Good Morning, HR

• Should We Hire for Character and Fit? with Mike Lyons

  In episode 223, Coffey talks with Mike Lyons about why hiring for character and behavior often predicts success better than relying on experience or technical skills.They discuss how HR leaders can define and hire for the right character traits by first understanding business strategy (for example, Walmart vs. Nordstrom models); aligning hiring with authentic, observable core values; identifying the specific attitudes and behaviors that make top performers successful in each role; using structured behavioral interviews to identify values; conducting reference checks as investigative conversations rather than formalities; designing realistic job previews to reduce turnover; and maintaining objectivity by keeping character assessments job-related and bias-free.You can access Mike’s free library of free downloads to elevate your healthcare clinic from merely OK to excellent here: https://www.seasoned-advice.com/signup-for-free-downloadsGood Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for three quarters of recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.About our Guest:Mike Lyons is the Chief Consultant for Seasoned Advice HR Services, which helps highly motivated healthcare clinics with HR support. He is a frequent presenter at healthcare conferences on the topics of leadership, culture, and employee engagement. He is a graduate of LSU and the University of Illinois and resides in Austin, TX with his wife and kids.Mike Lyons can be reached at https://www.seasoned-advice.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelyonshr https://www.instagram.com/seasonedadviceAbout Mike Coffey:Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.Learning Objectives:1. Recognize how strategic alignment clarifies which behavioral traits drive business results.2. Define authentic organizational and role-specific values based on top-performer analysis.3. Apply structured interviews, probing, and reference checks to assess character without bias.

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• Designing Leadership Programs that Work with LeAnne Lagasse

  In episode 222, Coffey talks with consultant and author LeAnne Lagasse about effective leadership development initiatives and what she calls “congruent leadership.”  They discuss why most leadership training programs fail to deliver ROI; the importance of reverse engineering programs from specific organizational outcomes; the significant impact of frontline managers on employee engagement; the gap between knowledge transfer and skill execution; building programs with practice, peer learning, and self-reflection components; “soft skills” deficits across the workforce; “congruent leadership” as alignment of self-perception and team experience; and the 70-20-10 learning model’s impact on development.  You can find LeAnne’s new book “The Congruent Leader: Build Trust, Lead with Self-Awareness, and Close the Gap Between How You See Yourself and How Others Experience You” here https://a.co/d/ehUoYLx  Hardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-congruent-leader-leanne-lagasse/1148446437?ean=9798999501912   Book website: https://www.thecongruentleaderbook.com   Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.   If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.   About our Guest:  LeAnne Lagasse is the author of “The Congruent Leader: Build Trust, Lead with Self-Awareness, and Close the Gap Between How You See Yourself and How Others Experience You.”   LeAnne is also an HR consultant and keynote speaker who helps leaders and organizations improve employee engagement and retention, as well as develop their people managers.   LeAnne is a SHRM-SCP, a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths© Coach, and also serves as adjunct faculty at Missouri State University, where she teaches professional communication courses to MBA students.   Before launching her consulting business, LeAnne was a faculty member and the Director of Public Speaking in the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University, where she served for 14 years. Alongside her husband, Ben, she is a proud mom to three children and two pet prairie dogs.  LeAnne’s book, “The Congruent Leader: Build Trust, Lead with Self-Awareness, and Close the Gap Between How You See Yourself and How Others Experience You” is available at https://a.co/d/e2vm4d1.   LeAnne Lagasse can be reached at: https://www.leannelagasse.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leannelagasse/  https://www.facebook.com/leannelagasseconsulting   About Mike Coffey:  Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business. Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.  Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community. Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.  Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week. Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.  Learning Objectives:   Design leadership development programs that span extended timeframes with multiple learning modalities including peer collaboration, low-stakes practice opportunities, and structured reinforcement rather than relying on one-day events or single webinars. Incorporate self-awareness and reflection exercises into leadership training to help managers identify their natural strengths, biases, and communication tendencies that create barriers to their own success. Implement the 70-20-10 learning model by prioritizing challenging practice exercises (70%), supportive coaching and mentoring relationships (20%), and formal content delivery (10%) to maximize leadership development ROI. 

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• The $100K H-1B: What We Know Today with Jason Finkelman

  In episode 221, Coffey talks with Jason Finkelman about the September 2025 presidential proclamation requiring a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions and its potential impact on employers and foreign workers.They discuss the vague proclamation language creating confusion about fee applicability; the H-1B lottery process; how prevailing wage requirements are designed to prevent exploitation; consulting companies farming out H-!B workers; the possible impact on small and medium employers; alternatives to H-1Bs; and what to expect in the spring H-1B lottery.Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.About our Guest:Jason Finkelman is an Immigration Attorney working with domestic and foreign businesses, as well as international individuals in a variety of employment-based and family-based immigration matters. He represents U.S. and international companies, entrepreneurs, investors, business-owners, executives, professionals, skilled workers, students, and families in obtaining employment visas, lawful permanent residence ("green cards") and U.S. citizenship. Jason has worked with clients across a number of industries including high-tech, semiconductor, healthcare, higher education, energy, oil and gas, import/export, research, video game, as well as professional athletics, music, and entertainment to help them meet their immigration goals. Jason continues to be at the forefront of immigration law. Please visit www.finkelmanlaw.com for more information on his services.Jason Finkelman can be reached athttps://www.finkelmanlaw.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfinkelman/https://www.facebook.com/finkelmanlawhttps://x.com/FinkelmanLawAbout Mike Coffey:Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.Learning Objectives:1. Understand the H-1B visa framework including the annual lottery system, prevailing wage requirements enforced by the Department of Labor, and the current government fee structure.2. Understand the impact of the $1000,0003. Evaluate alternatives to H-1B visas for utilizing foreign talent.

