HR Unfiltered - brought to you by SOPEOPLE

Sue is back. And we've brought in someone who has spent her career in rooms where the numbers matter, the pressure is real, and the conversations people most need to have are the ones nobody's having. Carolyn Hobdey - author, Lean Master, YouTuber and self-described work in progress - talks about the inner t**t we all carry, why most leadership failure is about avoidance rather than aggression, why male leaders are more afraid than they look, and what HR needs to start doing differently. Including, possibly, sorting out its own house first. Carolyn's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynhobdey/  Carolyn's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmN6-u8U2LA 

In this episode of HR, Unfiltered, Deano is joined by Michelle Hartley for a conversation that goes far beyond “showing up differently.” Michelle shares her experience of burning out three times in a single year, and the slow, deliberate journey back to herself through what she calls “1% moments.” Together, they explore the psychological cost of performing a False Self at work, and why reclaiming authenticity isn’t indulgent, it’s essential. The discussion also introduces the Perceived Weirdness Index: The idea that to create real change, HR professionals and changemakers need to be different enough to be noticed, but credible enough to be heard. From LEGO in boardrooms to reframing metrics in commercial language, this episode challenges traditional ideas of professionalism and impact. It’s a raw, honest and thought-provoking conversation about burnout, presence, and what it really takes to influence organisations. Links & resources: Michelle Hartley https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellehartleyfinderofawesome/ Michelle’s business https://peoplesorted.co.uk/ Michelle runs a HRBP programme - you can get on the waiting list here:https://mailchi.mp/d3629fe1a70b/hrbp-programme  And if you fancy a taste of the days in life of Michelle life, check out this thing she calls a ‘glow up’: https://mailchi.mp/peoplesorted/glow-me-tf-up Perceived Weirdness Index chapter: https://naomistanford.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/e6740-presencearticlejonno.pdf Kelly Swingler https://www.kellyswingler.com/

Deano catches up with Anwen Bottois, founder of Purple Sky Consulting and host of the HR Strategy in the Hot Seat podcast. Anwen spent over two decades as an HR leader across manufacturing, not-for-profit, British Gas, and higher education before setting up on her own to focus on what she cares about most: Helping leaders actually love the job of leading. This is a conversation about what really happens when people step into leadership, and why so much of what we do to prepare them (if anything!) falls short. In this episode: The moment Anwen stepped up to associate director level and genuinely thought "what is it we do to people?", despite already being an experienced HR professional Her three-part framework: Clear, Capable, Confident and where leaders consistently fall over Why conflict is a choice, not a circumstance, and how leaning in early prevents the build-up The accountability conversation done properly: Why ownership has to come before you can hold anyone to anything Why she uses the word sincerely instead of authentically and what the difference means in practice Her mission: More leaders who love leading, not just tolerate it How to make the ROI case for personalised development when your organisation is hardwired to reach for the group programme Why the learning doesn't happen in the training room, and what to do about it. Links: Anwen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anwenbottois-leadershipcoach Purple Sky Consulting: purpleskyconsulting.co.uk HR Strategy in the Hot Seat podcast — find it via Anwen's LinkedIn and website

Thirty years of employee engagement surveys, billions spent, and the data is getting worse, not better. In this episode, Dean and Sue take a hard look at why the engagement model isn’t working, and why many organisations are measuring symptoms instead of fixing causes. From “HR archaeology” and the illusion of action plans, to the role of managers in shaping everyday experience, they unpack what’s really driving (or killing) performance. Drawing on: Self-Determination Theory Thomas International's Connection Intelligence, and Lived experience inside organisations... ... we explore what actually creates the conditions for people to thrive. This is a direct, practical, and occasionally uncomfortable conversation for CEOs, founders, and HR leaders who suspect there’s a better way, but haven’t yet found it. And if you're keen to help, however you can, Sue's friend Katie, please use this GoFundMe link: https://lnkd.in/eRUm5-yQ As always, you can challenge our thinking and add to the conversation via www.sopeople.co.uk or by emailing [email protected]. 

