Yuri Kruman, Treat Them Like Adults, Not Frat Bros In The Workplace
Principal Consultant / CEO of Master The Talk Consulting
Yuri is a corporate HR Strategy/Organization Design Consultant and expert on the Employee Experience (EX), board member, startup advisor and official member of the Forbes Coaches Council, as well as contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business.com, Influencive and numerous other top platforms.
What are you trying to change in your industry and why?
Consulting is rife with “digital transformation” that doesn’t work 4 out of 5 times (80% failure rate). This is mostly due to a lack of alignment between the business vision/mission/values and those of the employees responsible for “digitally transforming” the business and themselves. When you take a human approach (through executive coaching), the digital transformation is dramatically more effective. This is my mission now – to help people in every organization I consult to do their life’s best work consistently, improving their career and the business’s bottom line in a virtuous cycle.
Yuri Kruman
Yuri’s consulting, advising and coaching portfolio includes speaking engagements, workshops and advisory work on personal + professional development focused on Employee Experience (EX), HR Transformation / Change Management, Customer Experience (CX), PR/Media and business strategy, impacting thousands of Fortune 500 and startup executives. He is the author of the just-published book, “What Millennials Really Want From Work and Life” (Business Expert Press, March 2019) and has spoken at EY, Google, UPenn, Columbia, NYU and 2020 Startups, among many others.
A regular guest on top podcasts including Wharton Business Radio, Leadership and Loyalty Podcast, Entrepreneur on Fire, As Told By Nomads, Conscious Millionaire and The Blind Entrepreneur, he’s also been published or featured on Inc., Fast Co., Time, U.S. News, Mashable, PBS, BBC and numerous top blogs, TV and radio. In his corporate work, Yuri trains client teams on ways to maximize their EX, especially talent retention, learning and development using storytelling, branding and proprietary personal development strategies.
Why do you do what you do?
Once I found how to do what I love, what I’m really good at and how to add massive value to clients and businesses, it was in the space I’m in now. This is how I make sure I’m doing my life’s best work.
What got you into your line of work?
I was always coaching and mentoring people, but then found a way to monetize my abilities and experience. This grew into HR Strategy/Organization Development Consulting when I realized I was sitting on a treasure trove of data about why the best talent was leaving and getting my coaching to help them find their dream jobs and to get clear on their career plan.
What is the hardest part of being a working professional?
Mostly political correctness and office politics, LOL. Other than that, people’s resistance to change.
What are 5 tips you would like to share?
To get the best out of the talent helping you run and grow your business, 1) treat them like adults, not frat bros. 2) Give them benefits they actually need and use. 3) Take great care to give them learning and development they’ll really treasure. 4) Communicate and over-communicate your company mission, vision, and values. Then live them every moment and in every decision. 5) Take the time to learn each employee’s story and focus on helping them to become the best humans and professionals possible. You work for them, not vice versa.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
One of my favorite quotes, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”
