The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

Cara Brennan Allamano (Founder of PeopleTech Partners and former Chief People Officer at Lattice) and Jevan Lenox (Chief People Officer at Writer) joined Stephen at Fix Healthcare Live. They talked about the growing pressure on HR leaders and why modern people leaders need to rethink how they operate in a rapidly changing world.----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report🔗 Learn more about Cloverleaf at cloverleaf.me/mpl🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforceMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (03:00) How the CPO Role Is Transforming in Real Time(04:00) COVID’s Lasting Impact on Employee Expectations and Healthcare(05:00) Why Healthcare Became an Emotional Workplace Issue(06:00) The Tension Between Rising Costs and Better Employee Support(07:00) The Shift From an Employee-Powered Market to an Employer-First Economy(08:00) Why Modern CPOs Are Starting to Look More Like COOs(10:00) Business Acumen, Operating Acumen, and the New Expectations for HR(11:00) Why Traditional Benefits Systems Are Falling Behind(12:00) AI’s Rapid Growth and What It Means for HR Leadership(13:00) How AI Is Democratizing Technology for People Teams(15:00) Why Judgment and Expertise Still Matter in the AI Era(16:00) The Case for Strategic Partners Over Building Everything In-House(17:00) Scaling Better Employee Experiences Through AI Systems(19:00) HR Leaders as Major Buyers of Healthcare(20:00) The Ethical Weight of Benefits Decisions(21:00) Why CPOs Need Innovative Healthcare Partners(22:00) Making Hard Trade-Offs With Integrity(23:00) Why Healthcare Innovation Feels Risky for Finance Leaders(26:00) Cara’s Advice: Stay Educated on Emerging Healthcare Innovation(27:00) Jevan’s Advice: Stop Searching for “The Answer”(28:00) Why the Future of HR Requires Constant Iteration(29:00) Community, Partners, and Navigating Uncertainty ---- 📬 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.

Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, Co-Founder and CEO of Wellthy, and Stephan Dolling, AVP of Global Benefits & Well-being at Merck, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about the rising pressures facing working families and what companies can do to support their employees that are caregivers.----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforce🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends ReportMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (06:00) HR’s Expanding Role in Healthcare & Family Support(08:00) The Rising Cost of Childcare & Caregiving Challenges(10:00) Layoffs, Workplace Pressure & The “Sandwich Generation”(11:00) How Employee Expectations Changed Post-COVID(13:00) Merck’s Philosophy on Supporting Working Families(15:00) What Real Employee Support Looks Like in Practice(17:00) Flexibility, Compassionate Time & Supporting Diverse Workforces(18:00) The Importance of Benefits Communication & Employee Awareness(20:00) Simplifying Access to Benefits Through Journey Mapping(22:00) Most Popular Benefits at Merck: Backup Care, Flexibility & Concierge Support(24:00) Why Backup Care Peaks During School Breaks(25:00) Senior Care, Pet Care & New Caregiving Trends(26:00) Why Managers Need Better Support & Empathy Training(28:00) What Great Managers Do During Caregiving Crises(30:00) Building a Workplace Culture Rooted in Flexibility & Trust(31:00) The $70 Billion Childcare Disruption Problem(32:00) How COVID Changed Merck’s Backup Care Strategy(34:00) Why Fast, Flexible Care Solutions Matter Most(35:00) The Future of Backup Care & AI-Powered Matching(38:00) Why Employees Don’t Engage With Benefits Programs(39:00) Simplicity vs Specificity in Benefits Communication(41:00) Keeping Benefits Top-of-Mind Before Employees Need Them(42:00) Using Employee Testimonials to Normalize Caregiving(45:00) Why Modern Workplaces Need to Normalize Care Conversations(46:00) Real Stories of Caregiving Support During Crisis Moments(48:00) Helping Employees Through Dementia Care & COVID Emergencies(49:00) Navigating Grief, Medical Debt & End-of-Life Care Support(51:00) Building the Business Case for Caregiving Benefits(53:00) Productivity, Flexibility & the ROI of Caregiving Support(55:00) Why Caregiving Is an Economic Issue, Not Just a Social Issue(56:00) AI, Productivity & the Cost of Context Switching(58:00) Mental Health, Burnout & What Employees Need Most Right Now ---- 📬 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.

Jessica Zwaan, VP People Strategy & Operations at Leapsome and author of Built For People, joined us for another MPL Build AMA. This time we talked about how to redesign your People team if you're running your team like a product team, why metrics like internal promotion retention matter more than traditional HR KPIs, and more.----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforceMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (06:00) Building Internal AI Tools: From Non-Technical to Product Thinking(09:00) The HR Paradox: More Strategic Power, More Emotional Pressure(12:00) Why Most Employees Don’t Understand Company Strategy(15:00) The Real Problem Isn’t AI — It’s Communication and Leadership(19:00) How the CPO Role Changed After COVID and AI Acceleration(22:00) Short-Term vs Medium-Term Thinking in High-Speed Organizations(25:00) Trust, Transparency, and Decision-Making in Uncertain Environments(27:00) Why Scaling HR Strategy Is Harder in Established Companies(29:00) The Death of Traditional Career Paths and Org Hierarchies(32:00) Why the CPO Role Is Still Misunderstood at the Executive Level(34:00) Saying No: The Most Underrated Skill in HR Leadership(36:00) HumanOps vs Strategic Work: Where HR Should Actually Focus(38:00) Aligning AI Strategy with Business Outcomes (Not Just Tools)(40:00) The “So What?” Framework for Driving Real Impact(44:00) Why Most Companies Are Building the Wrong AI Stack(45:00) AI as a Product Advantage: Driving Strategy Through Use Case(46:00) When AI Adoption Becomes Non-Negotiable for Employees(48:00) Why Long-Term Planning Is Dead (and What Replaces It)(49:00) Rethinking Headcount: Hiring vs Rebuilding Roles with AI(52:00) Where AI Will Actually Replace Work in HR(54:00) Stop Thinking Roles — Start Thinking Workflows(55:00) Rebuilding Teams for Human + AI Collaboration(58:00) The End of the SaaS Hiring Playbook(59:00) New Metric That Matters: Revenue per Employee(01:01:00) The Risk of “AI Tech Debt” from Poor Implementation(01:02:00) Why Every Company Will Face AI Pressure Soon(01:03:00) HR as Crisis Management: The Reality of the Role(01:05:00) If HR Isn’t in the Room Early, You’ve Already Lost Influence---- 📬 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.

Amin Palizban, Co-Founder & CEO of TopicFlow, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why managers are at a breaking point, how AI is transforming performance management, and what it takes to build AI-native people products that actually support managers in real time.----  Get the AI for Performance Management Toolkit: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/aiforperformanceSponsor Links:🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforceMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (03:33) Amin’s Career Journey: From Engineer to CEO of TopicFlow(07:32) Early Exposure to Performance Management Tools and Market Gap(10:05) AI’s Impact on Productivity and Internal Workflows (MPL 2.0)(12:36) Why Managers Are Burnt Out and the “Code Red” Situation(16:30) The Real Problem: Poor Manager Training and Promotion Practices(21:34) Why Traditional L&D and HR Tools Are No Longer Effective(24:21) What Real Manager Support Looks Like in the AI Era(26:49) Coaching vs Performance Reviews: Why They Should Be Separate(29:15) Why AI Coaching Can Be More Effective Than Human Coaching(34:38) The Increasing Span of Control and Manager Workload Challenges(36:02) Why Performance Reviews Are Still Not Data-Driven(40:01) What Data Sources Actually Matter for Better Reviews(46:15) Transcript Data as “Corporate Gold” and Cultural Shift Challenges(52:05) From Asking AI to Ambient Intelligence and Proactive Coaching(56:39) Personalized AI Coaching and the “Scale to One” Future---- 📬 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.

In this live episode of The Modern People Leader recorded in Toronto, the crew reflects on the evolving role of HR leaders amid rising AI pressure, shifting expectations, and increasing emotional load. They unpack real-time challenges around strategy clarity, leadership trust, and how people teams must adapt to stay effective in a rapidly changing world. Our guests for this episode:- Kate Railton, Chief People Officer @ Mejuri- Katya Laviolette, Chief People Officer @ 1Password- Jenny Do Forno, Chief People Officer @ TouchBistro----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforceMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (06:00) Building with AI: Creating Tools Without Engineering Background(08:00) Internal Tools & Using AI to Solve Operational Problems(10:00) Framing the Conversation: State of HR & Growing Expectations(12:00) Poll Results Breakdown: Why HR Leaders Feel Split(14:00) Strategy Misalignment: The Real Organizational Problem(17:00) Communication Gaps & Repeating Strategy Effectively(18:00) The Emotional Load on HR Leaders Today(19:00) How the CPO Role Has Evolved Since COVID(21:00) Speed of Change & Constant Decision-Making Pressure(23:00) Balancing Short-Term vs Medium-Term Thinking in HR(25:00) Transparency, Trust & Decision-Making in Organizations(27:00) Managing Complexity in Large vs Growing Companies(29:00) The Future of Career Paths & Organizational Design(31:00) Challenges in Advising Employees on Career Growth(32:00) Misunderstandings About the CPO Role(34:00) Saying No & Avoiding the “Catch-All” HR Trap(35:00) HR Is Not the Therapist: Redefining Responsibilities(36:00) HumanOps vs PeopleOps: Where HR Should Focus(38:00) Aligning AI Strategy with Business Strategy(41:00) Practical Framework: Building Strategy with “So What?”(44:00) AI as a Business Driver vs Just a Tool(46:00) Enforcing AI Adoption & Organizational Expectations(47:00) Iterating Strategy Across Different Employee Groups(48:00) Q&A Begins: AI Replacing Roles & Team Structures(50:00) Headcount Strategy & Reimagining Roles with AI(52:00) Where AI Will Impact HR Most (TA, Learning, Compensation)(54:00) Task-Based Thinking vs Role-Based Thinking(55:00) Rebuilding Teams Around Work, Not Titles(56:00) Resistance to Change & Leadership Challenges(58:00) The End of Traditional Org Design Playbooks(59:00) Revenue Per Employee & New Success Metrics(01:01:00) Preparing for AI Mandates from Leadership(01:02:00) Managing Crisis Culture in HR Roles(01:04:00) Trust, Leadership, and Being Included Early

