have been brought to their knees,
10:30
and I witnessed it staying at an MGM property.
10:34
My husband and I saw it was basically shut down.
10:38
They must have lost millions and millions every day.
10:42
So just having that kind of ringside seat
10:46
and talking to who I could.
10:50
Dealers and Uber THRIVErs. Yeah, customer service people,
10:54
they highlighted the fact that it was really only one employee
10:59
who unintentionally who
11:01
did a very bad and reckless thing against the training that he'd had,
11:06
which brought the company to its knees,
11:09
and that because they were networked so thoroughly
11:13
at all of their properties worldwide for economy and efficiencies,
11:17
a scalability, knowledge and interest locking this out.
11:22
It also was once somebody got in their room, they got in every.
11:28
So how does that relate to our members
11:31
here in the Midwest, wherever you happen to be?
11:36
It's that employee training is an absolute
11:41
again, just ticket to the show.
11:44
If you're going to be in business today, you have to realize
11:48
the threat really is everywhere and your employees,
11:54
advertently or inadvertently are likely going to be the access point.
11:59
So train your employees and keep training
12:03
and keep training and can don't take no for an answer.
12:06
You just have to have that level of
12:10
knowledge of what the risk is out there
12:13
and and how they could jeopardize your organization.
12:17
It's one thing. The second thing is
12:21
I would really advocate for an independent outside
12:26
audit of all of your systems.
12:29
Yes, it takes time and yes, it costs money,
12:33
but they will highlight
12:37
areas of opportunity, areas of risk.
12:41
Can I give you a report card and a game plan to say
12:45
if this is your report card, where you're strong and where you're weak,
12:49
here are some gaps. Here are some systems or practices
12:54
that make you vulnerable.
12:57
The devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
13:00
And then you can address those gaps that an outside third party,
13:04
nothing in the game has identified to help make your company stronger.
13:10
And it isn't a one and done sort of thing.
13:12
I undertook one in 2020 and again in 2022.
13:17
We plan to do it again next year.
13:19
So that's just like
13:22
maintenance review. You do what you can and that doesn't
13:27
that, that doesn't ensure you're not going to have a problem, right?
13:30
It just maybe reduces the likelihood.
13:33
So those two things extensive of ongoing
13:38
kind of black and white employee training must do it.
13:41
And second and a regular practice of outside
13:47
objective audits of your systems so that you can
13:52
become stronger and less vulnerable.
13:54
Absolutely. Those are great takeaways, Suzanne.
13:56
And I appreciate the examples, too, that came with it
13:59
was very interesting to watch in real time.
14:03
Cybersecurity has been one of our was highly requested
14:06
topics coming from our 30 minute Thrive listeners.
14:10
So I'm glad we can address that today.
14:12
Well, I'm not a cybersecurity expert. I would suggest we get some for future podcasts.
14:18
We will really dig into it. Absolutely.
14:21
Another topic that's been very highly requested is I
14:25
we have a couple episodes out there if you'd like to go in depth about A.I..
14:30
But Suzanne, I guess I'm curious from your perspective how you feel about a A.I.
14:36
in HR overall,
14:39
MRA's first steps to kind of incorporate air in our company.
14:43
I'm sure just kind of briefly touch on that.
14:45
I will. I wouldn't say that we're ahead of the game.
14:51
I would say we're writing this tsunami with most of the organizations
14:55
out there and learning as best as we can so we understand not only do
15:00
we need to get it right and become more knowledgeable
15:03
about our own services and how we're going to offer,
15:09
connect with produce what we do,
15:12
and that our members are 4000
15:15
strong, are turning to us to say, What should I be concerned about?
15:19
And specifically, I guess as it pertains to human resources.
15:23
So my thought is there is no
15:27
there is no value in saying a AI is bad, more A.I.
15:32
is dangerous. It can be in the wrong hands.
15:35
And without a plan. But I just is it is coming on strong.
15:40
So it's not it's not an argument to be debated.
