Bryan Howard's Linkedin Analytics

Warning: This post contains controversial language. Words like "problem". And "pain". You’ve been warned. Recently, someone declined to be interviewed for my next book, "People Problems, Solved." I’m interviewing 300 people from all walks of business life, collecting stories about the real challenges they’ve faced with people at work - the good, the bad, and, yes, the ugly. This person said they couldn’t participate because I had used the word "pain" to describe what leaders experience on the job. It didn’t align with their values. Fair enough. But it made me think. Because leadership does come with pain and problems. So does growth. So does change. And pretending otherwise doesn’t make it easier on anyone. Here’s what I know: Problems get attention. Pain gets our focus. They tell us something’s wrong. They demand we do something about it. Ignoring them means things will get worse. But when we swap out "problem" for "opportunity" to soften the language, we lose urgency. We make it sound optional. Like something we’ll get around to next quarter. Or never. Meanwhile, people are burning out. Morale is slipping. And turnover is creeping up. Softening the language doesn’t protect people. It protects leaders from having to act. If you want real change, call it what it is. Your people can handle it. In fact, they’re waiting for it. P.S. If you’ve got a people problem story of your own and want to be part of People Problems, Solved, send me a DM, and let’s get it scheduled!

Your 5-round job interview isn't thorough; it's theater. You're not uncovering hidden skills; you're exhausting good candidates. Here's a simple, 3-step interview process to quickly identify the right hire without wasting anyone’s time: Step 1: Clear Expectations Start with a short conversation to clarify role specifics, salary alignment, and non-negotiables. If it's not a fit, end gracefully and move on. Step 2: The "Tell-Me-How" Technique Skip unpaid tasks and STAR interview questions. Instead, ask candidates practical questions like: "What are the first three steps you'd take if [common problem] happened?" "Tell me step-by-step how you'd approach [specific job challenge]." "How do you know when you've done your job well or failed?" Instantly see their judgment, problem-solving, measurement activities, and real-world thinking. Step 3: The Fit Check End by assessing culture alignment. Find out what motivates them, what environment they thrive in, and how they collaborate best with your current team. Stop turning hiring into performance art. Respect candidates' time, and you'll attract better talent, faster. Bonus tip (for Hiring Managers): If candidates hesitate at any point, ask, "Is there anything else you wish we’d discussed?" You'll instantly uncover what's really important to them. P.S. for Job Seekers: Be ready to clearly describe your approach to common challenges you might face in the role. Specific examples always set you apart. Interview smarter. Hire better.

Retention Is a Leadership Problem, Not an HR Problem. You heard that right. Retention issues aren't just about better perks, pizza parties, or HR-sponsored wellness days. They're about leadership. Employees don't quit companies—they quit leaders who: - Fail to provide clarity and direction - Don't invest in their team's growth - Don't invest in the tools and resources that drive success - Miss opportunities to genuinely appreciate and recognize efforts - Lack the emotional intelligence to build trust and rapport If you're losing great talent, stop pointing fingers at HR. Instead, reflect on how you're leading your team. Practical Steps to Own Your Retention: - Clarify Expectations: Clear roles and goals make people feel ready. - Prioritize Growth: Clear futures engage employees Remember the golden trio: - A way to grow - A chance to show - A place to go - Recognize Consistently: Genuine appreciation drives loyalty. Retention starts—and ends—with leadership. P.S. Curious how others have tackled this? I'm happy to share what's working for leaders I know. Drop a comment or message me. I'm always here for a good conversation.

Want to boost team engagement without adding another meeting to the calendar? Here's a 5-minute team check-in that builds trust, connection, and clarity (without extra meetings). Try this once a week. It works best at the start or end of the day. Just ask each team member to answer these three questions: - What’s one thing you’re proud of from this week? - What’s one thing you’re stuck on? - What’s one thing you need from the team? That’s it. No long reports. No status slides. No awkward silences. Just real talk that helps people feel seen, supported, and part of something that matters. And if you’re a manager, don’t just listen to the answers. Respond. Celebrate wins. Clear roadblocks. Follow up on needs. The best part? You can do this over email, chat, or as part of a standup. No new meetings required. It’s a small habit with a big impact. Want more simple systems like this to engage and grow your team? Click the follow button.

