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Workforce Therapy Files

Workforce Therapy Files

By: Jim Ray
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 This podcast is designed for business leaders and human resource professionals who are challenged with expanding their workforce. Workforce Therapy Files, an Employer Solutions Podcast, is hosted by 3 separate business owners who operate in the staffing and human resources space. They'll provide perspectives, tips and advice (along with a little humor) to help you prepare for and manage your workforce challenges. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: • Jamie Swaim, SPHR – www.ParcelKnows.com • Molley Ricketts – www.IncipioWorks.com • Jason Heflin – www.CrowdSouth.com We hope you find it insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!2023 Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Emily Sayers on KCTCS Programs for Employers

    Emily Sayers on KCTCS Programs for Employers
    Jul 2 2025
    File 29: In today’s file, the team discusses talent pipelines, workforce development and the real drivers behind economic growth in Kentucky. We welcome Emily Sayers, Kentucky’s Executive Director of Workforce Solutions at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Meet Emily Sayers Emily serves as the Executive Director in the Cabinet for Workforce and Economic Development, at KCTCS. She may have the longest title for anyone we’ve interviewed on the podcast. There are 16 workforce solutions divisions across Kentucky. This aligns with the 16 colleges within KCTCS. The focus is on business engagement, as well as the upskilling and reskilling of Kentucky’s workforce. Emily originally worked at the Gateway Community and Technical College in northern Kentucky. She viewed her role there as being a community resource for employers, beyond workforce. She often connected employers with any number of others who could play a part in helping them to address specific issues they were facing. Emily and here team could design and deliver customized training to assist employers. It could range from typical skills, such as MIG welding, to more adapted solutions including the welding, but in combination with a range of other company-specific needs, including managerial training. The training could be delivered onsite or at a campus and during times that worked best for the employer, including 3rd shift time slots. It would be a completely customized experienced. The goal for KCTCS is to move at the speed of business. They want to be the incubator for new programming, technologies and more. Timeline for New Orientation Programs and Other Programs Jamie asks Emily about the timeline involved in delivering programs for businesses. Orientation upskilling is a common type of program KCTCS develops for employers, including manufacturing sites, ranging from highly technical processes to basic information regarding two-step verification. If the curriculum already exists, KCTCS could deliver the new program in a week, assuming a subject matter expert can be identified and engaged. This comes back to the focus on moving at the speed of business. Other types of programs that are purely conceptual, at the outset, would require more time. It usually comes down to how prepared the employer is and what their timeline requirements are. Emily mentions there’s no real standard. This manifests in KCTCS working in the gray, as the development of a new program evolves. Customized Programs for the Community Jason comments how KCTCS can customize programs based on needs of a community. For instance, training heavy equipment operators. Once a successful program is developed, it may be possible for KCTCS to leverage parts or all of the training for other situations/locations. Are KCTCS Resources Available to Companies outside of Kentucky? Jason asks Emily if employers in other states can leverage the capabilities of KCTCS? While other states may offer similar services, actually, KCTCS does a lot of work in Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and other border states. Those non-Kentucky states may not have access to state incentives, but there are still opportunities for agile training and program development. KCTCS may be able to partner with other non-profits to assist in opportunities with those employers. How Does KCTCS Approach the Sustainability of the Programs It Develops? It depends on the situation. Some programs may move to the academic-side of Kentucky Community and Technical College System. They would be supported through that area. However, on the workforce development-side of the System, if there is an ongoing need by the employer, KCTCS can arrange to maintain that program. If the needs have moved beyond the initial program, the original program may sunset as resources are focused on developing more up-to-date programs. Jason notes how the community college system can be much more flexible and adaptive, when compared to traditional 4-year universities. Partnerships Across Kentucky Emily describes some of the partnerships they maintain across the state. One is the with the Strategic Workforce and Talent Team (SWATT). It’s comprised of many different entities. This include (but are not limited to) KCTCS, Department for Education and Labor, Cabinet for Economic Development, the Kentucky Chamber, and others. The goal of the partnership is ease of use for the employer. It brings all of Kentucky’s incentives and resources for employers in a clear format. It helps to streamline the conversation between employers and the available providers, while reducing confusion and redundancy. SWATT is still in its early days. There’s an identified effort to educate employers on how to access these program resources. How Do Employers Pay for KCTCS Services? Emily highlights KCTCS-TRAINS funding. This is an allocation of funds specifically for the ...
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    29 mins
  • STAT Training for Active Aggressor or Active Shooter Situations

