The Science of Leading

A flexible 9/80 schedule can boost retention and improve work-life balance, but only when leaders focus on outcomes, fairness, and clear coverage rules. This episode also breaks down the operational and compliance details that make or break a rollout, from overtime and handoffs to pilot goals and employee feedback.

This episode unpacks why polished interviews so often miss the mark and how unstructured hiring can reward charm over actual job behavior. It also explores how structured interviews, clear scoring, and careful use of AI can improve fairness and prediction without scaling bias.

Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington unpack how personality assessments can improve hiring when they’re used as decision support—not as a shortcut or verdict. They explore the Big Five, the dangers of “culture fit” and type labels, and a practical workflow for combining assessments with structured interviews and work samples.

This episode breaks down Google’s Project Aristotle and the surprising finding that team performance depends less on star talent than on how people interact. It explores psychological safety, why silence can hide problems, and the practical habits leaders can use to build stronger, more effective teams.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire and Edwin move from theory to execution with a clear 90-day roadmap for measuring teamwork without turning your culture into a surveillance state. Building on the foundations of what to measure and why, they walk through a practical rollout plan that busy HR leaders and line managers can actually implement. Across three chapters, they cover how to define "team success" in your context, pick a small set of meaningful metrics, and stand up a simple dashboard that leaders and teams will actually use. They then dig into the operating rhythm that makes metrics matter—weekly check-ins, pulse surveys, one-on-ones, and retrospectives that focus on decisions and experiments instead of blame. Finally, they show you how to tune and simplify your system by week 12 so it becomes a boring, reliable part of how you run the business, not another short-lived initiative. If you're tired of dashboard theater and want a measurement system that improves delivery, quality, and team health at the same time, this episode gives you a realistic, science-backed path to get there in 90 days.

This episode of The Science of Leading tackles a blind spot many HR leaders and executives share: we celebrate "strong culture" and "great teams," but rarely measure whether teamwork is actually driving results. Claire and Edwin unpack a practical, behavior-based framework for evaluating teamwork that goes beyond vibes, personality labels, or annual performance rituals. They explore why high engagement scores and positive team sentiment can still coexist with missed deadlines, rework, and stakeholder frustration—and how to fix that with clear outcome and process metrics. You’ll learn how to connect teamwork evaluation to real business goals, define observable teamwork behaviors, and build simple KPIs for communication, collaboration, problem solving, and time management. Drawing on organizational psychology research and real-world examples, they walk through specific criteria, data collection methods (from surveys to stakeholder feedback and objective KPIs), and a step-by-step method to turn evaluation into coaching, redesign, and better decisions. Along the way, they show where tools like OAD can reduce bias in performance reviews by separating personality tendencies from actual teamwork behaviors. If you’re an HR leader, people manager, or founder who’s tired of culture theater and wants a repeatable system for building high-performing teams, this episode gives you a concrete, science-based playbook you can start using immediately.

