Podcasts about learning and development

What if AI isn't replacing jobs, but quietly redesigning the tasks inside them?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Sultan Murad Saidov, Former CEO / Founder and Investor at Beamery. He explains why task intelligence could become critical to workforce planning, how AI is changing the work inside existing roles, and why deciding what gets automated should become an HR question, not just a technology question.Drawing on more than a decade of building Beamery and working at the intersection of AI, skills and workforce data, Sultan explains why skills alone are no longer enough to understand where work is heading.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why looking at tasks instead of job titles changes how leaders understand AI's impact on workThe research Sultan references suggesting 75% of jobs may need redesign because of AI augmentationHow digital twin teams could help leaders model workforce decisions before making themWhy reducing junior roles may create a long-term talent and career pipeline problemWhy Sultan believes HR and technology teams should jointly lead the redesign of work

Constant tech shifts and viral noise are quietly exhausting your workforce and killing critical thinking.In the latest HR Leaders Podcast episode, I spoke with Laura Maffucci, Head of HR at Globalization Partners. She explains why HR cannot rely on corporate spin, unvetted AI add-ons, or forced office returns during times of rapid change.Most organizations do not lack technology tools. They lack transparent communication, psychological safety, and a clear process for building learning agility. And even when tools are enabled, a harder question remains:Are you actually solving an operational problem, or just adding tool overload?5 things you'll learn from this episode:The unconventional quarterly award designed to celebrate smart operational failuresThe quiet credibility trap behind performative return-to-office mandatesThe hidden data flaw causing 70–80% of enterprise AI bots to give bad adviceThe three core human traits rendering static technical skills obsoleteA simple peer-led initiative driving AI adoption far better than formal trainingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Learning for Good, I celebrate 200 episodes and share the five biggest lessons that have shaped my approach to nonprofit learning and development and nonprofit leadership development.Two hundred episodes in, I have interviewed nearly a hundred guests, built a summit, and grown a community, and along the way, my thinking about staff training and development has shifted in ways I did not expect. This episode is a chance to pause and look back at what has actually changed my career.▶️ 200 Lessons from 200 Episodes. Just Kidding. Here are the Top 5 Ideas that Changed My Career in Learning and Development.▶️ Key Points:00:00:00 200 Episodes of Learning for Good00:02:33 Thank You to the Nonprofit L&D Community00:03:44 Top Five Episodes: A Look Back at Nonprofit Learning and Development Highlights00:05:09 5 Ideas that Changed My Career in Learning and DevelopmentResources from this episode:Top 5 Learning for Good Episodes: E135: Want to Work in Nonprofit Learning and Development? What You Should Know E132: Translating Behavior Science into L&D Strategy: Lessons from Top ExpertsE71:   Are Your Nonprofit Leaders The Best They Can Be? Your Leadership Skills Might Be Lagging And THIS Is Why E116: Using a Blended, Cohort Training Model to Create Behavior Change E129: How to Conduct a Training Needs Analysis for Nonprofit Staff DevelopmentJoin the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collectiveConnect with HeatherLinkedIn: Heather BurrightWebsite: skillmastersmarket.comBook an interest call with Heather here.⭐Was this episode helpful? If you're listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review!

What if the self-doubt holding you back isn't proof of failure, but evidence of growth?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Maharukh Dalal, founder of The Career Accelerator for Women by Maharukh Dalal. She explains how senior leaders can overcome imposter syndrome by closing the internal identity gap, reframing self-doubt into a signal of growth, and shifting self-perception to drive executive execution.Drawing on two decades of corporate leadership across finance and hospitality, Dalal explains how mindset precedes execution. This conversation offers senior HR and business leaders a clear playbook for mastering the mental side of executive performance.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The psychological gap that stops capable leaders from taking actionA simple two-word shift that instantly turns daily dread into agency What a 1980 university experiment reveals about how people actually perceive you The advice Rafael Nadal's coach gave him during his worst slump that applies to executives Why relying purely on willpower and discipline eventually fails even top performers

