Future of HR

How can you “chase the butterflies” and take the stretch assignment that scares you?Why do the best HR leaders learn to “porpoise” and flex between strategy and execution?My guest on this episode is Allan Church & Janine Waclawski, Co-Founders and Managing Partners, Maestro Consulting LLCDuring our conversation Allan, Janine, and I discuss: Why you should never say no to a job you haven’t been offered. How “meeting the client where they are” is the foundation of every HR relationship. What it means to “porp...

How can you build teams that have collective confidence?Why does belief matter when it comes to building high performance teams?My guest on this episode is André Martin, Chief Experience Officer at LEAD3R, author of Wrong Fit, Right Fit and Collective ConfidenceDuring our conversation André and I discuss:Why capable executive teams play small, even when they should be playing big. How collective confidence drives performance, especially as complexity rises.How the best leaders make belief-building a daily practice.How early, lo...

How can HR and Finance build the business together?Why can't finance achieve true value creation without HR's knowledge and expertise?My guest on this episode is Christian Wattig, Director of the Wharton FP&A Program and Founder of Inside FP&ADuring our conversation Christian and I discuss:Why the scorekeeper mindset keeps finance and HR stuck in the back officeHow challenging assumptions helps leaders think rather than just slowing them downThe four stages of finance maturity, from data to proactive value creation...

How can you build business acumen without owning a P&L? Why is developing your business acumen within your control?My guest on this episode is Rose Velez-Smith, CHRO, DoubleVerifyDuring our conversation Rose and I discuss:Why stepping out of HR to be in the business can be the single best thing you do for your career. How to start every executive conversation with business priorities first, then ask what talent outcomes are needed to enable them.Why talent doesn't exist separate from business strategy...

How can you create an HR Business Partner Center of Excellence?Why does HR need to shift from owning programs to owning business outcomes?My guest on this episode is Christina Schelling, SVP, Human Resources, VerizonDuring our conversation Christina and I discuss:Why naming the HRBP group a Center of Excellence gives partners community, shared goals, and focused development.How the HR business partner role is evolving to be more strategic.How Verizon defined HRBP success with four shared metrics aligned to their...

Why is the single biggest barrier to having power…ourselves?How can you, as an HR professional step into your power?My guest on this episode is Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University and Author of 16 books including his latest one the “7 Rules of Power”:During our conversation Jeffrey and I discuss:Why he believes the single biggest barrier to having power is ourselvesWhy it is important that we own and tell our story, not let others...

How can you turn HR data into insights that drive decisions?Why do leaders make decisions based on their experience and instinct, not just data? My guest on this episode is Morgan Depenbusch, Data Storytelling & Influence ExpertDuring our conversation Morgan and I discuss:How to tell what data is interesting from what data is decision relevantWhy one reason to say no can beat twenty reasons to say yesWhy you should see yourself as the guide and the leader as the heroHow to surface...

How can HR transform meetings into a competitive advantage?Why is the one-on-one the one meeting that leaders should never cancel?My guest on this episode is Steven Rogelberg, author of “The Surprising Science of Meetings” and “Glad We Met: The Art & Science of 1:1 Meetings” During our conversation Steven and I discuss:Why a world without meetings is worse than a world with themWhy the person who called the meeting is usually the only one who thinks it went well.Why measurement is the missing piece as engagement surveys...

How does human capital create value in private equity?What does it take to be a successful HR leader in private equity?My guest on this episode is David Cohen, Partner, Human Capital at KelsoDuring our conversation David and I discuss:Why the role of the human capital partner in private equity is to unlock value through people, not to run HR for the firm itself.What is takes to be successful as a CHRO in a private equity backed company.Why human capital value creation comes...

In this solo episode, I make the case that being a strategic business partner is no longer enough. I share the shift I believe is coming next, from business partner to business builder, and the three mindset shifts and behaviors that separate the two.Here are a few key takeaways from the episode: Why being a strategic business partner is no longer enough, and what the next evolution of HR asks of us.How the move from business partner to business builder is a mindset, not a job title.Why execution excellence...

