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The People Spark Podcast

The People Spark Podcast

Written by: People Spark®
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The People Spark® Podcast is where ag leaders and business owners come for practical tools, real stories, and straightforward strategies to grow stronger people leaders, teams, and businesses. Hosts Kristen Ireland and Erin Mies, HR and leadership consultants with over 35 years of combined experience, share insights from the field and conversations with leaders who have been where you are. From navigating change and improving retention to building culture and leading with confidence, every episode delivers simple, actionable takeaways you can put into practice right away. Whether you’re leading a family business, co-op, managing a dealership, or running an ag-adjacent business, this podcast will help you stop spinning in circles and move forward with clarity, confidence, and results.People Spark® Careers Economics Management Management & Leadership Personal Success
Episodes
  • Another Lap Around the Sun
    May 19 2026

    Wow, we can’t believe it’s been eight years already! Join us this week as we flip through the Wayback Files and reflect on the moments that shaped People Spark Consulting. From leaving stable jobs, to our “Shark Tank” pitch to our husbands, to learning how to define what services we actually offered in those early days of business.

    And how the risks, failures, pivots, lessons learned, and people we’ve met along the way gave us the confidence to keep building and keep growing. Hopefully through our celebration and looking ahead to the next chapter of People Spark Consulting, we’re able to give you a spark to keep learning and growing too. Thanks for listening!

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    Culture Development Session

    Schedule your Culture Development Session. In this free 30-minute session, you will have a personalized conversation with an expert advisor, an opportunity to see how our programs can help you define your business and people strategies, and actionable insights tailored to your goals to move to the business you have always envisioned.

    Leadership Transformation Program

    Learn about how to develop YOUR ag leaders by scheduling time with the People Spark ® team. 96% of employees want feedback – constructive OR recognition. Yet another survey found that only 5% of managers provide critical feedback to employees – even though it’s important for their development. Nearly half of managers (44%) find giving feedback stressful. Nearly a quarter (21%) avoid giving it altogether.

    Our leadership transformation program was designed to be straightforward and practical, providing content in digestible chunks, supporting participants through personalized feedback, and providing participants an environment to learn with other ag leaders across the country.

    In many instances, managers just aren’t comfortable with WHAT to do, let alone HOW to do it. They feel it’s uncomfortable, they don’t want to demotivate employees and just aren’t sure how to do it. And the repercussions of NOT giving feedback end up impacting you and your business – through lower productivity and profitability, decreased employee engagement, and increased employee turnover.

    Learn more at www.developagleaders.com.

    Podcast Produced by Texture House Sound & Visuals

    (Source: www.peoplesparkconsulting.com/podcast/episode)

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Satisfaction Focused on Engagement
    May 12 2026

    What’s the difference between employee satisfaction and employee engagement, and why does it matter more than most leaders realize?

    In this episode, we break down a common misconception: satisfaction is about what employees get, while engagement is about what employees give. That distinction changes how leaders think about motivation, performance, and culture.

    We also dig into a critical insight from recent research: manager engagement is declining, and that matters because managers drive the majority of the employee experience. When leaders overlook the engagement of their managers, it creates ripple effects across their teams.

    Throughout our conversation, we explore practical ways leaders can move beyond surface-level check-ins and start building engagement through meaningful feedback, and intentional conversations that help managers feel heard, and supported.

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    Culture Development Session

    Schedule your Culture Development Session. In this free 30-minute session, you will have a personalized conversation with an expert advisor, an opportunity to see how our programs can help you define your business and people strategies, and actionable insights tailored to your goals to move to the business you have always envisioned.

    Leadership Transformation Program

    Learn about how to develop YOUR ag leaders by scheduling time with the People Spark ® team. 96% of employees want feedback – constructive OR recognition. Yet another survey found that only 5% of managers provide critical feedback to employees – even though it’s important for their development. Nearly half of managers (44%) find giving feedback stressful. Nearly a quarter (21%) avoid giving it altogether.

    Our leadership transformation program was designed to be straightforward and practical, providing content in digestible chunks, supporting participants through personalized feedback, and providing participants an environment to learn with other ag leaders across the country.

    In many instances, managers just aren’t comfortable with WHAT to do, let alone HOW to do it. They feel it’s uncomfortable, they don’t want to demotivate employees and just aren’t sure how to do it. And the repercussions of NOT giving feedback end up impacting you and your business – through lower productivity and profitability, decreased employee engagement, and increased employee turnover.

    Learn more at www.developagleaders.com.

    Podcast Produced by Texture House Sound & Visuals

    (Source: www.peoplesparkconsulting.com/podcast/episode)

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • Defining Leadership in Your Organization
    May 5 2026

    What does leadership actually mean in your organization?

    In this episode, we dig into a shift many organizations are feeling right now. As spans of control grow and roles get bigger, leaders are often pulled back into doing the work instead of leading through their teams. And when that happens, engagement drops, priorities blur, and leadership starts to feel reactive instead of intentional.

    We talk about what leadership really looks like today: achieving results through your team, not doing all the work yourself! Which, in turn, gives you and your team space to grow!

    If your leaders feel stretched thin or "stuck in the weeds", we hope conversation will help you step back and redefine what leadership looks like for you.

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    Culture Development Session

    Schedule your Culture Development Session. In this free 30-minute session, you will have a personalized conversation with an expert advisor, an opportunity to see how our programs can help you define your business and people strategies, and actionable insights tailored to your goals to move to the business you have always envisioned.

    Leadership Transformation Program

    Learn about how to develop YOUR ag leaders by scheduling time with the People Spark ® team. 96% of employees want feedback – constructive OR recognition. Yet another survey found that only 5% of managers provide critical feedback to employees – even though it’s important for their development. Nearly half of managers (44%) find giving feedback stressful. Nearly a quarter (21%) avoid giving it altogether.

    Our leadership transformation program was designed to be straightforward and practical, providing content in digestible chunks, supporting participants through personalized feedback, and providing participants an environment to learn with other ag leaders across the country.

    In many instances, managers just aren’t comfortable with WHAT to do, let alone HOW to do it. They feel it’s uncomfortable, they don’t want to demotivate employees and just aren’t sure how to do it. And the repercussions of NOT giving feedback end up impacting you and your business – through lower productivity and profitability, decreased employee engagement, and increased employee turnover.

    Learn more at www.developagleaders.com.

    Podcast Produced by Texture House Sound & Visuals

    (Source: www.peoplesparkconsulting.com/podcast/episode) v2

    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
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