I Hate It Here

Listen, I tried so hard not to cry recording this episode…and ultimately, Today George Boone and I are talking about grief, the thing that HR loves to pretend can be solved with a three-day bereavement policy and a sad little “OOO.”  But grief is messy and human and shows up everywhere: in how you work, lead, love, set boundaries, and literally get out of bed.  George and I both carry losses that changed us forever, and instead of shoving that into the corporate void, we’re unpacking what it actually means to keep showing up while your heart is busy learning a whole new shape.  It’s honest. It’s tender. And somehow…it’s also hopeful. Teamtailor is the fun, intuitive ATS that candidates actually like and recruiters don’t dread opening on Monday mornings. Create branded career sites, automate the boring stuff, and give candidates the hiring experience they dream of  — without burning out your team. Check them out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here. 00:04:27 - Yes, George Boone IS Related to Daniel Boone and Benson Boone 00:08:43 - The Grief That Shaped George the Most as a Person 00:16:45 - How Grief Shows up at Work  00:27:38 - How Grief Shows up in Your Style of Leadership 00:34:03 - The Loneliness That Comes With Grief 00:39:32 - Functioning at Work While You’re Experiencing Grief 00:58:02 - How Grief Makes You Softer/Sharper And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!   Follow George: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgelboone/   Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Workplace culture rewires us in ways that could take a whole lifetime to understand. It shapes our identity, confidence, authority issues, communication style, and even how we show up outside of work without realizing it!  And Jessie Stettin and I go there: your real life shows up at work too, influencing how you lead, handle conflict, and how you interpret every “quick chat” from your boss.  Who would have thought that things you did as a child still influence your work identity in such sneaky ways??? Culture is this invisible exchange constantly happening in both directions, shaping you while you’re shaping it…whether you signed up for it or not. Teamtailor is the fun, intuitive ATS that candidates actually like and recruiters don’t dread opening on Monday mornings. Create branded career sites, automate the boring stuff, and give candidates the hiring experience they dream of  — without burning out your team. Check them out ⁠⁠⁠⁠here. 0:05:00 - How Jessie Became an End-of-Life Doula 0:10:09 - Childhood Rules We Assumed Still Applied at Work, But Don’t 0:18:50 - Lessons About Authority and Belonging at Work 0:26:41 - Cultures That Have Shaped How Jessie Thinks About Success 0:36:47 - Being Stuck in an Environment Where You Feel Like You Don’t Belong 0:42:43 - A Point in Your Career When You Can Influence Your Culture 0:56:02 - How Jessie Would Redesign How People Socialize at Work And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!   Follow Jessie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessiestettin/   Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Belonging at work is one of those things everyone claims to care about… right up until someone shows up as their full self and suddenly it’s “not professional!”  I hate the idea that someone has to assimilate to belong, so Erica Lydell and I pull the curtain all the way back on masking, identity, neurodiversity, and why belonging is less warm fuzzy feeling and more daily emotional CrossFit.  If you’ve ever been the only one in the room (or felt like you had to earn your seat) this episode will hit you square in the gut…in a good way! Teamtailor is the fun, intuitive ATS that candidates actually like and recruiters don’t dread opening on Monday mornings. Create branded career sites, automate the boring stuff, and give candidates the hiring experience they dream of  — without burning out your team. Check them out ⁠⁠⁠here. 0:02:23 - Erica’s Experience Riding a Camel 0:07:02 - Learning That Belonging at Work Isn’t Automatic 0:10:02 - Having to Mute Yourself in Professional Settings 0:18:13 - The Concept of Professionalism 0:26:59 - What Does Belonging at Work Feel Like? 0:42:01 - What Leaders Need to Understand About How Identities Impact How People Show up at Work 0:49:29 - Where to Find Erica And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!   Follow Erica: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-lydell-b0933840/  Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

Okay, friends…this episode is pure fun (okay, a little usual chaos too) in the best way, because I sat down with my actual direct report, Madison Montgomery, who confessed ON AIR that she has never listened to my podcast.  And honestly? Fair.  We talk generational gaps (including the infamous “generational shits” typo I will never emotionally recover from) and the magical Venn diagram that forms when an HR Millennial and a Gen Z truther try to get work done together.  It’s lowkey unhinged, but I hope some of you have this much fun with your own direct reports! Teamtailor is the fun, intuitive ATS that candidates actually like and recruiters don’t dread opening on Monday mornings. Create branded career sites, automate the boring stuff, and give candidates the hiring experience they dream of  — without burning out your team. Check them out ⁠⁠here. 0:01:34 -  Hebba Prepares to be Questioned 0:10:09 - Things People Ops Leaders Get Wrong Early in Their Career 0:19:13 - Inheriting Madision as a Direct Report 0:25:39 - How Hebba’s Management Style Evolved Over the Years 0:37:07 - Things Hebba Has Learned From Madison 0:47:10 - Rapid Fire Questions And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!   Follow Madison: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-montgomery14/   Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef

This episode might be my most unhinged and enlightening one yet.  The first half is a live coaching session where I fully spiral about my impatience and need for constant clarity (yes, I’m aware of the irony).  In the second half, we go deep on how your leadership style isn’t just who you are, but it’s who work and past experiences have trained you to be.  My guest, leadership coach Mary Pat Jacobs, helps me unpack the mess with empathy, humor, and more therapy-adjacent insights than I was emotionally prepared for.  Buckle up and get ready to take some notes, friends! Teamtailor is the fun, intuitive ATS that candidates actually like and recruiters don’t dread opening on Monday mornings. Create branded career sites, automate the boring stuff, and give candidates the hiring experience they dream of  — without burning out your team. Check them out ⁠here. 0:04:12 - The Coaching Agreement   0:07:42 - Determining Success During Coaching 0:18:41 - The Story Hebba Tells Herself About Disappointment 0:27:23 - How Feeling Disappointment Impacts Hebba 0:42:31 - Patterns that Most OFten Shape How Leaders Show up at Work 0:46:21 - How Early Career Experiences Subtly Shape Default Leadership Styles  0:51:22 - Helping Separate Who People Are From What Work Taught Them to Be 0:54:28 - A Belief Most Professionals Need to Unlearn to Grow And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content!   Follow Mary: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marypatjacobs/   Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef