The Modern People Leader

Tiffany Stevenson, former Chief People Officer at WeightWatchers and Patreon, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about this being the CHROs toughest chapter yet, how AI is reshaping HR, and what HR brings to the boardroom.---- Sponsor Links:

Priscila Bala, CEO of LifeLabs Learning, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We explored how AI is transforming learning, the enduring role of middle management, and why the most impactful leadership skills are more human than ever.---- Resources Mentioned:

Jenny Molyneaux, VP of People at Vercel, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about why AI is replacing HR tech spend before headcount, how Vercel's people team is building custom AI tools to replace expensive SaaS products, and what HR leaders can do to start building with AI today.---- Sponsor Links:

Geanne Weaver-Hepler (Director of EX, Charlie Health), Allison Vendt (VP, People Ops & Head of EX at Dropbox), Nick Freeman (Co-CEO, Marco), and Brian Elliott (CEO, Work Forward) joined us to talk about what's broken with employee connection—and how to fix it. We explored practical frameworks for offsites, hybrid team building, and creating meaningful connection moments across distributed workforces.---- Sponsor Links:

Jessica Zwaan, COO at Whereby, joined us again on The Modern People Leader for a deep dive into Employee Lifetime Value (ELTV). We explored how HR leaders can adapt marketing-style metrics like LTV to CAC for talent, the different ways to calculate it, and how the process itself can reshape how People teams think about value, cost, and impact.---- Sponsor Links:

Joanne Rodgers, CHRO of New York Life, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share how her 30-year journey at the company led her from securities regulation to the C-suite. We talked about the DNA of New York Life's culture, how they're rolling out AI tools company-wide, and why HR must lead the charge in this era of transformation.---- Sponsor Links:

Jennifer Henderson (CEO, Tilt), Jessica Winder (SVP People, CoLab Software), Allison Whalen (CEO, Parentaly), and Justin Clifford (CEO, Bereave) joined us to talk about what most companies get wrong when it comes to employee leave. We discussed parental and bereavement leave through a human lens—from compliance and continuity to return-to-work strategies and performance review pitfalls.---- 

Kahina Ouerdane, Chief People Officer at Workleap, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about her journey from international human rights law to tech, how software is the new workplace, why AI is forcing a rethinking of learning and org design, and more.---- Sponsor Links:

Alex Buder Shapiro, Chief People Officer at Jasper, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about how AI is reshaping organizational design, the shift from early-career jobs to early-career talent, and how HR teams can lead through experimentation and workflow innovation.---- Sponsor Links:

Eliza Jackson, Chief People and Administrative Officer at ButcherBox, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how operational excellence can protect and scale company culture, how her team built a "work in service of" mindset, and how ButcherBox is using AI agents to unlock capacity—not replace people.---- Sponsor Links:

Jessica Zwaan and Joris Luijke joined us to break down the what, why, and how to create an employee journey map. We talked about why People teams should be designing for moments and not just processes, why journey mapping should start small, and why 80% of employee moments fall flat.---- Sponsor Links:

Thomas Forstner, VP of People and Talent at Juro, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about building an AI-native company, why HR should own workflows not just the workforce, and how people teams must evolve from playbook followers to visionary architects of the modern org.---- Sponsor Links:

Helen Russell, Chief People Officer at HubSpot, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how HubSpot is fostering an AI-first culture, why belonging is so important right now, and what HR leaders can do to move fast without losing their humanity.---- Sponsor Links:

Lenke Taylor joined us on The Modern People Leader to talk about her path from engineering to HR, and what it means to be a true business partner. We discussed how HR can lead alongside CEOs and CFOs, building high-impact teams, and how working in Europe has shaped her leadership approach.---- Sponsor Links:

We were joined by people leaders from Glassdoor, Asana, and Upstart. We talked about the fragmented burnout and how it's hitting people differently, how performance expectations have shifted in the last 6-12 months, and more.---- Sponsor Links:

Jessica Zwaan joined us again to unpack the metrics that actually matter in HR today. We talked about the three buckets of metrics every People Leader should use, why the RANS test is a better way to measure engagement, and the one metric to rule them all (ELTV:CAC). ---- Sponsor Links:

