Fractional, Functional and Fully Aligned Workforces with Laura Azzarella

Speaker A: I think being able to advise that, yes, HR is a cost line, we do not create value as far as product and sales, but what we do is we allow the organization to look at data and if we're freed up and allowed to be a little bit more strategic, what we can anticipate is the turnover rate, the absenteeism rate. We can be doing active things to preempt engagement issues.

Speaker B: Welcome to the Lead at the Top of youf Game podcast. We equipped you to more effectively lead your seat at any employer, business or industry in which you choose to play each week. We help you sharpen your leadership acumen by cracking open the playbooks of dynamic leaders who are doing big things in their professional endeavors. And now your host, leadership tactics and organizational development expert, Karen Farrell. Rhodes Foreign. This is Karen and welcome to another episode of the Blended Workhorses at Work podcast. We have an absolutely tremendous guest on today's show. We're thrilled, um, to the moon and back to feature this Laura Azzarella. And Laura is the co founder of Applied Potential Solutions. And Applied Potential Solutions is a tech forward HR consultancy that really helps businesses lead, hire and grow their teams. Now Laura and her team offer a variety of solutions of um, which I'll let her expound on shortly. But um, her firm is a prime example of ah, external talent, of the external talent component of blended workforces and how they help support um, clients and their uh, talent needs, uh, to help get work done within their organizations. So welcome to the show, Laura.

Speaker A: I'm so excited to be here. Karen. Thank you for having me.

Speaker B: Oh, we're just absolutely thrilled to have you as well. Um, I can't wait to talk more about applied um, potential solutions. Um, yours and um, our firm are similar in some veins, um, but different in others. Uh, so I can't wait to compare notes. But before we go deeply in that, you know, we always love to learn just a tad more about our guests. So for just as much as you feel comfortable, uh, would you mind sharing a sneak peek into your life outside of work?

Speaker A: Absolutely. So before getting into hr I was actually studying media production. So I love audio visuals, a lot of artistic sort of endeavors and I am a consummate nerd. Those things kind of fold one into the other. So I'm talking 1999 learning HTML to create video game like walkthrough websites. I still learn games to this day. Really I'm super passionate about this stuff because I just, I love to know a lot about a lot and strategy and just the ability to apply my Skills in any situation. So huge nerd for life. Love being one.

Speaker B: Well, you have a fellow, I don't know if this is a term, but sister in nerdness, uh, right here with me as well. Uh, especially, um, I won't say I'm a technology pro, but I'm a power user of technology. Um, it couldn't help to be because of 20 year career in incorporated, um, technology companies. It kind of rubs off. If you could.

Speaker A: Yes ma'. Am.

Speaker B: Well, fantastic, thanks so much for sharing that tidbit. Uh, so now let's um, turn to you and your story a little bit. Um, and I'd love to start with you, um, just sharing maybe a few highlights of the milestones of your career and then what led you to co found um, applied potential solutions.

Speaker A: Absolutely. So you know, when I found your podcast, I was so thrilled because my life has been for the most part, a lot of blended workforce sort of techniques. So I've got a lot of lessons learned from those experiences. So being in human resources, I started in a tech startup here in my, my city of Buffalo, New York. And unfortunately, you know, startups kind of wane and wax and I was laid off. But I decided to pursue HR, got my master's degree and went into a 247 heavy industrial manufacturing startup, state of the art liner board, cardboard recycling machine. And there I got to see a lot of blended workforce sort of capabilities because we were bringing in consultants here and there to optimize the machine. Things weren't going really well after startup. Um, you know, we built it to OEM standards, uh, but it's not necessarily delivering the product that we anticipated. So bringing in consultants, I was able to learn a lot about integration or lack thereof into the KPIs, metrics and success of the organization. Worked there for a number of years, transitioned over into higher education, which has a lot of opportunities for, you know, blended consultants, individuals where you don't want necessarily FTE and the headcount. So you've got a consultant to come in and do one or two really good things. A lot of situations with um, Payroll and other HRIs or system implementations. Worked in the federal government for a bit. And through all of that experience I really wanted to found an organization that gets it, that sees, you know what, not just another consultant, not just selling my bag of tricks and then I'm going to leave at the end of the day and not really know whether or not you've been successful. So that was really having lived all those experiences and seeing what works and what didn't is really what kind of drove my interest in starting this organization.

