Carrie Charles

The 4th Industrial Revolution merges physical and biological systems. It’s the next step in how society will interact with each other. And for it to work, we need to move data faster and more efficiently.   Which is why 5G has a big role in how it plays out. And it’s become even more important as we shift to remote work in response to COVID-19. Our guest this week, Adam Zuckerman, is an expert in the 4th Industrial Revolution. In this episode, he discusses surprising outcomes—both good and bad—that show up as we all work towards the creation of a new normal, including:     You won’t want to miss Adam’s insights into this exciting new space! Listen now and subscribe for future episodes.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comInstagramLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Samsung focused on 5G from very early on. So it’s pioneered many innovations, especially in the millimeter wave spectrum space. And the company is focused on expanding in the U.S, which is an asset to our industry. Our guest this week is Derek Johnston, Head of Marketing at Samsung Networks. Don’t miss hearing what Derek shares about Samsung’s: 5G Innovation Zone, which explores manufacturing use cases for 5G Future augmented reality (AR) guided applications Expertise from the silicone layer through networks to devices, which helps its speed to market Humble but hungry culture that keeps an established global brand feeling like an exciting startup Commitment to bridging the gender gap, including hosting an annual Seoul Sisters event Acquisition of TeleWorld Solutions and what it means for them And much more! Listen now! And don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss an episode!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comInstagramLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Over the past few months, the network has faced sudden, unprecedented pressure as work from home and school from home became an instantaneous standard. This has placed new focus on the importance of broadband and the 5G rollout, and the workforce shortages affecting them. This week’s guest is Cari Shyiak, CEO of SAC Wireless. SAC teams work within all facets of wireless projects. For people looking for new careers, telecom holds a lot of promise. The industry will be expanding for years to come. Incredible opportunities will keep opening up. Do you like working outside? Inside? Training? Managing? Serving Customers? Chances are there’s a position that fits what you like to do. In this episode, Cari discusses Why Veterans are well-suited for transitioning into a telecom career and climbing the ranks How SAC is handling the move to remote work and what they’ll do next His company’s training and retention practices, and more Cari describes 5G as the underpinning technology for civilization to come. And for the people who want to help make that happen, telecom is a great place to be. Listen now!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comInstagramLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

When people talk about the Internet of Things (IoT), they’re often talking about the many devices that can be connected. But we don’t want things to simply connect. We want to have a combined experience with those connected things. This week’s guest, Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO at Boingo Wireless, has thought about convergence a lot. In his “Convergence Manifesto,” he called on the industry to stop competing and start collaborating. In this episode, Dr. Derek shares: What the convergence mindset is and how it can reduce costs and improve opportunities in the industry Why SPIRIT and after-action reviews are important to the Boingo culture How a more personal internet—the “IoMe” instead of the IoT—will reduce everyday friction in our lives And you don’t want to miss the way Dr. Derek has incorporated this last point very intimately into his life—with a microchip in his hand! Listen now to hear how this implant is streamlining his life and decluttering his pockets.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

WIA’s premier industry conference, Connect (X), is going virtual this year. Connect (X): All Access will be held May 19, with a Small and Diverse Business Summit May 20-21. All virtual. All free. WIA’s President and CEO, Jonathan Adelstein, is this week’s guest. Listen now as he shares: What you can expect from Connect (X): All Access The exciting new Diversity Summit debuting this year The role the Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum (WWLF) plays in championing diversity The labor shortage pre-pandemic and what we can expect after quarantine restrictions are lifted. How the deployment of 5G has become more critical as we’re all relying on broadband more than we ever did WIA’s Telecommunications Education Center and the ways it’s helping bridge industry knowledge gaps The Telecommunications Registered Apprenticeship Program and the $6M Department of Labor Grant that will help WIA improve workforce development This episode is packed with industry news during this important time. Don’t miss it!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