Frieda Möcker, Head of People & Culture at Sastrify, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about the first steps she took to treat HR more like a product, how her team does sprint planning, and why she prefers “NCTs” over OKRs.---- Sponsor Links:

Tiffany Stevenson (Former CPO, WeightWatchers), Jennifer Rettig (CPO, Pendo.io), and Kelli Dragovich (4x CHRO & Co-host of HR Heretics), joined us for MPL Live in San Francisco.We talked about the pressure HR leaders are under, what CEOs are really thinking, and how we can reimagine performance with simpler systems, clearer expectations, and more human conversations.---- Sponsor Links:

Jessica Zwaan joined us again on The Modern People Leader to break down how to hire for a people ops as a product team.She shared the 5 core skillsets needed, the importance of t-shaped talent, and how to use case studies to spot product thinking in HR Candidates.---- Sponsor Links:

Matt McFarlane and Haris Ikram joined us for a live session to break down everything modern HR leaders need to know about compensation—from philosophy and strategy to pay transparency and AI tools. Together, they shared a forward-thinking playbook for tackling merit cycles, aligning job architecture, and driving better employee experiences through data and design.---- Sponsor Links:

Abby Brennan joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed the power of ONA as the “shadow org chart,” how it reveals hidden influencers, and why it may be key to building smarter, more connected teams in the age of AI.---- Sponsor Links:

Jessica Zwaan joined us again on The Modern People Leader to unpack how to structure a people ops as a product team. She shared four ways to build an HR squad, how to use a spider diagram for squad design, and why it's smart to pilot just one squad first.---- Sponsor Links:

Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how the company is navigating its “third era” under the return of co-founder Nirav Tolia. We explored “The Founders Mentality”, embracing an owner's mindset, and Nextdoor's AI bootcamp.---- Sponsor Links:

Jessica Zwaan, COO at Talentful and author of Built for People,  joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about “human ops” versus “people ops”, the sprint planning process for her people team, and how nobody gets people ops as a product 100% right (and that's ok).---- Sponsor Links:

Taylor Bradley, VP of Talent Strategy and Success at Turing, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about why every HR team needs to create an AI “prompt pantry”, how Turing “AI'd” their way out of onboarding 800 employees in five days, and how to build AI workflows for HR.---- Sponsor Links:

Molly Sands, Head of the Teamwork Lab at Atlassian, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about Atlassian's latest research on the three things the best teams do differently, the power of unleashing collective knowledge, and why distributed teams have a headstart on AI adoption.---- 

Pat Wadors, CHRO at Intuitive, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how to find and amplify the golden nuggets of your culture, the three layers of a great employee experience, why you need to “touch the elephant”, and what kids' stories can teach us about leadership.---- 

Jessica Zwaan returned to The Modern People Leader for a deep dive on how her PeopleOps as a Product philosophy came to life. We talked about the early days of the framework, writing her book, and the launch of MPL Build — a new collaboration between MPL and Jessica to bring the methodology to more teams.---- 

Shane Koller joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about adopting a product mindset in HR, how Ancestry's people team built their “product roadmap”, and why even great HR programs fall short when they're not connected.---- 

Michele Bousquet joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about her career journey, leading with heart, and why HR shouldn't be so complicated.---- 

Michael Walsh, CEO of Cariloop, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed the caregiving challenges facing employees today, how companies can better support working caregivers, and the data-backed insights from Cariloop's Top Needs Report.---- 

Linda Aiello (CPO, DraftKings), Carmel Galvin (CPO, Klaviyo), and Stacey Richey (Global VP, People, Smartcat), joined us for MPL Live in Boston, Massachusetts.We talked about the current state of HR, how roles are shifting with AI, and how they're moving beyond traditional engagement metrics.---- 

Shlomit Gruman-Navot joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about her evolution as a people leader and how Miro is making AI learning a priority for employees. ---- 

Brandon Carson, Chief Learning Officer at Docebo, joined us on The Modern People Leader.We talked about the one thing holding companies back from adopting AI faster, why AI makes learning “scaled to one”, and why the future of work isn't about replacing humans - it's about amplifying them.---- 

Crystal Boysen, Chief People Officer at Sprout Social, joined us for a deep dive into People Debt. We discussed what it is, how to identify it, and specific areas where Sprout Social is focusing its efforts to address it.---- 