Speaker B: Oh, that is amazing. And so can you also share with us, um, just at a high level, give um, us a feel for the suite of services that you offer and um, how that helps your clients?

Speaker A: Sure. So being more tech forward, um, I think it's a little taboo right now. Um, AI. Right. Being able to automate processes and show individuals. So I find a little bit of a sweet spot in working with the department of one and helping an HR peer optimize their processes by showing just how much AI, even the free version, can help them automate some of that, you know, drudgery that they're kind of experiencing to be more strategic. I don't see AI as replacing the strategy and the humanness. I see it as just replacing all that administrative work. And there's a way to do it. I also um, you know, just work with organizations to establish best practices, especially from a technology perspective. So implementing HR information systems, I've done that several times. Payroll and benefit systems, um, time and attendance and timekeeping systems. So really just being able to say, you know, I've lived through these experiences. This is how, after assessing your organization, this is how I think you're going to be successful all the way. Even to just establishing best practices for talent acquisition. You know, being able to build a couple behavioral based interview questions based on the job description. We don't hire off vibes. We have to have a little bit more meat there to make sure the candidate is successful. And then here's the onboarding launch ramp to make sure that they're actually successful. So it's a little bit of um, again being a huge nerd. I cannot help myself. I will not turn down a case. I really want to be able to provide value and I have that full service of HR expertise. But where I find my sweet spot is leveraging technology to make processes better.

Speaker B: I love that. And you know, uh, of course this is one of my passions as well. And I, um, first about AI. So I was on a panel probably about a month or two ago and we were talking about, it was with um, CHROs and CPOs of organizations and we were talking about AI. And what I don't know if the listeners realize is that most um, HR leaders did not get quote unquote trained in technology over time. But you have had to learn or catch up or know enough to help lead the organization on know the people or the HR tech side, you know, or what have you. And um, but I, I agree with you so much that thinking and working holistically with companies like you do in your way in com, in looking at their business strategies and then help connect that to their people and talent strategies is so important. And to your point, um, a lot of HR teams and leaders, um, need assistance with that because they haven't historically had to do that. They're, um, having, as I said, catch up now. But, uh, they haven't had to do it as much. And one of my passions is also around advising companies board of directors around their HR governance and oversight. And part of that is them giving the support to heads, uh, of HR for the exact things that your company helps them with. Um, absolutely. It's, there's not just a reporting of, you know, KPIs just for board decks or, you know, looking at dashboards, it's the actual implementation, um, a lot of that. And um, you're right, a lot of people needed help. Um, so congratulations on your success so far. That is just.

Speaker A: Thank you so much.

Speaker B: Um, and I'm just curious, you know, in maybe some of your more, you know, recent clients, since AI is a buzzword. Although as I always tell my listeners and me coming from, you know, over, gosh, 15, I'm telling my age now, 15 years and 17 years in high tech, um, AI has been around forever actually. It has advanced over time, but it's been forever.

Speaker A: I'm sorry, that little squiggly line in Microsoft Word, that's AI. It's been taught how something should be spelled and asking, did you mean to do that?

Speaker B: It's been around for ages, ages, ages. It's just become like a buzzword now and everybody's talking about it, but yeah, it's been around forever. But I'm m just curious, um, with your clients, what are some of the trends that you're seeing that they're really struggling with? And um, let me start there because I have a ton of questions to ask you. But maybe one or two trends that you see, uh, your clients struggling with right now.