James Seechurn, Author of ‘What Pay Costs’ and ‘Nothing Left to Take Away’, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about why traditional “pay for performance” systems often fail—both because individual performance is hard to measure in knowledge work and because incentives don’t actually drive better outcomes. We also explored a new definition of performance centered on innovation, and how companies can unlock it by creating the conditions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness instead of relying on compensation levers.---Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforce🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Cloverleaf at cloverleaf.me/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- 📬 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.

Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why workplace dread is increasing in today’s environment, what Claude has learned from Gen Z employees, and how leaders can leave their “heart print” on the people they work with.----  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.----  (04:24) Claude’s Career Story: From Athlete to Chief Heart Officer(10:54) What VaynerX Does: Modern Marketing and Creative Ecosystem(13:13) Building a Learning Culture and Developing People Internally(15:51) Why Workplace Dread Is Increasing in Today’s Environment(18:16) The Importance of Self-Awareness and Emotional Control(20:30) Supporting Teams Without Having All the Answers as a Leader(20:56) What Claude Has Learned from Gen Z Employees(23:06) The Challenge of Patience and Career Growth Expectations(24:42) Why Relationships Matter More Than Ever at Work(26:51) The Impact of COVID and Isolation on Younger Generations(29:23) Overcoming Workplace Dread Through Action and Learning(31:51) Paying It Forward and Supporting Others in Their Growth(33:38) What It Means to Leave a “Heartprint” at Work(35:17) Emotional Optimism, Bravery, and Efficiency Explained---- 📬 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.

Zachary Parris, who’s re-imagining talent development for the AI era at Google, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how AI is turning HR leaders into builders, why product thinking is replacing traditional HR programs, and how anyone can now create impactful tools without a technical background. ----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (08:39) Zach’s Career Story(13:56) The Shift into AI Product Building and Internal Tool Creation(14:29) Zach’s New Role at Google and Product-Driven HR(16:07) What People Get Wrong About Google Today(18:26) How HR Used to Operate vs. How AI Is Changing Everything(20:21) Early Skepticism Around Product-Led HR(22:00) The Breakthrough Moment: Building an AI Agent in Days(25:09) Shifting from Programs to Products in HR(25:53) New Skills Required: Problem Statements and Deep Focus Work(28:20) Example: Driving Product Adoption Through Onboarding Design(30:39) How User Research Changes in a Product-Led HR Model(32:30) Expanding Inputs: From Surveys to Real User Interaction and Feedback---- 📬 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.

Deborah Yount, CHRO at Sutter Health, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share her journey from finance to leading HR at one of the largest healthcare systems in the U.S. We discussed how Sutter reduced turnover by nearly 40%, built a culture of leadership accountability, and scaled employee experience and development across 60,000+ employees.----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (05:18) Deborah’s Career Journey: From Finance to CHRO(08:15) Transition to Global Roles & Multinational Experience(10:31) Why Healthcare: Mission-Driven Work & Impact on Lives(11:21) Scale of Sutter Health: 60,000 Employees & Growing Network(14:57) Mission, Patient Experience, and Workforce Impact(16:22) Reducing Turnover from 18% to 9.8%: Key Results(17:46) Where to Start: Leadership, Culture & Employee Listening(19:06) Unique Challenges in Healthcare Workforce Experience(20:55) Differences from Tech: Purpose-Driven Work in Healthcare(22:00) “Power of One”: Bringing Thousands of Employees Together(24:32) Biggest Levers Behind Turnover Reduction(25:19) Fixing Early Attrition: Onboarding & Manager Enablement(27:40) Creating Career Pathways & Employee Growth Opportunities(28:00) Building a Development-for-All Strategy at Scale(30:52) Embedding Career Conversations Across the Organization(32:57) Leadership Modeling & Scaling Development Plans(33:35) HR Tech Stack, AI Integration & Learning Platforms---- 📬 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.

Eva Majercsik (Chief People Officer) and Trevor Schulze (CIO) at Genesys joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how AI is reshaping how humans and machines work together, why CIO and CPO partnerships are more important than ever, and how to lead a human-centered AI transformation across the organization. ----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (06:37) Shift from CFO Partnerships to CIO-CPO Collaboration(08:23) Evolution of the CHRO Role & Seat at the Table(12:26) The Changing Nature of Work & Culture Transformation(14:42) Why Collapsing CIO + CPO Roles is the Wrong Take(16:51) The Power of CIO-CPO Partnership as a Force Multiplier(17:49) How Eva & Trevor Actually Work Together Day-to-Day(21:34) Rethinking Org Design, Bots, and Workforce Structure(22:49) Redefining Success: KPIs, Incentives & AI Impact(25:26) Why AI Transformation is Not One-Size-Fits-All(26:24) From Strategy to Execution: Driving Cultural Adoption(27:07) “AI Unlocked” & Building AI Literacy Across the Company(29:33) Why You Shouldn’t “Boil the Ocean” with AI(31:48) AI Hype, FOMO & Leadership Pressure(32:06) Creating Psychological Safety & Responsible AI Adoption(35:33) What’s Actually Realistic in the Next 2 Years of AI(36:43) Human-Centered AI & Employees Owning Their Role Evolution(38:35) Will Everyone Become AI Power Users?(40:23) The Viral “AI Doomsday” Narrative vs Reality(42:46) The Massive Reskilling Challenge Ahead(43:34) Job Destruction vs Job Evolution & Creation(47:12) Why Curiosity & Growth Mindset Will Define Winners(47:54) The Most Important Skills: Curiosity, Judgment, Empathy(49:18) Abundance Mindset: AI Creates More Opportunity(51:15) Managing Fear, Emotional Load & AI Anxiety(52:58) Why Every CPO Needs a Strong CIO Partnership---- 📬 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.

Amit Rapaport, Co-Founder & CEO of Compete, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why most HR metrics don’t matter to your CEO, how to think like a CEO when looking at workforce data, and more.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/5-hr-rulesSponsor Links:🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (08:31) What Compete Does: AI Workforce Optimization Explained Simply(11:17) Why Most HR Metrics Don’t Matter to CEOs(14:47) Connecting Workforce Data to Business Outcomes and Revenue(17:34) Hiring Inefficiencies and the Hidden Cost of Poor Talent Decisions(18:03) Early Career Mistake: Reporting Data Without Strategic Context(21:30) From Executor to Strategic Business Partner in HR(22:33) Transitioning from HR Practitioner to Startup CEO(24:59) The Reality of Entrepreneurship: Feedback, Pressure, and Growth(27:14) Lessons from First-Time Founder Experiences and Challenges(29:03) How HR Leaders Can Think Like Their CEO(31:33) Aligning HR Metrics with Business Goals (Break-Even Example)(35:29) Upskilling, AI, and Driving Business Impact Through HR(37:24) Identifying High-Impact Employees and Productivity Signals(39:51) How AI Transforms Workforce Analytics(41:45) Human-in-the-Loop AI and Telling Better Data Stories(45:02) Security, Privacy, and Handling Sensitive Workforce Data---- 📬 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.

Beth Ley, Chief People Officer at Kendra Scott, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how to build the number one workplace for women, the “Great Talent Transfer” and Beth’s vision for internal talent mobility, and what it’s like to work with a visionary founder.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl----  (09:10) What Kendra Scott Stands For Beyond Jewelry(11:36) The “Great Talent Transfer” and Beth’s Vision for Internal Talent Mobility(14:33) How Beth Operationalizes Big Talent Ideas with Skills Inventory and Technology(17:31) Surprising Skills Discoveries and Unlocking Hidden Talent Across the Business(19:38) What “Head Scratcher” Meetings Are and How They Surface Important Issues(22:34) Helping Leaders Navigate Pressure, Change, and Economic Uncertainty(25:12) Why Leadership and Management Are Different and How Beth Leads Through Change(29:56) Fear, Loss, and Doubt: The Emotional Reality of Organizational Change(30:23) What Beth Has Learned Working with Kendra Scott’s New CEO(32:38) Beth’s Advice for People Facing Career Uncertainty and Reinvention(36:15) What It’s Like to Work with a Visionary Founder Like Kendra Scott(39:43) How Big Ideas Get Operationalized at Kendra Scott(41:30) Kendra Scott’s Commitment to Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership(45:48) Beth’s Bigger Vision for Mentorship, Legacy, and Expanding Impact(47:12) Beth’s View on the Future of Retail, Human Connection, and Transformation---- 📬 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.