Most leaders have tried a personality test at some point. But when it comes to real decisions—who to hire, how to coach, why a team keeps clashing—those colorful types and labels don’t give you enough to actually change anything.In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington unpack the OAD Survey: an adjective-based, workplace-focused assessment that separates who someone is from how they feel they must behave at work. Instead of one static profile, OAD gives you two matched lenses—baseline traits and perceived job behaviors—so you can see where a role is creating healthy stretch, unsustainable pressure, or outright conflict.Claire and Edwin explore how leaders and HR teams can use this data to sharpen hiring decisions, design better roles, and run more honest leadership and team conversations. They walk through practical workflows for selection, coaching, and team diagnostics, and show how aggregated OAD patterns can reveal deeper organizational issues like role overload, unclear decision rights, or misaligned incentives.If you’re ready to move beyond gut feel and generic personality labels, this episode will show you how to turn structured behavioral signal into everyday decisions. And if you want to try it on your own roles and teams, you can test OAD for free at OAD.ai.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire and Edwin dive into why so many leadership performance reviews feel like vague narratives—and how HR and People Ops can replace them with a structured, defensible leadership review template. They unpack what a strong leadership evaluation sample should include, from role context and business priorities to concrete outcomes, observable leadership behaviors, and culture impact. You’ll hear how to translate soft skills like communication, decision making, and emotional intelligence into specific, copy-paste-ready review phrases and examples that managers can actually use. Claire and Edwin walk through an annual performance review checklist, explore when and how to use multi-rater feedback, and explain how calibration sessions keep ratings fair and consistent across teams. They also connect leadership reviews to real development by outlining how to turn feedback into measurable 30/60/90-day plans that improve team performance over time. Throughout the conversation, they touch on how structured, science-based tools like OAD can strengthen leadership evaluation and succession decisions—and why testing OAD for free at OAD.ai can be a practical next step for teams that want less guesswork and more evidence in their leadership reviews.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire and Edwin walk through a practical, research-backed journey for boosting team performance that starts with better measurement—not louder pep talks. They unpack what “team performance” really means beyond vibes, why many organizations don’t have a performance problem so much as a measurement problem, and how leaders can move from individual heroics to healthy, dependable teams. Drawing on research from Google, McKinsey, Deloitte, Gallup, and OAD’s own work with growing companies, they break the conversation into three stages: diagnose, focus, and experiment. You’ll learn how to run a lightweight team health diagnostic, choose a small set of metrics that actually predict delivery, and separate team effectiveness, dynamics, and health. Claire and Edwin discuss what distinguishes high-performing teams (hint: it’s not just “top talent”), the human capabilities that matter most in 2026, and how tools like OAD’s behavioral assessments can de-risk hiring and team design. Finally, they show you how to turn insights into action with short, 2–4 week experiments: picking one performance driver at a time, defining clear behavior changes, and using simple governance and rituals so improvements stick. Along the way, they weave in soft examples of how HR leaders, founders, and managers can use OAD to match people to roles, spot emerging burnout and disengagement risks, and scale a culture of high-performing teams without burning people out. If you want a concrete playbook for going from gut feel to structured, scalable team performance, this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire and Edwin unpack why so many performance reviews feel unfair, political, or just plain useless—and what leaders can do about it.Drawing on OAD’s performance evaluation framework, they break down the most common pitfalls in team and individual reviews: recency bias and halo/horns effects, personality-based judgments disguised as "fit," confusing effort with real outcomes, and rating scales that mean something different in every department.Claire surfaces the real questions managers are wrestling with—how do you keep reviews consistent, avoid bias, and still move fast?—while Edwin offers concrete, research-backed practices: anchoring reviews to shared team goals, insisting on specific evidence and work artifacts, using simple rating scales with behavioral anchors, and running calibration sessions that turn "manager opinion" into a defensible system.If you’re an HR leader, people manager, or founder who wants performance reviews to drive clarity, accountability, and development instead of anxiety and politics, this episode gives you a practical roadmap for doing reviews fairly—and making them actually useful.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington break down how HR and People leaders can move beyond political, vibes-based leadership reviews and design a fair, defensible evaluation system that actually improves leadership performance.Drawing on real-world best practices, they explore how to define a clear, role-specific leadership competency model, translate it into observable behaviors, and align it with your organization’s strategy and culture. They unpack how to combine tools like 360-degree feedback, validated assessments, performance reviews, and simulations without creating noise or burnout.Claire and Edwin also discuss how to protect psychological safety and DEI, ensure anonymity and trust in feedback, and turn assessment data into concrete development plans, coaching priorities, and promotion decisions. If you’re an HR or People leader tired of biased talent conversations and fuzzy ratings, this episode will help you build a leadership evaluation system your executives can trust—and your leaders will actually use.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington break down how to turn job fit from a fuzzy, gut-driven concept into a scalable, data-backed hiring engine. They explore why job fit—defined as the match between a person and the real demands of the role, the work environment, and the team context—is the hidden driver behind quality of hire, time-to-productivity, and long-term retention. Drawing on research and front-line experience, they unpack how structured methods like performance-based job descriptions, cognitive ability tests, skills assessments, and validated personality tools such as the OAD Survey can dramatically improve predictive power compared to unstructured interviews and intuition alone. Across three segments, Claire and Edwin walk HR leaders and talent partners through a practical blueprint for building a repeatable job fit system: defining success outcomes for each role, selecting and sequencing assessments into a candidate-friendly flow, scoring and comparing candidates with standardized rubrics, and validating that your process actually predicts performance over time. They then extend the conversation beyond Day One, showing how 30/60/90-day check-ins, stay interviews, and ongoing manager feedback can feed back into your hiring model. Whether you’re an HR leader under pressure to do more with less, a TA lead trying to standardize hiring across multiple locations, or a founder tired of expensive mis-hires, this episode gives you a concrete playbook for scaling a science-based job fit system. Stay tuned to the end for a clear invitation to test OAD for free at OAD.ai and see how a structured, psychometrically validated fit model can plug directly into your next critical hire.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire and Edwin unpack how team managers can use a simple, well-designed teamwork self‑assessment questionnaire to see what’s really happening inside their teams—and then actually do something about it. They explore what great teamwork questionnaires measure (communication, listening, collaboration, flexibility, decision making, leadership, and problem solving), how to design and run them without creating a culture of blame, and why clarity around anonymity and data use is non‑negotiable for honest responses. Then they walk through how to interpret the results and turn them into behavior change: reading patterns in subscale scores, linking them to real performance issues like missed handoffs or stalled decisions, and translating the findings into 2–3 focused team experiments over a 4–6 week period rather than overwhelming people with initiatives. Throughout the conversation, Claire brings the questions and concerns of frontline managers—How do I introduce this without spooking people? What if scores are bad?—while Edwin connects the dots to research on team effectiveness, psychological safety, and leadership behavior. Together, they show how moving from gut feel to structured data can help managers coach more fairly, improve collaboration, and keep teams moving in the same direction without turning assessment into bureaucracy.