The number of mobile customers are fairly fixed. And they will all pay roughly the same amount per month for service. If you’re a carrier wanting to recover the cost of implementing 5G, you’ll want to get smart about the opportunities to provide enterprise-class services on the edge. This week’s guest is Simon Crosby, CTO of SWIM.AI. SWIM analyses data as it’s streaming, rather than storing it to analyze later. For carriers, this helps them analyze the quality of their networks and the connections they offer their subscribers. He says the bandwidth of 5G creates opportunities for carriers to experiment with a portfolio of enterprise-class offerings. At the same time they can massively reduce the cost and complexity of their core networks. But it will require skills many mobile providers don’t currently have. In this episode Simon explains some of these business-class services, the challenges carriers will face implementing them, and how carriers can overcome these challenges to come out ahead. Listen now!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Most companies recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I). But they may find themselves short of their goals when it comes to implementation. This week’s guests are from a Top 100 Certified Minority Business. They know what an effective D&I strategy looks like. Tom Marciano, CRO, and Iris Dawson, VP of Site Development work at inRange Solutions…A company with high retention rates and a management team that came mostly from backgrounds other than telecom. The company started with a culture of hiring for diversity and inclusion and for drive and integrity. This winning strategy continues through today. Tom and Iris explain why D&I have made inRange successful. They also share the factors inRange looks for in candidates. And they reveal how the company thinks about empowering and growing their people. Listen now!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

When companies shift to remote work, they usually do it gradually, with a plan in place. But over the past few weeks, many companies have gone from little remote work to almost 100 percent remote. Our guest this week is Stephan Dohrn, co-founder of Radical Inclusion. His company helps leaders manage their teams in remote environments. He’s here to offer advice for leaders who may be struggling with this sudden switch. In this episode, you’ll discover what leaders and managers should know to keep teams motivated and productive. Like how to: Create rituals, Set expectations, Establish protocols for communication, Manage meetings, Connect with team members, Remain flexible and compassionate about life situations during this unique time, and Understand how you can help and what resources your team needs. Stephan then shares a new, pro-bono initiative of remote work experts prepared to help leaders learn to manage their suddenly remote teams. Listen now and subscribe.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

The past few weeks have been uncertain and scary. In our industry, essential personnel are out there working to keep us connected, which is both worrying and inspiring. In spite of this reality, our worries and concerns haven’t dampened the hope and optimism for the robust recovery of telecom. Our guest this week is Brett Chester, VP of Marketing for Sitetracker. On March 25, the company published its Telecom Infrastructure Provider Outlook. The report is based on survey responses from the industry, pre-COVID-19. And it includes updated information from after the outbreak. Both data sets yielded some interesting—and sometimes counterintuitive or contradictory—results. In this episode, Brett shares some of the surprising findings about growth, margins, project accuracy, hiring, competition, efficiency and meetings. Brett also talks about the industry response to COVID-19, the risks, and the positive outlook most companies are sharing. Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to future episodes. And keep an eye out for a new LinkedIn Group called “Telecom Strong.” The group will provide connection, support, and inspiration to the telecom infrastructure industryLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Our guest this week is Will Townsend, Senior Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. He travels the world spending time with enterprise infrastructure providers and operators. So, he understands the technology and the services that get layered over it. And he’s got solid ideas about what is coming next. Many of the most disruptive transformations will happen in industries that are still “old school.” Like how ride sharing disrupted the for-hire car industry. And many of the disruptions we can’t even imagine yet. But we can see signs of what is coming with the newest generation of technology: Industry 4.0- Cloud and edge computing are already improving manufacturing through wireless connectivity. 5G- Fast throughput and lower latency allow efficiencies like extended Subject Matter Experts. These efficiencies will be cost disrupters that can help employers scale their workforce. Wi-Fi 6-This next iteration of indoor wireless supports multiple devices and the IoT to create better user experiences. Will also shares what’s going on with private networks, as well as the job opportunities that will come up even as old jobs disappear. Listen now to catch up on the latest “by the numbers.” And to hear how these technologies can help us cope with disruptions like COVID-19. And be sure to sign up for future episodes!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