Matt McFarlane, Founder of FNDN, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how to build a successful HR consulting business, why niching down and strong branding matter, and how to create sustainable growth through content, community, and a portfolio career.----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (05:07) Matt’s Career Story: From In-House HR to Founder of FNDN(08:03) Why Compensation Became Matt’s Core Focus Area(11:34) Taking the Leap: Leaving In-House and Starting from Scratch(12:09) Early Validation: Talking to Customers Before Selling(15:59) Finding a Niche: From Broad HR to Focused Compensation Services(17:19) The Importance of Customer Research and Feedback Loops(20:17) Building a Brand That Stands Out in HR Consulting(23:51) First Clients: How Matt Landed His Initial Work Without Cold Outreach(27:09) Using LinkedIn and Content to Build Trust and Generate Inbound Leads(30:00) Pricing Your Services: From Salary Goals to Hourly Rates(36:49) Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Charging What You’re Worth(41:18) The Challenges of Going Solo: Isolation and Losing Team Dynamics(43:04) The First Invoice Moment and Early Wins as a Founder(44:58) Reflecting on Growth: Building a Business and Lifestyle by Design(48:22) From Consulting to a Portfolio Career: Expanding Beyond Time-for-Money(50:28) Launching a Podcast and Newsletter as Growth Channels(52:26) Creating Startup People Summit: Building Community and Events(54:20) Lessons from Running Events and Building in Public(56:44) Brand Playbook: Intentionality, Consistency, and Differentiation(01:01:31) Where to Find Matt and His Work---- 📬 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.

Most benefits strategies fail for one simple reason: employees don’t know how to use them. Matt Scovil, Co-Founder and CEO of Medefy, joined us to break down why confusing benefits lead to higher healthcare costs, why behavior change is the real unlock, and how HR teams can turn benefits from a cost center into something employees actually use.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode288Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mpl----  (09:18) Matt’s Origin Story(14:03) Why Health Benefits Are So Hard for Employees to Understand(19:47) How Benefits Complexity Exploded Over the Last 5 to 10 Years(25:07) What HR Leaders Should Do When Benefits Costs Feel Out of Control(32:58) How Medefy Discovered What Employees Actually Want from Benefits Support(37:21) The Biggest Pitfalls Employers Make in Benefits Design and Communication(42:04) How Preventive Care Incentives Can Dramatically Lower Healthcare Costs(43:17) What Real Savings Can Look Like When Employees Use Benefits Better(44:57) Where Benefits, Personalization, and AI Are Headed Next(54:20) One Action HR Leaders Can Take Right Now to Start Fixing the Problem(57:13) Rapid Fire: Advice for Someone Starting Their Career Today---- 📬 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.

Alex Coonce (Chief People Officer) and Patrick Quigley (CEO) from Sidecar Health joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about building a strong CEO–CPO partnership, why culture must scale before headcount does, and how companies can become AI-native while staying transparent with employees.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode287Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mpl🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl----  (06:17) How Alex joined Sidecar Health and the early hiring story(10:46) What Sidecar Health does and how their healthcare model works(16:52) The CEO–CPO partnership and how they built trust working together(17:57) Early disagreements, culture decisions, and navigating leadership dynamics during COVID(20:35) How Patrick’s expectations of the CPO role evolved beyond traditional HR(25:27) Frameworks for understanding the business: market, business model, and leadership dynamics(28:54) Decision-making: when the CPO leads vs. when the CEO steps in(31:32) Building a culture of ownership: “give speeding tickets, not permission slips”(32:25) Navigating uncertainty and employee trust during constant change(34:51) Leading the “people business” alongside the company business(39:53 Leadership changes and how to bring teams along during major org shifts(42:43) Managing leadership transitions and the “Olympic team” mindset for executives(46:43) AI strategy and preparing the organization for the AI era(48:24) Building an AI-native culture through experimentation and tool adoption(50:33) Why AI adoption was driven culturally through the people team, not just engineering(52:30) Operating lean: scaling a company without adding as much headcount(55:03) Rethinking career growth when management roles are fewer in the AI era(56:31) Curiosity, experimentation, and the future of AI adoption in organizations---- 📬 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.

Kim Smith from Tilt joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how personalized leave support creates a better employee experience, what managers and HR teams often miss during leave transitions, and how to build a modern leave process that balances compliance, communication, and care.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode286Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.(05:43) Kim’s Career Story: How Her Own Leave Experience Led Her into Leave Management(10:16) Life on a Two-Person People Team at Tilt(11:02) What Tilt Actually Does: Explaining Leave Administration in Plain Language(12:26) Why Great Leave Experiences Need to Be Personalized, Not Checklist-Based(16:29) The Two Types of Employees Who Show Up During Leave(18:35) What Employees Should Ask Their Manager Before Going on Leave(25:14) A Step-by-Step Walkthrough of Designing a Great Leave Experience(31:15) Kim Reflects on Her Own Leave Experience While Working at Tilt(34:46) Why Knowledge Transfer and Coverage Planning Matter So Much Before Leave(36:15) Why HR Often Resists Personalized Leave Support and How to Rethink It(39:51) How Kim and Janisa Designed the Employee Leave Experience at Tilt(41:59) The “Rule of Five” for Helping Employees Re-enter After Leave(44:30) Balancing Tech and Human Support in Modern Leave Management(47:11) How AI Can Help HR Teams Manage Leave More Effectively---- 📬 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.

Melissa Theiss, Head of People Ops at Kit, joined us on The Modern People Leader to break down how HR leaders can build real business acumen using practical frameworks like Track-Racehorse-Jockey, her PeopleOps maturity diagnostic, and a 90-in-90 listening tour. We also walked through how to turn employee feedback into an actionable backlog and use it to shape a people strategy that supports the business first while staying people-centric.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode285Sponsor Links:🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  Timestamps:(06:51) Melissa’s career path(10:16)Melissa’s work outside Kit and her newsletter, The Business of People(11:45) what Kit does and how MPL uses it(14:50) “How does the business make money?”(15:20) Track-Racehorse-Jockey and how VCs evaluate a business(15:34) Track: market context and competitive landscape(17:56) Racehorse: business model and revenue engine (product-led growth, pricing, AI credits)(19:17) Jockey: leadership team signals and what to assess(20:18) Coaching HR leaders through business jargon and discomfort(22:59) Learning business acumen: newsletters, courses, and choosing an industry you care about(25:21) PeopleOps maturity diagnostic and how it works(25:44) The PeopleOps maturity score, priorities, and avoiding “too much process too early”(29:14) Example areas: compensation philosophy, interview structure, compliance, global workforce basics(31:13) How Melissa built the diagnostic over time(34:05) How often to re-run the diagnostic and keep improving over quarters(37:49) Managing feedback like a product backlog(44:38) Listening tours and what leaders uncover that surveys miss(48:44) The “90 and 90” listening tour structure, questions, and how to scale it past 100+ employees(53:33) Honesty in 1:1s and the value of quieter, thoughtful feedback(54:24) Building a cohesive people strategy from the three inputs(55:27) Weighting trade-offs and why “people-first” can fail if the business is not healthy---- 📬 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.

Jessica Zwaan joined us on The Modern People Leader for MPL Build’s first-ever AMA, alongside Jalene Vandermey-Jackson from Workleap. We talked about what traditional HR mindsets must be let go to become builders, how to collect lightweight employee feedback to help build the right products, and more.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode284Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AI🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- 📬 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.

Diane Sadowski-Joseph, Co-Founder of Clarinet, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why most AI adoption stalls at “talking the talk,” how to choose the right AI use cases using the “trifecta” and the Five Frictions framework, and how “click cutters” can unlock compounding gains by removing cognitive and workflow friction.----  Here’s everything Diane referenced: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/fivefrictionsSponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AIMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (07:08) Diane’s career story and path to founding Clarinet(14:43) Why AI shows up in every episode and the “why companies are stuck” question(15:58) Why AI adoption feels hard despite tool abundance (DIY, bandwidth, readiness)(21:46) The “trifecta” criteria for identifying a good use case(27:39) An example of a bad AI use case: what broke and why it was abandoned(36:25) The “Five Frictions” framework and where to start(42:50) Example 1: time-to-hire goal and candidate feedback GPT workflow(47:03) Example 2: exec reporting and “hyper-personalized” dashboard pushes(52:39) “Click cutters” and how to find them---- 📬 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.

Liz Bronson, VP of People at Skimmer, joined us on The Modern People Leader to talk about intentionally “flatlining” her career for a period of time to prioritize parenting. ----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode282Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AIMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (08:30) From teaching to HR: early roles, mentor, and learning the business(10:54) VMware era: growth, recruiting focus, and family move to Austin(11:55) Consulting chapter: building “Liz Bronson Consulting” and supporting startups(13:18) COVID shift: reevaluating priorities and deciding “it’s my turn”(15:12) Landing at Skimmer: growth, doubling, and why it is working(20:53) Intentional career “flatlining” for parenting and how she made it work(24:52) The “do it all” myth: stress, trade-offs, and household coping strategies(30:57) The career trade-offs no one talks about(32:14) Negotiating the partnership reset with her husband and what changed post-2020(41:49) The “must-have list” and choosing roles that fit life stages(45:08) The job-search grind after a reset, protecting mental health, and rebuilding momentum(48:27) Building a caregiver-friendly workplace, parental leave returns, and flexibility in practice(51:13) Influencing leaders, the business case, and the “why” behind policies and RTO mandates(55:36) Career advice for HR leaders, understanding the business, and becoming a stronger partner---- 📬 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.