In this episode, Deano flies solo and is joined by Sean Miller, who brings nearly 30 years in HR (incl. L&D and OD), and is a specialist-in-training in organisational transactional analysis, for a conversation about why organisations get stuck and what HR can actually do about it. They cover: The "Yes, But" game and why it's not incompetence, it's pattern; Berne's ego states and how language shifts them; the gap between public and private organisational structure; etiquette, techniques and character as a diagnostic tool; and why contracting is the work, not the preamble to it. Clear, practical, and hopefully thought-provoking about human systems. (The best kind of episode, no?!)  Sean can be reached on LinkedIn and www.brightn.co.uk! And please feel free to follow HR, Unfiltered on LinkedIn as well.

Chris Manning joins Dean and Sue, and makes a compelling case that employee experience isn't a platform you buy or a project you launch; it's the sum total of every process, system, approval chain and human interaction your people touch every single day. Armed with real examples from Unilever and Nuffield Health, he unpacks the frameworks that actually move the needle, and explains exactly why 70% of engagement variance sitting with the manager should keep every CPO up at night. Chris is the MD of Experience HR, and can be found on LinkedIn.

What happens when AI stops being a shiny tool and starts quietly reshaping how work, judgement and even identity function? In this episode of HR, Unfiltered, Dean and Sue sit down with futurist Matt O’Neill to explore the less comfortable bits of the AI conversation that many organisations are skirting around. Not whether AI can save time, draft emails or automate admin. But what happens when people start handing over too much of their thinking to it. Matt shares why he believes leaders often overestimate AI in the short term and underestimate it in the long term, why most organisations are still only seeing “pockets of excellence”, and why the real risk is not just process failure but a loss of human agency. The conversation moves from workflow redesign and shadow AI to leadership, learning, hiring, meaning at work and the growing need for what Matt calls digital flourishing. There is plenty here for HR and business leaders: How to redesign work rather than simply speed up old processes, Why fear has to be addressed before adoption can succeed, and Which deeply human qualities we must not outsource. This is a thoughtful, provocative and surprisingly human conversation about AI, work and what we must hold on to as everything else changes. Matt can be reached on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattone/overlay/about-this-profile/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base%3BZLFQGXBjRQ6%2FXdeQ4G9eFQ%3D%3D  SOPEOPLE and HR, Unfiltered can be found at www.sopeople.co.uk  

What happens when you invite a VP of Client / Customer Success to hold talk about HR? Turns out, quite a lot, and most of it grabs us in all the right ways. Rachel Rewerts has spent 15 years in Customer Success, a function that proves its value every quarter, in public, with numbers. In this episode, she draws an uncomfortable and energising parallel between CS and HR business partnering, two functions doing essentially the same job, with very different levels of accountability. We get into the bartender vs. personal trainer problem, why HR might avoid pushing into the bruise, what leading indicators CS uses that HR really should steal, and who gets away with the most narrative spin. (She said it, not us (but with affection)!) Blunt, warm, and genuinely useful. We think there's something for everyone who wants to learn more about business partnering.

What happens when a CEO with a psychology degree bans Friday meetings, challenges “bring your whole self to work”, and tells CPOs to get commercially dangerous? Find out in this episode, when Luke McKeever joins us for a blunt, intelligent and occasionally uncomfortable conversation about leadership, AI, and the future credibility of HR/People. We explore: Why authenticity at the top is harder than it sounds (and what integrity really looks like when you’re holding confidential change); The three drivers of human motivation (autonomy, competence and relatedness) and what they mean in practice; Why psychometric insight shouldn’t stop at hiring; The “reverse centaur” risk of AI, where humans become the compliance layer to machines; Why too many CPOs may still be struggling to hold their own at the commercial table; And what it actually takes to protect human value in an efficiency-obsessed world This is not a conversation about HR trends, it’s a conversation about power, agency, judgement and courage. If you care about the future of work, and the role HR will (or won’t) play in shaping it, this one matters. To find out more about the podcast overall, head to www.sopeople.co.uk. And you're keen to find out what Thomas International's innovative products can do for you and your organisation, you can do so at https://www.thomas.co/ Finally, you can get Luke on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-mck-thomas/