Why is organizational design much more than org charts and who reports to whom?How can HR guide, facilitate and drive effective an organizational design process? My guest on this episode is Amy Kates who is organizational design expert and author of five books on the subject. During our conversation Amy and I discuss: Why the purpose of organizational design is to design human behavior at scale Why matrix organizations are set up for good conflict and how best to manage it The six...

How can workforce readiness become mission readiness?Why is a people strategy not the same thing as a business strategy?My guest on this episode is Kathleen McCarthy, EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, SAICDuring our conversation Kathleen and I discuss the following: Why a people strategy is not a business strategyWhy "progress over perfection" beats waiting for the perfect planHow CHROs are shifting from business partners to enterprise capability buildersWhy workforce readiness is a moving target, not a fixed destinationWhy you can't hire your...

How can you think and communicate like an executive?Why is your strategy only as good as your ability to communicate it?My guest on this episode is Vicky Zhao, Founder, School of Human Intellect and Speaking With Frameworks.During our conversation Vicky and I discuss the following: Why the clearest idea, not the best idea, is the one that wins How the GPS framework (Goal, Problem, Solution) elevates your point of viewWhy the hardest shift is moving from a doer mindset to a...

How can HR use data to drive change?Why is being “data driven” no longer a nice to have, but rather an expectation for HR leadersMy guest on this episode is Sebastian Wernicke, author of “Data Inspired”During our conversation Sebastian and I discuss the following: How the best data work starts by trying to prove yourself wrongWhy HR leaders must become critical consumers of dataHow to start with the business problem, not the available dataWhy data-inspired organizations rest on three foundations: data literacy...

Why should HR think of themselves as the business instead of supporting the business?How can AI amplify human potential and performance?My guest on this episode is Vicki Walia, Chief People and Experience Officer at Prudential FinancialDuring our conversation Vicki and I discuss the following: Why HR leaders need to see themselves as part of the business, not partners to it.How AI can amplify human potential and performance.How Vicki thinks about the AI "time dividend” and who should get the be...

How can the power of the pause make you an even more effective HR leader?Why do HR leaders need to have a point of view and the courage to share it?My guest on this episode is Michael Fraccaro, Former CPO at Mastercard, Senior Advisor at Egon ZehnderDuring our conversation Michael and I discuss the following: Why your credibility as a CHRO is built on your understanding of the business, not HRHow the power of the pause transforms decision qualityWhy culture is...

How can you build an AI-Ready workforce?Why is AI a leadership issue and not a technology issue?My guest on this episode is Charlene Li, author of “Winning with AI,” speaker, and disruptive leadership expertDuring our conversation Charlene and I discuss the following: Why AI-first is the wrong frame for most organizations, and how AI-ready puts your people and strategy back at the centerHow AI fluency differs from AI literacyWhy tools, training, and time are the three T's every leader needs to inve...

How can HR leaders learn to sell without selling?Why should every HR leader think of themselves as a salesperson?My guest on this episode is Brendan McAdams, B2B Sales Coach & Consultant and author of ‘Sales Craft’During our conversation Brendan and I discuss the following: Why every HR leader is already in sales, whether they call it that or notHow sales is really the work of helping someone make a better decision that is right for themWhy status quo is often the strongest competitor to a...

How can organizations use executive assessments to make better decisions?Why do you need to build your Executive Assessment fluency to have more impact as an HR leader?My guest on this episode is Mina Morris, Managing Director and Head of Assessments at AccentureDuring our conversation Mina and I discuss the following: Why executive assessment should start with business strategy, not tools, models, or methodologies.How using multiple data sources creates a more complete and accurate view of executive talent.Why executive assessment should be the start...

How can your culture become a competitive advantage?Why is engagement not just an HR metric, but a driver of business performance?My guest on this episode is Bala Sathyanarayanan, EVP and CHRO, Greif Inc. During our conversation Bala and I discuss the following: Why culture is the operating system that determines whether strategy succeeds or fails.Why engagement is not just an HR metric, but a leading indicator of customer and business performance.How organizations that focus on systems outperform those that focus...