Isabel Naidoo, Chief People Officer at Wise, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share how Wise builds a cohesive employee experience across global offices while still honoring local identity. ----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode281Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AI🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (05:23) Isabel’s Career Story and Path to Wise(10:54) Shift to Culture and the Global Playbook Topic(11:58) Why Wise Needs a Global Footprint: Customer Proximity and Regulation(13:27) Designing a Seamless Employee Experience Across Locations(14:27) Global Consistency vs Local Identity in Workplace Design(16:38) How Wise Creates an Irresistible Office Experience(19:22) Measuring Culture vs Driving Business Outcomes(21:47) Product Operating Model and Avoiding “HR Theatre”(23:05) Rituals That Maintain Mission Focus During Growth(24:31) Company Calls, Demos, and Ownership Through Equity(25:26) Quarterly Planning Rituals and Open Participation(27:38) Observable Signals of Culture and Employee Pride(28:25) AI and How It Changes Talent Strategy at Wise(28:58) Three Focus Areas: AI Usage, Building AI Skills, and Leading AI Teams(32:32) Measuring AI Impact Beyond Usage and Where to Start(35:22) Prerequisites for AI: Data and Operating Model(37:05) Choosing Use Cases, Human-in-the-Loop, and Reinforcing Human Skills(39:33) In-Person Connection and What Sets Strong Cultures Apart(40:34) Value of Community Learning in AI and HR Networks(43:22) Collaboration Model, Flexible Work, and Benefits That Support Performance(45:43) Sabbaticals and Work-From-Anywhere Policies(47:24) AI Use Case Example: Feedback Coach and Scaling Support(48:48) Innovation at Wise: Hiring for Excellence and Practicing Feedback---- 📬 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.

Chase Warrington, Head of Operations at Doist, joined us on The Modern People Leader to break down how async-first work enables faster decision-making, stronger culture, and scalable operations. We talked about building trust without offices, the systems and rituals behind Doist’s execution velocity, and why async workflows are foundational to effective AI adoption.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode280Sponsor Links:🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AI🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Go deeper on Viva's AI Journey in Roundtable with Jani (only 10 seats)MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (07:30) Chase’s Origin Story(11:15) What Doist Does: Productivity Tools, Todoist, and Async-First Principles(14:45) Why Async Work Changes How Leaders Think, Decide, and Scale(17:28) Independent Decision-Making as a Non-Negotiable at Doist(20:44) The Doist Operating System: Squads, Quarterly Cycles, and Decision Frameworks(23:17) Rituals That Power Execution: Async Standups, Demos, Retros, and Dashboards(26:30) Communication as Infrastructure: Async Guidelines, Transparency, and Trust(30:45) How Async Enables Better AI Adoption and an Organizational “Brain”(33:44) Inside Doist’s AI Ops Squad: Redesigning Planning, Search, and Workflows with AI(38:17) Vibe Coding, Non-Engineers, and the Rise of AI-Enabled Builders(47:22) Partnering with Head of People Nadia Vatalidis and Scaling People Systems(53:30) The Biggest Misconception About Remote and Async Culture---- 📬 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.

Jani Sanguino joined us on The Modern People Leader to share how Viva built an award-winning, manager-led AI transformation. We talked about the three AI competencies they prioritized, their 13-week manager-led learning path, and the most impactful use cases for their business.----  Go deeper on Viva's AI Journey in Roundtable with Jani (only 10 seats): execviva.com/mplDownloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode279----Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Wellthy at wellthy.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AI🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:03) Jani’s Path Into People Ops(09:28) What Music Taught Her About Org Design(12:55) Why Viva Went All-In on AI(13:46) Winning the Zapier Award(17:32) Viva’s AI Adoption Strategy(19:31) 3 AI Competencies: Prompting, Automation, Business Acumen(22:09) The 13-Week Manager-Led Learning Path(23:35) Picking Use Cases and Measuring ROI(26:46) Handling Resistance and Fear(30:16) Explorer to Builder to Multiplier(32:42) Viva Ambassador Program and Content GPTs(37:29) People Ops Slack Bots: Fixie and Aura(40:04) TA Dashboard Using Lovable(41:45) EAs Helping Clients Adopt AI(43:14) What They’d Change Next Time(45:18) AI Debt and Automation Pitfalls---- 📬 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.

We recapped MPL Live Austin with attendees Cindy Lopez (Senior Director, People & Culture, Pattern Bioscience) and Marlene Arroyo (Founder, Peoplecraft).----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode278Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Nava Benefits🔗 Check out AirMasonMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (09:04) Cindy background, why she attended, and what felt different about the event experience(10:57) Marlene background, why she returned, and what she valued from 2024 to 2025(16:14) Cindy’s take on Innovation Hall (missed Day 1, but feedback from others and Day 2 vendor conversations)(18:05) Marlene’s take on Innovation Hall: vendor conversations shifting from “AI can” to workflow integration(19:11) Bingo gamification: origin, how it worked, and what it enabled(21:11) Programming integration: how Day 1 was structured alongside the Innovation Hall(22:53) Day 1 highlights(25:49) Day 2 highlights(34:36) Key learnings from the week---- 📬 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.

Jon Couture, CHRO at Vanguard, joined The Modern People Leader to share how Vanguard is balancing 50 years of legacy with the next 50 years of change. ----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode277Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AI🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (04:35) Jon Couture’s Career Story: Air Force Firefighter to CHRO (08:16) Vanguard Culture: Stability, Performance & Long-Tenure Talent (10:16) New CEO from Outside: Preserving Culture While Driving Change (12:38) The Paradox of Theseus: Evolving Vanguard Without Losing Its Soul (14:52) CHRO–CEO Alignment & Translating Strategy Into People Priorities (20:00) Enterprise Priorities: Advice, Wealth Management & Democratization (24:29) AI as a Productivity Engine for Clients and Crew (26:48) Balancing 50 Years of Legacy With the Next 50 Years of Change (27:33) Repositioning HR: Enabling How Work Gets Done (31:48) Strategic Workforce Planning & Task-Level Work Design (36:24) Agile HR, MVP Thinking & Avoiding Over-Documentation Traps (39:14) Building Trust in AI Adoption & Change Management (44:01) Satisfaction = Expectations ÷ Actuals: Managing Change Realistically (45:50) Leadership Development at Scale: ELDP & Leadership Experience (50:16) Rethinking Learning: From Content Consumption to Skill Mastery (53:21) Middle Management: Investing in Effectiveness, Not Flattening (56:00) The Time Dividend: Productivity as a Path to Better Training---- 📬 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.

In this episode of The Modern People Leader, Sarika Lamont, Chief People Officer at Vidyard, joins us to unpack her non-traditional journey into HR and how AI is reshaping the role of People teams. She shared practical AI use cases from onboarding automation to AI coaching, along with the mindset shifts HR leaders must make to lead change rather than fear it. ----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode276Sponsor Links:🔗 Take Clarinet’s AI Readiness Snapshot🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AIMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (08:20) Sarika’s career origin story and non-linear path into People leadership(15:06) Transition from traditional roles into strategic talent leadership(27:14) AI product evolution and challenges of layering AI into existing platforms(29:41) AI change management and leadership mindset shifts(32:01) Grassroots AI adoption and building excitement without fear(36:05) Fear, resistance, and why HR teams struggle with AI adoption(43:07) HR as a strategic driver in AI transformation(46:20) Onboarding as the first AI workflow use case(48:50) Automation outcomes, manager enablement, and measurable impact(52:44) Lessons learned from AI-powered onboarding transformation(54:33) AI coaching as the next frontier in HR---- 📬 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.

Peter Fader and Jessica Zwaan joined The Modern People Leader to explore how customer-based audit principles can be applied to employees.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode275Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop🔗 Take Clarinet’s AI Readiness Snapshot MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (07:53) Marketing Concepts Crossing into HR(11:18) Employee Lifetime Value and the Marketing–HR Crossover(13:01) Customer-Based Audit Explained in Plain Language(16:23) What Actually Goes Into a Customer-Based Audit(18:07) Cross-Sectional vs. Cohort Analysis: How Customers (and Employees) Change(21:21) Bad Revenue, Bad Customers, and Growth Tradeoffs(23:04) The Limits of Surveys and Why Context Matters(26:54) Cohort Analysis and Why Averages Mislead Decision-Making(30:39) Data Challenges in HR and What You Need to Start an Employee Audit(34:20) Translating Customer Metrics to Employee Performance(37:42) Incentive-Compatible Peer Feedback and Performance Signal(40:06) What an Employee-Based Audit Actually Produces(44:25) Turning Audit Insights into Actionable HR Decisions(47:39) What an Employee-Based Audit Book Would Cover(49:19) The Future of Work if Employee Audits Become Standard---- 📬 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.

Kirthi Mani, Chief People Officer at CLA, joins The Modern People Leader to explore why joy is a true competitive advantage and how people-first leadership drives sustainable performance. ----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode274Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AIMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- 📬 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.