Speaker A: Yeah, unfortunately, a lot of processes where I think, you know, I kind of joke with my HR colleagues. Buffalo is about seven to 10 years behind the rest of the nation as far as technology and HR processes. So right, wrong or different. I see a lot of paperwork processes and it could even be something as simple as, okay, I, you know, we can't afford this system. I get that. Uh, I respect that we have a Microsoft Office suite, so could we use Power Automate? Could we do a Microsoft list that is this beautiful form to intake data and flips it over into the back end and build some reminders for you. There's opportunities to use the existing technology, Google suite office products, as well as other opportunities for automation for reminders for processes to be better than what they currently are. So I think, unfortunately, it might be a little bit reductive for your listeners, but that's kind of the world that I see right now and just being able to get people understanding that there is a whole other level of technology that exists and we need to get up there.

Speaker B: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And in your opinion, what should, um, both the C suite leaders in support of their, um, HR leaders, um, how should they help them and be a great support network as they're trying to, um, put together the dots, if you will, of what should be implemented within their companies?

Speaker A: Absolutely. So I think over the last couple of years, specifically, I think Covid did a wonderful branding for human resources as that strategic business partner, because all of a sudden we were healthcare providers and nurses and contact tracers. So I think the value of us being to, you know, turn on a dime and pivot and create new processes and procedures, I think that did a lot for our support with the C Suite. I think being able to advise that, yes, HR is a cost line, we do not create value as far as product and sales, but what we do is we allow the organization to look at data and if we're freed up and allowed to be a little bit more strategic, what we can anticipate is the turnover rate, the absenteeism rate. We can be doing active things to preempt engagement issues. We are an organization that collects the data of feelings and culture and is able to anticipate the way that we can pivot the organization from that. So being able to be tech forward helps us do that and analyze and make the organization better.

Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. And I think this is a good thing that HR is, you know, getting a stronger seat at the table. Um, I do think there's still room for improvement in some organizations and industries, but, um, baby steps are half the battle and I think we're definitely going in the right direction. So I definitely agree there. Um, I'm going to turn the tables a little bit and talk about, um, from the vendor side of things. And I say vendor, vendor, suppliers or external talent such as yourselves, that come in and help organizations. Um, I'm really passionate about vendor readiness as well and thinking through how to best integrate them into, um, you know, projects and into the culture and how to better be team members. Even though they, you know, may not be on the client's quote, unquote payroll. They're still very critical implement, um, instrumental, uh, to, to the organizations. So, um, in your opinion, what are maybe one or two things, um, external talent can do to be proactive in helping to um, more seamlessly integrate, uh, and collaborate, um, with members of organizations?

Speaker A: I love this question because I see it in my life and I've seen it work well and not so well on the flip side when I'm integrating a vendor into an organization. So I think the biggest fumble that an organization bringing on that external talent might make is, okay, we're bringing them in because they're a subject matter expert. They know how to do X, Y and Z. That's why they're here. We're paying a premium for that. And therefore I just give them their ID badge and I say, good luck, let me know when it solves. And I think that that is the worst case scenario because. Yes, let's take um, Human Resource Information System, adp.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: If I am optimizing your ADP processes, turning on the onboarding module, making the benefits and open enrollment automated, that's great. I don't know, and I love this term, I love using it, the lore of the organization. I don't have all of the context, I don't have all of the necessary information around what worked before, what didn't, what have we tried, how does this system operate in particular, how do your benefits operate? All of that finite detail I can figure out, but it might take me a little bit of time and the vendor might be frustrated if there's not that open communication about. Okay, going into this project, I know intellectually what I'm going to need to be able to understand for the context. So I think what I see a little bit in vendors sometimes is overselling. Like, we are turnkey. Don't even worry about us. Show us where the parking lot in the building is.

Speaker B: We've got all that in there, right?

Speaker A: No, uh, no one, no one can. How, how on earth could you be able to, to be immediately impactful like that? Even being a subject matter expert, there's got to be. You've got to ask the right questions and understand what you don't know. And the organization has to do the same as well and have that proper intake and onboarding.

