304 - What Actually Being People-First Looks Like: Laura Tomaino (Chief People Officer, Glooko)

Laura Tomaino, Chief People Officer at Glooko, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why “People-First” leadership feels harder in 2026 and what it actually looks like to live up to that today.----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Cloverleaf at cloverleaf.me/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (08:51) Building HR from Scratch at HealthEdge & Scaling Through Growth(11:12) Joining Glooko & Leading People Across Seven Countries(13:03) What Glooko Does & Supporting Diabetes Care Globally(13:39) Joining Before a $100M Series F & Building a New Leadership Team(15:15) Why “People-First” Leadership Feels Harder in Today’s World(16:56) The Real Meaning of Being People-First in HR(19:22) Why HR Leadership Can Feel Lonely & the Need for Real Conversations(21:20) The Four Drivers of Employee Experience: Connection, Growth, Recognition & Alignment(25:54) Why Mission Alignment & Business Transparency Matter(28:08) Bringing Remote Teams Together Through Global Company Events(29:09) How to Stay People-First Even on a Tight Budget(32:02) Tough Leadership Decisions, Benefits Changes & Listening to Employees(36:06) AI Anxiety, Flattening Organizations & the Future of Work(38:24) Why Laura Is Optimistic About AI & Workforce Change(42:40) How Employees at Glooko Feel About AI Adoption(46:36) Curiosity Over Fear: What Makes Teams Thrive During Change(48:15) Why Curious People Beat “Brilliant Jerks” Every Time(51:28) Hiring for Curiosity, Passion & Human-Centered Thinking(55:20) AI’s Future in Healthcare & Managing Massive Health Data Responsibly ---- 📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.