Pat Lencioni, founder of The Table Group and bestselling author behind The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The 6 Types of Working Genius, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about his origin story in organizational health, how Working Genius helps leaders prevent burnout by designing teams around strengths, and how HR leaders can build trust and stay grounded as AI reshapes work.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode273Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗 Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AIMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:30) Pat’s origin story: why he started doing organizational health work(15:06) What Pat has changed his mind on over time (patience vs immediate confrontation)(16:24) Trust + “Five Dysfunctions” discussion (why absence of trust breaks everything)(19:54) What sparked the “6 types of Working Genius” model(24:50) Burnout comes from doing draining work too long, not just “working hard”(29:19) The “Yeti mug vs hole in the cup” analogy (genius, competency, frustration)(39:25) CEO burnout cycle: suffering for others vs martyrdom, and designing coverage for what you don’t have(42:49) Using Working Genius for teams and hiring (cover gaps; hire for needed “genius,” not title)(47:30) Pat’s take on AI: different “types” of AI + the dignity of work and the human touch(52:53) 5–10 year outlook: job disruption, and using Working Genius to stay adaptable across industries (54:09) Trust in an AI era: fear, headcount signals, and how leaders rebuild trust (57:55) Leadership style + authenticity: lead from who you are, name strengths/weaknesses openly---- 📬 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.

Brandon Sammut (Chief People and AI Transformation Officer at Zapier), Jenny Molyneaux (VP of People, Vercel), and Valerie Gobeil (Head of Talent Management, Workleap) joined us for a live session on how HR teams are actually using AI today. We talked about how to get organizations AI-ready, avoid “AI debt,” make smarter build vs buy decisions, and we walked through live demos of AI-powered performance reviews, hiring workflows, interview coaching, engagement insights, and more.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode272Sponsor Links:🔗Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl🔗Try AskChartHop at ChartHop.com/AIMPL Links:🔗Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (08:46) Brandon on organizational readiness: leadership, talent, and culture as the real prerequisites for AI transformation(11:25) Brandon’s three-part impact framework for AI work: efficiency, quality, and employee experience(12:58) Jenny introduces “AI debt” and the phases of the AI journey from initial adoption to deeper productivity gains(14:41) Building internal AI enablers and “chief vibe coders” on the people team to help others ship and scale AI solutions(17:22) Zooming out to AI tech stacks: build vs buy vs “bot” and how HR should think about existing tools and new platforms(18:29) Valerie on activating AI already inside your HR stack and creating an HR data agent with a custom GPT(23:00) Transition to demo day: exploring what is actually possible with AI in HR right now(24:38) Valerie Demo 1: Using AI to spin up 360 performance review cycles, questions, and value-based sections in minutes(29:31) Valerie Demo 2: AI-assisted manager reviews that aggregate self reviews, peer feedback, goals, recognition, and Slack activity(32:16) Jenny Demo 1: Slack analytics leaderboard to gamify “working in public” and reduce DMs on the people team(35:15) Jenny Demo 2: Interview quality coach that analyzes BrightHire transcripts and slacks structured feedback to interviewers(37:41) Jenny Demo 3: Custom GPT in the CEO’s voice to keep outreach and employer brand messaging on tone across teams(39:11) Brandon Demo 1: AI-powered hiring plans that generate JDs, rubrics, interview guides, and Slack hiring channels via Zapier Canvas(48:25) Brandon Demo 2: Alumni engagement and LinkedIn recommendation agents that keep him connected to former teammates(52:00) Valerie Demo 3: Turning engagement survey comments into themes, actions, and board-ready executive summaries---- 📬 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.

DJ Casto joined us on The Modern People Leader to share how Synchrony is co-designing the future of work with employees.We talked about active listening at scale, building trust by being great not perfect, rethinking leadership for a flexible workforce, and why treating the employee experience like a product creates real business impact.---- Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode271Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:16) DJ’s Origin Story: From First-Gen College Student to CHRO at Synchrony(11:19) What Synchrony Does: Credit Access, Health & Wellness, and Major Retail Partners(14:12) Co-Designing the Future of Work & Adopting an MVP Mindset in HR(18:27) Active Listening as the Operating System for People Programs(29:10) Scaling Listening: Pulse Surveys, Roundtables, ERGs, Wellness Coaches and On-Site Therapists(35:14) Avoiding the “Send One Email” Trap and Communicating 20 Different Ways(38:48) Great, Not Perfect: Building Trust, Prioritizing Requests, and Saying No Openly(44:51) Synchrony’s Hybrid “Way of Working” and Redesigning Leadership for Flexibility(51:48) Rethinking Performance, Onboarding, and Culture Centers in a Hybrid World---- 📬 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.

Taylor and Melanie joined The Modern People Leader to unpack how HR teams can get out from under compliance chaos and admin overload to focus on business impact.---- Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode270Sponsor Links:🔗 Try Viva’s $950 one-month trial at execviva.com/mpl.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:00) — The problem statement: HR buried in admin, Q4 pressure, need for practical fixes(07:25)— Taylor on leave management as the high-stakes admin vortex and why great leave drives retention(10:18) — Melanie on overwork vs impact: earn respect through outcomes, not hours(14:08) — Reframing service: self-service, business-first questions, and saying “look it up” kindly(20:32) — Horror Story 1: Mexico-beach FMLA backfire and what the law actually allows(22:19) — Horror Story 2: CEO’s mis-sent inappropriate email and culture trust fallout(24:56) — Horror Story 3: Walk-by performance ratings in open cubes(27:42) — Taylor’s fix: design for simplicity in leave policies and automate approvals(28:57) — Melanie’s fix: make time your asset; test-outs, policy bots, AI course builder(33:47) — Q&A: “Minimum training hours” requirements and assigning only what’s legally needed(37:04) — Feeling “behind on AI”: why most teams are weeks, not years, behind(39:07) — Q&A---- 📬 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.

Jessica Swank, Chief People Officer at Box, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about building an "org brain", preparing managers to lead teams of humans plus agents, avoiding agent sprawl and tech debt, and why every people leader needs to start experimenting with AI personally to stay ahead.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode269Sponsor Links:🔗 Start a one-month trial with Viva for $950.🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (09:24) The GenAI Shift and What It Means To Become an AI-First Company(11:07) Box’s Three Pillars for AI in People and Communities: Optimize, Elevate, Amplify(13:25) Rethinking Roles, Skills, and Job Architecture in an AI-Driven World(16:17) Who Leads the AI Transformation: HR, IT, or a Cross-Functional AI Council(20:32) People Strategy in an AI-First World: Talent, Skills, and Leadership Expectations(23:55) Hackathons, AI Certification, and Box’s Step-by-Step AI People Roadmap(32:44) Leading Hybrid Human Plus Agent Teams and Rethinking Manager Responsibilities(37:20) Coaching, Feedback, and Performance Expectations for AI Agents(38:36) OKRs for Agents, Agent Sprawl, and Governance of Digital Employees(42:29) Tech Debt, Agentic Debt, and How People Teams Decide What To Build, Buy, or Wait On(47:47) The People Team Tech Stack: Build, Buy, Borrow, Bot in Practice at Box(49:10) Practical Advice for HR Leaders Just Starting Their AI Journey---- 📬 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.

We dug into Foursquare’s North Stars of vibrancy and velocity, applying design thinking to the people function, and their team-based performance model.---- Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode268Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about TopicFlow.🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.Other Links Mentioned:🔗 Kit’s blog on why culture starts with performance ---- (13:04) Kit’s story(24:18) Why rebrand HR to People at Foursquare(25:25) Naming, value proposition, and aligning the people team to business goals(28:26) North Stars: “vibrancy + velocity,” big rocks vs prototypes, new engagement survey(33:11) People function as a product: design thinking, journey mapping, cross-functional experience team(39:09) First major bet: performance philosophy(41:35) Team-based performance model and measurement alignment(42:31) Transition to ONA focus(43:50) ONA background(47:30) Flattening org and team effectiveness coaching to support the model(49:07) Tying behaviors to leadership principles, career matrix, and team-based recognition(50:55) Research basis for high-performing teams vs teams of high performers(54:23) Metrics: measuring velocity (+43%), tradeoffs on coaching/feedback, new interventions(56:29) Theme of focus: advice for overwhelmed people leaders---- 📬 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.

