IAM597- HR Expert Helps Professionals Rise to Their Full Potential

Tim Toterhi is not your usual HR guy. He is a TEDx speaker, certified career coach, and the author of several books including The HR Guide to Getting and Crushing Your Dream Job and The Introvert's Guide to Job Hunting.

As a project-focused, no-fluff CHRO, he craves practical solutions and tangible results. He helps professionals rise to their full potential and live by the mantra: Learn, Teach, Rinse, Repeat.

• CEO Hack: Relying on my 5 am actions
• CEO Nugget: Keep three things in mind – Perspective, persistence and creativity
• CEO Defined: The backstops with you but it's not all about you

Website: http://www.plotlineleadership.com/category/blog/

Twitter – @TimToterhi
Books – http://www.timtoterhi.com/hr/

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Intro 00:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place, Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of.

This is the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:29

Hello. Hello. Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Tim Toterhi of Plotline Leadership. Tim, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Tim Toterhi 00:39

Thanks so much for having me. Appreciate it.

Gresham Harkless 00:41

No problem. Super excited to have you on. What I wanted to do was read a little bit more about Tim so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. Tim is not your usual HR guy. He is a TEDx speaker, a certified career coach, and the author of several books, including the HR Guide to Getting and Crushing Your Giant Dream Job, The introvert's guide to job hunting.

As a project focus, no fluff CHRO he craves practical solutions and tangible results. He helps professionals rise to their full potential and live by the mantra learn teach, rinse, and repeat. Tim, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Tim Toterhi 01:15

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 01:16

Awesome. I love how that rhymes. I wanted to rewind a little bit here a little bit more about how you got started. And what led you to kind of start your business?

Tim Toterhi 01:28

Sure, well, I've always been a teacher at heart and I taught college for a while, I taught martial arts. In every job I've ever had, I've always had that opportunity to teach folks and actually learn from them as well. And so when I wanted to get into career management, after being an HR for a long time, plotline leadership just gave me the opportunity to spark those light bulb moments that I've seen in so many of those settings and it just really got me psyched.

You know, the one thing that I realized, though, is that if you're going to get into career coaching and sort of any format, it's a pretty crowded market. And so you really have to be distinct and stand out. I think, you know, for me, that comes from having a unique perspective, that unique approach on how to go about coaching books.

Gresham Harkless 02:11

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that, um, I don't know, if you find the exact same thing. First of all, I think the teaching background is huge, especially in this day and age, because a lot of times people want to know, they want to be informed. So I think it seems like teachers or teachers at heart, often have a really great advantage in most industries.

I think, as you said, the more experiences you have, seems like you can look at things uniquely and be able to provide, you know, innovative, creative solutions to problems sometimes.

Tim Toterhi 02:38

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I spent some, you know, good 20 years in HR with a lot of emphasis on learning and development and talent management. So I coached a lot of people in various settings. But I also had the unique opportunity to hire a lot of coaches. And so I got to experiment and see different types of approaches, what worked, what didn't, and ultimately, that kind of formed, how I approach things, and really came down to blending that coaching consulting project management model to get you to know, a little bit outside of the typical counselor approach and really focus on how do I make people help them kind of move their goals in a quicker pace. And that's what gets me really excited.

Gresham Harkless 03:16

Yeah, absolutely. Kind of sounds like you have kind of different, I guess, you have a tool belt in different tools that you can use. And from the experience, you're able to kind of see what has worked and where at best, but also probably see multiple ways and you kind of use multiple tools in a different way to kind of get to that ultimate goal.

Tim Toterhi 03:31

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 03:33

Awesome. So I know you touched on it a little bit and I did as well, to just take us through, I guess some of the ways you help support the clients you work with, and some of those ways that some of those ways that ways that they get started.

Tim Toterhi 03:45

Sure. So I did have a couple of books, as you mentioned, and I like to get those in folks' hands quickly. Because sometimes they don't need a full-blown coaching session. And I'm all about sort of optimizing people's time and really caring for their, wallets as well. So if they can solve an issue, by going through some steps that I've outlined in a book, that's great. They need more work. And we'll certainly do that.

But really, between your books, the assessments, and then sort of face-to-face coaching or through phone coaching, that always helps. But really, my goal is to help transform people from being good to being exceptional. And I call that sort of being nod-worthy. And what I mean by that is, when you're in a talent review setting within an organization or you're looking for an opportunity, your name comes up, and it's the reaction of the people in the room when your name is mentioned. And for really exceptional people. They just nod and go yep, he or she is ready for the next thing. Let's move. If you're good.

Well, then there's this pause point and there is a discussion that that's not necessarily a bad thing. But if you can work to either remove the derailleurs in your career that hold you back and then learn to maximize your personal X Factor. You can get rid of that whole pause point and just be a person and then boom, you get the yeah that person is great. And let's move on. And that's what really gets me excited about taking somebody from, you know, a level of being really good to being exceptional.