undefinedThis episode of The Science of Leading walks HR leaders, founders, and managers through a practical, step‑by‑step playbook for running a team dynamics assessment that actually improves performance. Claire and Edwin unpack what a team dynamics assessment really measures (beyond “good vibes”), why team environment is a leading indicator of results, and how research from Google’s Project Aristotle and Amy Edmondson on psychological safety connects to everyday execution. You’ll learn how to define clear business goals for your assessment, choose or design the right questionnaire, and protect anonymity so people tell the truth. The conversation then turns to turning raw survey data into decisions: identifying strengths, constraints, and risks; leader–team perception gaps; and high‑variance items that signal inconsistent norms. Finally, Claire and Edwin translate insights into action with a simple prioritization filter, concrete behavior‑based interventions (from decision rights and role clarity to conflict hygiene and accountability routines), and an implementation cadence of reviews and pulse checks that keeps teams improving over time.

In this episode of The Science of Leading, Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington unpack what it really takes to recruit top talent in 2026—beyond flashy interviews and gut feel. Speaking directly to HR and talent leaders in growing companies, they frame recruiting as a repeatable decision system that reliably produces high-performing hires. Claire and Edwin break down how to define roles by outcomes instead of buzzword wishlists, design a sourcing strategy that goes beyond inbound applicants, and build structured interviews and scorecards that make hiring decisions explainable, fair, and defensible. They explore the 80/20 of recruiting: the few process choices that drive most results in speed, quality, and candidate experience. A major focus of the conversation is using behavioral and psychometric data as the backbone of smarter hiring. Edwin explains how OAD’s assessments help leaders clarify role demands, spot behavior-fit and risk early, and dramatically improve quality-of-hire, ramp time, and retention. Together, they show where OAD plugs into each stage of the recruiting system—from role design and candidate profiles to interview guides, final offers, and onboarding. Whether you’re tightening up your existing recruiting process or rebuilding it for scale, this episode gives you a clear, hard-hitting blueprint for hiring better people, faster—with OAD as your decision engine rather than relying on inconsistent gut feel.

This episode of The Science of Leading gives HR and People leaders a practical, research-backed framework to understand and improve employee motivation and satisfaction. Claire and Edwin unpack why motivation is not a personality trait but a system outcome, and how to separate motivation from engagement and satisfaction so HR stops guessing. They explore the core drivers of workplace motivation – meaning, autonomy, mastery, fairness, psychological safety, belonging, and clarity – and connect them to Self-Determination Theory in plain language. Then they translate theory into action: how to design intrinsic and extrinsic motivators that actually work, how to distinguish motivation problems from role-fit problems, and how tools like OAD’s organization analysis and design system help HR add a structured assessment layer instead of relying on "diagnosis by vibes." Finally, the episode walks through a concrete implementation playbook for HR: short, effective pulse surveys, a minimal motivation dashboard, and a 60–90 day pilot roadmap HR can run with managers to improve clarity, autonomy, and psychological safety – with clear before-and-after metrics. If you’re an HR leader who wants fewer engagement slogans and more practical levers you can pull within a quarter, this conversation is your field guide.