Brian Elliott, a leading expert on flexible work, joined us on the show.We talked about whether or not remote work is actually dead (looked at the actual data), the questions to ask when your CEO pushes for a RTO, and why a return to office won't fix bad management.----  Sign up for our upcoming webinar with ChartHop. Get Atlassian's free guide to AI-powered knowledge management Buy tickets for MPL Live Boston.---- (07:36) How Brian became a leading voice on the future of work(13:39) The origins of Slack's Future Forum and key findings(14:56) The media vs. reality: Is remote work really dead?(17:14) CEOs pushing RTO: Data-driven decision or gut feeling?(19:02) The role of real estate, stealth layoffs, and productivity concerns(23:27) The trust factor: Why some leaders struggle with hybrid models(26:35) Politics and workplace decisions: The hidden forces at play(28:34) The shift from central business districts to neighborhood economies(30:37) The future of work isn't fully remote or in-office—it's flexible(34:12) How HR leaders can push back on RTO mandates(38:19) The contradiction: CEOs demanding AI innovation while enforcing RTO(41:50) Performance management in a hybrid world: Why tracking outcomes matters(47:33) How leading companies successfully implement flexible work policies(49:30) The impact of return-to-office policies on women in the workforce(54:23) What cities will look like in a remote-first future(57:57) Five years from now: What will the workplace look like?(01:01:43) The economic realities of remote work and city tax structures---- 

Lucia Guillory, Chief People Officer at Virta Health, joined us on the show.We discussed how HR teams can adopt a product-driven mindset, the importance of leadership self-awareness, and how Virta Health fosters connection in a fully remote work environment.---- Submit the craziest request you've ever gotten in HR.Buy tickets for MPL Live Boston.---- (07:24) Lucia's career journey from psychology to HR leadership(08:52) The importance of authenticity and self-awareness in leadership(13:39) The process of unlearning leadership habits and self-doubt(21:05) What Virta Health does and its mission to reverse diabetes(23:57) Can you build community on a fully remote team(26:30) The challenges and successes of transitioning to remote-first(28:14) How remote work impacts employee meaning and connection(30:31) The role of culture in a distributed workforce(35:39) How Virta Health structures onboarding for remote employees(38:54) HR as a product: Building an employee experience life cycle(43:26) Why job leveling is the foundation of a strong HR function(47:01) How to identify when compensation structures aren't working(49:30) Rapid fire questions----

We talked about the growing backlash against DEI initiatives and why companies are scaling back their commitment, the potential hidden agendas behind RTO mandates, and the current frustrations with HR tech. ----  Submit the craziest request you've ever gotten in HR. Buy tickets for MPL Live Boston. ----  Timestamps: (08:11) The anti-DEI movement (14:23) Did DEI programs scale too quickly post-2020? (18:29) The role of activists in influencing corporate DEI rollbacks (26:07) Are RTO mandates being used to justify workforce reductions? (29:25) The impact of return-to-office policies (36:58) The growing frustration with HR tech—why is it failing? (45:42) Has AI-driven HR tech delivered on its promises? (50:17) Are legacy HR systems holding companies back? (57:00) The college admissions debate and perceptions of fairness in hiring (01:05:44) One-word close ---- 

Dave Scott, Chief People and Administration Officer at ADT, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed ADT's evolution from a services to tech company, Dave's journey from Walmart to leading HR at ADT, and how to cut costs in HR without cutting value. ----  Submit the craziest request you've ever gotten in HR. Buy tickets for MPL Live Boston. ----  Timestamps: 06:39) Dave's professional journey: From Walmart to ADT (11:01) Dave's early career as a professional clown (12:33) ADT's mission and transition to a technology company (22:40) ADT's transformation: A product-focused mindset (27:51) Hiring strategies to attract tech talent at ADT (30:39) Transforming the HR function at ADT (35:24) Skills and organizational design for the future workforce (41:34) Cost management strategies for HR in 2024 and beyond (49:55) Rapid-fire questions ---- 