Speaker B: I totally agree with that and I always try to emphasize how important the discovery session is up front. When you are going into a project or engagement, you got to know what you're working with before you start Breaking things or trying to create um, beautiful implementation plans or what have you. And um, I've had my share of tech implement of open to um, consult on tech implementations for hr. And where I see a big gap is, is the technology firms and they're trying to do their best, um, but therefore something has been sold and they're trying to um, custom fit it into the organization. But all the work processes really haven't been evaluated as in depth as they should have. Once the, the implementers or the consultants leave, the client is left hanging because they find out so many things aren't running smoothly because to your point the right questions hadn't been asked. The right um, integrations, you know, weren't there wasn't enough effort put on them and the interdependencies were so critical and a lot of them weren't flushed out um, during the implementation phase. Um, I'm curious to see if you see that as well. Um, and if not that's fine. Uh, but if you do see that um, what do you suggest could be done to kind of help bridge that gap a little bit better?

Speaker A: Yeah, I think having that open and honest conversation right out of the gate, I think maybe having an intake form that the vendor is doing because sure there's discovery, but then what is honestly an onboarding plan? What is the first week? Two weeks, three weeks? Is there a cadence of if we're in a technology section, um, are there opportunities to meet to go over the Agile workflows to understand how this project has come to fruition Thus far, um, past projects have been launched. If you're starting from scratch, there's got to be before the value can be immediately created, there's got to be that onboarding period where they're understanding the context of the organization. I was very fortunate once to work with Boston Consulting Group as the vendor and I mean they are world class global leaders for a reason. That onboarding period was honestly six to eight weeks for them before we even launched the project. And that might make somebody that really wants to have a band aid or solution or an immediate solution cringe, but their solution was successful and has been implemented successfully and sustained to this day. So I think that, you know, it's not off to the races the second that you bring on that external vendor. You really have to give some to get some to get that relationship ready.

Speaker B: That's right. And I can vouch listeners for what Laura is saying. Um just signed a contract last week our firm with um a similar type of implementation and um, we have Negotiated like eight weeks of discovery because it is, um, a global implementation and we needed that time to really set it up for success, you know, working with the client to do so. So, um, if we can do anything, Laura and I, to help, um, set the foundation for expectations, I'm all in for it. Aren't you, Laura? Yeah.

Speaker A: And ah, I think the starting point is, you know, don't break the glass for the emergency alarm. You know, don't bring that vendor on when you're desperate and in crisis, because that's the wrong time.

Speaker B: Absolutely. Um, Laura, one of the things that, you know, um, I always try to do, and I'm sure you probably do too, is to try to let your clients or tell your clients not to be afraid of technology or AI. And I'm in the same vein as you. I don't believe AI is going to, you know, totally take over everything. But I do believe individuals need to be, um, AI astute, need those skills to help you assess and decide upon how to best leverage it for how roles and jobs are going to be evolving over the next years. I'm curious your thoughts on that. And it's okay if you don't agree. You can throw tomatoes at me, but I'm just curious your thought on the evolution of uh, roles, jobs, tasks and AI.

Speaker A: Absolutely. And I want to preface this because I feel like as an elder millennial, I have seen, seen this film before.

Speaker B: Karen. Yes.

Speaker A: I was playing Game Boy on my couch, spitting like, is this the end of the world? Is, you know, Y2K going to actually happen? Or am I good? Can I have cereal tomorrow morning? And then it was, you know, Google, Google Maps, MapQuest at the time. Google's going to replace knowing things.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And when I was in college, you know, we were moving over from the, the physical library system to be able to look up research papers in the computer. And so often as an art individual. Right. In media production, I took illustrative courses and I've drawn in Adobe Illustrator. And my art teacher would give me grief and say, you know what? That's not traditional. That's just pressing a button and making a drawing. And I think in all these iterations of technology, what I feel is the sense of anxiety, of change management, because humans are always, we have some of the same anxiety triggers in any situation. And so it's, how do I adapt? And is what I've done for nothing? Will I be replaced? And I think the answer is a resounding absolutely not. It is just, you know, the, the, the individual with A, uh, horse farm. Right. In carriages. Getting people to and from where they needed to be in big cities. Probably hated the Model T. Yeah. Here we are. We have to progress and adapt. That's humanity. So I don't think that it's going to replace people. I think it's going to replace a lot of aspects of the job and shift jobs. And I don't think, um, you know, there's organizations that have let go of entire customer service departments and brought them back because AI Apple did this incredible study recently. I highly recommend your listeners go see it. AI can only think so far. It is just like that Google or the Microsoft Word doc with the squiggle. AI is taught to predict. It's a statistics machine. It's not a human brain.