    STAT Training for Active Aggressor or Active Shooter Situations
    Jun 18 2025
    File 28: In today’s file, the team addresses a serious topic. Active aggressor or active shooter situations are becoming more common that we’d like to admit. There are steps you can take to prepare yourself and your organization for this type emergency. We welcome the Eric Culver and Dale Massey, founders of STAT, a company focused on providing active aggressor training. They’ll share advice and insights on preparing for this dangerous situation. Editor’s Note: This file may not be suitable for all audiences, given the subject matter that will be discussed. Meet Eric and Dale Eric started with the Jefferson County Police in 2001. His father is a retired police officer. After 7 years, he joined the FBI. Eric later returned to the police department, as a member of the SWAT team. The mission of the SWAT team is to save lives. He remained part of SWAT for 16 years and eventually retired after serving 21 years with the police force. Dale joined the police department in 2000. Dale eventually joined SWAT as the Assistant Commander. He eventually retired from the SWAT, as the Team Commander in 2021. He credits Eric’s effort in getting the Louisville’s SWAT team established as one of about 50 full-time teams in the US. Eric came up with a concept to train people, once he and Dale retired. That was the genesis of their company, STAT, based out of Louisville, Kentucky. What Inspired Eric and Dale to Create a Program for Active Aggressor Training? Eric seriously enjoyed being part of SWAT, a small-unit team that worked to hone the skill sets of individual members to function as an effective team. When bad things happened, he wanted to be the one who got the call. Eric recalls joining the police department 1 week before 9/11. SWAT spent most of its time working around active-shooter situations. Over time, the term evolved into active aggressor or armed assailant. They developed a response to the city, modeled off of what they learned from a program called, Rescue Task Force. It’s a collaboration between police, fire and EMS developed to help them more effectively respond to scenes. There have been notable situations in our country’s past, during which this type of integration and execution were not thoroughly planned and the results were tragic. Think back to Columbine, Standard Gravure, and others. Dale and Eric were called to the 2018 J-Town Kroger, active-shooter incident. Eric was one of the first officers to enter the building. Eric comments that while he and Dale have 20+ years of training for these types of situations, the regular individual who may be caught in a situation does not. They decided to build a program to provide these services to individuals and organizations. Their approach is to empower and educate people in a positive way. Why Do People Tend to Avoid the Topic? Dale explains that people often don’t want to think about what could happen. “That’ll never happen to me” is an approach people want to believe. However, just in Louisville, we’ve experienced the Standard Gravure, J-Town Kroger and the Old National Bank shootings. These events are actually under-reported. It takes effort to prepare, plan and train for these potential situations. Most people simple prefer to take the easy approach, which is to ignore the possibility. STAT focuses on empowering people; not scaring them. In the event something does happen, you’ll have options, because you’ve taken steps to prepare yourself and your organization. It’s Similar to an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) Many people take time to prepare for a fire or tornado. Preparing for an active aggressor situation is a similar methodology. STAT Offers Services to Businesses STAT provides a range of services to businesses and organizations. A comprehensive, threat assessment is the first step. STAT will do an onsite assessment of your business environment, security procedures, camera surveillance, etc. It will be simple, but impactful and most importantly, actionable. STAT works closely with Homeland Security. They also do a lot of work with non-profit organizations. Many are able to get grant money to offset some or all of the cost. In addition to site assessments, they offer classroom training, active aggressor training, de-escalation training, medical-based training, live scenarios, custom-content for specific needs, and much more. Jaime has experienced training sessions provided by STAT. There were are few ah-ha moments. One fact she realized is that your typical office first-aid kit is not prepared for this type of emergency. Jamie has been first-aid certified and has completed OSHA-30 training, in addition to other workplace safety training sessions. None of them prepared her for how to pack a wound or apply a tourniquet. STAT taught her that valuable skill. Jamie also appreciates the tips and advice STAT offered ...
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    51 mins
  • Benefits of Vision Boards and Life Boards

