Out of Line with Tiff Scott

Your company is probably getting veteran hiring wrong, and your HR team has no idea. 🎖️ Less than 2% of Americans have any connection to the military, so most HR leaders and staffing partners walk right past what veterans and military spouses actually bring to the table. Chip Mardis knows both sides of that desk. Army veteran, former captain called up for Desert Storm, and a career HR leader who climbed to chief human resources officer. Now he runs Blue United Sourcing, placing veterans and military spouses into leadership, management, skilled trades, and IT roles. He and Tiffany Scott get into the mentor who told him he was not an entrepreneur, why 98% of corporate America is clueless about military talent, what it feels like to take the uniform off for the last time, the Civilian Ready transition program, running a company with his daughter from 4,000 miles away, and why he had to stop selling before anybody would buy. 👀 ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 0:44 Intro 1:26 "You're really not an entrepreneur": a mentor's gut check 3:28 Running a company with his daughter 4,000 miles away 7:54 Army captain, Desert Storm, and getting out 9:27 From Army captain to his hands and knees 11:34 Becoming a first time CHRO 12:09 The 95% retention culture 12:24 Bringing military talent into corporate HR 14:41 The 40% military spouse unemployment problem 15:19 Launching Blue United Sourcing 17:08 Partnering with his daughter 19:13 Let the market tell you what it wants 20:53 Sell, sell, sell and selling nothing 26:42 Why 98% of companies get veteran hiring wrong 27:30 Losing the camaraderie when the uniform comes off 29:39 When the executive team asked for more JMOs 33:44 Where the clients come from: IT, MSPs, referrals 36:44 Why won't HR just look at a resume? 42:20 Turning around a business nobody wanted 47:10 Moneyball, and why HR should be the umpire 51:52 Build the church for the confessional 53:43 Your title is not who you are 55:34 Civilian Ready and life after the uniform 59:27 Where to find Chip and join the talent network 🎖️ EVERYTHING CHIP MENTIONED Join the talent network: https://apply.workable.com/blue-united-sourcing/j/457FAE9D89/ Blue United Sourcing: https://www.blueunitedsourcing.com Contact Chip: https://www.blueunitedsourcing.com/contact-8 Chip on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipmardis Civilian Ready: https://civilianready.org 🎧 LISTEN EVERYWHERE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod 💙 If you or a veteran you know is struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7: dial 988 and press 1.

Your staffing firm's playbook is expiring and nobody wants to say it out loud. 📉 The big public staffing companies are losing money. The MSP model half the industry is built on is running out of road. And every staffing agency that calls itself "AI agnostic" is one client question away from getting exposed.Bryan Howlin has spent 28 years inside the staffing industry, from the Aerotek engine room to running sales at Revature through a private equity sale, and he's done being polite about where it's all headed. He and Tiffany Scott get into why the big publics are reeling, what's actually replacing the MSP staffing model, what AI in staffing and recruiting really changes, and why "transformation" is the most thrown around word in human capital, usually by people with no plan behind it.If you own a staffing agency, sell staffing, or compete against it, this episode tells you what's coming before your competitors figure it out. 👀⏱️ CHAPTERS0:00 Cold open0:38 Meet Bryan Howlin: 28 years in staffing1:35 The staffing shakeup: too many firms, one shrinking pool4:52 Culture and accountability inside staffing firms7:30 Quality over quantity in staffing sales9:52 Bryan's story: Aerotek, Randstad, Revature13:10 Private equity in staffing15:32 Everybody knows everybody in this industry17:09 Offshore recruiting: trust but verify22:09 Deloitte and the consulting giants moving in24:10 Shrinking margins: be the best at YOUR thing26:01 Clients are bringing hiring in house28:35 Why the MSP model is dying31:46 "Transformation" with no plan behind it36:35 The NFL game plan for your career38:13 AI in staffing and recruiting41:25 From cocky to humble: be a good person45:23 The future of staffing and AI compliance48:32 What's next for Bryan50:06 Advice for anyone selling staffing52:50 The wake up call from his wife🎤 GUESTBryan Howlin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-howlin-9447681/🎧 LISTEN EVERYWHEREApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9NSubscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod🔗 FOLLOW OUT OF LINELinkedIn (Tiffany): https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyscott421LinkedIn (show page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/111447145/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/971274146076562Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffisoutoflineTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unbalanced.af#staffingindustry #staffing #MSP

David Beety named his company after one degree. At 210 water is hot. At 211 it is still just hot. At 212 you get a revolution. In Ep 15 of Out of Line, the Founder and CEO of 212° Titans sits down with Tiffany Scott for an after hours conversation about what that one degree actually costs to reach.Dave does not soften the industry he has spent his career in. His words: staffing, whether we like it or not, has earned the bad reputation that it has. He walks through the STEAM framework he built the company on, why he will not work off a job description and shows up at your office to meet the team instead, and the difference between nice and kind. Nice is you are trying so hard and still not getting it done. Kind is asking what I can do to help you own the expectations.The stories in this one earn their place. Forty three candidates interviewed to put one in front of a client, and the question he asked when that was not enough. The eight million dollar deal and what it took out of him. The assessment he called nonsense right up until it named his own worst weakness out loud, and why he now tells everyone who works around him about it on day one. And the moment in his personal life that turned him into a different kind of leader, which he tells without flinching.Tiffany does not hide behind the mic either. Falling on the sword as the fastest way to disarm somebody. The realization that what stands in the way is ego, and it is never the team's ego, it is ours. Why most companies say their people are the differentiator and she is not sure they know that they are not. And why owning a business is the most uncomfortable thing she has ever done.If you lead a team, sell for a living, or run a company where being liked has quietly started to matter more than being useful, this is the one to sit with.CONNECT WITH DAVID BEETYWebsite: https://212titans.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-w-beety-aaa43956CONNECT WITH TIFFANY SCOTTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyscott421Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffisoutoflineTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unbalanced.afmyScout: https://app.myscout.aiLeveling Up: https://leveling-up.netLISTEN AND WATCH EVERYWHEREYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9NNew episodes drop Tuesdays at 7am ET.#staffing #staffingindustry #leadership #businesspodcast #salesleadership