Gresham Harkless 05:09

Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I don't know, if you find this with the people that you work with, sometimes you have to, I guess, like it, we were talking about what the tools and the way you can use different tools in different ways. I feel like it also works internally for us as well to where sometimes if you're not on the right lane, you may not be able to be your best self and be exceptional. So sometimes you have to do that work to find that out. And then you're able to kind of start to be that exceptional person, for yourself and also in those rooms.

Tim Toterhi 05:36

Absolutely. Sometimes there's just a quick fix that the person is honest with you, you know, we all have that experience, we have spinach in your teeth, and nobody wants to tell you, a good coach will call that out, right? And don't let you go on stage with that happening.

Somebody else will whisper in your ear and say, you know, you may not have known this before, but you're fantastic at this. And I think that's what people need to realize is that feedback is very, very quick, it's to the point, not a lot of fluff. And then you can make a really big difference in someone's life in a very short amount of time. And then you just put the work in to make sure that it sticks.

Gresham Harkless 06:07

Yeah, and I'm glad you definitely, you know, broke that down. And I think so many times I know I've done this myself where sometimes you'll hear that feedback. And then because maybe it's something that you're naturally good at or it's a gift or however you kind of want to phrase it, sometimes you'll minimize it or see it as not something valuable. But in reality, you should be stepping more into that.

Tim Toterhi 06:25

Absolutely, yeah.

Gresham Harkless 06:27

Awesome. Now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, there could be like X factor that you kind of referenced as well, too. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart? What makes you unique?

Tim Toterhi 06:36

Sure, yeah. A lot of coaches will say that they coached a whole person. And I think that's really important, I think what's different about me is that I take a very practical, focused approach to achieving results. And so there are a lot of life coaches out there. And they're going to deal with some things around your emotions and all that's important. But usually, the folks who have come to me are seeking some very practical movement to a specific goal. So I can really help accelerate that path. Part of that comes from blending, not only coaching but some very targeted consulting with it as well.

So there's a distinct difference between somebody who's a mentor and somebody who's a coach, right? The mentor has done your job specifically and is giving you content knowledge. And a coach really is guiding you through the process of chasing a goal. Well, there's a sweet spot in between, where if you have leadership ability, if you have your talent management, if you have your kind of core subject matter expertise and giving that is like the leather bucket seats to the approach. And so that's where I set myself apart by making sure that you can call out when you go away from coaching but offering that extra insight and value to folks who can help expedite their path to success.

And that's what I typically do. But at the same time, it's really important to make sure that you stay in your lane. And if somebody needs something that is outside of your expert expertise, whether it's counseling or psychological health, or whatever it is you refer them to the right place. And so you always want to maintain your guardrails around that, but hey, if you can give extra, you know, give that extra, and that that's something that people usually don't expect.

Gresham Harkless 08:13

Yeah, and it's definitely a huge thing. Because I think so many times that, you know, when we're trying to get to another level, or trying to get a job, or whatever that might be or get, you know, get, get a different job within our job as well, too. We sometimes just see that goal, we don't necessarily sometimes know what we need, and to be able to have and speak to you from, of course, as you said, a consulting standpoint, but also from a coaching standpoint, it sounds like you're able to kind of I guess beyond that balance payment, provide the right information to help them to get there without them knowing that they definitely need a coach or they need a consultant and kind of a blend of both.

Tim Toterhi 08:47

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 08:49

Awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So it could be like an app or book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Tim Toterhi 09:01

So for me, it's really a habit. I know, everybody can't be a morning person, but I really rely on sort of what I call my 5 am actions. So when I get I'm one of those annoying people, I jump out of bed and ready for the day, right? To do that. And then I work out so not perfect, not all the time, but most days doing some sort of exercise. And the reason is, is not only for the health benefits, but it fills you with energy. And then when you're filled with energy, I'm at my most creative in the morning.

So then I can sit down right after that and begin to do some writing. And even if it's only 30 minutes, 45 minutes, over the course of a year that can add up into a big project, whether that's a book or anything that I'm working on that boat, a big bucket of time happens. And then that leads you to success throughout the day. So I ended up showing up earlier than most folks I can lose strategic items when people are searching for the coffee.

And then most importantly for me, it sets me up for an early exit. So my family is incredibly important to me. So if I'm not traveling or you have a key meeting, I tried to be home for dinner. And that's really hard to do in today's pace. And you can only get that if you set yourself up early in the morning. So my 5 am actions are my hack, you know?

Gresham Harkless 10:12

Yeah, no, it makes perfect sense. And I love how you mentioned, like how people are sometimes looking for coffee at a certain time. And I think that it allows us all to have the same 24 hours, and it doesn't matter kind of the amount that you have is how you use it, and how you leverage it. And to be very diligent, especially in the morning, I think it creates a certain amount of momentum as well, too, so that you start to be able to knock down projects, and technical sometimes when people are searching for your coffee, as you said.