15:46
It's a fact to be managed
15:49
and wrestled with and resolved.
15:53
And as best as each company can. So
15:58
what do I think the impact on each I would be, I think is going to be huge.
16:03
I'm making this big universal statement without a lot of detail under it.
16:07
But we're learning, as I said, as fast as we can.
16:09
This practice might work for our members too.
16:13
We have developed last year we developed an AI task force
16:17
so people internal, aided
16:20
by some external experts
16:24
that would just make us smarter, that would take a look at it
16:28
and study it regularly and carved out a bit in their time and their goals
16:33
to be help us elevate our skills with regard to artificial intelligence,
16:39
not necessarily deciding what our projects would be
16:42
because it's a small group of people, but elevating the knowledge
16:46
of our leader team, our employees in general, our senior leaders,
16:50
and to say, here's what we're learning and to keep that in front of us
16:54
so that we can make good decisions about both internal and external
16:59
offerings, program services and expertise we may do, I will say, one thing.
17:04
I strongly recommend that every company who is trying to get their arms around
17:09
AI and who isn't, that they start with something that sounds like
17:13
you're putting on the brakes before you even get in the car, which is
17:17
data governance policy,
17:21
because every company has employees, whether you know it or not,
17:26
who are already working with A.I., It could be in a side hustle.
17:31
It could be that they're using it for what they do for your organization
17:35
and you just don't know it. Or it could be that innocently.
17:39
They're just one of those early adopters that are saying,
17:43
Well, I'm just going to experiment through having listened to some outside experts
17:47
and some people in the legal realm who talk about copyright and
17:54
many other legal issues, I guess I would just say
17:57
help your employees be the best they can be
18:01
by having a data policy and guidelines
18:05
that give them the parameters.
18:08
So you want to make sure you know what's going on in your organization
18:13
so you can make sure you don't get in trouble.
18:16
But also you want to make sure that it's a conversation daily, weekly, ongoing,
18:21
so that you can harness whoever is an early adopter and excited about it
18:26
and use that to help further whatever you're trying to do.
18:30
So it's really going to impact and this is just fundamental,
18:34
you know, the basic knowledge of of things
18:36
I've seen, it's really going to impact the employment world,
18:40
how you hire and attract source, bring on board employees.
18:45
Absolutely. So HR needs to get its arms around that
18:49
second thought. When you think about marketing production and content production
18:55
communications, it's really going to impact that as well.
19:01
I would never put something out there
19:05
written by a guy who. What is that and who is that?
19:08
You know, the the very old adage garbage in, garbage out applies might
19:13
be more garbage, might be digital garbage, but it could still be art.
19:17
So that
19:19
I almost think artificial intelligence, I'm never going to change the title.
19:24
That is what it is universally,
19:26
but it's almost like it should be called augmented in time.
19:29
Just plainly put a computer brain is helping humans do their job better.
19:34
So you augment how you do your job with artificial intelligence.
19:40
So artificial always kind of gives me the creeps,
19:43
but neither it's real or it's not right and it's real.
19:47
So I would I would say you want to use augmented
19:51
and I like the do your job from the heard it here first.
19:55
All right. We're changing artificial intelligence.
19:58
Right. It's just you know, it's not even 9 a.m..
20:02
We're getting things done. Get things that I would just add to that, too, from the conversations
20:07
that I've had with some subject matter experts
20:10
specifically on AI and how it will affect the workforce.
20:13
And each are specifically
20:16
I feel like they're seeing that A.I.
20:18
is going to help with operational and more routine tasks.
20:23
And that's going to leave HR Professionals and professionals in general
20:28
more room to focus on the strategic planning tasks
20:31
that maybe they don't have enough time on right now.
20:35
That's well said. And i think HR People should be excited about that.
20:39
But first, it's scary. Before you get excited about said you first have to get your arms around it
20:45
and know how i'm going to harness it and you don't left behind and and and and
20:50
though I do think it could help
20:53
HR People focus on the more strategic conceptual things
20:58
and getting more routine tasks out of the way.
