In this feel-good episode of Chat the Chief, Bert Bean (CEO), Steve Wasik, and Katie Hillary unpack one of the most powerful drivers of workplace culture: recognition. Why does praise matter so much? How does it impact performance, belonging, and even brain chemistry? We explore the art and science behind recognition and share practical leadership tips for giving authentic praise that sticks.
What You’ll Learn:
Why recognition is foundational to culture and performance
Public vs. private praise: which matters more?
The neuroscience of praise (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins)
How to give authentic, specific recognition
Why systems like awards matter—but spontaneous moments matter more
Key Moments:
00:00 Intro
01:00 The foundation of culture
05:00 Public vs. private praise
10:00 The science behind recognition
19:00 Praise vs. monetary rewards
24:00 How to give authentic praise
30:00 Titan
39:00 Bert’s Spotify Wrapped
44:00 Looking ahead to 2026
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work. Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global. Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
📩 Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com
Are Gen Zs in the workplace truly “consciously unbossing,” choosing personal development over management positions and opting out of leadership? In this week’s Chat the Chief, Bert, Steve, and Katie unpack all things Gen Z in the workplace—the data, the narrative, and the reality they see inside our own walls. From the rise of individual contributors to why great leadership still wins (hello, 4:50 a.m. Starbucks patio story), we explore how purpose, development, and recognition turn “the 2%” into outliers who outperform.
Key Moments:
[00:30-01:16] Gen Z stats
[03:40-04:02] “Conscious unbossing” explained
[04:11-04:46] The people we hire
[05:14-05:36] Be the outlier
[13:10-14:30] The jogger
[14:55-15:30] Starbucks patio moment
[20:15-20:50] Playbook for corporate
[23:15-31:00] Chat the Chief segment
About the Podcast: Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work. Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global. Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company. 📩 Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com
When’s the last time you delivered a pitch that truly landed? What made it so successful? In this episode, Bert Bean, CEO of Insight Global, breaks down his approach to selling — whether it’s winning over a client, pitching an idea internally, or getting buy-in from the C-suite. Tune in to hear his three-step method for selling ideas, what makes him cringe in a meeting, and even his take on Taylor Swift’s new album. You don’t want to miss this one!
Key Moments:
[00:00] Intro
[01:29] Bert’s 3 steps to making a good sell
[11:26] The humble consultant
[25:15] Cringey sales experiences
[29:15] Confident uncertainty
[31:15] Sales tactics with Customers
[33:01] Best tips for selling to an executive
[34:44] Chat the Chief segment
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work. Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global. Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
📩 Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com
In this episode, Bert, Steve, and Katie explore the fine line between confidence and arrogance, and how leaders can navigate the tension between healthy pride and destructive ego.
This conversation unpacks the psychology behind ego, the power of humility, and the invisible motivations that shape how we show up at work and in life. From Freud to Steve Jobs, from sports heroes to corporate culture this episode is packed with insights that challenge how we think about leadership, identity, and impact.
🔑 Key Moments:
[0:00] Intro
[0:33] Defining ego and pride
[1:45] Freud’s framework: id, ego, and superego
[1:50] Healthy pride vs. arrogance
[10:15] Ego as certainty in leadership
[15:40] How pride shows up in company culture
[18:33] Firing the jerks: protecting team values
[28:00] Social media’s impact on ego
[32:02] Purpose vs. ego-driven decisions
[35:52] Chat the Chief segment
📩 Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work.
Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
* Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
* Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
* Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global. Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
Storytelling isn’t just for books and movies—it’s one of the most powerful tools a leader has. In this episode, Bert, Steve, and Katie dive into the art of storytelling and why great leadership starts with great communication.
This conversation unpacks why stories move us, how they shape the world around us, and what it takes to truly inspire others.
Whether you lead a team of 5 or 5,000, if you want to be a better communicator, this episode is for you.
🔑 Key Moments:
[0:00] Intro
[1:01] What makes a message resonate with people?