This episode of The Science of Leading breaks down how to build a practical, trust-based performance tracking system in organizations with 50+ employees. Co-hosts Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington walk through what to measure (and what to ignore), how to set clear goals and KPIs, and how to design simple rhythms for check-ins and feedback that actually improve results. You’ll learn how to balance output, quality, timeliness, and reliability metrics; connect individual goals to business objectives; avoid surveillance-style tracking; and turn performance data into better hiring, promotion, and development decisions. Ideal for HR leaders and hiring managers who want a usable, modern approach to tracking performance without killing trust or drowning in dashboards.

Dive into what makes teams truly effective beyond just results by exploring sustainable outcomes and key performance elements. Learn how to select the right metrics and measurement rhythms to uncover hidden challenges and drive real improvement. Claire and Edwin share practical stories and insights to help you create stronger, healthier teams.

Dive into what it truly means to be data-driven by starting with clear decisions and gathering the right insights. Discover how quality, consistency, and actionable metrics transform team performance and business outcomes in this episode with Claire and Edwin.

Dive into what it truly means to adopt a data based approach in hiring and leadership, avoiding pitfalls of gut-driven choices. Claire and Edwin share actionable steps and real stories that show how disciplined data use transforms workplace outcomes and builds a culture where insights drive success.

Discover how regular performance tracking transforms subjective reviews into objective insights that empower managers and employees. Learn to choose meaningful metrics, set clear goals, and implement simple yet effective tracking systems that drive real team growth.

Dive into the realities of employee turnover and discover how to read your data beyond the averages. Claire and Edwin share actionable strategies that tackle root causes, from onboarding to manager quality, helping you keep your top talent and boost retention.

Dive into what truly motivates employees beyond perks and pay. Discover practical strategies to boost intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, create positive work environments, and measure what works to sustain high performance.

Dive into the must-have recruiting tools that streamline hiring by reducing friction and boosting efficiency. Claire and Edwin break down the five essential tool categories, share real-world success stories, and guide you on building the perfect tech stack to avoid common pitfalls and scale with confidence.

Dive into why hiring often feels like a guessing game and learn the crucial distinction between person-job and person-organization fit. Discover proven strategies from both candidate and employer perspectives to improve alignment, reduce turnover, and turn hiring into a science-backed advantage.

Explore how AI is reshaping recruitment by speeding up candidate screening and uncovering hidden talent, while experts Claire and Edwin discuss the crucial balance between automation and human judgment to ensure fairness and fit. Discover best practices for integrating AI with behavioral science to build smarter, more equitable hiring strategies that truly work.

Data-driven strategies are revolutionizing HR, but the journey comes with obstacles. Claire and Edwin explore the power, pitfalls, and real-world value of using data in hiring, engagement, and workforce planning. Practical insights, case studies, and actionable steps for smarter people decisions.

Explore actionable strategies for developing stronger leaders and shifting company culture. Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington discuss research-backed approaches to leadership development, mentorship, communication, and more, with real-world examples from organizational experts.

Explore how emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and clear team behaviors drive team effectiveness and successful project outcomes. Claire and Edwin dissect recent research and real-world examples, breaking down actionable insights for today’s leaders.

Discover how organizations are using data-driven HR strategies to revolutionize hiring, performance, and employee experience. Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington dive deep into the pillars of analytical HR, real-world transformations, and the keys to future-proofing your team—no hype, just practical wisdom.

Explore how data-driven leadership, future-ready talent practices, and modern learning strategies come together to build resilient, adaptable teams. Claire and Edwin dissect the latest research and real-world approaches—helping you turn uncertainty into opportunity through smarter people decisions.

Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington go inside modern performance management—why annual reviews alone won’t cut it, how the world’s best companies cultivate engagement and growth, and what you can take from data-driven hiring. Discover the science-backed strategies that fuel real business results and a thriving team culture.