Speaker B: No.

Speaker A: And it can only go so far. So I think there's going to be a lot of drudgery that gets automated to AI and humans then will have to learn how to make the AI do the drudgery because it can't think for itself. It never will.

Speaker B: Exactly. I don't think, I mean, maybe, I don't think it'll be in my lifetime. Maybe it will constantly evolve as it has over the last 20 years. Um, but I agree, um, it is a change management issue. And humans, you know, you know about human behavior. Humans deal with change very well.

Speaker A: We sure don't.

Speaker B: Uh, you have your early adopters. But more than that, there are a lot of people that are, you know, pulling up the end of the line, um, on embracing. And I think that is going to be a main challenge for, uh, executive leaders, um, as the industries and businesses evolve.

Speaker A: Um, yeah, and I will copy out that point too, because I want to. One thing that I want to make clear, I've got some friends that work in the early education space space with children. I, I think AI can help you be creative and do drudgery, but you've got to have the base knowledge. So the reason that I'm able to be, you know, practically a wizard in AI is because I understand all the laws, all the procedures, all the technology so I can get it to do what I want it to do. But you know, as people learn, I think they've got to have that base understanding because I can't trust my AI to tell me what the Federal Family Medical Leave act is going to do because sometimes it says it's paid leave and it's not right, it gets it wrong. And I will say I worry about kids being able to use it to write papers and stuff like that. Because I think you need that base knowledge before you can really use it for its actual intent.

Speaker B: You absolutely should. And, uh, just a public service announcement as you all start learning or continuously learn AI really focus on the source, asking it source of where they're getting their information and asking it in very detailed ways. Where it goes more than just the periphery, it goes in depth and have them analyze their source. Because a lot of it, I've done it and I've gone two and three levels deep and it comes back and says I can't verify it or I made it up or something. To your point, be very, very careful on, uh, how you use it, especially if you're trying to use in a court of law or something like that.

Speaker A: Oh my gosh. Yeah, yeah. Anything PII related, legal related, that is not the use.

Speaker B: Not right.

Speaker A: Use it to automate your processes. Use your brain for the other stuff.

Speaker B: Exactly, exactly. Well, um, if there was one piece of advice or information that you would love to make sure that the listeners walk out here with and remember, what would that one thing be?

Speaker A: I think I would want people to not be afraid of technology. And I know that gets thrown around a lot, but what's the meat and potatoes of that phrase? I think give it a try, actually test it, try to break it, try to see what it does, how it thinks, try to truly understand it, and then the application of what it could do for your organization. Um, don't be afraid to press the button to see what happens. Sometimes that's the best way to learn, unfortunately, because then you have to fix it. And that's what any mechanic will tell you. Right, right. Technology is just like that. And the more we learn and adapt with it, the better it's going to make our lives in more places. That.

Speaker B: That's a drop the mic moment right there, Laura. It is. If I could emphasize one phrase that you said don't, I think it was don't be afraid to break it.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: Breaking it is a good thing. The breaking it is giving you more insight and information to pivot and do and use it better.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: It doesn't mean that, you know, it's once. You break it once, don't ever use it again. It's using that to gain insight to make even better requests of it. Is that fair?

Speaker A: 100%, yes.

Speaker B: Wonderful. Um, I wanted to also give you kudos, um, because we didn't really talk about it too much, but I understand you're president elect of the chapter in Buffalo below.

Speaker A: Yes, yes, I am.

Speaker B: That's amazing. Um, I was, uh, on the board of Sherm Atlanta numerous years, um, one of the, um, you know, large city chapters. And I know the work that goes into all that. So I wanted to at least give it a shout out on the podcast.