21:02
It won't stop there, though. I think that's a bridge to to something even bigger.
21:06
Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you for those recommendations.
21:08
In fact, we have a hot topic survey coming out
21:13
very soon on ai in the workplace, so stay tuned for that.
21:18
And if you want to learn more about how I will affect
21:21
your workplace in HR specifically,
21:24
that hot topic survey is going to be coming out
21:26
next week, actually, so the week of January 7th.
21:31
And we will also have a podcast covering
21:34
those results of survey results.
21:37
But so, Susan, let's talk more about some other business
21:41
trends, survey results here to our attention was among the top business
21:45
challenges for 2023 and heading into 2024.
21:49
So what are organizations doing now to really retain top talent once hired?
21:55
There's very little like earth shaking and VR and tremendously different.
22:01
But I can say again with the confidence
22:04
of thousands of employers weighing in,
22:08
that some fundamentals that again
22:10
put it, are right in the middle of that business conversation session.
22:15
You need to be an employer of choice.
22:17
You need to be an employer that competes not just on
22:20
being in the top of the range
22:23
you need to pay competitively, as we've determined.
22:26
But there are so many other things.
22:29
And one of those other things that is trending more strongly
22:34
isn't new, but trending much more along strongly is learning in growth.
22:38
How how are you going to take a new employee,
22:42
an existing employee, a long service employee, and continue
22:46
to give them opportunities to learn and to grow in your organization,
22:53
that that deserves
22:56
more time and attention on a regular basis?
23:00
Then then most of us either
23:03
devote to because you're there's a crush of other things to do,
23:06
or maybe we don't realize just how important it has become and
23:13
the talent shortage and the fact that employers are looking
23:18
to hire more in a stronger economy
23:21
and those people just don't always exist.
23:25
And so for self-preservation as well as for growth,
23:31
you really need to keenly focus on career
23:35
paths and opportunities to develop your current team.
23:39
That doesn't mean you all have to create a university.
23:43
That doesn't mean you need to have a ladder, a and a ladder being a ladder.
23:48
I guess it would be the other way around. Let's see. Matter be ladder.
23:51
But in some organizations that makes sense.
23:55
Maybe more of a manufacturing organization, but it does mean the quality
24:00
of supervision and management, the quality of those conversations
24:05
are really important so that that employee knows.
24:09
All right. The job to which I aspire
24:12
or the pay that I'd like to earn someday
24:17
is achievable with these steps.
24:20
My employer is going to do these three things and I'm going to do these
24:24
five things and we're going to arrive at this happy destination together.
24:28
So spending more time
24:31
and thoughtful consideration of each employee's
24:35
career path, no matter the job, is really trending strongly.
24:41
And that's not going to change as the talent
24:44
market stays really challenging,
24:48
challenging in that there just aren't
24:51
enough experienced, qualified candidates out there.
24:55
And even at the very entry level
24:59
or new to the job market
25:02
range, I'm not letting
25:05
those great employees get away and happy somewhere else.
25:08
Absolutely. And I have a follow up question for that.
25:11
Then, in addition to,
25:14
like you said, table stakes, the competitive wages we've seen variable
25:19
pay has also come into play to overcome these
25:23
recruiting and retention challenges.
25:26
Are you seeing
25:28
any incentives used by our members or other organizations, employers
25:33
with variable pay to kind of overcome the retention challenge?
25:38
Sure. I'll give you what we've learned from our survey
25:44
and then I'll give you a little Susan Twist, because, well,
25:49
my opinion doesn't always carry the day, but we want to hear it.
25:54
Well, it is what it is.
25:57
What I think would work if you had an organization that you started from scratch
26:02
with people that you were able to select
26:05
carefully and grow the way you wanted to.
26:08
You would treat everybody in a very custom way.
26:13
Your best employees would get 10% raises
26:16
and you, your average steady,
26:20
at ease would get far less than that, and you wouldn't have
26:26
poor quality employees. And in real world that doesn't exist.
