S5 E3 | CXR Podcast: Mark Lobosco discusses reinventing one’s culture

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Chris Hoyt, CXR 0:21
Alright, everybody, welcome back to another CXR podcast. I am Chris Hoyt president of CareerXroads, and you’re willing and able host for this show today. And if you haven’t listened before, this is just a sort of an informal podcast where we invite friends and quote unquote, influencers or people that we’re just really interested in to talk a little bit about what’s going on in the space. I’m excited about today’s guest, because Mark has never been on the show. So Mark, as we as we sort of jump right in. Hello.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 0:50
Hello, Chris. I appreciate it. I’m doing great. You know, it’s good to be able to join you on the podcast. I think we talked about it maybe for the first time six months ago or early in the pandemic, you had mentioned the podcast, Chris and I both live in Austin, Texas. So that’s how we are meeting with one another on a somewhat regular basis, and just really excited to be here with you.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 1:16
Why don’t you give us the escalator pitch of who you are for those who don’t know, where you work and what you do, and why might we be interested in what Mark has to say?

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 1:26
Sounds great. Thank you, Chris. So my escalator pitch, not elevator pitch. All right. So Marco Labosco. I, my day job is I am responsible with some partners in leading LinkedIn, talent, solutions business. So all of our hiring, learning and employee engagement products, also responsible for our global sales organization. Been at LinkedIn for 13 years joined us when we were little startup with big dreams, and have been fortunate to be along and like to think a small contributor. And the impact we’ve had, over the following 13 years, I’ve had a number of different roles and love the current role that I’m in getting a chance to connect with many of you that are hopefully listening to the podcast today. That’s what I do during the day and night. I, you know, father of three amazing children. Most of the time, my wife is out of town right now. And so I’ve been solo for six days right now. It’s hard. I have an 11 year old daughter and twins, seven year old boys. A lot going on in those little kids lives.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 2:33
I don’t understand how you’re even in front of the screen right now. If you’re if you running solo today.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 2:38
Barely holding it together. And then yeah, I grew up in New Jersey. I’ve lived here in Austin, after a lot of time in the Bay Area for the past three years.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 2:46
Nice. Yeah, we are sort of we are sort of neighbors down the block because I just moved out here, I think in June to Austin. And you were you were bay area before you were here.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 2:55
Yeah, I moved. I grew up in New Jersey, one school in Colorado moved to the Bay Area in 1999. Actually, early 2000. Live there through 2018 end of 2018. We just San Francisco and then Marin County, and then we decided to move to Austin. We thought about it for a long time. My wife’s a Texan. So if you’re like another Californian rune in Texas.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 3:21
Yep.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 3:21
My wife’s got some Texas roots. So that was part of the draw here in Austin.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 3:27
It is an intro. That is an interesting migration to make, because I went from Dallas to the Bay Area for a little while. And then to Austin. And I I’m almost embarrassed to admit so as a Texan for 24 years prior, when someone asked me, I was looking at homes and whatever. When someone asked me where I was from, I said, Well, California, and there was a lady in the back of the home that I was looking at. I said don’t bring your crazy California politics here.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 3:52
Yeah, they the easy answer to that one is Dallas. I’m from Dallas. Yeah.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 3:55
Well, I just skipped. I don’t even say I don’t have to leave the stint in California out completely.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 3:59
Yeah. Don’t you be Californian and my Texas that was after I saw yesterday, it was great.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 4:04
Oh boy. Yes. But you beat that you beat the mad rush, apparently to there already a trend of people getting here. But you got in just in time so congrats.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 4:12
Thank you. Thank you.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 4:13
So for anybody who, who maybe saw on the banners or the announcements, we were going to have the VP of talent solutions from LinkedIn. And you might be tuning in and thinking, what’s he going to tell us about? Can we hear the next big thing and this is kind of not that conversation. So Mark is you know, I just kind of invited you to hear where your head’s at with everything that’s gone on in the space. So kind of what you’re thinking, not necessarily to do any overview pitches, sneak peeks or any of that stuff. So I just want to jump right in because we try to keep these around 15-20 minutes but any big. Any big learnings or takeaways for you as we start to think we start to slowly find our new working normal, right? I don’t think we found it yet. But I do think we’re a lot closer than we were a year ago. Is there anything for you that sort of stands out life lessons or just, you know, something that you see ahead,

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 5:02
The biggest change I see ahead and I’ll try to mix in, like my personal experience LinkedIn as a platform experience, and what everyone is probably experiencing, and in one degree or another, is that, you know, I believe that the pandemic will forever change, at least for the foreseeable future, a lot for how employers think about their employees and the way employees think about their employers. So what do I mean by that, and this is kind of called out quite a bit in our 10th annual Global Talent Trends Report, which if you’re listening, like Oh, of course, Mark’s on because they just published the report, Chris and I scheduled this months ago, so good,