Want to hear about the top people problems businesses deal with and how to solve them? I'll be speaking on CEO Talks tomorrow. Come join us for the live event.

Want to nail your next behavioral interview? Go deeper with these tips straight from my playbook. Anticipate the ‘Why’: Understand the core value behind the question (problem-solving, adaptability, etc.) and tailor your response accordingly. Build a Narrative Bank: Create a library of stories that highlight key skills like leadership and teamwork. Be ready to adapt them to the role you're applying for. Highlight Setbacks: Share how you’ve faced challenges and, most importantly, what you learned from them. Growth and resilience are key. Align with Company Culture: Tailor your stories to match the company’s values. Show how you fit into their specific environment, not just any job. Focus on Impact: Instead of listing every step, emphasize the outcome and lessons learned. Be concise but show your thinking process. Before & After Framing: Present your story in terms of a clear transformation. Tell them what the problem was and how you made a difference. Strategic Vulnerability: Share a mistake or challenge, but focus on how it led to growth. Don’t overdo it. Just add enough to show maturity and self-awareness. These deeper strategies will help you stand out rather than just sounding prepared. We’ve made it even easier by creating a free cheat sheet for you with the top interview questions, the skills interviewers are looking for, and tips on how to tell the best stories. It’s available for free download in the comments. Grab your copy and start prepping today. It's your moment to shine!

Want more accountability from your team? Stop killing it with your leadership style. You want a team that takes ownership. But you're stuck chasing them for updates, fixing their mistakes, and wondering why no one seems to care as much as you do. Here’s the hard truth: You might be the one getting in the way. Real accountability doesn’t come from hovering. It comes from clarity, consistency, and trust. Here’s how to build it without micromanaging: 1. Set Clear, Outcome-Based Expectations    Tell them what needs to happen, not how to do it.    Let them own the path. 2. Check in Without Taking Over    Stay in the loop with short, scheduled conversations.    Ask questions. Don’t take the wheel. 3. Create a Culture Where Truth Wins    Celebrate honesty, even when it’s uncomfortable.    Accountability starts when it's safe to admit mistakes. 4. Model the Behavior You Want    Own your decisions. Own your outcomes.    Your team will follow what you do, not what you say. 5. Allow Consequences to Teach    Don’t shield people from the outcomes of poor follow-through.    Growth comes from facing reality. Not from being rescued. 6. Celebrate Wins Large and Small    Nothing drives behavior like positive reinforcement.    When you see accountability in action, celebrate it publically. If you want your team to step up, you need to step back with intention. The right environment turns potential into ownership. And that environment is largely up to you. P.S. What if someone keeps dropping the ball even with trust, clarity, and support? That’s not a system problem. It’s a personnel problem. And it needs to be addressed directly, not patched with more control. Never make rules for everyone just to control the behavior of one bad actor.

“When you add new strengths to the team, everyone gets better.” Construction is changing. And that’s an opportunity. My friend AJ Waters just shared a fantastic blog that highlights a simple truth: Welcoming more women into construction will strengthen the entire industry. From solving complex problems to creating safer, more collaborative jobsites, women are bringing skills and perspectives that make construction teams more complete. And, in an industry where talent is hard to find, tapping into the full potential of your workforce isn’t optional—it’s essential. If you’re in construction or construction staffing, or you just have FOMO about what AJ had to say,  give this a read. And if you like it, hit the subscribe button on his site. https://lnkd.in/etb6zyjB AJ, this is a message more leaders need to hear. Thanks for leading the way. #ConstructionLeadership #WorkforceDevelopment #WomenInConstruction #PeopleProblemsSolved #Peoplyst