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• IS WFH DOA? with Ranya Nehmeh

  In episode 220, Coffey talks with Ranya Nehmeh about the challenges and limitations of hybrid and remote work arrangements based on research from their new book "In Praise of the Office."They discuss how initial COVID remote work success masked long-term problems; loss of informal interactions and mentoring for newcomers; reduced collaboration and innovation; proximity bias affecting promotions and performance reviews; employee engagement challenges in hybrid settings; designing hybrid schedules with anchor days and structured meeting protocols; redesigning office spaces for collaboration; why hot-desking raises concerns; and adapting performance management to include helping behaviors and mentoring as measurable KPIs.Resources referenced in this episode include:Ranya Nehmeh and former Good Morning, HR guest Peter Cappelli’s new book, In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote WorkAnd you can get a preview of their research in the (July–August 2025) Harvard Business Review article, Hybrid still isn’t workingWorking From Home, Worker Sorting and Development; David Atkin, Antoinette Schoar, & Sumit Shinde; National Bureau of Economic ResearchEmployee Innovation During Office Work, Work from Home and Hybrid Work; Michael Gibbs, Friederike Mengel, and Christoph Siemroth; University of Chicago—Becker Friedman Institute for EconomicsThe Power of Proximity to Coworkers: Training For Tomorrow or Productivity Today?; Natalia Emanuel, Emma Harrington, & Amanda Pallais; National Bureau of Economic ResearchGood Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.About our Guest:Ranya Nehmeh is a senior HR strategist with expertise in people strategy, HR policy, leadership development, and talent management. She has held key HR roles at the OPEC Fund for InternationalDevelopment in Vienna and the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. She is a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication in Vienna and also the author of The Chameleon Leader: Connecting with Millennials (2019).Ranya holds a master’s in industrial relations and human resource management from the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) and a Doctor of Business Administration from the Swiss Management Center in Zug. Her recent articles, co-authored with Wharton professor Peter Cappelli, include “Hybrid Still Isn’t Working” (Harvard Business Review July/August 2025), “Sustainable Agility: How HR Can Survive the Rapid Pace of Change” (People + Strategy Journal, SHRM, July 2024), “It’s Time to Do Away with ‘Dry Promotions,’” (Harvard Business Review, July 2024) and “HR’s New Role” (Harvard Business Review, May/June 2024 magazine).Ranya Nehmeh can be reached at:https://www.ranyanehmeh.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ranyanehmehhttps://www.facebook.com/ranya.nehmeh/https://www.instagram.com/ranyanehmeh/https://x.com/ranyanAbout Mike Coffey:Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.Learning Objectives:1. Recognize the impact of fully remote environments on collaboration, innovation, and newcomer integration.2. Implement structured hybrid policies designed to promote collaboration and productivity.3. Redesign performance management systems to include measurable KPIs for mentoring, timely response to help requests, and cross-functional collaboration to counteract the individual contributor mindset that remote work can foster.

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• Personalizing Employee Engagement with Rose Ann Garza

  In episode 219, Coffey talks with Rose Ann Garza about strategies to personalize employee engagement.They discuss defining engagement as safety and appreciation rather than superficial perks; using the Great Game of Business approach to financial transparency and employee involvement; reducing turnover through cultural changes; prioritizing practical benefits over traditional perks; creating special interest groups beyond typical affinity programs; sourcing engagement ideas through HR office hours and direct employee feedback; addressing soft skills gaps in the emerging workforce; and the importance of trust-building through hands-on leadership presence.Check out Episode 112 of Good Morning, HR featuring Monica Guzmán, author of I Never Thought of It That Way. Her insights on the value of curiosity and conversation when engaging with opposing viewpoints are especially relevant today.Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—Bulletproof Background Checks. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com.If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.About our Guest:Rose Ann Garza, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Kerbey Lane. During her time at Kerbey Lane the organization has more than doubled in size and has won several prestigious awards related to their impact within the community and on their team members.Prior to joining Kerbey Lane, Rose Ann built her career in the restaurant and hospitality industry working with Destination Hotel and Resorts and Brinker International.A member of Kerbey Lane’s Executive Team, she leads the execution of Kerbey Lane’s people strategy as well as builds organizational capability and team member culture to further enable Kerbey Lane’s growth and impact.She also serves as the strategic business advisor to senior leadership and the Managing Partners of each location regarding key organizational and management issues.In addition to her role at Kerbey Lane, Rose Ann serves on the SHRM Membership Advisory Council (2025-2026) representing the Southwest Central Region and over 50,000 SHRM Members across ten states. She also serves on the Texas SHRM Board of Directors Executive Council as the Immediate Past State Director.Rose Ann previously served Texas SHRM in the roles of State Director, State Director Elect, Assistant State Director- District Directors and Core Leadership Area Directors, District Director and as the Workforce Readiness Director. Rose Ann has also served her local SHRM chapter, Austin SHRM, as President, President Elect, and Vice President of Programs.In 2024 Rose Ann was named the HR Executive of the Year by Austin SHRM and recently, in June 2025, Rose Ann was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Austin Business Journal’s HR Impact Award.Rose Ann received a Bachelor of Arts from Texas State University and a Master of Fine Arts from The University of Texas at Austin.Rose Ann Garza can be reached athttps://kerbeylanecafe.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/roseanngarzaAbout Mike Coffey:Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.Learning Objectives:1. Implement transparent financial sharing and employee involvement in business decisions to create ownership mentality, teaching financial literacy that benefits both company performance and personal employee development.2. Design engagement benefits that address actual employee needs rather than assumed preferences, focusing on practical support like meal allowances for families instead of traditional corporate perks.3. Establish regular face-to-face contact with frontline employees through scheduled office hours and hands-on work experience to build trust and gather authentic feedback for engagement initiatives.

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