Chris Hoyt, CXR 5:47
We truly did

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 5:47
I promise the promise just so happens, we shared it today. But you know, lots of good insights in the report, I’m sure Chris, Gerry will share it and Barb in the in the show notes or the like. But, you know, one of the major takeaways and this is, you know, off of a lot of LinkedIn data points, it’s us, you know, connecting with a lot of, you know, potentially folks that are listening to the podcasts around what are some of the major trends, and one of them is around this strategic imperative with urgency to think about potentially reinvent one’s culture. And the reason that’s the case is that a lot of professionals and non professionals have come out of the pandemic, even though we’re still in it and many parts of the world and in to a different degree, depending upon where you are in the US as well. But a lot of people and professionals and non professionals are thinking about is the company that I work for have the same values that I have, does the employer that I work for offering me the same type of flexibility that I have grown to love through the pandemic, because now I can drop my kid off at school, and I can pick my kid up after school. And so there is this major, a great reshuffle that is happening right now that I’m sure everyone is feeling that’s listening to this call. I know even at LinkedIn, we are even on LinkedIn, we’re feeling it as well. Whereas everyone is taking stock of where they are and what they ultimately want to achieve in their career. And they’re making decisions. And you have that with a backdrop where many companies are doing quite well. And they’ve got very aggressive growth plans, and you’ve got attrition with the combination of growth plans, it is creating one of the more challenging recruiting environments, I’ve certainly seen in the 10-11 years that I’ve worked, you know, in close partnership with many talent acquisition executives. So that that great reshuffle that is happening right now with employees trying to determine what they ultimately want to do and who they want to work for and what type of flexibility they have. And does the company have the same set of values that they have? I think a lot of employees are thinking about that. And what it’s now really top of mind for employers, at least this is what kind of popped out within the the the report was restating 10 of your culture, maybe re onboarding your employees to who you are and who you aspire to be. I think this idea of workers moving around the country because employers are going to be more flexible with where their employees are. That is certainly something that started with a pandemic. And I think it’s going to have a very lasting impact for all of us for years to come.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 8:30
You raise a really good point, but from a cultural fit standpoint, right, people reassessing sort of if they’re at their employer of choice anymore.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 8:40
Mm hmm.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 8:41
Do you think that a lot of that is really driven by being able to sit where they want to sit? To do the work? I mean, I because I kind of feel like there’s two camps, right? You got employers that are sort of in two camps, on the extreme sides, right? You got it, you can work wherever you want, we’re going all in that way. Or you can kind of take the Jamie Diamond approach of like, you coming into work, that’s not paying you to sit at home. And I don’t it’s funny, because he gets a lot of shade for making the making of hardline decision that says, You coming into the office, but a lot of people worry about losing all of that talent, but but I think arguably, it could be it’s just a shift of culture. Yeah. Right. Because there will be people who want to come into the office and will go work for the organization, and that company is going to be just fine. It’s just going to be a shift of culture.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 9:30
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I mean, I think it’s a very important part of culture you’re hitting on Chris but it’s also maybe a more one part of it, which is more like you know, workplace like where does the work get done? Are we a you know, remote first company? Are we remote only company? Are we a in office company? And I think different companies are going to choose different strategies. My guess is, you know, companies that choose to force people to get back to the office are going to likely come up short in In the war for talent, given the flexibility that employees are looking for now, that doesn’t mean that employees are looking to be fully remote and never go back to an office. You know, in fact, most, you know, our own employees, they still want to work in an office, if they’re close to it, they just don’t have to go every day, they want to be able to work from home two to three days a week, they want to be able to like, yes, you know, they want options. Exactly. And so we’re just seeing a lot of trends in our data and what preferences employers are putting in there are things like company pages that I think companies that are going to be more flexible, again, doesn’t mean everyone has to be remote, but they enable a more hybrid approach to work, and they put a little more trust in their teams, and where they do their best work, are those that are going to have a definitive edge in recruiting talent that is looking for that flexibility?

Chris Hoyt, CXR 10:51
I don’t know if it’s lazy or just obvious. But the two big talking points, I think that typically come up when people are deciding if they’re fitted their company anymore, right? One being the where can I work from? So that’s one we hear about all the time, right? You know, you have to come back to the office, I’m not coming back to the office, I was twice as productive or, you know, etc. But the other end of that we’ve got is the murder of George Floyd, and how organizations responded to that. And there were there were, you know, a number of employees who said, I don’t like the way we handled this, or I don’t like how we, you know, unfortunately, ignored this as an organization. So I think there’s, in my, in my bubble, and the folks that I talked to those tend, I don’t think they’re the only ones but those seem to be the top two cultural fit, you know, arguments as to whether or not they should or should not stay there. Are you seeing kind of the same thing in your space? Or do you think there are other elements that are, that are kind of, we’re missing them? Right, they’re flying under the radar, but that are just as important.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 11:48
I think those are two of the most important ones. Without a doubt, Chris, I mean, the report outlines a number of others, I think the other ones off the top of my head that were called out was mental well being. So just given people that are tired, like they’re tired through the pandemic clay, they’re tired with the pace of work, they’re tired with, you know, Homeschooling with schools being open and being closed. So that’s another one that that has been, I think, called out, I think relationships with colleagues as well, like, do I feel connected to someone that I care about at work as another one, but you know, and then comp and benefits, interestingly, is not like, you know, top of the list, but it’s certainly, you know, part of it for sure.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 12:31
Well, quite a few folks are making a killing in their new shifts. So it’ll be it’ll be really interesting to see.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 12:36
Yeah. But you get hit on the two big ones, I think.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 12:39
Well, we had, it’s funny, because we had Mark, we had a session the other day, and one of the comments that came out was we were talking about this burnout, and how a lot of people were really struggling. And I think one of the chat comments on the side, one of the leaders said, I no longer work from home, I now live where I work.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 12:56
Yeah.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 12:56
Which was a really, it’s kind of a gut punch, you know, when you sort of think about that, and I remember back when I very first because I’ve been working from home for a long time now. And I remember when I very first started working from home, it got to the point where I had to lock my office door on the weekends, or I’d walk by and be like, Oh, quick email, and I’d sit down and four or five hours would go by. So it’s, it’s kind of an interesting piece of that. It’s how have you managed that? Have you and the kids sort of kept you? Do they pull you out? I mean, how do you how do you keep your head straight?