2025 hiring isn’t about finding talent. It’s about proving they should work for you. The best people aren’t applying. They’re shopping. And they’re deciding if your company is worth their time, skills, and energy. This isn’t recruiting. It’s marketing. And the way you show up will decide whether they buy what you’re selling. Here are 3 trends shaping how talent shops for opportunity in 2025. - Candidates Are Now Consumers Your next hire isn’t just browsing job boards. They’re doing their research. They read the reviews. They follow your employees. They judge your leadership team by the way they post, respond, and show up. And they compare you to every other opportunity they have… Even if you never hear from them. Candidates now shop for employers like they shop for everything else. Whether they apply or not comes down to your employer brand. It’s about trust, relevance, and experience. And in 2025, if you don’t show them why you’re worth it, you won’t even be in the cart. - Skills Are the New Currency The consumer mindset doesn’t end with how candidates choose you. It changes what they expect from you. Top talent doesn’t care about fitting into your boxes. They want to be valued for what they bring, not where they’ve been. And if your process can’t spot their skills, they’ll shop somewhere else. Skills-first hiring isn’t a trend. It’s the new path forward. And the currency is capability, not credentials. - Fast Isn’t Optional Anymore Consumers expect instant everything. Top Talent is no different. If your hiring process drags, you’re out of the running quickly. Candidates are making decisions fast. If you’re not, you lose. Speed isn’t just efficiency. It’s proof that you value their time. In 2025, fast-track hiring is the bare minimum. It's already 2025. If candidates are consumers, what is your company selling? That’s the question every leader and manager should be asking right now.

If I see one more AI-written post about "being your authentic self" I might lose it. You know the ones. “Happy Friday LinkedIn fam! 🎉 Show up as your authentic self ✅ Drink water 🥛 Be kind 😊 Crush your Q2 goals 🚀 Let’s gooo!” It’s not just cringey. It’s empty. And honestly, it’s starting to feel like no one’s actually there anymore. Because when we let machines write our voices we lose the part of work that matters most. AI can write the update. It can schedule the meeting. It can summarize the talking points. It can even sound like you. But it can’t see a struggling teammate. It can’t build trust in tough conversations. It can’t mentor. It can’t care. It can’t lead. And leadership is what we need most right now. Not more noise. Not more fake energy. Not more polished posts pretending to be people. (alliteration is purportedly still perfectly palatable) We need presence. We need honesty. We need the kind of leadership that can’t be templated. Because while AI is creating a sea of sameness real humans have the chance to stand out. Let AI do the grunt work so you can do the human work. If done right, AI is the noise. Your humanity is the signal.

Promoting your top performer could be the fastest way to lose them. They’re your star. They always deliver. They don’t complain. They pick up the slack. So you promote them. Makes sense, right? Until it doesn’t. Because what made them great at their job might be exactly what makes them struggle in their new role. Different job. Different skillset. Different success profile. High performance in one seat doesn’t guarantee high potential in another. Here’s what often happens: - You lose a great employee in the role they were thriving in - You gain a struggling manager who’s in over their head - The team starts to feel the ripple effect None of that is their fault. It’s ours. For not preparing them for what leadership really demands. Before you promote, ask this: - Can this person coach others? - Can they influence without doing it all themselves? - Can they drive performance through people, not just personal effort? If the answer is no, it’s not a hard stop. It’s a cue to invest in development BEFORE the promotion. Not every great employee should lead. Not every great employee wants to lead. But every great employee deserves a chance to grow in the right direction. Promote potential, not just performance. And prepare them like it matters. Because it does.

I’ve seen people problems wreck good businesses. I’ve watched them wreck good leaders, too. I know because I’ve been one of those leaders. The leader who thought he had it handled. The one who said "It's a process problem." "A strategy problem." "A market problem." Anything but a people problem. Because when you admit it’s a people problem, It hits different. It feels personal. You start asking yourself… What if I don’t know how to fix this? Am I the problem here? Did I fail my team? I’ve been in those rooms. Boardrooms with the sharpest minds and the biggest titles. And we’d talk around it. Endless strategy decks. System upgrades. More reports. But underneath it all, the issue was always the same. People. We weren’t leading them well. And we wouldn't admit it. For years, I watched it happen. Great teams falling apart. Good people leaving. Leaders carrying the weight alone, pretending they were fine. That’s why I started Peoplyst. Because people problems don’t fix themselves. They get heavier. They get messier. They destroy leaders' careers. And they take good businesses down with them. But here’s what I learned the hard way: When you face people problems head-on When you finally admit you need help When you actually lead your people Everything changes. Trust builds. Turnover slows. People show up and step up. And your business grows because your people grow first. At Peoplyst, we've seen it all. We help leaders solve people problems. For real. For good. Because I’ve lived the hard way. And I know how much better it can be for you. If you’re carrying the weight of it, let’s talk. You don’t have to do it alone.