Sam Simmons, Chief People and Internal Operations Officer at the LPGA, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about her transition from the San Antonio Spurs to the LPGA, 2025 HR predictions, and the LPGA People Team goals for the year. ----  Buy tickets for MPL Live Boston. ----  Timestamps: (03:21) Sam's journey to the LPGA (14:47) Challenges and learnings from 2024 (17:42) Leadership goals for 2025 (21:25) Mantras for 2025 (23:26) Predictions for HR in 2025: Challenges and opportunities (27:25) AI's role in HR: Optimizing work with tools (29:54) Addressing key challenges in DEI and organizational change (33:45) 2025 HR goals and Sam's strategic planning approach (40:33) The most critical HR goal for the LPGA in 2025 (46:16) HR tech stack considerations and streamlining processes ---- 

This is the 2024 MPL Awards Show. Each of us selected a winner for the four different awards: (8:14) Award #1: The CEO Whisperer (18:27) Award #2: The Best Hang (24:19) Award #3: The Data Hero (39:15) Award #4: The Innovator ----  MPL Links: Buy tickets for MPL Live Boston Fill out this survey to help us improve the podcast ----  Episodes referenced: Episode 148 - Hannah Yardley (Chief People Officer, Achievers) Episode 165 - Brandon Sammut (Chief People Officer, Zapier) Episode 186 - Hebba Youssef (Chief People Officer, Workweek) Episode 193 - Brené Brown Episode 149 - Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian) Episode 187 - Nick Bloom (Stanford Economist & Co-Founder of wfhresearch.com) Episode 167 - David Hanrahan (Chief People Officer, Flare) Episode 194 - Melanie Rosenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox) ----  Interview referenced: Brian Chesky - Founder Mode interview ---- 

Brené Brown, professor, author, and podcast host, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed her experience as a leader, the concept of metacognition, and the leadership skill of creating space between stimulus and response. ----  (1:35) Good news stories (3:45) Brené's story (19:49) Every day is leg day as a leader (25:47) Metacognition (28:25) Creating the space between stimulus and response (44:08) The challenges of implementing a four-day workweek (47:00) Rapid fire questions exploring leadership and the future of work ---- 

Colin Mincy, Chief People & Culture Officer at Centering Healthcare Institute, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We dove deep into his personal transformation, how his leadership style has evolved, and the tough truths HR professionals face today. Colin shared his journey of progress over perfection, emphasizing small wins, accountability, and momentum to create lasting change—both personally (losing 68 pounds and reclaiming his energy) and professionally. ---- 

Robert H. Johnson Jr., author of Safe, Seen, Heard, and Valued and TEDx speaker, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We explored the power of "little L" leadership and how organizations can harness the potential of unsung heroes within their teams. ----  Timestamps: (09:24) Robert's origin story and early leadership journey (15:00) The concept of psychological safety and Robert's book Safe, Seen, Heard, and Valued (17:37) Robert's TEDx talk: The Power of the Little L (18:55) Differentiating between big L and little L leadership (24:14) Stories of little L leaders making an impact (27:10) Why companies should invest in little L leaders (30:44) Three E's framework: Education, Experience, and Exposure (38:03) Building cultural giants vs. empowering everyday leaders (43:07) Characteristics of a little L leader and their impact (49:47) Living in a big L world and the shift needed (52:55) Lessons from the pandemic and employee engagement whiplash (56:52) Words of encouragement for little L leaders (59:46) The Three C's of Community: Curiosity, Commonality, Connection (01:06:44) Rapid fire questions ---- 

This episode was originally released on 1/22/2024. Annie Dean, VP of Team Anywhere at Atlassian, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  She shared Atlassian's learnings after 1,000 days of distributed work: their calendar redesign experiment, the impact of in-person gatherings on team connection levels, and the ROI of real estate at Atlassian.

Michelle Kay, VP of Learning & Development at Albertsons Companies, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  We discussed the need to rethink our approach to work, whether generational gaps are real or simply a sign of being out of touch, and two major shifts on the horizon for L&D. ----  Grab your ticket for MPL Live Miami on December 10th. ⁠Buy Tickets Here⁠. ----  Timestamps: (8:01) Michelle's transition from teaching to corporate America, and her journey in L&D. (14:10) Discussion on the need for rapid adaptation in workplace policies and practices. (17:20) Exploring the potential shift towards a four-day work week and its implications. (27:06) Delving into generational impacts on the workplace from Millennials to Gen Z. (33:34) The challenges and transformations in learning and development in today's corporate environment. (42:10) The role of generational differences in evolving workplace dynamics. (51:37) Rapid fire questions ---- 