If you’re in vertical telecom, you’re familiar with permitting delays and workforce shortages. Your counterparts in horizontal deployments face similar challenges: more applications than governments can handle; uncertainty with regulation, and not enough workforce to install the conduit. But fiber faces other challenges specific to its underground environment. This week’s guest is Chad Rasmussen. He’s the President and CEO of the North American division of Cable Runner International. He explains: The negative effect small cell fiber applications have on enterprise applications; The outside-the-industry workforce shortages that slow down deployments; and The lack of space in the ROW—where can all that fiber go? For that last one, Cable Runner takes advantage of an under-utilized existing network of conduit: sewer mains and storm drains. This disruptive technology aims to help support the entire telecom industry. Listen now to learn how using storm and sewer pipes streamlines the deployment process. And hear Chad’s thoughts tackling the 5G deployment challenges, including the importance of public and private leadership, collaboration, and educationLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Finding and retaining talent are twin challenges facing our industry. Add in rapid company growth, and those challenges get more critical and severe. And yet Leaf Communications isn’t struggling, in spite of impressive growth. In fact, candidates actively seek positions within the company. So how are they doing it? In this week’s episode, CEO Dan Leaf, shares the key factors to Leaf’s success, including: Searching for candidates with the right character rather than particular skills. Focusing on internal training (and Leaf’s target ratio). Committing to military recruiting. Giving employees the flexibility, tools, and autonomy, they need to succeed. Managing growth to retain quality of product, service, and culture. Retaining culture and energy through company growth. Then he digs into what you can do if your culture needs improvement—and what your first steps should be to get the momentum going. Listen now and be sure to subscribe to future episodes. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Perhaps because much of the time, it’s actually less visible.We’re talking about the fiber network. And 5G and smart cities cannot exist without it.In the top 25 U.S. metro areas alone, 5G needs 1.4 million miles of fiber. An estimated $130B-$150B in U.S. fiber investment is needed over then next few years to support the network!Our guest this week is Lisa Youngers. She’s the President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. The association is seeing growth of fiber across all applications…and we’re just at the beginning of the deployment.The limits to deployment come from two directions—the barriers to construction and the labor shortage. The Fiber Broadband Association works to tackle them both.In this episode, Lisa explains the common barriers to deployment. And she describes how the association works with policy makers to ease these burdens.But having permits without people to build out the plans doesn’t speed things up.Lisa says one of the association members is short 100 crews. Not people…crews. And other members have shortages as well, so they’re forced to turn down work.Listen now to hear the creative ways the Fiber Broadband Association and its members are working to overcome these shortages to propel fiber deployment forward.And be sure to subscribe to future episodes!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Episode 12: How NATE is tackling the 5G Labor Shortage Guest Todd Schlekeway, Executive Director of NATE It’s a slow climb to train enough tower technicians. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr says the U.S. 5G rollout requires 20,000 of them. Unfortunately, that many technicians simply do not exist today. As a result, rollouts are stalling. This week’s guest, Todd Schlekeway, is well-acquainted with this problem. Todd is the Executive Director of the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE). And he says not a week goes by without someone calling to ask where they can hire more workers. There are several hurdles to bringing climbers on board… the heights, the travel, and the competition from the other construction trades. But a wider reaching problem is the industry hasn’t done a good job of talking about career paths and progression. NATE aims to change this story. Todd describes its upcoming initiatives to: Tell a better industry story to new entrants to the workforce. Reach out to high schoolers who have grown up wireless-savvy to share the story. Work with community colleges and technical institutes to launch programs specifically for our industry. Keep supporting Warriors for Wireless as the organization begins to scale its training. Beyond workforce training, NATE has a busy 2020. The year marks its 25th anniversary, which will be celebrated at the NATE UNITE conference in Raleigh, NC, February 17th-20th. Todd shares details about the event, as well as what else is in store for NATE this year. Listen now and don’t forget to sign up for future episodes! Tweet – 262 characters with spaces/no links   NATE’s been an industry leader for 25 years. Executive Director Todd Schlekeway talks about the hurdles to hiring enough climbers, the initiatives NATE’s working on to alleviate the strain, and what’s in store for NATE in 2020. Listen now to this week’s episode!