AI could influence 90% of jobs. David Lloyd says AI literacy is still only around 38%.That gap is where many enterprise AI strategies begin to break.In the latest HR Leaders Podcast episode, I spoke with David Lloyd, SVP Platform Engineering & Chief AI Officer at Dayforce. He explains why HR cannot wait until the end of an AI transformation to address skills, trust and organisational change.Most organisations do not lack AI ideas. They lack trusted data, safe environments and a clear process for deciding which ideas deserve to scale.And even when an experiment works, a harder question remains:Can it scale from one employee to 5,000?5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why three to six months is too long to judge an AI pilotThe three questions that decide whether an AI idea moves forwardWhat is really driving the rise of shadow AIWhy adding AI across a fragmented HR stack creates more chaosHow a three-person governance team can approve ideas in under five days

Why do enterprise skills programs always look great on paper, but break down the moment real work happens?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Josh Newman, VP of Skills and Talent Readiness at ServiceNow.He explains why organisations must shift away from perfectionist data collection and embrace good-enough skills capture paired with real-world talent readiness.By moving training out of LMS silos and leveraging ambient data signals alongside AI simulation playgrounds, ServiceNow tracks true human capabilities in real time while keeping human judgment at the centre of workforce strategy.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Why traditional skills-based models fail and how to move past perfectionist data gatheringHow Talent Signature captures ambient data signals from daily work to track capability growthHow SimStudio simulation playgrounds replace course completion certificates with real-time practiceThe key difference between basic AI adoption and true behaviour absorption that drives business ROIHow building psychological safety around AI tools directly boosts employee performance and sales quota attainmentSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every company wants to become AI-native. But who is preparing the workforce for what comes next?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Bijal Shah, CEO & Board Director at Guild.She explains why becoming AI-native is not simply a technology upgrade. It requires employers, governments and learning institutions to rethink how people gain skills, build careers and participate in the future economy.5 things you'll learn from this episode:How organisations can make the AI-native transition without leaving their workforce behindWhy Bijal believes 95% of companies still need to make this leapWhat makes workforce transformation a collective action problemHow critical thinking, judgement and curiosity separate useful AI from “slop”Where automation creates an advantage, and where human connection must remainSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Analyst at Brandon Hall Group™, sits down with Bob Szostak of V2X Professional Services (VPS) for a candid look at where AI stands in learning and development today. Bob brings nearly three decades of industry experience to a conversation that moves past the hype cycle and into what organizations actually need to get right before they scale AI adoption.

We spend all our time fixing business workflows, so why is HRs own workflow still broken?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Jeffrey Schmitz, Former Chief People Officer at Zebra Technologies.He explains how his team successfully restructured their entire HR operating model by separating daily tactical operations from long-term talent strategy. By replacing fragmented, manual support with a centralised service hub and self-service workflows, Zebra built a scalable foundation for digital transformation while keeping culture at the centre.5 things you'll learn from this episode:The structural model shift that allowed Zebra to transition from 60 HR Business Partners down to 8 The simple "start at the centre" rule that turned daily support tickets into an operational data goldmine The non-negotiable tech stack foundation HR teams must build before attempting to deploy AI tools The single candidate trait Zebra looks for that matters far more than rare technical AI expertise The culture stewardship strategy Zebra used to navigate a massive M&A carve-out and hybrid work shift

HR fixes everyone else's workflows, but who fixes HR's?In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Barbara Matthews, Chief People Officer at Remote.She explains how her team successfully operates across 85 countries without traditional office mandates or endless meetings. By replacing friction with clear asynchronous documentation, Remote maintains connection and speed at scale.5 things you'll learn from this episode:Integrating AI into performance management and HR operationsBuilding trust and culture in fully remote asynchronous teamsTransitioning HR from lagging reporting to predictive indicatorsDeveloping leadership pillars and manager capabilitiesPrioritizing human power skills and process mapping in tech adoption

Many HR teams struggle to move beyond transactional order-taking. Ty Beasley, Chief Talent Officer at RSM US LLP, shares how grounding HR in financial realities transformed his team into trusted strategic advisors. Through the Drive Peak Performance framework, RSM redesigned performance advisor training and held partners directly accountable for the talent experience. This strategy replaces rigid office mandates with physical agility to support individual employee growth. This episode provides a concise roadmap for connecting talent strategy directly to business growth. It shows leaders how to build a stronger HR function that drives measurable business outcomes.

Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Analyst at Brandon Hall Group™, sits down with Bob Szostak of V2X Professional Services (VPS) for a candid look at where AI stands in learning and development today. Bob brings nearly three decades of industry experience to a conversation that moves past the hype cycle and into what organizations actually need to get right before they scale AI adoption.

Employee benefits can be the second-biggest people cost, yet many global organisations cannot clearly see what they offer, what they spend, or what value each provider delivers.In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Chris Bruce, CEO and Co-Founder at Origin. He explains why fragmented policies, spreadsheets, and local systems have kept benefits out of strategic business conversations.

Today, my guest is Kylie Sturday, a learning and development professional whose career journey spans international studies, immigration and refugee visas, emergency management, and organisational performance. In this episode, Kylie reflects on her path from studying Japanese and International Studies to spending more than a decade in the Australian Public Service, where she worked in complex refugee and humanitarian visa decision-making roles before discovering a passion for learning and development. We explore how Kylie transitioned from frontline service and operational environments into the world of workplace learning, where she became fascinated by the challenge of helping people make sense of complex information and apply it effectively in their job roles. Kylie shares insights into performance consulting, continuous professional development, communities of practice, and the importance of understanding the broader organisational systems that influence learning and performance. Our conversation ranges from onboarding programs and leadership support through to the evolving role of learning professionals in an age of rapid technological change. Kylie discusses the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, artificial intelligence, arguing that qualities such as curiosity, empathy, judgement, and critical thinking remain central to effective learning and organisational growth. We also discuss the value of evidence-informed practice, human-centred design, evaluation, and collaboration, along with Kylie's work with ‘Crackin' LnD (Down Under)', a professional Learning Community that connects and supports learning practitioners across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Throughout the conversation, Kylie emphasises a holistic approach to learning and development, the power of asking better questions, connecting with others, and approaching both learning and change with openness and curiosity. Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylie-sturday/ Crackin' LnD (Down Under) - Learning Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14462967/ and https://v2.chameleoncreator.com/preview/J--YPMeUx8C6/welcome-to-crackin-lnd

AI is changing work faster than most people expect.The real question isn't whether jobs will change, but whether employees and leaders are prepared to adapt. In this episode, Jacob Morgan, Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Founder of Future Of Work Leaders, explains why employee experience must evolve and what organisations can do to stay ahead.Jacob introduces the Eight Laws of Employee Experience, showing how organisations can return to the fundamentals while adapting for an AI-driven future. He explores why leaders must balance empathy with accountability, create cultures where difficult conversations drive innovation, and invest in internal mobility rather than leaving employees uncertain about what's next.For HR and business leaders, this conversation is a reminder that AI doesn't remove the need for great leadership, it raises the standard. Whether you're redesigning employee experience, preparing your workforce for AI, or helping people take ownership of their careers, this episode offers practical ideas for building organisations that are ready for what's next.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, Mechelle Monroe, former Global Chief People Officer for WPP Open X, Team Coca-Cola at WPP, explores how people leaders can support others without losing touch with what they need themselves.Mechelle breaks emotional resilience into practical habits, including scheduled emotional maintenance, conscious breathing, honest self-talk, protected meals, movement, reflection, and knowing when to say no. She also explains how naming an emotion, questioning the story behind it, and creating a clear end to the working day can stop difficult moments from following leaders home.As work becomes faster and more technical, emotional intelligence and emotional resilience become more valuable, not less. For leaders carrying other people's stress, the real question is not how much more they can absorb, but whether they have built the capacity to pause, recover, and keep showing up well.