From managing maximum-security correctional facilities and stepping into the ring as a competitive fighter to scaling a real estate empire and teaching thousands nationwide, Dr. Al Philip-Neri has led several different lives. But his biggest breakthrough came from decoding the raw human behavior that dictates whether a business explodes or completely falls apart under pressure. Today, he sits down to reveal how leaders can build unbreakable culture, how to read a candidate’s DNA before you ever look at their resume, and the hidden operational drag that is killing your bottom line.In Episode 13 of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Dr. Al Philip-Neri breaks down behavioral analytics in hiring, the psychological blueprint of top executive leaders, why your best independent performer will fail as a manager, handling legacy employees and toxic tenured staff, the ultimate framework for operational cohesion under pressure, and a live, unfiltered breakdown of Tiffany’s own behavioral assessment.⏱️ CHAPTERS03:02 — Prison to Psychology: Dr. Al’s unconventional journey.11:01 — The Passion Trap: Hard lessons from business ownership.17:22 — The Real Estate Grind: Scaling teams and heavy travel.22:39 — Tiffany's Live Assessment: Dissecting innate CEO traits.26:30 — Dolphins vs. Eagles: Leadership archetypes and partnerships.28:28 — Behavioral Alignment: Scaling with predictive analytics.31:00 — The Entry-Level Bottleneck: Optimizing high-volume talent.35:06 — The Execution Advantage: Building systems over feelings.36:21 — Teaching Under Pressure: How to cultivate team trust.37:19 — Cultural Audits: Finding bottlenecks in established companies.43:26 — The Manager Mistake: Why top performers often fail as leaders.47:04 — Toxic Legacy Hires: The true financial cost of long tenure.57:23 — Puppets vs. Partners: Reframing middle management's role.01:02:55 — Connecting with Dr. Al: Where to find the book and firm.💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS"Most organizations don't struggle with strategy. They struggle with execution. And execution breaks at the leadership level every single time.""Your culture is a feeling. Cohesion is a system. You can talk about culture all day, but without a systematic framework for alignment, it doesn't mean a thing.""Stop looking at tenure as a leadership skill. We constantly promote people just because they are excellent at their individual job, but that has absolutely nothing to do with their ability to lead others.""If you have a manager who is toxic but brings in money, go do the math with your CFO. When you factor in recruiting, onboarding, lost talent, and culture drag, that 'top producer' is actually costing you millions.""Quit creating environments where your people are constantly walking on eggshells. When fear dictates the workplace, you will never get the execution or the results you are looking for."🔗 CONNECT WITH DR. AL PHILIP-NERI🌐 Website: teamcohesionhq.com 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alphilipneri 🔗 Get the Book: theexecutionadvantage.com🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT 🌐 Website: outoflinepod.com ▶️ Subscribe: @outoflinepod 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516 💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N#OutOfLine #TiffanyScott #DrAlPhilipNeri #TheExecutionAdvantage #CohesionHQ #HiringStrategy #BehavioralAnalytics #ExecutiveLeadership #CorporateCulture #MiddleManagement #StaffingAndHiring #TeamCohesion #PerformancePsychology

From leaving home at 16 to navigating a high-stakes industry, some founders don't just survive the chaos; they thrive in it.When a major life change completely upended her routine, Shanice didn't look for a safety net; she threw herself into launching her own executive search firm. Now, three years later, she has scaled a trans-Atlantic recruitment boutique built entirely on the courage to go out on her own.In Episode 12 of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Shanice, Founder of Shelby Staffing Group, breaks down transitioning from corporate staffing to a lean boutique model, managing the messy realities of the first two years in business, resisting the pressure to over-scale or take bad investment advice, breaking into competitive global markets like Austin and New York, navigating the intense demands of being a sole-provider mom, and how relying on authentic relationship-building over cold-calling creates a lasting legacy as a modern executive.💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS:"If I thought about what was best for me, I would have just gone and worked for another employer. I had to think about what was best for my daughter.""Go back to basics and do what you can on your own until somebody comes along that aligns with your goal and your vision. Don't panic. Just don't panic.""If you trust yourself and your relationships with your clients, let others try to imitate that. No one else is going to be able to imitate your genuine character.""I like being small and keeping things personal. If you scale too fast or chase the wrong investment, it just turns into a numbers game, a conveyor belt where people are gone the second they miss a metric.""Appreciate yourself when you get to wherever it is you're going. Sometimes we just constantly push for 'what's next' and completely burn ourselves out without stopping to realize, 'Actually, I built that.'"🔗 CONNECT WITH SHANICE:🌐 Website: shelbystaffinggroup.com🔗LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stacibenderepstein12🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT:🌐 Website: outoflinepod.com▶️ Subscribe: @outoflinepod🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N#OutOfLinePodcast #TiffanyScott #WomenInBusiness #ExecutiveSearch #RecruitmentHustle #BoutiqueAgency #SingleMotherhood #FounderJourney #ModernExecutive #AustinTech #LondonBusiness #BusinessDevelopment