.The future of telecom is much more than an advance from 4G to 5G. The entire industry is being upgraded. It’s no longer just a vehicle for voice and data. There’s a new space for telecoms and businesses to collaborate and create solutions.This week’s guest is Steve Canepa. He’s IBM’s Global General Manager for the Communication Sector.He and his team help telecom providers think beyond spectrum and 5G’s benefits. They learn to develop an ecosystem where they can help their business customers create value for their own customers.In this episode, Steve explains:How the network is part of the business solution for customer experience.The emergence of the telco network as a hybrid cloud platform and the emergence of edge computing and why that’s important.The transition of telecom into a horizontal platform that is software/integration-based, rather than engineering-based.How this open architecture lowers CapEx, OpEx, and other costs.Examples of AI helping workers do their best work.The opportunities for lifelong learning and how collaborating with clients, customers and employees creates a virtuous cycle of benefits.Don’t miss hearing how the future of technology is changing the industry and the workforce landscape. Listen now and subscribe to future episodes.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Culture, Diversity, and Workforce Development. They sound like corporate buzz-speak. And it’s true that some companies only pay them lip service. But for the workplaces that understand, embrace, and implement them, they form the foundation of a strong, stable, and successful company. Jay Brown, CEO of Crown Castle, talks about how Crown’s focus on each of these have made it a coveted place to work and do business. In this episode, Jay shares: The three pillars of Crown’s culture—be real, be accountable, and be an owner—that set employees up to thrive and improve; Why culture isn’t just a one-time implementation—it’s an on-going aspiration; What to consider when merging cultures during an acquisition; The way diversity of thought improves decision making; How removing implicit bias in hiring makes Crown more diverse; The challenges of fully sharing a culture with contract workers; And how focusing on general skills and abilities during hiring rather than specific, trainable, job tasks helps bridge the talent shortage. Don’t miss out on learning how industry leaders are building their teams and their companies. Listen now and be sure to subscribe to future episodes.

What does employee engagement really mean? Our guest this week, Rick Gallagos, CEO of Dale Carnegie Tampa Bay, describes it as “discretionary effort.” An engaged employee goes beyond the bare requirements of their job. Unfortunately for most companies, less than 1/3 of employees are engaged—that’s shockingly low!!! Which means around 70% of employees are on the disengaged spectrum. The merely disengaged do just their job, nothing more. The actively disengaged spread their dissatisfaction throughout your company. This costs you productivity and profits. Rick says the numbers are tough to move, but you CAN boost your employee engagement levels beyond the average of 30%. Here are just a few things we talked about: The 3 drivers of employee engagement (and the challenges leaders face implementing them); The 4 mistakes companies make when trying to boost engagement; The 1 simple thing leaders can start doing today; Behaviors leaders can look for to see if employees are disengaging; What employees can do if they feel disengagement creeping in; How large and small companies need to look at engagement differently; And the surprising age group that is typically the least engaged, and which can cost you the most. If you want to improve your employee engagement to retain your talent and boost your bottom line, you’ll want to listen to this episode as soon as possible. And be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Have you heard that tower climbers will jump to a company for even the smallest increase in pay? It’s not necessarily true. What is true is companies are under a lot of pressure to get antennas installed. It’s also true that there’s a shortage of tower climbers to do the work. The industry is trying to fix the latter but, for the near future, the reality is not going to change. So, what can companies and climbers do? This week’s guest, Kathy Gill, Owner of Tower & Safety Instruction in Phoenix, AZ, has some insights. She trains directly with tower climbers and she knows what they care about and why they leave. In this episode, she shares: The biggest reason climbers change companies (it’s not for a tiny increase in pay). What makes a crew effective and what destroys it from within. The toll travel takes and what some climbers are doing about it. The small steps managers can take to help keep their crews intact. How management and climbers can work together to get their mindsets and goals aligned. Gill’s approach focuses on improving the reality that exists rather than feeling dissatisfied about the one that doesn’t. Listen now and be sure to subscribe to 5G Talent Talk. 