In this special episode of AlteaTalks, we're delighted to launch the Altea Academy – Altea's new digital professional learning and development platform, created to help healthcare organisations and regulated professionals learn, grow and stay ahead in an increasingly complex world. Host Will Marshall is joined by James Read, Managing Director of Zing365, to explore how modern learning is transforming professional development. Together they discuss why continuous learning matters, moving beyond 'tick-box' compliance, how AI is changing the way competence is developed and assessed, and the importance of leadership, business and wellbeing skills alongside clinical expertise. Discover how Altea Academy is making high-quality, practical learning more accessible, helping organisations reduce risk, build confidence and create a culture of continuous improvement. Whether you're a healthcare leader, practice owner or regulated professional, this is an episode not to miss.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Jennifer M. Bales, Chief Human Resources Officer at Shearwater Health, to unpack how HR leaders can build culture, scale talent, and use AI without losing the human behind the work.Jennifer shares how Shearwater Health is connecting values, frontline employees, clinical talent, leadership development, engagement data, and employee storytelling across the US, India, and the Philippines. With more than 5,000 employees in the Philippines alone, she explains why building one shared culture takes more than posters, surveys, or slogans.Most importantly, Jennifer explains why the future of healthcare work is not about replacing people with technology. It is about helping clinicians work at the top of their license, reducing administrative burden, strengthening leadership capability, and remembering that behind every metric is a real person.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Lisa Yankie, Chief HR Officer at Odyssey Logistics, to unpack why the future of HR is not just about AI, technology, or transformation. It is about solving the right problems with the right people in the room.Lisa shares how her own journey, from humble beginnings to leadership across manufacturing, financial services, and mid-sized companies, shaped the way she leads today. Her experience gave her a broader lens on business, resilience, empathy, courage, and the value of taking chances when others open the door.Most importantly, Lisa explains why HR must stop acting like an afterthought. In her words, human capital is the business. As AI changes work, HR has a bigger role to play as the glue across functions, the challenger of old assumptions, and the function that helps organizations stay human while moving faster.

In this episode, Julie Stone shares how she is reinventing learning and development for a 50,000 person workforce as Group Vice President and Chief Learning Officer at TTEC, a global customer experience company operating in 22 countries. With a background in linguistics that shapes how she thinks about the way humans learn, Julie explains why practice, spaced repetition, and real feedback are the elements most training programs have been missing for decades, and how AI simulated practice finally solves for them. She walks through how letting frontline agents rehearse live customer conversations with AI builds confidence, shortens training duration by around 20 percent, and speeds up time to proficiency, all without the awkwardness of traditional role plays.Julie and Andy also dig into the bigger picture of AI in the enterprise: the proprietary wizard suite her team built to redesign the entire curriculum discovery, design, and development process, the redesign of jobs and workflows that comes with it, and why she believes L&D is now mission critical rather than optional. She makes the case for L&D professionals becoming work design architects, explains why skills are the new currency inside organizations, and offers practical advice for anyone trying to build a skills-based approach or drive real AI adoption on their team.I hope you enjoy it! As always you can learn more and connect with me on my website (andystorch.com) or LinkedIn. And you can find my books - Own Your Career Own Your Life and Own Your Brand, Own Your Career - on Amazon.Connect with Julie Stone: LinkedIn

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Ciara Harrington (Barry), Chief People Officer at Skillsoft, to unpack why the shift from jobs to skills is finally becoming real.Ciara explains why HR can no longer rely only on job architecture, job descriptions, and traditional role design. As AI agents enter the workforce, leaders need to think differently about the unit of work, what skills are needed, and whether that work should be done by a human, an agent, or a combination of both.Most importantly, Ciara shares how Skillsoft is making skills practical inside the business, from leadership skills and hiring decisions, to nine-box talent reviews, performance conversations, AI adoption, and helping leaders move faster without waiting for the perfect system.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Björn Axelsson, EVP and CHRO at Sandvik, to unpack how one of Sweden's largest industrial technology companies is changing the way people think about mining, manufacturing, AI, sustainability, and future talent.Björn explains why mining is one of the most misunderstood industries in the talent market. Many people still picture it as old-fashioned, unsafe, or disconnected from the future, when in reality Sandvik has been working with autonomous vehicles, connected fleets, electrified equipment, digital mining, software, and AI-powered solutions for years.Most importantly, Björn shares how Sandvik is building a future-ready workforce by investing in STEM talent, early careers, mining academies, global mobility, employee-led storytelling, AI adoption, and local communities, all while helping customers access the minerals needed for the green transition.

