Andrew Cook

I'm a seasoned HR and business operations professional with over 20 years of leadership and people management experience in government, non-profit, and for-profit entities. I currently own two small businesses, and provide HR consulting services across the US.

I would like to guest on podcasts to talk about:

1) Why simplification always wins over automation when it comes to HR processes

2) Why businesses shouldn't be afraid of turnover, and how "good" turnover can be a metric of business success

3) The power of knowing what is enough - How a shift in mindset can allow you to own your business and keep the business from owning you.

4) Anxiety in the workplace

5) I would also love the opportunity to tie your particular podcast niche back to human resources and leadership!

As a military veteran who retired after 20 years of service, I bring a unique view to how we manage employees. No, this doesn't mean drill sergeant screaming and pushups. Quite the contrary. In the military, we develop employees with the understanding that they will leave as a result of a successful employee development program. If I did my job correctly, my best and brightest employees would get promoted and take on awesome new leadership roles elsewhere. The better the development, the faster they would move on. I wasn't fighting to trap talented employees, which is exactly what happens in the civilian world. The world is obsessed with the idea that retention is an important metric, but it is not. Under the right circumstances, turnover and low retention are to be celebrated. I worked at a law firm that had a high associate turnover. When I looked around the community and saw how dozens of other firms had former associates as owners, I knew we didn't have a problem. We trained those associates to be independent, to run a business, and to confidently practice the law. In turn, they opened their own businesses and hired their own employees.

Now, if turnover results from poor management and discriminatory or abusive practices, then that is the kind of turnover that the HR world should be working to limit. By shifting leadership's mindset to discern the difference between good and bad turnover, we can create opportunities for more businesses to start up and for employees to grow and develop beyond the opportunities that exist within a particular business.