Speaker A: Thank you so much. I'm so lucky. Um, if anybody wants to check out an amazing servant leader, Colin Gale, G E H L is the current president. And, uh, he, he tapped me for this role. But gosh, we have some powerhouses up here in Buffalo. So fantastic gentlemen to go follow for those that are listening.

Speaker B: Oh, that is amazing. Well, definitely do that. You all, you know, I always advocate any recommendations, uh, that our guests give, go directly to link in LinkedIn, try to connect or follow them and see what great insights that, uh, they share every now and then. Well, Laura, I literally blinked and time has like, is run. But we cannot let you sneak out of here without answering our signature question that we ask all of our guests. And for my newer guests, let me just give you a tad of context. Um, our firm did, um, scientific research a couple years ago on trying to really understand, um, the success factors of high performing individuals and organizations. Um, we were really focused on leadership execution. I mean, there's a lot on leadership skill building, but this was on, okay, how do you pull it all together and actually execute on, um, a high level that a lot of people don't reach? And so out of that research, uh, came seven big buckets. We call them tactics, but seven big buckets that are critical to high performing leaders. And we always love to share. And so Laura was so kind to share that, uh, courageous agility really resonated with her. And courageous agility is all about having the courage and the fortune to, you know, take calculated risk and stand up for what you think and believe in and take baby steps even if the future is uncertain or unclear. So it's having that courage to, um, just, you know, take the information as we've been talking about today, make your best estimates and calculated risk, but still taking a step forward and seeing what happens because you can always pivot if things aren't perfect. So curious minds want to know, Laura, why did courageous agility really resonate with you?

Speaker A: Yeah, so I think, you know, you've probably seen this weaved through my conversation, but I think, you know, you can look at life a thousand different ways, but if you have an attitude of, you know what, let me try. I've never had experience with this. I don't know if I'm going to succeed or fail, but let me try that has been the number one thing where I stepped up into leadership roles, President elect of the bnhra, and other wonderful opportunities I've had. And just framing my mind around that, whether it's facing a workforce, uh, system, a new client, difficult conversation, having that courageous agility and the ability to think on my feet and pivot has gotten me everywhere that I've ever been in life. And so that's what I would recommend for folks to kind of think about going forward in the way they approach situations and challenges.

Speaker B: Um, well, thank you so much for sharing that. Those are great, great words of wisdom. Well, um, I know we're, um, out of time now, but we will definitely have information, more detailed information on your bio, links on where to find you, uh, and your organization. But I always love to give guests just a bit of air time to share as well. So if people want to learn more about you and your company, um, where can they find you all?

Speaker A: Sure, they can reach out to me on AppliedPotentialsolutions.com or you can find me on LinkedIn. I'm a LinkedIn lunatic. I love posting content about the HR space and technology and AI, so you could definitely find me there as well.

Speaker B: Oh, fantastic. Well, thank you so much, Laura, for the gift of your time. We absolutely loved having you on the podcast today.

Speaker A: My pleasure, Karen. Thank you so much.

Speaker B: Awesome. And thank you to listeners for the gift of your time as well. Uh, we know literally there are millions of other podcasts you could be listening to, and we do not take your patronage lightly at all. All that we ask is that you like and subscribe to the podcast and your favorite podcast platform of choice. And be sure to share our podcast with just one friend because by doing so, help us all get smarter about blended workforces at work. Thanks a ton and we will see you next week. And that's our show for today. Thank you for listening to the Lead at the Top of youf Game podcast where we help you lead your seat at any employer, business or industry in which you choose to play. You can check out the show notes, additional episodes, bonus resources, and also submit guest recommendations on our website@leadyourgamepodcast.com youm can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn by searching for the name Karen Rhodes, with Karen being spelled K A R A N. And if you like the show, the greatest gift you can give would be to subscribe and leave a rating on your podcast platform of choice. This podcast has been a production of shockingly different leadership, a global consultancy which helps organizations execute their people talent development and organizational effectiveness initiatives on an on demand project or contract basis. Huge thanks to our production and editing team for a job well done. Goodbye for now.