Brandon Sammut, Chief People Officer at Zapier, and Gianna Driver, Chief People Officer at Lattice, joined us for an emergency pod following last week's presidential election.  We discussed how the election results might impact the workplace over the coming months, the importance of having a sociopolitical response approach, and why we should all be microdosing on hope. ----  Use code MPL-LIVE-50 to get 50% off your ticket for MPL Live Miami on December 10th. ⁠Buy Tickets Here⁠. ---- 

Frank Congui, EVP at Randstad Enterprise, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  We talked about the magic of intentional gatherings, leading with generosity, and why we should be doing less chest-pumping in the HR space. ----  Use code MPL-LIVE-50 to get 50% off your ticket for MPL Live Miami on December 10th. ⁠Buy Tickets Here⁠. ----  (0:13) Announcement: MPL Live Miami event on December 10th (7:04) Frank's journey from Goldman Sachs to Randstad (9:58) Building executive communities: The beginning of the CHRO dinners (12:08) Evolution of executive dinners and blending roles (19:00) Intentional traditions in leadership gatherings (24:31) Vulnerability and creating moments of connection (28:00) The power of service and being generous in leadership (38:30) The state of HR: Burnout, DEI challenges, and AI adoption (42:11) Balancing optimism and skepticism in the HR industry (47:13) Civil conversations in divisive times: Creating supportive policies (54:03) Magic wand HR fix: Pay equity for all (56:08) The future of work: AI and human partnership (59:27) Rapid fire questions: ---- 

Jenna Eichberg, Chief People Officer at AlertMedia, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about the state of HR, why CHROs are rethinking their roles, and AlertMedia's leadership programs. ----  Use code MPL-LIVE-50 to get 50% off your ticket for MPL Live Miami on December 10th. ⁠Buy Tickets Here⁠. ----  (0:13) Announcement: MPL Live Miami event on December 10th (5:01) Jenna's story (10:06) Navigating industries and career growth (17:07) Transition to AlertMedia – finding a dream job (29:03) The state of HR today and managing change (32:09) The “Manager Dilemma” and leadership development (37:55) The launch of the Emerging Leaders Program (45:14) Executive and people team offsites: Key insights (47:52) HR burnout and the light at the end of the tunnel (54:47) A positive outlook for the future of HR (59:28) Rapid fire questions ---- 

Tracy Avin, Founder of TroopHR, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how TroopHR was born, the importance of community in HR, the challenges HR professionals face in today's business climate, and the need for support networks. ----  Use code MPL-LIVE-50 to get 50% off your ticket for MPL Live Miami on December 10th. Buy Tickets Here. ----  Timestamps: (6:57) Tracy's journey to founding TroopHR (10:57) What a day in Tracy's life looks like (12:59) The meaning of community for HR leaders (16:33) How the needs of the HR community have evolved (18:36) Challenges and conflicts faced by HR professionals (25:47) Handling difficult conversations in a professional setting (28:44) Why boundaries are crucial in discussions (30:06) Politicization of HR topics in the workplace (36:00) Doing more with less: The pressures of shrinking HR teams (42:06) HR burnout and its impact (44:56) The influence of economic situations on HR strategy (47:37) The importance of community in challenging times (51:23) Open sourcing HR ideas: A positive shift post-COVID (52:49) Rapid fire questions ---- 

Ray Martinelli, Chief People Officer at Contentful, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about his career journey, the art & science that goes into compensation, and aligning HR goals with business strategy. ----  Timestamps: (5:05) Ray's career story: From finance to Chief People Officer (7:44) Why Ray joined Contentful and key takeaways (10:32) AI's impact on content management and HR (12:44) The state of HR in 2024: Leadership and navigating change (18:40) Addressing politics in the workplace and leadership responsibilities (22:13) What Ray had to unlearn as an HR leader (26:25) Ray's approach to building a people strategy at Contentful (32:09) Aligning HR strategy with CEO vision and business goals (36:41) Ray's vision for his first year at Contentful (42:38) Ray's CPO dashboard: Key metrics on engagement, rewards, and promotions (46:39) Differentiating rewards and compensation strategies (52:52) The importance of transparent conversations in performance management (57:50) Rapid fire questions ----