[4:54] Master storytellers
[10:26] In order to be inspiring you must first be inspired
[20:19] Personal experiences with excellent storytellers
[27:56] Good storytelling takes practice
[33:40] Transparency in messaging
[41:44] Tips to improve storytelling and messaging
Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com. 📩
—————————————
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work.
Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global.
Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
Get to know the real meaning behind Insight Global’s fifth Shared Value, “Always Know Where You Stand.” People deserve to know where they stand—both in life and at work. But it’s on you to own your progress and seek to know where you stand. In this episode, Bert, Katie and Steve get deep on the origin story of Always Know Where You Stand and how everyone can live this value out, whether you’re a leader or not.
🔑 Key Moments:
[0:00] Intro
[0:32] Defining Always Know Where You Stand
[5:14] Leaders letting their people know where they stand
[14:48] Always Know Where You Stand at home
[19:39] Knowing where we stand as a company
[25:39] How Bert knows where he stands as CEO
[26:09] Receiving feedback
[34:48] Top tips for delivering feedback
[38:32] Chat the Chief questions
Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com. 📩
—————————————
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work.
Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global.
Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
For the first time on Chat the Chief, we’re bringing in a guest—meet Santosh Kandle! With 20+ years in the high-tech industry, Santosh is Insight Global’s go-to expert for leading digital transformations at scale. In this episode, he breaks down where AI is headed, why agentic AI is a game-changer, and how we’re already using it to create real business impact.
Santosh shares why you shouldn’t be afraid of AI—but you should be afraid of the people who understand it better than you.
🔑 Key Moments:
[00:00] Intro
[01:30] Using AI personally
[08:47] Defining different types of AI
[15:59] Training AI agents: what’s the secret sauce?
[16:34] AI’s business impact at Insight Global
[18:38] Bert’s take on investing in AI
[21:24] AI and culture
[34:28] AI transformation with our customers
[40:40] “Don’t be afraid of what AI will do to you. Be afraid of what those who know more about AI will do to you.”
[41:08] Chat the Chief
Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com. 📩
—————————————
About the Guest:
Santosh Kandle leads the Data, AI, and Applications Practice at Evergreen, Insight Global’s professional services division. With deep expertise in data science, machine learning, and generative AI, he helps Fortune 1000 companies drive large-scale digital transformation. Before joining Insight Global, Santosh led a multibillion-dollar telecom transformation for AT&T at Ericsson, generating over $14B in revenue. He’s known for forging strong C-suite partnerships and delivering forward-thinking tech solutions.
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work.
Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global.
Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
One thing about our chief? He has some obsessive tendencies. Listen in as Katie dives deeper into the obsessive minds of Bert and Steve and how they’ve harnessed their obsessions to succeed in their careers and in their passions outside of work. Yes…Bert talks about running again. 🏃
🔑 Key Moments:
[00:00] Intro
[00:50] What does it mean to be obsessive?
[10:21] What’s the difference between working hard and being obsessive?
[22:37] When does obsession get unhealthy?
[25:21] Shift from hardworking mindset to obsessive mindset
[28:08] Being obsessive as a team
[32:54] When are you done being obsessed with something?
[34:09] When did you realize the power of obsession?
Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com. 📩
—————————————
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work.
Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global.
Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
About Insight Global:
Learn more about Insight Global: https://insightglobal.com/
Learn more about Compass, Insight Global’s Culture and Leadership division: https://compass.insightglobal.com/
Learn more about Evergreen, Insight Global’s professional services division: https://evergreen.insightglobal.com/
Looking for a career in recruiting and sales? Learn more here: https://careers.insightglobal.com/?_g….
Follow Us on Social:
/ dashboard
https://www.instagram.com/insight_glo…
https://www.tiktok.com/@insight_globa…
How a company solves problems is its culture. In this episode, Bert, Katie, and Steve take a trip down memory lane to a time where employee turnover was at 100% and Bert as a new CEO was desperate for change.