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 13:27
It’s a good question. And I’m speaking from a place of like being fortunate with some privilege, where when we moved here, we don’t have an office in Austin. So when we first moved here, there was an extra was like a mini little office in the house. There’s more of like a closet with a small window. I was like, there’s my office. And so

Chris Hoyt, CXR 13:44
If they need a broom do they knock on your office?

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 13:47
Like, I think it was like frame is like a library too. But it was like not very big sliding door. But that was before COVID And I was like, Alright, I’m going to be traveling a fair amount. Kids are going to be gone. And then when lockdown first happened, I think I was in the closet. Broom shelter for about four months when I looked outside and there’s this like Old Storage Shed we have in the backyard. Now I’m like,

Chris Hoyt, CXR 14:14
Oh, no,

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 14:15
That’s the office. So we redid this here former shed into my office

Chris Hoyt, CXR 14:23
You’re in a kind of a office casita

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 14:27
Some people call it the he shed from I like it my he shed. But yeah, we did this obviously air conditioner, which you need and heater I’ve learned in January sometimes. So I’ve been able to all kidding aside, create that kind of space, which I need. So I go to the office, like drop my kids off at school. Come in, say goodbye, my wife walked across the yard and I come in here, and I leave my laptop in here and so I try to create a little space that way. But I am by no means perfect in that area display trying to deploy the right atomic habits to create that space. But But I slip up like I’m sure you do too.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 15:09
Well, yeah, I mean, we take the little screen right with us everywhere we go. But I have found it’s awfully helpful to sort of just shut the door in the in the office, you know, when you’re not supposed to be working, but

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 15:21
now it’s calling. It’s calling you.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 15:23
Yeah, it is. It’s just a nagging pulling. Yeah,

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 15:26
Yeah. And I tried to model you know, obviously, I, you know, leading leading a team, you know, I try to model the behavior that I think is sustainable, like for my team, and also the org overall. And so I’ll go like, out of my way to, you know, try to model that whereas, you know, the work feels like it’s never ending right now. So that’s another big part of it as well.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 15:50
Nice. Well, look, Mark, it take us out with one tip, if you had it for you deal with a lot of TA leaders from around the world. Have you heard one tip, one piece of advice for sort of leading people and staying sane as we move into whatever our future normal is? Is there anything you would share can be your own or can be you can shamelessly steal it from somebody else. But just anything that sort of resonated with you as powerful that you’d want to pass forward?

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 16:16
I don’t think it has to do with like, ta in particular, I think it has to do just for any leader who’s leading a large org, or it doesn’t have to be a large org, which is, you know, we cast long shadows as leaders. And so you know, my previous comments, I didn’t know you’re asking this question to end I think is related to that. And there’s no shortage of work, it’s probably been one of the hardest times to ever work in recruiting, given coming back from a, an a function that was materially impacted when COVID first happened with layoffs across the TA industry. And then all of these like incremental headcount as being approved, and then you throw in attrition, like our teams are stretched and stressed. And so you know, the thing I would recommend is, it’s your job to help ensure the team does not burn out and fry. So whether that’s creating space and staff meetings to, you know, bring a little levity to things, doing things to just bring recognition or joy to your teams, whether it’s you or asking your boss’s boss to like reach out to someone on the team who’s doing a remarkable job. I think it’s just making sure you’re creating the space, think about your team and how you ensure you’re looking after him. And then your team will do that with their team and vice versa.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 17:30
Yeah, it’s brilliant. I think we had another discussion earlier this morning, and one of the leaders said making sure that they they purposefully carve out time for the interactions that are lost in an office right that organically occurs. So to really map those out and make sure that those you know make those happen with your team. I love it Mark. Awesome, potentially, essentially neighbor to see you to dial in to you when you’re just you know, just down the roadways, but it’s fantastic. I’m really glad you gave us the time today. We really appreciate it.

Mark Lobosco, LinkedIn 17:59
Yeah, thanks for having me Chris. Look forward to connecting soon and Mozarts for our quarterly date. And yeah, thanks for having me.

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