In this episode of HR, Unfiltered, Dean Corbett and Sue O’Callaghan are joined by CFO Sam Park to explore what commercial HR really looks like from a finance perspective. Sam shares how great recruitment and thoughtful organisational design directly impact financial performance, why people issues show up clearly on the P&L, and what makes a people strategy credible at executive level. The conversation tackles common myths about CFOs, the dangers of process over pragmatism, and why headcount isn’t always the answer to performance gaps. Expect straight-talking insights, practical examples, and a candid look at what CEOs and CFOs really say about HR when it isn’t in the room. Essential listening for HR leaders who want genuine influence at the executive table. If you’re keen to connect with this People-loving CFO, you can do so on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samjpark?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app  And as always, if you’d like to ask questions, comment, get in touch or get help from the team behind HR, Unfiltered, you can do so at www.sopeople.co.uk. Finally, don’t forget to check out our accompanying article here at https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/hrunfilteredpodcast/  

In this episode, we sit down with Kirsty Baggs-Morgan, author of The HR Confidence Playbook, for an honest conversation about identity, confidence and what happens when your job becomes your entire sense of self. After being abruptly and unexpectedly let go from a senior HR role, Kirsty found herself at rock bottom. What followed wasn’t a polished reinvention story; it was a difficult, deeply personal journey back to confidence. The book she eventually wrote began as a simple coaching framework scribbled in a notebook years earlier, used quietly to rebuild both herself and others. We explore confidence in HR: Why it wobbles, how redundancy can shake your identity, and what it really takes to rebuild professional self-belief. Raw, reflective and practical, this one will resonate with any HR leader who’s ever quietly questioned their worth.  You can get hold of Kirsty's book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HR-Confidence-Playbook-essential-respected/dp/B0FN7QQQFJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2V97W9V2RJJIK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tntDCnd_Ne13CgxXU5BCHWO8aaZgdmVO7aQAWxRID-twZuDkQJ9HtEszE5DE1FioB7qtO1hrraSAhPNnmUPVvw.Ff_oeyoBlfelw4GMBGupRRza3eDvfSnnffnsgBgAGBg&dib_tag=se&keywords=hr+confidence+playbook&qid=1771229457&sprefix=hr+confidence+playbook%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1 And you can find Kirsty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-baggs-morgan-hr-strategy-confidence-and-connection/ 

Restructures have become the default response to pressure, a kind of panic button! Markets wobble, cash tightens, leaders feel the heat... so the org chart gets redrawn. It looks decisive. It feels controllable. It rarely fixes the real problem. In this episode, Sue and Dean unpack why restructures so often fail to deliver. We explore why leaders start with boxes instead of outcomes. Why change is treated as an event, not a process. And why over-engineered roles quietly break people and performance. We name what happens when the human system is ignored (fear, loss, cynicism and disengagement.) We challenge the idea that structure equals strategy, and we explain why clarity beats complexity every time. This episode is for anyone who’s lived through a restructure and thought, “this isn’t working," and wants a better or different way.  And for leaders who want results, not just moving deck chairs and causing pain.

In this episode of HR Unfiltered, Dean and Sue sit down with Ian Redmond from Explore Training to talk about something HR rarely names clearly enough: What it takes to manage clients well, especially when the work is complex, emotional, and commercially exposed. This isn’t about “stakeholder management” as a training slide title. It’s about psychology, boundaries, trust, contracting, and courage, and what happens when HR, L&D, and consultants get those wrong (or right). Ian brings decades of experience working with demanding clients, senior leaders, and messy organisational realities and we unpack the human skills behind effective client relationships that sustain long-term impact. What we discuss: Client management is relational work; Contracting: the bit everyone rushes (and pays for later); Boundaries does not equate to being difficult; Trust, challenge, and authentic, adult relationships; Commercial realism (without losing your authenticity). If you’d like to contact us, please do so at www.sopeople.co.uk or [email protected]. The disruptive energiser, Ian, is available at www.exploretraining.co.uk or on his LinkedIn profile - Ian Redmond, Explore Training!