Shannon Hobbs, Chief People Officer at BNY, joined us to unpack how the bank is scaling its early-career pipeline, flattening org design, and running a culture-first transformation.We discussed BNY’s in-house AI hub “Eliza” (99% employee certification, 15k+ agents, 100 digital employees), plus practical advice for CHROs on building AI capability safely and at scale.---- How BNY is betting big on early talent (PDF): https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode267Sponsor Links:🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.🔗 Learn more about TopicFlow.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (07:31) Shannon’s career journey to CPO (Citigroup/Smith Barney → Morgan Stanley → JPMorgan → American Century → GEICO → BNY)(10:36) Advice to aspiring CPOs: say yes to high-need roles; build varied skill sets(12:59) BNY in 30 seconds: “the bank of banks,” custody/clearing and client solutions(13:40) Why early careers matter now; meeting talent where they are(16:03) Scaling analysts: 500 → 1,000 → 2,000; investing despite headcount scrutiny(19:12) Timeline & structure: cohorts, rotations, upcoming “franchise” track(20:50) Manager enablement: teaching leaders how to leverage new-gen skills(22:43) The manager role today and why flatter orgs help(25:03) What “flat” looks like: cross-functional pods, closer to clients, more accountability(27:57) Finding hidden gems: visibility, time back via automation, rewarding talent work(29:49) Transformation umbrella: why this is bigger than a reorg(30:27) Platform operating model: phased rollout, end-to-end commitment(32:26) Culture → clients: language, pillars, progress toward full adoption(33:15) Robin Vince’s culture-first, level-agnostic leadership style(34:27) Turning to AI: framing AI as an enabler, not the destination(35:53) Eliza, BNY’s AI hub: built in-house for safety, control, and scale(36:49) Onboarding & safety: 99% employee certification before use(38:45) Hackathons, bootcamps, and recognition to drive real adoption(40:07) What’s inside Eliza: chat, agent builder, governed access(40:28) People Team Agent: launch story, 17k unique users in month one(42:11) Host reaction to adoption stats; why this is notable(43:33) Bottom-up tactics: sandboxing, storytelling, shared language(44:12) Legal as early adopter; multi-touch education to reduce fear(45:56) From “Excel fluency” to “AI fluency” as the new baseline(46:48) Who builds agents? Personal vs. production; step-by-step path(47:47) Idea intake → AI hub prioritization → production digital employees(48:16) Host reflection: rethinking careers in financial services(49:50) Final big question: how to build an AI hub in HR(50:42) Shannon’s playbook: train, equip, dialog, and tie to culture & work redesign---- 📬 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.

Luke O’Mahoney, Founder & Creator of Sapienˣ, joined The Modern People Leader.We talked about the three emerging models of product-led HR, Agile theater, and how an enterprise company phased its shift to product-led HR.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about TopicFlow.🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:23) Luke’s early career in RPO and connecting talent acquisition to business strategy(07:15) Transition into People Leadership and discovering Agile HR(08:48) Applying product and marketing frameworks to people and culture(09:54) Discovering a community around “PeopleOps as a Product” and founding SapientX(10:46) Stephen reflects on HR’s evolution from Ulrich’s model to Agile(12:37) Luke on why this iteration of Agile HR is sticking(13:18) How being “unburdened by legacy HR” enabled innovation(15:16) The shift from a procurement mindset to a product mindset in HR(17:28) The gateway to product-led PX and why accessibility matters(23:16) Luke explains the 3 models: HR as a Service, Programs as Products, and Work as the Product(25:43) What “work as the product” means in practice(26:50) How to determine which model fits your organization(28:17) Context and readiness: tailoring PX as a product to company culture and maturity(31:49) Luke defines “theater of Agile” and the danger of rituals without mindset(34:04) Why HR needs to focus on real problems, not just initiatives(35:25) Biggest blockers to real product-led transformation in HR(36:44) HR’s perfectionism problem and the courage to experiment(40:37) Why progress over perfection is key in PeopleOps innovation(41:15) Stephen’s cohort experience with Jessica Zwaan’s Built for People(44:15) Luke’s practical framework: solving employee problems and driving growth(46:13) Iterative experimentation and measuring impact through baselines(48:18) The need for playbooks and accessible frameworks(49:13) Luke’s recommended resources and open-source toolkits(51:00) Real-world examples: TomTom, Sastrify, and Build a Rocket Boy(52:42) How TomTom built a People Product Team within a large enterprise(55:10) Applying product-led HR even as a one-person team(58:04) Launching HR products creatively—Gamified benefits and internal “fake employee” campaigns(01:02:26) Why GTM mindset matters in HR launches(01:03:11) The ROI of joy and excitement in PeopleOps work(01:03:40) What HR leaders can expect on the other side of PX as a product(01:04:40) Earning the seat at the table through measurable business impact(01:06:52) Connecting people, process, and technology for business growth---- 📬 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.

Darren Murph, a leading voice on distributed work and former leader at GitLab, Zillow, and Andela returned to the show.We dug into the remote first maturity scale, the four-pillar operating model (knowledge, project, self, performance), and how to build an “org brain.”---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about TopicFlow.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (04:42) Darren’s new chapter: going independent and why the timing was right(08:46) What’s changed since 2–3 years ago in remote/distributed work(09:13) Identity crisis in companies and the RTO narrative(11:09) The “operating system” of a company: where communication breaks(12:45) What ELTs are really discussing now(14:07) Under-the-radar topic: performance management as “fix the car, not just the driver”(16:40) AI readiness requires distributed-friendly systems (recording, documentation)(18:01) Remote-first maturity scale: where firms think they are vs. where they land(19:44) Knowledge management as the first pillar and the “org brain” concept(21:50) The four-pillar framework: knowledge → project → self → performance(24:13) “Gold in, gold out”: documentation and meeting capture fuel AI(26:00) Exemplars and ownership: Atlassian, GitLab, Doist; treating knowledge like a product(28:18) Tools and handbooks: Notion, public handbooks, getting started fast(30:13) MVP of an org brain and how functions build it out(34:34) Project management done right vs. 47 one-on-ones; insurance/IT ticketing analogies(37:47) Why this matters: time as compensation; segue to self-management(39:59) Team agreements and operating with flexibility(42:16) Measuring performance better: meetings, survey data, retention(46:19) Legacy reviews vs. modern, continuous performance practices (Juro example)(47:10) Organizational psychology: complexity theory and the pull back to “coherence”(54:03) Rapid-fire questions(58:43) Where to find Darren and work with him---- 📬 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.

Brandon Weber, Co-founder & CEO of Nava Benefits, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about why benefits have become the second-largest company expense — and how HR can “moneyball” their healthcare spend, cut down on benefits-related admin work, and deliver better employee outcomes through the emerging “alt marketplace.”---- Nava Links:🔗 Learn more about Nava.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (07:07) Brandon’s Founder Journey and 10-Month Sabbatical Spark(14:06) The Broker as Market Maker: Distribution Problem in Employer Healthcare(16:27) Why Benefits Are Strategic: From Cost Center to Business Lever(18:28) Benefits Jumped to #2 Company Expense and a Talent Magnet(20:53) HR Holds the Healthcare Purse Strings for Half of America(21:15) Being Strategic with a Small People Team(21:39) Explosion of Benefits Complexity (from ~6 to ~20 offerings)(26:47) Status-Quo “Stockholm Syndrome” and Breaking the Cycle(28:51) 2025 Renewal Pain Driving Change(31:02) Automating Benefits Admin(33:11) The “Alt Marketplace” of Health Plans, PBMs, and Point Solutions(33:39) Examples of "Alt Marketplace": Garner Health Network Design; Sidecar Health Price Transparency(40:58) Agentic Future: Auditing Carrier Bills and Auto-Remediation(42:18) Renewal Season AI: From Spreadsheet Chaos to Real-Time Scenario Modeling(43:16) Zapier Example: Benefits Help Desk and the Real Cost of Repeated Questions(45:06) Nava’s AI Strategy for HR: Support, Admin Automation, Smarter Spend(47:35) “Moneyball” Your Benefits Spend with Data Science(48:06) Why Brokers’ 20-Year Spreadsheets Fail HR and CFOs(51:05) Rapid Fire Questions---- 📬 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.

Andrew Golden, Chief People Officer at RetailNext, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about how he’s driving transformation, why HR and IT must partner more closely, the power of building lightweight AI solutions in-house, and why he’s optimistic about the future of people teams.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop.🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (10:15) Burnout, Leaving RetailNext & Working in Family Accounting Firm(11:49) Explaining RetailNext’s Business: Hardware + data insights for retail stores(13:30) Why Andrew Returned to RetailNext & Rejoining After Private Equity Acquisition(16:35) Restarting PeopleOps as a Product at RetailNext(17:59) Partnering with PX Sapiens & Lean PX Design Principles(20:16) Portugal Trip Lightbulb Moment: Rethinking HRBP model(22:21) Moving Away from Traditional Org Charts → Workflow Alignment(24:16) Practical Application: Embedding People Team into Business Workflows(26:36) The Three Workflows: Pre-Customer, Post-Customer, and Transitions(28:08) EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) & Core Processes in HR(29:50) How EOS + PeopleOps as a Product Fit Together(32:18) Redefining “Strategic HR” as Operationally Relevant HR(35:20) Advice for Skeptics: Why Agile PX Matters(36:57) Building HR Tools with AI: Andrew’s Employee Engagement Platform(40:33) The SaaS vs. Build Trade-Off: Flexibility with AI Tools(42:58) Why Now Is the Time: Optimism in HR’s Future(59:36) How HR and IT Partner Together at RetailNext---- 📬 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.

Gena Smith, CHRO at LVMH North America, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how she sparked an AI transformation across 75 LVMH brands, why HR should lead AI change management, and how to reframe AI adoption as a cultural and creative advantage.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.🔗 Request a demo of Workleap.MPL Links:🔗Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (05:07) Gena’s Career Journey: From Texas to Global HR Leader(10:34) Passion for People & Culture Sparked Abroad(11:01) Serving on the Board of Parsons School of Design(13:26) What’s in the LVMH Portfolio (and What People Don’t Know)(16:55) The Culture at LVMH: Pride, Legacy, and Humility(18:53) Managing People & Culture Across 75 Brands(19:57) LVMH’s Decentralized Structure & Core Values(22:48) How HR Anchors Culture Across the Group(24:11) The WSJ Conference that Sparked Her AI Learning Journey(26:34) Building the HR AI Task Force & Their First Discoveries(30:02) The “It Feels Like Cheating” Employee Mindset Around AI(31:29) Why Marketing the AI Message Internally is Key(32:33) Using AI in Creative Studios & Operational Areas(36:28) Tackling Fear of AI & Job Security Concerns(37:18) Why Upskilling is the Real Future-Proofing Strategy(39:31) Normalizing AI Adoption & Creating Comfort(42:21) Hot Take: HR Will Write the Blueprint for AI in Business(43:49) Why HR Must Be on Every AI Governance Board(45:14) Scaling Change Management Through Internal Campaigns(46:29) Building LVMH’s AI Marketing Campaign from Scratch(48:43) Advice for HR Leaders: Start Your Learning Journey Now(50:54) Why Human Skills Will Become the Ultimate Currency---- 📬 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.