26:31
But I do see to sell them
26:36
that employers use whatever matrix they have for
26:40
pay and benefits, they use it to
26:43
too much the same year.
26:46
At the end of the day, what is the difference
26:49
to you or to me or to anyone?
26:54
You know the difference between a 2.7 raise and a 3% raise.
26:59
It just isn't meaningful.
27:01
So if you really want to keep that better employee,
27:04
what is meaningful for great performance.
27:08
So again, that's the real trend with my twist using
27:15
HR Being very nimble
27:17
and able to
27:21
layer on its policies and practices
27:23
not as consistently maybe as a lifetime has taught us.
27:27
You need to treat everybody the same. Not necessarily.
27:30
You need to have business justified reasons for doing that.
27:34
You need to make sure it's tied to documented
27:36
perform means but achievement of goals.
27:40
Those employees who truly are head and shoulders above, they're going
27:43
to go elsewhere in this market unless you do treat them differently.
27:47
Ways that you can do that.
27:50
Variable variable pay tied to performance,
27:55
not universal bonuses, but those that say
27:59
if the company achieves this, then we all get that.
28:02
That means gain sharing, Whatever you call it, it's gain sharing.
28:06
Second would be if you in this role achieve this, you're going to get this.
28:11
Those things benefit the organization and they will lift all boats instead of
28:18
variable pay that isn't as tightly tied for goal achievement.
28:22
And again, that brings the spotlight right down
28:26
on the quality of management in supervision.
28:29
Are your managers and supervisors
28:32
savvy, trained and strong enough to say,
28:38
Sophie, here's where you hit your goals.
28:41
Here's where you missed your goal.
28:43
Here's what that earned in our variable pay plan
28:46
and here's what you going to do next year. That should be a dialog.
28:50
Usually saying that's achievable might be a stretch goal, but I can do it.
28:54
Not pie in the sky. What are you talking about? I could never do that.
28:58
So it should feel like a partnership,
29:02
but it should also feel like a stretch
29:04
and your manager has to be able
29:08
anyone's manager has to be able to say, Great job or here's the gap.
29:15
And that's saying a lot. If you're not going to use things very consistently
29:21
which can water down performance if you treat everybody the same,
29:25
the great performers say, What the heck?
29:29
Why should I tie on my son Jr's every day and run at 100 miles an hour
29:33
when he is and she is and they are running at 50 miles an hour?
29:37
No, you know, why would I do that? It tends to it tends to breed mediocrity instead of excellence.
29:44
So the key to that
29:48
is high quality management and supervision and the ability to have conversations
29:53
in a partnership way so that people understand,
29:57
here's how I can excel, here's how I can earn that variable pay,
30:01
and here's, you know, what caring what I do to improve.
30:05
If that was Susan's twist, that makes sense.
30:08
Yeah, but it doesn't exist.
30:11
It doesn't reflect. Well, Susan kind of rounding out the top five challenges
30:16
from this year's survey is developing future leaders.
30:19
So I know we touched on this briefly, but what recommendations do you have
30:24
for developing an organization's up and coming leaders or emerging leaders?
30:28
I would say, well, one of them, I think, is what I just touched on
30:33
with regard to variable pay. People work for intrinsic feeling of accomplishment.
30:38
That's true. I think if you hire good employees, they want they come in saying,
30:43
I want to do a good job because that's just how I'm wound.
30:46
That's my theory. But let's not make the mistake that
30:51
an achievement is an important and compensation isn't important.
30:55
And recognition and rewards are an important and
31:01
I'm probably wound a little differently that way.
31:04
I'm not saying intergenerational, but it tends to be in that
31:11
newer workers in the workplace
31:13
just need more care and development and to feel a part of the team.
31:18
And I think sometimes longer service workers missed that.
31:23
By missed that, I mean don't recognize that enough.
31:26
Don't think about it often enough.
31:29
Not out of bad intention, but because that's not what they experienced.