Many nonprofit learning and development professionals know their work matters, but still find themselves executing requests rather than shaping solutions.In this episode of Learning for Good, I sit down with global learning and development leader Mark Nilles to explore what it really means to shift from order taker to strategic partner, and how nonprofit L&D professionals can build the capability, opportunity, and motivation to lead with influence.Strategic partnership is not a personality type or a seniority level. It is a set of skills any L&D professional can develop, one small step at a time.▶️ What Strategic Partnerships Look Like in Learning & Development with Mark Nilles▶️ Key Points:00:00:00 Mark's Origin Story in L&D00:08:23  The Three Cs of Strategic Partnership00:13:12  Can Anyone Lead as a Strategic Partner?00:14:21  Strategic Partnership in Practice: From Conversion Request to eLearning Solution00:23:49  Why L&D Professionals Get Trapped in the Order Taker Role00:26:49  The COM-B Model for Behavior Change00:35:54  Practical Steps Toward a More Strategic RoleResources from this episode:Join the Learning for Good Summit in July: https://collective.skillmastersmarket.com/invitation?code=9A6625  Past strategic partnership episodes:Episode 186: The Mindset that Separates Strategic L&D Leaders from Order TakersEpisode 134: Being a Strategic Learning Partner & The Biggest Mistake You're MakingJoin the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collectiveConnect with MarkLinkedIn: Mark NillesConnect with HeatherLinkedIn: Heather BurrightWebsite: skillmastersmarket.comBook an interest call with Heather here.⭐Was this episode helpful? If you're listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review!

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Arun Serikar, VP, HR Technology, Digital Platforms & AI Innovation, Corp Functions at Schneider Electric, to unpack what it really takes to simplify HR technology, scale AI, and build a better employee experience across a global enterprise.Arun shares how Schneider Electric went from 545 HR applications to 303, reducing tech debt, breaking regional silos, and building stronger governance around the tools, data, and platforms used across the business. He explains why employees are not looking for the “best system”, they are looking for fewer systems that actually work together.Most importantly, Arun breaks down how Schneider Electric is using AI to move HR from a back-office function to an intelligence layer for the enterprise, from internal chatbots and ticket reduction, to performance review AI assistance, agentic workflows, and a future where employees can complete tasks without jumping between systems.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Marcus Collins, Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Professor at University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business, to unpack why culture is the most powerful force shaping human behavior, inside and outside organizations.Marcus explains why most companies misunderstand culture by reducing it to slogans, rituals, values, or “how we do things around here.” In reality, culture starts with how people think, what they believe, how they make meaning, and what behaviors those shared beliefs produce.Most importantly, he reveals why the future of work will not be won by technology alone. It will be won by organizations that understand the culture of work, align the front stage and backstage of the business, and build environments where people are truly connected to the beliefs, behaviors, and conviction behind the work.