🔑 Key Moments:
[00:00] Intro
[00:52] Insight Global Origin Story
[04:25] Defining Shared Values
[08:00] Defining Culture
[11:23] Culture 101 with Steve
[16:13] Signs of a Healthy Culture
[21:11] Culture’s Impact on Business Results
[25:52] Breaking Bad Habits
[33:59] Steve’s Love of Culture
[35:40] Steve’s Leadership Journey
Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com. 📩
—————————————
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work.
Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global.
Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
About Insight Global:
Learn more about Insight Global: https://insightglobal.com/
Learn more about Compass, Insight Global’s Culture and Leadership division: https://compass.insightglobal.com/
Learn more about Evergreen, Insight Global’s professional services division: https://evergreen.insightglobal.com/
Looking for a career in recruiting and sales? Learn more here: https://careers.insightglobal.com/?_g….
Follow Us on Social:
/ dashboard
https://www.instagram.com/insight_glo…
https://www.tiktok.com/@insight_globa…
Resiliency looks different for everyone and every organization. Listen in as Bert, Katie, and Steve share their personal stories of resilience, talk organizational health, and mock the chief for watching Jeopardy reruns. No offense, Ken Jennings!
🔥 Key Moments:
[00:00] Intro
[00:41] What does it mean to be resilient?
[01:57] Personal resiliency
[15:01] Glass balls vs. plastic balls
[17:56] Defining resiliency at work
[22:52] How can companies thrive during uncertain times?
[25:58] Making strategic bets
[27:33] Growing through uncertainty
[36:11] Steps people can take to be more resilient
[40:03] Chat the Chief segment
Have a question for Bert? We want to answer it on the air! Email your questions to chatthechief@insightglobal.com. 📩
—————————————
About the Podcast:
Chat the Chief is your microdose of workplace culture and leadership insights—straight from a CEO of a billion-dollar global company. Bert Bean worked his way up to CEO after first joining staffing and professional services company, Insight Global, over 20 years ago as an entry-level recruiter. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain for a raw and unfiltered peek into how Insight Global operates and his take on purpose, resiliency, and the future of work.
Joining him are Culture Expert Steve Wasik and Sales Chief of Staff Katie Hillary as they dig into the principles that make companies thrive. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just real conversations from real leaders, reshaping the way we think about work.
About the Hosts:
Bert Bean started as a recruiter at Insight Global in 2005 and became CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the company has doubled revenue, expanding to 70+ offices worldwide. Passionate about culture, leadership, and growth, Bert drives Insight Global’s mission to empower people personally, professionally, and financially.
Steve Wasik is the VP of Talent Services within Insight Global’s professional services division, Evergreen. In 2020, he launched Compass, now the division’s culture and performance consulting team. He consults with leaders across the Fortune 500 on how to build cultures that take great care of people and get great business results.
Katie Hillary serves as Chief of Staff in the Sales and Revenue office at Insight Global.
Her success as a sales executive is driven by a deep passion for people. She builds scalable systems that accelerate business and professional development as well as revenue growth, ensuring long-term success for each individual employee and the entire company.
About Insight Global:
Learn more about Insight Global: https://insightglobal.com/
Learn more about Compass, Insight Global’s Culture and Leadership division: https://compass.insightglobal.com/
Learn more about Evergreen, Insight Global’s professional services division: https://evergreen.insightglobal.com/
Looking for a career in recruiting and sales? Learn more here: https://careers.insightglobal.com/?_gl=1*1dgwba9*_gcl_au*MTQxODEzMTc4My4xNzQyMzk0Nzc1*_ga*MTA5NjQxODg3LjE3MzQ1NjQ4ODY.*_ga_CD4GGVP4P1*czE3NDg5ODM0NDEkbzIxMCRnMCR0MTc0ODk4MzQ0MSRqNjAkbDAkaDA.
Follow Us on Social:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/11056/admin/dashboard/
https://www.instagram.com/insight_global/?hl=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@insight_global?lang=en
by Grace Steele