Is it a Scam or a Real Opportunity? The job market is brutal right now. If you’ve been out of work for a while, every rejection hits harder. Bills pile up, savings drain away, and hope can start to fade. In these tough times, a job posting that promises remote work, incredible pay, flexible hours, and no experience necessary can seem like exactly what you've been waiting for. Finally! A break, a lifeline, a chance to breathe again. But here’s the harsh truth: it’s probably too good to be true. Scammers prey on exactly this desperation. They count on you being so hopeful, so ready for relief, that you overlook red flags. Be cautious of postings with: - Remote work opportunities promising unusually high pay for simple tasks. - Claims of quick, easy money or an immediate start without clear details. - Vague descriptions or pressure to sign up immediately without proper interviews. - Requests for personal or banking information up front. Sometimes, it's not an outright scam. It's just a genuinely terrible job hidden behind shiny words and false promises. You deserve better than that. Your time, talent, and dignity are valuable. If you're unsure about a job posting, don't hesitate to reach out to me. At Peoplyst, we’re committed to helping job seekers avoid traps and find roles that truly value them. We're here to offer clarity or a second opinion on a job ad when you need it most. Stay hopeful, stay cautious, and know you’re never alone. The right job is out there for you.

Top talent skipped your job posting. Here's why. Before I start, you might be thinking, "But I got 300 applicants on my last role—how could my job description and job ads be limiting?" OK. But were they the right candidates? Quantity doesn't always equal quality. Here are 3 common red flags (and green flag solutions) to ensure you're attracting the best, not just the most: Red Flag 1: A Job That Reads Like a Laundry List   Long lists of tasks signal overload and scare off top performers.   You see the opportunity for more responsibility. They see long hours and burnout. Green Flag Solution:   Clarify priorities by listing key responsibilities clearly.   Keep the list short and focused on the main purpose of the job. Red Flag 2: Vague Expectations   Unclear expectations leave great talent uncertain about how they'll be measured.   If you can't clearly articulate what success looks like, they'll look for an employer who can. Green Flag Solution:   Define specific outcomes and how success will be evaluated.   Giving candidates confidence and clarity will increase your chances of landing the perfect person. Red Flag #3: All Tasks, No Purpose   Great candidates don't just want to know what they'll do, but why their role matters.   And "competitive pay rates and great benefits," isn't it. Green Flag Solution:   Highlight the role's impact, growth opportunities, and how it aligns with the company's mission.   Help the candidates see themselves as a winner in your organization. Your job ad and description are your first impression. Are you sure it resonates with the talent you really want? What job description pitfalls drive you crazy? P.S. Pro-tip: If your job descriptions and job ads start with a paragraph about your company, change it immediately. The first few lines of your job description become preview text for big sites like Indeed. Do you really  want every job you post to have preview text that says: "At [company name], we have over [x] locations in [x] states and serve [X] customers per year with our   dedicated staff of [x number of] employees." Instead, use that valuable preview text real estate for something exciting about the job - something that makes job seekers get excited about opening it! Put the corporate marketing stuff at the end. "Love shopping? Get paid to bring brands to life! Join us as a Retail Merchandiser and transform     everyday products into irresistible customer experiences. Your next career adventure starts here!"