In this episode, Claire and Edwin break down what really drives employees to leave and the data-driven strategies that help organizations keep their best people. Using real numbers and hands-on examples, they explore how onboarding, culture, and leadership can reduce turnover and create a thriving workplace.

This episode explores the why and how of using data to make better HR decisions, from improving hiring and engagement to building a more equitable and productive workplace. Claire and Edwin tackle common mistakes, practical examples, and strategies for overcoming resistance and making data truly actionable

Explore how organizations are moving from intuition-led hiring to data-driven recruitment, unlocking measurable improvements in quality, speed, and fairness. This episode unpacks practical strategies, real-world examples, and the science behind smarter people decisions.

Discover the research-backed strategies behind successful talent acquisition in 2025. Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington break down how employer branding, data analytics, and tech-enabled recruiting are reshaping who gets hired—and why. Take actionable ideas for turning your recruitment process into a true competitive advantage.

Which hiring methods actually work? Claire and Edwin break down the latest data on hiring strategies—comparing resumes, interviews, assessments, and AI tools. Discover what really predicts high performance, reduces bias, and helps you build stronger teams.

How can organizations leverage AI in recruitment without trading away empathy and fairness? This episode dives into the research, risks, and real-world strategies for building a hiring process that is both high-tech and deeply human.

Explore how organizations can blend AI and automation with genuine human connection to create a hiring experience that's both efficient and personal. Claire and Edwin unpack practical strategies—straight from the experts—for streamlining recruitment without losing the trust, empathy, and creativity that set great teams apart.

In this episode, Claire and Edwin untangle the difference between high performers and high potentials, reveal why most high-potential programs miss the mark, and share research-backed strategies for developing and retaining tomorrow’s leaders. Packed with real case examples and practical advice, this is the essential guide to maximizing your talent pipeline

Join Claire and Edwin as they explore what makes recruitment automation software effective—and how AI is changing the hiring game. We’ll break down the essential features to look for, real-world user experiences, and lessons learned from today’s leading platforms.

Claire and Edwin dig into the real science behind employee motivation, debunking myths and sharing evidence-based strategies that actually move the needle. They explore why motivation is about much more than perks, and reveal how understanding intrinsic and extrinsic drivers can transform your team's results—and retention.

Work motivation isn't just an HR buzzword—it's a cornerstone of high-performing organizations. In this episode, Claire and Edwin unpack the science-backed strategies and common myths that shape how people really engage and thrive at work. Drawing from cutting-edge research and real-world examples, they illuminate what managers and leaders must understand to turn motivation into a sustainable advantage.

What truly motivates people at work, and how should leaders respond in a fast-changing, digital-first business landscape? Dive into the essential science and strategies of employee motivation, from the psychology behind performance to the impact of workplace culture and technology. Claire and Edwin unpack new research, practical frameworks, and real-world stories to help leaders build thriving, high-performing teams.

Why do talented people leave organizations, and how can leaders spot the warning signs before retention problems spiral? Claire and Edwin dissect the real root causes of turnover and offer actionable strategies for prevention, blending behavioral insights with practical case examples.

Why do so many companies misread the signs of turnover? Claire and Edwin probe common misconceptions and explore how scientific insights reshape retention strategies. Get ready for a practical look at what really drives people to stay, leave, or thrive within organizations.

Claire and Edwin explore the underlying causes behind high employee turnover and debunk common misconceptions about why people leave organizations. They uncover what the data really tells us about turnover cycles and discuss practical, evidence-based strategies for building long-term retention. Learn how to spot—and stop—the real drivers of attrition.

Dive into the fundamentals of data-driven leadership with Claire and Edwin. This episode explores how real-time people data is transforming smarter hiring, team dynamics, and organizational growth. Discover the latest research and true stories from the experts at OAD.

Most organizations claim to be data-driven, but few actually turn analysis into impact. In this episode, Edwin and Claire break down how high-performing leaders use analytics—plus real human judgment—to drive results, build trust, and transform business outcomes through smarter decision-making.

Dive into the world of leadership testing and discover how data-driven assessments are reshaping team performance and organizational growth. Claire and Edwin explore leading tools, the importance of emotional intelligence, and real strategies to build leadership cultures that last.