Do you have a talent shortfall? Open spots that you just can’t fill? The workforce shortage and its impact on the race to 5G is a regular discussion topic in the industry. If you’re feeling the pain of too much work and not enough workers, maybe you’re missing (or dismissing) a large segment of the American workforce. In the next few years, 35% of our workforce will be 50 or older. And 8% of them—about 13 million workers—will be 65 or older. This week’s guest is Miranda Allen. She’s a nationally recognized expert on generational diversity. And she sits on the FCC’s BDAC Job Skills Working Group. She says companies hurt themselves by not engaging with this experienced workforce. Listen and learn as Miranda… Corrects the negative stereotypes of older workers with facts. For example, workers over 50 aren’t less productive. They have the highest level of engagement in their workforce. (And engagement increases productivity… and productivity increases your bottom line.) Advises mature workers how to revise and tailor their resumes to get through automated recruiting filters. And she suggests what companies should look at in their screening processes if they can’t fill positions. Discusses why companies need to include age in their Diversity Programs. Discrimination against workers over 40 doesn’t only hamper your profit potential, it’s illegal. Listen now! Be sure to subscribe to get future episodes and hear past programs!

The fear that AI will take away a significant number of jobs is somewhat exaggerated, says Rana Gujral. Gujral is the CEO of Behavioral Signals and an expert on AI. Behavioral Signals creates software that introduces emotional intelligence into speech recognition technology. Gujral thinks of AI as comparable to major innovations from the past. They improved productivity and the overall economic ecosystem. They took what humans were doing and enhanced it. And, in many cases, they took on tasks humans didn’t really want to do. But, he agrees, some workers will be affected more than others—just as with earlier innovations. In this episode, Gujral explains the difference between AI and machine learning; shares his thoughts on the tasks AI will take on and what it’s already doing to help professionals; and discusses the responsibilities and mindsets people and companies can adopt to adjust to these coming technologies. Listen now for insights on AI and to hear what Behavioral Signals is doing to augment human-to-human interactions and improve human-to-machine interactions. Be sure to subscribe to future episodes.

Every company has a culture, but not every company has a winning culture. One that attracts and keeps talent. With a workforce shortage throughout the wireless industry, though, many companies are wondering what they can do to improve theirs. Every few weeks, 5G Talent Talk will feature a company that has figured it out. Our first culture champion is Tilson Technology Management with guests Josh Broder, CEO, and Adria Horn, VP of Workforce. Broder says Tilson isn’t a hard place to work, despite working on tough and challenging projects. Tilson’s culture is internally and externally focused, which makes it very purposeful. Broder and Horn explain how Tilson fosters its values, creates psychological safety and communication paths for its team, and how they’ve evolved their thinking about retention and success for their employees. They discuss why it’s less expensive to invest in seemingly costly benefits. And they share the importance of not just saying a company is inclusive but of actually being inclusive. Listen now to discover ideas for how to build or improve the culture in your own company. Be sure to subscribe to future episodes.

Robots and AI are poised to make life a lot easier for us. But that reality is causing a lot of people to lose sleep. Workers will be displaced, industries will be disrupted, and our workplaces will be changing. Guest Alexandra Levit doesn’t lose sleep over this. (But other questions keep her awake…) Levit is a futurist—she looks at marketplace trends to forecast what has the most potential to cause disruptions. She is also a consultant and author of “Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workforce of the Future.” In this episode, Levit shares a forecast of what the next decade looks like for workplaces, workforces, and careers as technologies expand. And she talks about the critical roles humans will continue to play, the importance of learning agility, and how to start small.  Listen now to discover what we can expect by 2030 and what you can do now to prepare. Be sure to subscribe to future episodes.

By 2020—just a few short months away—millennials will make up over 50% of the workforce. If you don’t understand your company’s average millennial retention rate (not your overall retention rate), it could be costing you a lot.    The average millennial stays in a job for only 16 months. At an average cost of $36,000 to replace a millennial employee, rehiring costs quickly add up. And these costs are usually not in anyone’s budget, so the losses come out of company growth, R&D, or profits. But not all millennials leave. In this podcast, Dr. Kent J. Wessinger, millennial researcher and author of Bridges Over Ladders: Secure growth and fortify profit with millennial employees, customers, and members, shares the single most important thing your company can do to help retain your millennial employees and the simple ways to do it.  Listen now!

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