Episode 44 Hire Smarter: Stuart Kliman & Lieutenant General Todd Leslie Smith All The Difference: Leading Through a Workforce Built on Difference

What does a three-star general and a Harvard-trained negotiation consultant have in common? More than you might think -- and their new book, All the Difference, is the result of finding out.   In this episode of Hire Smarter, Tony Misura sits down with Stuart Kliman and Lieutenant General Todd Leslie Smith to talk about the leadership challenge that is quietly undermining organizations across every industry: the failure to lead effectively through difference. Four generations in the workforce. Divergent experiences, capabilities, and worldviews. Difference is not going away -- and the leaders who learn to tap into it will win.   Stu and General Smith walk through the framework at the heart of their book: four landmines that derail well-intentioned leaders, and six target actions that help them navigate through.   Topics covered in this episode: The four landmines: certainty, inconsistency, reactivity, and justification -- and why justification is the most insidious of them all The six target actions: know yourself, return to respect, activate honesty, see the full story, ignite togetherness, and commit to action Why the military's model of leadership is far more nuanced than the command-and-control caricature most people carry What General Smith learned managing January 6th, George Floyd, COVID, and a military housing crisis -- simultaneously How the building products industry stands to gain by treating workforce difference as an asset, not a liability The connection between military service member transition and the talent pipeline in construction and building products Why curiosity is the foundation of seeing the full story -- and how leaders can build it as a habit