E301: Laura Martin - Choosing your own Adventure

Описание: Laura Martin is an expert in workplace culture and leadership, and the co-founder and CEO of The Glinda Group, a consultancy that helps organizations drive engagement. Drawing from behavioral science, Laura and her team deliver practical tools, immersive workshops, and strategic consulting that unlock performance, strengthen leadership, and drive measurable business outcomes.

With over two decades of cross-functional leadership experience, Laura brings a unique blend of business acumen and people expertise. A former Chief Human Resources Officer, she has held senior leadership roles in Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups, including Target, The Marcus Buckingham Company/ADP, RAZR, and BMS. Her career has spanned operations, finance, HR, client success, IT, and product—giving her a deep understanding of how to align people strategy with business strategy across every level of an organization.

Laura holds an MBA from The University of St. Thomas and a certificate in DEI from Cornell. Known for her engaging and practical style, Laura blends optimism and strategy to inspire action and elevate performance.

Episode Highlights:

Early entrepreneurial drive
Laura even as a child, dreamed of being her own boss — despite not knowing what that meant yet. She started working in Target and that gave her the experience in leadership, innovation and growth of the companies.

Pursuing curiosity over titles
Laura consistently chose roles that sparked curiosity, leading to unexpected and fulfilling career moves. After a big corporation, she moved to a tech startup and expanded her skills in scrappiness and flexibility — and she fell in love with the speed and agility of smaller orgs.

Her first company: From rivals to co-founders
Laura and Jordan Birnbaum transitioned from competitors to collaborators, building a business based on mutual respect and shared vision. Walking away from a high-revenue client that didn't align — a move that paved the way for healthier, more successful relationships.

“People are messy—and that's exactly why investing in culture and team dynamics matters.”
Human beings are complex. Emotions, misunderstandings, and competing needs are all part of any team. Laura urges leaders to stop avoiding the messiness and start designing systems and support that embrace it. Culture work is often about leaning into those complications and building bridges—because that’s where lasting connection and performance emerge.

The cost of disengaged employees is measurable.
Disengagement shows up in subtle ways—missed deadlines, reduced creativity, poor customer experiences—and eventually, attrition. Laura explains that ignoring culture isn’t just bad for morale; it’s bad for business. Engaged employees don’t just show up—they contribute more, solve problems faster, and stick around longer.

Every team member can create connections.
Leadership isn’t always about titles. Laura reminds us that culture lives in the everyday choices people make—in how we listen, support one another, and show up. Anyone, regardless of rank, can help create a culture of trust and connection. That’s how grassroots change takes root and spreads.

Being a volunteer is making her humble.
Laura reflects on her work with refugee communities and how it has shaped her view of leadership and resilience. These experiences offer a profound reminder of what courage looks like, and how much strength lies in community, support, and the human will to thrive even under difficult circumstances.


Show Notes with timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to B2B Podcast and Laura Martin
01:53 Growing up in rural Minnesota: big dreams about entrepreneurship from her six years.
07:30 Choose your adventure: being curious and choosing interesting areas of business.
09:34 Cooperating is the key: creating Product of the Year in 2017 with Jordan Birnbaum.
13:54 It takes courage to choose your vision over big revenue: don't sacrifice your peace of mind serving clients that are not aligned with you.
21:58 When people are not interested in the work, or caring enough: Business thrives when workers are happy.
23:08 Her volunteering in mediation: now working with refugees and immigrants.
27:15 Don't underestimate the importance of the human experience at work.
28:24 Sense of adventure makes Laura tick: looking forward to exciting things in life.


Links:
https://glindagroup.com
  / lauraemartin1  

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