People First Leadership with Mindy Flanigan

October 13, 2026 · 0:00 read

Small business owners are tired. The AI headlines tell them that if they're not talking about it they're not relevant in the room, and if they're not adopting it they're falling behind. Mindy Flanigan, founder of Inspiring HR, hears that worry every week, and she starts somewhere else: nobody is kee

Small business owners are tired. The AI headlines tell them that if they're not talking about it they're not relevant in the room, and if they're not adopting it they're falling behind. Mindy Flanigan, founder of Inspiring HR, hears that worry every week, and she starts somewhere else: nobody is keeping up.Mindy and Aaron talk about picking technology that's worth it, what never to say to your team about AI, how to help an overwhelmed owner find the next step, and what happens when the tech stack starts making the work harder. Plus a book about pirates with more to say about HR than you'd expect.Show outline<ul><li>05:03 - The two times rule: which technology earns its keep</li><li>08:00 - A disorienting time: when the innovation curve outruns everyone</li><li>10:57 - Bite-sized pieces: coaching overwhelmed owners back to hope</li><li>14:35 - The smallest next step, and why the big swing backfires</li><li>16:32 - Too many hoops: shared logins, toggle fatigue, and one single truth</li><li>23:52 - Quick hits: Be More Pirate and podcast picks</li></ul>Takeaways<ol><li>Stop grading yourself against the feed. Decide what you need technology to do before you pick a tool, and let that list settle the "should we switch?" debates. Mindy's team spent three months on theirs.</li><li>If you've done a repetitive task more than twice and you don't enjoy it, hand it to a machine. The point is getting people back to the work that gets them up in the morning.</li><li>Never sell AI to your team as a way to stop hiring. People who feel less safe don't do their best work.</li><li>When a problem feels like a tornado, take the smallest next step and finish it before you start the second one. A supportive partner makes the long game easier to play.</li><li>Check your tech stack on a regular rhythm: what's working, what's redundant, and where your one single truth lives. Shared logins and systems that don't talk to each other wear people down.</li></ol>Resources mentioned<ul><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982109610" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Be More Pirate</a> by Sam Conniff Allende</li><li><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/firing-line/video/ben-mckenzie-mgl2cc/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Firing Line: Ben McKenzie</a> on Everyone Is Lying to You for Money</li><li>The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway: owners vs. earners</li><li>Inspiring HR's quarterly newsletter (subscribe on their homepage)</li></ul>Connect with Mindy Flanigan<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/inspiringhr/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://inspiringhr.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Inspiring HR</a> (contact form, or call 804-715-1920)</li></ul>Connect with Aaron Lee<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronleeco" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://newgeneration.media/episodes?utm_source=show_notes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ngl-ep89" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">All episodes</a></li></ul>