Tom Emery joins Sue and Dean for a conversation about his book People People: Reach Your Full Potential as a Chief HR Officer, a narrative-led, painfully relatable story of “Joanna”, a CHRO under pressure, and the coaching framework that helps her regain agency, clarity, and impact. Together they explore why “seat at the table” is outdated, and why the bigger question is what HR leaders do once they’re in the room. Tom shares his own “wake up” moment from exec meetings, why HR must stop separating People/HR from “the business”, and how commercial curiosity and enterprise leadership change the game. They also unpack the realities of organisational change: Why humans can’t be “refrozen” on demand, why leaders often try to persuade people too quickly, and why the best HR leaders focus on what they can control... Their time, their boundaries, and the quality of key stakeholder relationships. Practical takeaways include a simple “Monday 9am” reset: clarify your purpose map your stakeholders, and start one honest conversation that shifts a stuck relationship without blame, drama, or theatricals. Tom also shares what he sees coaching HR leaders most often: An external locus of control (“everyone else is the problem”) and the shift toward agency that creates real influence. Tom invites feedback, challenge and input to his next book project - get in touch with Tom at www.hex-development.com. And as always, get in touch with Dean and Sue at www.sopeople.co.uk or https://www.linkedin.com/in/deancorbettpxandcoaching/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-o-callaghan-fcipd-22abaa6/  And don't forget to read the post-episode article on SOPEOPLE's LinkedIn page.

In this episode of HR Unfiltered, we take a long-overdue swing at one of HR’s most sacred cows: best practice. It sounds sensible. It feels safe. And in today’s complex, exhausted, fast-changing world, it’s quietly doing more harm than good. We walk through where best practice came from, why HR clings to it, and why copying what worked elsewhere is increasingly failing organisations now, especially under the pressures of AI, burnout, public-sector strain, and fragile trust. We draw a clear line between what’s safe to copy and what absolutely isn’t, challenge the confusion between compliance and best practice, and argue that risk and governance are strategic choices, and not excuses to stop thinking. Most importantly, we remind practitioners that there is a perfectly viable alternative - best fit - and we bring contemporary guidance on how to do this in a way that's fit for today. In our view, it's a design-led, commercially grounded way of doing HR that starts with the real problem, the real context, and the real constraints, not someone else’s framework. You’ll hear: Why best practice protects HR personally but limits organisational impact When copying is fine, and when it’s actively dangerous The questions HR should ask before importing any “proven” solution The five components of best-fit people design in the contemporary world Why HR doesn’t get another decade of failed rollouts If you’re tired of rolling out elegant frameworks that don’t survive contact with reality, this one’s for you. TL;DR: Best practice is fine for the boring stuff. Best fit is essential for the work that actually matters.

What if HR stopped acting like a support function, and started operating like a product team? In this episode of HR Unfiltered, Dean and Sue are joined by Seb Hochmuth, a product and technology leader with 15 years’ experience scaling startups, to break down exactly how product thinking can transform modern HR. Dean and Sue try to adopt the 'consciously incompetent' mindset to get the most out of Seb's brain to share with our wonderful fellow professionals.  Ultimately, this is not another episode about mindset or buzzwords. It’s a practical, step-by-step conversation about execution. Together, we explore: How HR accumulates process debt in the same way tech teams accumulate tech debt, and how product teams actually fix it; How HR can use discovery, user journeys and problem statements to stop solving the wrong problems; What an MVP looks like for HR processes like onboarding, performance management and hiring; How to prioritise ruthlessly when leadership noise, opinion and bias get in the way; Why behaviour change beats frameworks, and how product teams diagnose it; Which metrics HR should track if it wants credibility with CEOs and CFOs; How to test, learn and iterate without betting the whole organisation on a 12-month transformation programme. If you’re tired of HR advice that sounds good but doesn’t ship, this episode gives you the tools, methods and language to build people systems that actually work. Dean and Sue have been doing it this way for a while and we're happy to share thoughts and guidance in both our follow-up article, and if you want to get in touch, please do! 