How to Destroy Trust on Your Team in 3 Easy Steps Looking to crush team morale? Want to make sure no one ever trusts you again? Perfect. Here’s your three-step blueprint. Step 1: Micromanage Every Move Hover. Question. Second-guess. Make it clear you don’t believe anyone can do the job without your supervision. If they breathe wrong, correct them. Nothing says "I trust you" like constant interference. Step 2: Play Favorites Promote the ones you like. Ignore the ones who deliver results but don’t flatter you. Consistency is overrated. People love guessing where they stand every day. Step 3: Say One Thing. Do Another. Preach transparency. Then make secret decisions in back rooms. Talk about valuing feedback, then punish anyone brave enough to be honest. No faster way to kill trust than proving your word means nothing. Want a team that doesn’t trust you? This works every time. But if you’re tired of the drama, low performance, and constant turnover that comes with mistrust... Start doing the opposite. Your team wants a leader they can count on. Be the one who delivers. Teams transform dreams. Trust builds teams. Which leader are you?

What Hiring Managers Really Mean by "We’re Looking for Culture Fit" Here's what they often mean:   "We want someone we like personally."   "We prefer someone who thinks just like us."   "We’re worried new ideas might disrupt our routine." That's not culture fit. That's culture cloning. Real culture fit is about shared values, not shared personalities. It means hiring people who: - Align with your company's purpose, not just your preferences. - Bring fresh ideas that challenge the status quo. - Add to your culture, not just blend into it. The next time you hear "culture fit," ask: "Are we looking for someone who matches our culture or someone who makes it better?" Managers: Hiring only "safe" candidates ensures you'll remain exactly where you are today. Job seekers: If a manager asks about "culture fit," show them how your differences enhance the culture, not just blend into it. P.S. Real innovation thrives on differences, not similarities. Hire wisely.

Stop asking job candidates, "Why did you leave your last job?" That question might feel safe, but it rarely gets honest answers. You're only hearing polished, carefully rehearsed responses. And you're asking the candidate to place blame on something or someone. Want to use a question that'll instantly unlock what candidates really think? Ask this instead: "What's something important you're hoping to get here that was missing in your last role?" This question reveals: - Real career motivators - Core values and expectations - Whether your opportunity is the right fit The question focuses on the future. It helps you and the candidate mentally picture them in the role. Ask smarter questions, and you'll hire better people. P.S. for job seekers: Be prepared to honestly share what's important to you and why it matters. It makes you instantly memorable.

They said yes to your job offer. Are you about to make them regret it? You spent weeks searching for the right person. Reviewed dozens of resumes. Held countless interviews. Finally, you found them. Then they start… and it all falls apart. No clear direction. No connection to the team. No sense of purpose or belonging. Within days, they’re questioning their decision. Within weeks, they’re disengaged. Within months, they’re gone. Poor onboarding doesn’t just waste time and money. It sabotages trust, kills momentum, and drains morale. Want your new hires to thrive? Start by giving them three things from day one: A way to grow A chance to show A place to go They said yes to you. Now it’s your turn to say yes to them. Does onboarding feel like a problem in your company? I'm happy to help. Have you had a terrible onboarding experience? Tell me all about it.

Here's what to do when you’re ghosted after an interview... It happens more often than anyone wants to admit. You prep. You show up. You give it your best. And then… silence. No follow-up. No rejection. Just ghosted. Here’s what to do next: 1. Give it a beat. Sometimes delays are just delays. People get busy. Decisions get held up. Give it a week before jumping to conclusions. 2. Send one final follow-up. Keep it short. Keep it polite. Reaffirm your interest, ask if there’s been an update, and thank them again for the opportunity. 3. Let it go and move forward. If there’s no response, take the silence as a sign. Not of your worth, but of how they operate. A company that ghosts candidates isn’t one you want to depend on for clarity or communication. 4. Reflect and redirect. Use what you learned to get sharper. Was the role truly aligned with your goals? Did something in the process raise red flags? Use the experience to fuel smarter next steps. Being ghosted says nothing about your value. But it says everything about how they handle people. You deserve better. P.S. If this keeps happening, it may not be your resume. It may be how you're positioning your value. Need help with that? Check out the link in the comments to another LinkedIn post on nailing behavior interviews. There's a free download for you there, too.