What happens when you put a mic in front of HR leaders and ask them for their unfiltered takes on AI?In this episode, Daniel and Stephen recap their trip to HR Tech — where they recorded 12 quick-hit “AI Confessions” from folks they met on the conference room floor. From agentic workflows and custom GPT chaos to the real blockers slowing down AI adoption, this one’s packed with candid insights from the front lines.You’ll hear what HR leaders from companies like Lumen, Articulate, and Airbnb.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:00) HR Tech debrief setup and the “non-Expo Expo” vision(08:26) Vendor noise: everyone promises everything; how to curate for quality(10:13) Trend: agentic workflows vs. true autonomous agents(13:16) “One UI to rule them all” and platforms trying to do it all(16:18) The HR “sandbox” idea and customization/vibe-coding future(18:02) Governance should come first, not last(19:24) New format intro: “AI Confessions” clip series(20:10) Articulate: hype vs. reality, custom GPT maintenance tax(24:36) Snapshot pain: stale docs and refresh gaps in tools(25:04) Why an org brain/source of truth matters(26:58) Biggest blockers called out: connectivity across the stack, tech limits(30:57) Magic wand from Clip 1: payroll automation and smarter resume parsing(34:43) Lumen: “AI diffusion,” empathy-first change and upskilling(36:32) Creating safe spaces to experiment; role-by-role reskilling(45:35) Myths and multi-agent maturity: where we really are(48:20) Senior vs. junior agents; linking SMEs to AI via the org brain(55:05) Airbnb: scouting the recruiting tech stack(57:33) Is HR behind on tech adoption compared to other functions(1:00:49) Biggest blocker: skills and resourcing gap in HR/TA teams(1:03:32) Upskilling in practice: stipends, bootcamps, internal rhythms(1:05:27) TA automation targets: scheduling, intake, JD drafts, calibration slates(1:06:09) Change management is the hard part---- 📬 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.

Angela Crossman, Hernan Chiosso, and Jean-Luc Charles joined us to debrief the “Yellow Pod” conversation from MPL Live NYC and what the group is actually doing with AI at work. We covered opportunities vs blockers, “AI as coach” guardrails, why HR should own enablement, actionable next steps, and predictions for the AI-powered workplace.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena. 🔗 Book a quick walk through of Nava HQ.🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (09:40) Why structured spaces help leaders make sense of AI noise(11:40) Untangling AI talk: personal vs professional; HR practice vs company strategy(12:47) State of adoption: ahead of the curve vs “head in the sand”(14:00) Panel reflections: Dropbox digital twins, Duolingo’s AI mandate, leadership buy-in spectrum(15:43) HR’s role with tech + legal: ethics, generational views, and people experience(16:27) “Who owns AI?”—budget, skills, and priorities across functions(19:36) Change management over pure tech: why HR is primed to lead adoption(21:01) Community accelerates AI: the prompt for pods (biggest blocker and opportunity)(23:31) Why the small-group format worked: quiet room, trust, generosity(25:08) Opportunities first: practical use cases; AI for manager coaching (pros/cons)(27:28) Blockers: ownership, resources, risk, and vendor noise(28:05) Quick poll: Should AI be a “coach”? Alignment with values and judgment(29:21) Using AI as a thinking partner—not a verdict(31:43) People team enablement: prompt patterns, values-trained GPTs, internal guardrails(32:20) Example from MPL: iterating a “super prompt” after guest feedback(33:50) One action to take now: targeted demos to learn real use cases(34:42) Don’t ban—enable: intentional adoption beats resistance(35:30) Practical rollout ideas: leadership exercises with starter prompts(37:07) Resource tip: OpenAI Academy prompts for HR (as a baseline to build on)(38:13) Mind-blower: executive digital twins; event improvements for Austin (Dec 11)(39:43) Feedback: design for introverts; keep a light warm-up(40:26) Preserve the magic: curated room + structured but flexible prompts(41:55) Rapid-fire predictions: the AI-powered workplace(42:29) Prediction #1: AI is both disruption and solution (reskilling at scale)(43:48) Prediction #2: A new kind of creativity—partnering with “semi-intelligent” tools(44:31) Prediction #3: Hiring shifts toward problem framing and critical thinking---- 📬 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, 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.

Joy Rothschild, Chief Human Resources Officer at Omni Hotels & Resorts, joined us on The Modern People Leader. ---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Request a demo of Workleap.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (05:21) Joy’s origin story: from hospitality ops to finding a home in HR(07:48) Early career breaks, sponsorship, and a philosophy of giving people a chance(09:59) Layoff, comeback call, and stepping into the top HR role(10:33) Boundaries after a career shock and sustaining a healthier pace(14:51) Omni in 2025: brand position, ownership model, and high-touch service strategy(18:39) “You have a culture”: balancing the guest–owner–associate “trilogy”(21:00) Crisis choices: 9/11 vs. COVID, service tradeoffs, and rebuilding momentum(23:13) Betting big during downturns: PGA Frisco and major openings through COVID(24:31) Tenure, recognition, and lessons from being let go after 18 years(26:26) Returning with boundaries and perspective(27:54) The “Gung Ho” boardroom moment and trusting your convictions(30:20) Dusting off the classics: reviving core Omni programs and cross-functional buy-in(32:28) Power of One 1.0: empowerment and 19 service points(34:32) Power of All detour and the case to simplify(35:34) Power of One 2.0: three plain-English principles that everyone remembers(36:29) Stories that stick: macaw video, the Herman Miller chair, and solving what you see(39:55) Wedding saved: saying yes and training teams to own outcomes(41:28) Why this sticks when other initiatives do not(43:42) “Training that sticks” playbook: ops partnership, writers, pilots, and scorecards(46:10) Logistics at scale: 8,500 front-line learners, 90 trainers, monthly reporting(47:58) Mantras with teeth: Elevate Service, Elevate Revenue, and tying bonuses to usage(49:48) Ownership, accountability, and why ops should teach service(51:17) Rapid Fire: advice for new HR, “culture warrior,” and borrowing Chewy’s playbook(54:06) Who’s next: Will Guidara and the craft of unreasonable hospitality(56:00) A quick story about Milk Bar cookies and influence---- 📬 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.

Jessica Zwaan joins MPL Build to show HR leaders how to craft business cases that CEOs actually approve, using BLUF, the So What test, and clear links to revenue and savings. We walk through conservative projections, objection handling, and a live role-play on adopting a performance platform in today’s fiscally skeptical environment.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (05:19) Jessica’s hierarchy: make money, save money, then time(08:45) Jessica’s shift from words to numbers and data(12:20) Tying HR work to revenue in practice(13:52) Choosing revenue vs savings and building the argument(15:42) “I cracked it” moment: McCann Worldgroup restructuring win(19:16) The “So What” Test explained and how to run it(21:57) Anticipating objections inside the deck(24:20) Role-play setup: $50k performance platform after HR Tech(25:32) Start with the problem: talent density and revenue leakage(26:08) Connecting performance signals to revenue and savings(28:31) From messy data to leading indicators leaders can use(30:23) Pitch format preferences(31:12) BLUF: Bottom line up front(32:39) Estimating impact and why to lean conservative(34:30) Standing behind numbers with board scrutiny(36:10) Is budget still tight and what fiscal skepticism means(37:43) Why rigor matters in an AI-saturated vendor landscape---- 📬 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.

Kim Minnick, Founder of Code Traveller HR, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We dug into why performance reviews often fail, how companies can decouple performance from compensation, creative ways to reward employees beyond pay, and the importance of transparency, choice, and designing programs that reflect company values.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.🔗 Request a demo of Workleap.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (11:26) Why Most Companies Get Performance Management Wrong(15:59) The Noise & Confusion Around Rethinking Performance(19:44) Building Programs Unique to Your Company’s Mission & People(21:18) Decoupling Performance from Compensation(24:06) Why Performance Management Has Low Credibility with Employees(28:29) Shifting Rewards Beyond Pay & Limiting Overwork(32:57) Keeping Compensation-Driven Employees Engaged(34:04) Evolving Compensation Models & Budgeting Differently(40:26) Why Transparency in Compensation Matters(43:29) Defining Company Values to Drive Rewards & Recognition(45:30) Giving Employees Choice in How They’re Rewarded(50:30) The Risk of Turning Rewards into a “Feature Comparison”(52:34) Why Letting Employees Choose Could Be a Good Thing(55:33) HR Tech Limitations & Building Custom Solutions(57:57) The Economics of DIY vs. B2B SaaS Tools---- 📬 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.