In this episode of HR, Unfiltered, Dean and Sue dismantle one of HR's most hyped - but least understood - concepts: Adult culture. Neither Netflix or HR commentators invented it; the idea has been around for nearly a century. So, why are organisations still running Parent-Child workplaces while preaching autonomy, empowerment and trust?    Across almost 60 minutes of honest conversation, we explore:  - How modern organisations unconsciously design child-like systems that undermine accountability;  - How HR's templates, scripts, euphemisms and frameworks quietly reinforce dependency;  - Why leaders slip into Critical Parent or Nurturing Parent, any why employees respond in Adapted/Compliant Child;  - What adult-to-adult really looks like, with practical, laughably recognisable roleplays;  - Why regulated industries might often get adult culture more right than others;  -  How to handle mistakes, performance issues and organisational change without reverting to parent-child dynamics;  - And the truth that a fully Adult culture is impossible and undesirable - the goal is an organisation where Adult is the centre of gravity, not the *only* ego state.  This episode blends psychology, leadership practice and HR reality without jargon, without corporate theatrics, and without the empty promises of human-centric slides.  If you've ever wondered why your culture isn't as 'adult' as your values say it is, this one is for you. 

In this episode of HR Unfiltered, Sue and Dean dive head-first into one of the most weaponised, misunderstood, and fear-inducing phrases in the people profession: “Commercial HR.” What is it? Why does everyone claim to be it? Why does it terrify so many HR teams? And why is the definition still so unbelievably vague? We rip the jargon apart and rebuild it into something crystal clear: Commercial HR is HR that creates measurable value (revenue, profit, cost reduction, smarter investment cases, public value, better outcomes, risk mitigation, etc.) Everything else is admin. This episode covers: ✔️ Why HR fell for the “kids’ table” narrative ✔️ The difference between strategic-sounding and actually commercial ✔️ Practical examples from multiple sectors ✔️ How to talk to a CFO (and be taken seriously) ✔️ Why “non-commercial HR” isn’t kinder, and is arguably lower impact ✔️ The SOPEOPLE Commercial HR Cheat Sheet (3 questions that might change everything) ✔️ What to do if your CEO or business partner is on the wrong track ✔️ How HR accidentally trains itself out of influence ✔️ Why “the fluffy stuff” (psych safety, leadership, culture) is the commercial stuff ✔️ Why every HR role (yes, every single one) has commercial value Whether you’re an HRBP, HRD, CPO, L&D lead, OD partner, recruiter, ER pro, or running a people function in chaos… This episode will challenge, provoke, and reassure you; we aim to give you the language you need to step (back) into influence. This isn’t HR-bashing, it's HR-empowering and HR grown-up; welcome to a new baseline.

Dean and Sue tackle the dreaded topic of performance management. They argue that traditional annual reviews and ratings are outdated, biased, and demotivating (and efforts to revitalise have been like putting "lipstick on a pig.")

Sue and Dean explore organisational culture, using the metaphor "culture shows up in the car park." They discuss how symbols like executive parking or informal chats in the smoking shelter reveal a company's true values, often more than official statements. Arguing that culture "eats strategy for breakfast," they contrast toxic examples with healthy ones. They conclude that building a great culture isn't accidental; it requires deliberate alignment, committed leadership, and a strong employee voice to define "what it's really like to work here."

We're HR Unfiltered, a podcast hosted by SOPEOPLE founders, Dean Corbett and Sue O'Callaghan. We are new at this and a little out of our comfort zone, so bear with us - we're confident in one thing: It will get better and have more bite with each episode that we put time into creating. We're a scrappy people consultancy start up and we're bringing you an unfiltered view of key topics the HR/People space. Please stay with us as we build out episodes that we hope you come to enjoy.  

We're HR Unfiltered, a podcast hosted by SOPEOPLE founders, Dean Corbett and Sue O'Callaghan. We are new at this and a little out of our comfort zone, so bear with us - we're confident in one thing: It will get better and have more bite with each episode that we put time into creating. We're a scrappy people consultancy start up and we're bringing you an unfiltered view of key topics the HR/People space. Please stay with us as we build out episodes that we hope you come to enjoy.