Tim Toterhi 10:40

Exactly.

Gresham Harkless 10:42

Awesome. Now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And that is like a word of wisdom or piece of advice. It could be around HR, leadership, or any of the major content that you created. Or it might even be something you might tell your younger business self.

Tim Toterhi 10:58

So when I think about success, and how people chase it, for me, three things are just really important for folks to have. And that is perspective, persistence, and creativity. And you know, we're all Chase different things. But I think one of the most important pieces is you have to really be able to envision your goal before you start anything, you have to understand what's possible. And then once you do, you have to be able to really willing to work incredibly hard to achieve that.

But as you work and you begin that process, you also have to be flexible and creative enough to develop workarounds. So not all of us have, you know, the same circumstances, same start the same talents. But, you know, if we're creative in our approach, we can get around any obstacle, we can really Chase what we need to do. So I think if you keep those three things in mind, you'll be able to achieve the goals that you want to.

Gresham Harkless 11:48

Yeah, absolutely. And I love that mean broken down, especially you know, that perspective is important if you want to make sure that you're going the right way and going where you want to go. But I think the persistent thing and to be even persistently, you know, and creative as well, too, is like being able to continue to kind of work for because the biggest thing that I think I learned from reading and hearing about successful people, is that they just don't quick, sometimes you think that they don't make mistakes, or they didn't have any roadblocks. But in reality, they just were more persistent. And then they found those ways to get around whatever roadblock might have existed.

Tim Toterhi 12:22

Absolutely. Some folks get discouraged when they know that they can't do something well, or there's a way around it, you can pick up a different skill that supplements that are or complements what you do, and that can help. So you know, you're not a great speaker, because there's always stories of somebody who's dyslexic. Well, you can learn to tell stories and shine on stage, there is nothing that can stop you if you have the right attitude and chase those workarounds.

Gresham Harkless 12:48

Yeah, and I appreciate you for talking about that being given that example. Because I think so many times that we think that you know, every who we are and everything that we have is all that we can be. But in reality, sometimes we can go back and sharpen that saw work on speaking, or work on a certain skill.

And that can lead us to get to exactly where we want to be. Awesome. And so now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So Tim, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Tim Toterhi 13:18

So I think if you're a CEO or you're in any sort of leadership position, what you have to remember is that while everything is on you, it's not all about you. So the buck stops with you. But really, it's not all about you. And I think that a good leader in any capacity will always give more than he or she takes. And when you do that, you'll always have more than you need.

And I think part of that comes back to where we started with, you know, the best leaders are students and their students, because, you know, they're always looking to learn. And I think it all boils down to, if you can make yourself and other people better in December than they were in January, you've done tremendous things. And I think that's where real leadership comes from.

Gresham Harkless 14:02

Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I love that definition, that perspective because it pulls that kind of like the ego out and I think so many times you kind of have to have a quote-unquote ego to start a business or just start anything or anything that might be audacious to some people but I think at the same time you have to be and understand that it isn't all about you it's about the maybe the mission that you have it's people that you have that are working beside you or on your team and I think that if you understand that you understand you can kind of tap into other expertise and knowledge and information then you do become that teacher and you do continue to grow and help people continue to grow as well too.

Tim Toterhi 14:38

That's exactly it.

Gresham Harkless 14:39

Awesome. Well thank you so much Tim for that that definition I truly appreciate it and I appreciate your time even more. What I want to do is pass you the mic so to speak just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know and then of course how best they can get a hold of you to get a copy of all your books and all the awesome things you're working on.

Tim Toterhi 14:56

Sure I'm pretty easy to find. The only Tim Tote around the planet so I could attempt timtoterhi.com or Plotline leadership and find out more about me. I will say that you know, we broke down to the three things around perspective, persistence, and creativity. If I could leave folks with one thing, I think it's no perspective is the starting point.

You know, that is incredibly important to to think through when you begin your path or profession, or whatever you want to do, you really want to surround yourself with people who can see further and wider than you can, because you can, you can have your hard work, your talent, your creativity is all important. But you have to be able to see the goal. And when you surround yourself with great people, you'll be able to do that. And hopefully, you know, listeners will be able to take that and run.

Gresham Harkless 15:45

Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much again, Tim. We will definitely have the links and information in the show notes to make it even easier for people to find all the awesome things you're working on. I truly appreciate you for breaking that down to about the perspective piece because I think so many times we jump into, you know, getting our hands dirty and rolling up our sleeves that sometimes we forget that we want to make sure that we are not the smartest person in the room and we have you know, different expertise is to lean on and then to We also make sure that we know where we're going and we have that clear perspective on what we're trying to do.

Tim Toterhi 16:16

Then do you Well, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Gresham Harkless 16:18

No problem. Have a good rest of the day.

Outro 16:20

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by Blue 16 Media tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, And leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless.

Thank you for listening.

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