    Benefits of Vision Boards and Life Boards
    Jun 3 2025
    File 27: In today’s file, the team explores the benefits of vision boards and life boards. They each talk about how they approach these tools in their own lives. This conversation springs from a new experience Jamie is working through that took an unexpected turn, at the outset. The team welcomes their podcast producer, Jim Ray, to participate with them in the discussion. The Executive Coaching Experience Jamie shares that she’s recently begun working with an executive coach at Building Champions. One way the coach has challenged her is to be more intentional about herself. That came as a bit of a surprise. It wasn’t exactly what Jamie was anticipating, although she knows it’s been an area she’s often overlooked, while helping others. Jamie asks Molley whether she uses a vision board and to explain her overall life-planning process. When Molley’s kids were young, the family would create vision boards during the Thanksgiving break. It was interesting to see how those young brains worked. They’d cutout pictures and color the poster board based on where they saw themselves in a year. As a result, it became apparent that they needed to do something more. While Molley sees the value in using a vision board, life-planning is bigger than that. Assuming the average lifespan is between 70 and 80 years old, she suggests making a grid comprised of 80 squares. Put an X in each of the boxes that represents as year, up to your current age. The visual is typically a grid with many fewer boxes remaining, that you might have initially thought. Is it worth being as stressed out as we probably are? Where do we want to be in 5-10 years? What will retirement look like? How do we begin taking steps to make the life we want to live in retirement? Jamie admits when she considers what the future is going to look like, she has trouble bringing that vision into focus. Jason suggests that may be one of the reasons she elected to begin working with a coach. Jamie comments she feels she does a nice job of talking about intentionality in the professional setting, but when that conversation is focused inward, she struggles. Producer Jim relates to Jamie. As a sales professional and sales manager, he knows how to craft a territory strategy for revenue growth, it becomes much more difficult on the personal level. You realize how quickly time has passed. The thing we used to value may no longer hold as much value in our lives. He’s never built a vision board, so he’s looking forward to this discussion. Creating a Vision Board and a Life Board Molley explains how someone might view a vision board, until they finally accomplish one of those items on the board. Then, the process, focus and meaning begins to fall into place. Jason admits it may feel a little “woo-woo.” But, by placing an item on your vision board, it holds you accountable. In fact, he’s been doing vision boards for roughly 20 years. Jason divides his board into a work column and a personal column. There might be 4-10 items he lists that he really wants to accomplish in the upcoming year. The important aspect is that it’s measurable. It may be a dollar amount, a specific number of days, or some other trackable objective. This way, he “knows what done looks like.” Interestingly, he also resists removing items from his board, unless there’s a major intervening factor. He wants this board to stare him in the face. While his primary board is a 1-year timeframe. He also creates a 3-year, 5-year and 10-year version, enabling him to focus on long-term aspirations. At age 50, Jason comments that understanding the limited time he has left may sound a bit morbid. Molley recasts that perspective as, “How you’re going to feel your joy.” These are an outline of the steps he’ll take to achieve that joy. Jamie asks how Jason and Molley got started with their vision boards. Jason had just left a corporate job. He wanted to take a year off. The board was a collection of activities he wanted to experiment with, such as consulting, becoming fractional senior leader for a small company, etc. Within 4 weeks of leaving his corporate job, he became a fractional marketing VP and had a consulting client. He was astonished by how quickly these items became realities. He knew it was time to take another crack at his vision board. Jason explains that once he added something to the board, he’d take time to work backwards to determine what would have to happen in order for that vision to become manifest. For most motivated professionals, having an item on a vision board can be a significant source of focus and determination. Jamie came up through her education learning about servant-leadership. There was a focus on helping others to live the lives they wanted to live. When she took her first step at creating a vision board, it was very emotional for her. It was ...
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    41 mins
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