31:33
So so you don't want to allow that disconnect to become pervasive
31:38
in your company. You want to make sure it's fluid and organic is a word I like to use there,
31:43
meaning it's growing and changing all the time and it's an in an into flow
31:49
of information going back and forth, people communicating about what they need
31:53
and what they want and what they have and they like and what they don't like.
31:57
I mean, then you can respond to it back to the career passing.
32:01
Just make sure that's part of your performance system.
32:04
Whatever your performance system is, it isn't just about goals, it's
32:08
about what's next and where you want to go and what you want to achieve
32:14
and and help with how you get there.
32:17
So if any employee is willing to say, I want to grow my job
32:21
and I'm willing to put in these things, room
32:25
managers should want to work with them all day long.
32:28
It's great advice. Well, common sense, right?
32:33
Well, Susan, unfortunately, we're running out of time here.
32:36
But I know we asked this question a lot to our members,
32:40
but now I'm curious to know what keeps you up at night, Susan,
32:44
looking forward into the future, 2024 for business?
32:47
Well, thanks, Sophia. You you actually gave me some nightmares
32:51
during this conversation because most things.
32:54
Yeah, this is what I'm you.
32:56
You you touched on two of them
33:00
because they're so external to an organization.
33:06
I think many leaders and I like to feel that I really know
33:10
how to run this business and that I communicate with this team
33:15
really well that you that you know where we are financially.
33:19
You know what our goals are. Our strategic placement is tucked up in your cubicle, whatever,
33:25
you know, where we're going. But cybersecurity and artificial intelligence
33:32
that are tiger by the tail, both of those things,
33:36
you can do everything right
33:38
and not see the train coming on the track.
33:41
So again, business people are paid to square their shoulders
33:46
and say, how do I how do I capitalize on those opportunities?
33:51
Not how do I run afraid from them?
33:53
What your question was, what keeps me up at night?
33:55
I would say it's those two things, among others,
33:59
because they are so external to minimization.
34:02
They are so foreign and fast
34:06
moving and in the hands of other people
34:09
and things and technology that today
34:13
a few of us are expert in.
34:17
So so that's what keeps me up at night.
34:19
And that's why through our conversation I highlighted
34:23
just the fundamentals of policy governance practice.
34:27
Outside audits, you do what you can and then hopefully you can just
34:32
put your head down on the pillow and sleep because you've done what you can.
34:36
That doesn't mean it will protect or be perfect
34:39
or optimize artificial intelligence the impact on your business.
34:43
But you can't be an ostrich either and stick your head in the sand
34:47
and just say, I hope it doesn't impact me for two years or five years.
34:51
It will come in my CEO roundtable.
34:54
We talked about cybersecurity and there were 14 really smart
34:59
business leaders, owners in the room,
35:02
and four of them had had data incidents,
35:06
let's call it threat actors
35:09
attack their business.
35:12
So four out of 14 just in the last year,
35:16
it's not if, but when.
35:19
So make yourself as bulletproof as possible.
35:23
Absolutely. And we have resources linked in the charts below.
35:26
You can also find them at MRA Talk.
35:31
But Susan, we wrap up here. Any last thoughts, any words of inspiration for the new year,
35:36
your mike drop moment here?
35:39
I'll tell you what I told my employees and my partner over the holidays.
35:43
Bring it on, We’re Ready! I love it. I need to.
35:46
I'm excited. Perfect. Well, thank you, Susan.
35:48
I really appreciate you coming on. And I appreciate your leadership here, too.
35:53
Like I mentioned, we have resources in the show
35:55
notes below, so make sure to refer back to those.
35:58
They are also found on our website, mranet.org.
36:03
And thank you so much for listening and tuning in today.
36:06
We hope you have a great New Year in a successful New Year
36:10
and we are always here to help. So thank you again, Susan. Happy New Year.
36:14
And that wraps up our content for this episode.
36:16
Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect.
36:19
For more podcast updates, check out other Amari episodes on your favorite podcast platform.
36:25
And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE
36:29
so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in
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