This episode of The Modern People Leader dives into the realities of leading through constant change, featuring guests Mita Mallick, Shelby Garrison, and Kelly Lohr. We discussed how HR leaders can navigate layoffs with transparency and humanity, the importance of supporting both exiting and remaining employees, and how to build resilience and adaptability into workplace culture.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Get in contact with the Career Sandwich team.🔗 Request a demo of Workleap.🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (07:13) Why Layoffs Feel Like a New Normal(09:25) Shelby on the Disconnect Between Job Reports and Employee Reality(14:27) Kelly on Building the Muscle to Adapt to Change(18:31) Mita on Transparency Before Layoffs Happen(21:27) The Shift in Employer Branding Conversations(22:37) Mistakes Companies Make During Layoffs That Damage Brand(25:04) Moments That Matter Most When Communicating Change(28:29) Shelby’s Two-Audience Approach to Layoff Planning(32:05) What Modern Support for Exiting Employees Looks Like(35:33) Balancing Empathy and Clarity in Layoff Conversations(38:58) Supporting Remaining Employees After Layoffs(45:17) Mita on Allowing Space to Acknowledge Those Who Left(47:11) Shelby on Bringing a Human-First Approach to Change(51:00) Q&A: The Problem with Silent Layoffs and How to Rebuild Trust---- 📬 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.

Yemi Akisanya, Head of JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) at Axon, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how the DEI conversation is evolving post-2020, why quotas are being replaced with performance-aligned strategies, and how Axon is making inclusion measurable and mission-critical.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena.🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop.MPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:24) Yemi’s Life & Career Update: From Groupon to Axon(08:51) What is Axon? Tech That Protects Life (Explained Simply)(11:46) The Current State of DEI: Legal Risks, Compliance, and Backlash(13:04) How 2020 Changed the DEI Landscape—And Where It Went Off Track(15:28) The Rise and Fall of Quota-Based DEI and Legal Pushback(17:53) The New DEI Mandate: Must Be Performance-Driven and Legally Sound(19:30) Title VII and the Legal Boundaries of Hiring Decisions(22:49) Axon’s Hiring Funnel Strategy: Focus on Top-of-Funnel Diversity(24:17) Why Diverse Input Without Inclusion Breeds Tokenism(26:48) Stephen’s Experience as a Diversity Officer (2009–2011)(29:39) The Unintended Consequences of Quota-Driven Metrics(32:26) What’s Changed? Not the Law, but the Enforcement & Tone(34:06) Clarifying What Legal vs. Illegal DEI Looks Like Today(38:29) Expanding the Talent Funnel: Tactics Axon Uses to Diversify Without Quotas(41:44) Events, Job Boards, and Global Outreach to Source Talent(42:59) Applying a Funnel Mindset: DEI as Performance Marketing(45:10) Did DEI Practitioners Go Too Far? Owning the Missteps(48:03) Why Bias Isn’t Bad—But It Must Be Checked and Understood(50:30) Inclusion Surveys as Strategic Input: Measuring What Holds People Back(51:15) Daniel’s 2020 ERG Experience: Culture Celebration vs. Business Impact(53:43) Evolving ERGs into Performance Assets (Not Just Event Groups)(56:47) Performance-Driven DEI: Monitoring Ratings, Promotions, Engagement(58:47) Training for All, Cultural Context, and Blending Communities(01:01:13) Localizing DEI Efforts Globally: Lessons from Groupon(01:03:32) Axon’s Inclusion Programs, Pay Equity Audits, and Cross-Cultural Equity(01:08:20) Who Should We Have Next? Shoutout to Elizabeth Hart at Axon---- 📬 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.

Jessica Zwaan, Author of Built for People & COO at Talentful, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about AI adoption in HR, from policy design to hands-on building. We explored the “Wild West” of AI use, tool selection, overcoming the stigma of ‘cheating,’ and practical frameworks like the 4Bs (Bot, Build, Borrow, Buy) to guide adoption and innovation.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Request a demo of Workleap.MPL Links:🔗 Sign up for the MPL Insider Guide for HR Tech.🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live New York.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (07:07) Kicking off the AI Wild West discussion in HR(09:10) “AI abstinence” vs. open use – two ends of the spectrum(12:00) No new ideas – why blocking AI is like banning books(17:05) Stigma around AI use and feelings of ‘cheating’(20:18) AI as an Iron Man suit, not Ultron – decision-making analogy(22:29) Org-wide vs. departmental AI policies(24:20) Jessica’s HR AI stack: Sana, ODA, BrightHire, ChatGPT(26:11) Why GPT was chosen over other LLMs(29:37) Functional flexibility in AI tool adoption(31:58) Privacy, disclosure, and “don’t be dumb” rules(33:15) The 4Bs framework – Bot, Build, Borrow, Buy(36:51) Different levels of “build” – from zaps to full applications(41:59) Why not to fear losing custom AI knowledge when employees leave(46:43) Borrowing vs. buying – making smart investment decisions(48:41) Avoiding “hire first” thinking – the Mythical Man Month(53:28) How to start: planning, tool exploration, and playful learning(56:05) Voice note + walk workflow for AI productivity---- 📬 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.

Pilar Muner, VP of People & Talent at ChartHop, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We covered:- Why fractional work isn’t always the burnout cure-all it’s made out to be-How ChartHop is using AI to power HR workflows in-house- The AI vendor checklist every HR leader needs — what to ask, what to watch for, and how to cut through the hypeIf you’re evaluating AI tools for your people team, this episode will give you a practical lens on security, data integrity, and what to prioritize in vendor selection.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live New York.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (10:56) Pilar’s Journey: From law aspirations to falling into HR(13:07) Career Philosophy: “Just say yes” and the path through early-stage companies(15:07) Why Pilar Went Fractional: A health-focused shift, not burnout(17:18) Accidental Fractional Life: A few lucky client handoffs snowball(18:46) Is Fractional Less Stressful? The importance of boundaries(20:45) HR for HR: Why burnout doesn’t disappear without behavior change(23:39) Boundary setting and designing your own career(25:09) ChartHop Time: The magic of internal and external facing people ops(26:37) Product Deep Dive: ChartHop’s back-end data architecture explained(28:36) Why ChartHop is Built for AI from the Ground Up(30:30) Empathy in HR Tech: ChartHop’s internal culture surprises(32:27) ChartHop for Builders: Why it clicks for HR innovators(35:42) Pilar’s AI Takeaways: Sophisticated people analytics—even at 25 people(37:22) AI + HR Data: Beyond dashboards into contextual intelligence(39:30) The Risks of Uploading Data to Public LLMs(41:47) What ChartHop Does to Keep Client Data Secure(44:51) Questions HR Leaders Should Ask AI Vendors(47:21) Is HR Ready for AI? Why sitting on the sidelines isn’t safe(49:08) Use Case Example: AI-powered performance review feedback(51:09) Human Judgment Still Required: Don’t rely solely on AI(52:52) The Importance of Judicious AI Prompts in HR(53:19) ChartHop’s View on AI Front Doors & Model Context Protocols(55:37) Internal Testing: ChartHop dogfoods its own platform with Salesforce, NetSuite, and Gong(58:38) Favorite Use Case: Performance reviews written with AI accuracy(01:02:21) Engagement Survey in 3 Hours Instead of 50(01:04:46) ChartHop Use Cases: The AI-powered HRBP assistant(01:07:09) Treating AI like your own HRBP: Macro-level strategy(01:11:38) GenAI as HR for HR: Scenario planning and internal insights(01:15:04) Weekly Check-Ins: AI helps prioritize which employees need attention(01:16:13) Rapid Fire: Pilar’s one big takeaway—just try(01:18:22) Superpower Nickname: The Force or The Inspirer(01:20:12) Strategy to Steal: Zapier’s AI-first approach(01:21:54) Shoutouts: 5 emerging HR leaders you should know---- 📬 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.

JooBee Yeow joined us on The Modern People Leader to talk about why HR must stop overfunctioning and start diagnosing real business problems—especially when revenue is on the line. We discussed how HR leaders can step out of their silo, challenge assumptions, influence revenue growth, and flip the HR pyramid to prioritize high-impact, strategic work.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Request a demo of Workleap.MPL Links:🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live New York.🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- (06:23) JooBee’s Career Journey: From Systems Engineer to Strategic HR Leader(08:34) What JooBee Learned from Partnering with CTOs over CHROs(11:48) Stephen’s Experience Managing Engineers as a CEO(14:07) Preferential Treatment or Strategic Blindspots in Tech-Heavy Teams(18:08) What JooBee Is Building: Bootcamp, Community, and Mini MBA(24:31) Why HR Gets Stuck at 50 Employees: Common Traps at Growth Stage(29:33) Same Problems, New Labels: From Headcount to AI Adoption(30:33) The Two Questions Every People Leader Must Ask(32:25) Strategic Planning ≠ Strategic Thinking: Escaping Operational Loops(34:26) The HR Hierarchy of Needs & Flipping the Pyramid(44:46) Stop Playing Admin: Behaviors That Keep HR Operational(47:29) Writing in Anger: The Story Behind JooBee’s “Drive Revenue” Newsletter(50:57) What to Do When You Won’t Hit Revenue Targets This Quarter(54:17) Where Is Revenue Leaking? 4 Common Scenarios(56:09) Don’t Start with “How”—Diagnose First(59:26) Tactical Advice: How to Be Curious and Find the Right People to Ask---- 📬 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