Welcome to Work in Progress with Chris and Keyanna, your weekly workplace news hit, but with less corporate waffle, more real talk, and the occasional “wait… are we allowed to say that?” moment.All in under 10 minutes.No jargon. No doom-mongering. No pretending everything is fine when clearly… it is not.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Kelly Costanza, Chief People Officer at CAVA, to unpack how one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands is turning culture, hospitality, and frontline careers into a real business advantage.Kelly shares why culture cannot just be a word on a wall. At CAVA, culture is operationalized through values, competencies, recognition, career pathways, frontline listening, stock grants, mental health benefits, and leadership rituals that make the employee experience feel just as intentional as the guest experience.Most importantly, Kelly explains how CAVA is building a place where people can have a career, not just a job, from hourly team members growing into general managers, to leaders staying connected to the restaurants through shoulder-to-shoulder service, town halls, and practical feedback from the frontline.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Anju Choudhary, Chief People Officer at Xoxoday, to unpack why burnout is not just a wellbeing problem, but a work design and change design problem.Anju explains why organizations often treat burnout as an individual resilience issue, when the real problem is often the way teams are overloaded with unclear priorities, constant change, weak manager support, and poor recognition systems. She shares why leaders need to stop rewarding unsustainable hustle and start designing cultures where people can perform, grow, and recover without burning out.Most importantly, Anju breaks down the practical ways HR leaders can reduce burnout, build trust, and create healthier performance cultures, from clearer feedback and better change management, to manager enablement, recognition, AI coaching, team playbooks, and reward strategies that actually connect to the lived employee experience.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Allwyn Dsilva, VP HR & Global Head of L&D, Future of Work & Business HR at Tata Communications, to unpack why the future of learning must be built around business outcomes, skills, internal mobility, and AI-enabled career growth.Allwyn shares how Tata Communications moved beyond disconnected learning platforms and traditional course libraries to build a more connected ecosystem, linking skills, career aspirations, hiring, learning, coaching conversations, and AI-powered recommendations into one joined-up employee experience.Most importantly, he explains why learning teams must stop leading with the beauty of their programs and start proving behavior change, business impact, and real outcomes. From AI literacy and dark network operations to internal hiring, AI interview practice, and skills-based career pathways, this episode shows what it looks like when L&D becomes a true business engine.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Khadija Ben Hammada, Member of the Executive Board and Chief People Officer at Merck Group, to unpack how HR can lead through AI transformation without losing the human heart of the organization.Khadija shares why leaders cannot run global organizations from an ivory tower, and why being close to employees on the ground creates the trust, safety, and pride people need to speak up. She explains how field visits, human connection, and a strong sense of global community help Merck stay united across regions, even as the world outside becomes more fragmented.Most importantly, she breaks down how Merck is building AI capability across the business, from AI literacy for everyone, to leader upskilling, internal AI tools, hackathons, flagship use cases, and HR agents that can improve employee experience at scale. Through it all, Khadija is clear: AI should take tasks, not humanity, and HR must stay at the intersection of business, technology, and empathy.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Amy Coleman, Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer at Microsoft, to explore how leaders can scale AI transformation without losing the human connection at the center of work.Amy reflects on stepping into the Chief People Officer role at Microsoft, the humility of becoming a beginner again, and why leaders do not need to pretend they have all the answers in moments of uncertainty. What matters is being honest, learning fast, and bringing people with you.Her message is clear: AI and humans cannot be separated. As work changes, HR leaders have to help people understand what is shifting, what still matters, and how AI can unlock more creativity, curiosity, innovation, and human potential.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Laura Mattimore and Lucia Suarez from Procter & Gamble to explore how one of the world's most iconic companies is redesigning talent for the AI era.Laura leads global talent across P&G's enterprise talent systems, including hiring, learning, leadership development, workforce planning, and talent strategy. Lucia leads talent development, talent management, analytics, insights, employee experience, and transformation within that broader talent agenda.Their message is clear: AI is not just a technology shift. It is a work, culture, skills, and employee experience shift. For P&G, the opportunity is not to replace the human, but to build around human plus AI, with HR playing a central role in redesigning how work gets done.

Send us Fan MailIn this second bonus episode of That Workplace Experience Podcast, host Dan Moscrop is joined by psychologist, author and workplace learning expert Nick Shackleton-Jones for a wide-ranging conversation about work, learning, identity and the future of the workplace.Known for his hugely popular commentary on return-to-office culture and corporate life, Nick brings humour, honesty and a healthy dose of scepticism to the realities of modern work. Drawing on experiences spanning Siemens, the BBC, BP, Deloitte and beyond, he explores how workplaces shape behaviour, identity and learning — often in ways organisations fail to recognise.Together, Dan and Nick discuss why challenge — not information — is what truly drives learning, the unintended consequences of remote work on social development, and why so many offices unintentionally communicate control, uniformity and hierarchy before anyone even sits down at their desk. They also unpack neurodiversity in corporate environments, the emotional mechanics behind human learning, and why small acts of recognition matter far more than expensive reward schemes.The conversation also dives into the future of AI and work, exploring everything from cognitive outsourcing and workplace surveillance to what happens when technology becomes better than humans at the very things we once considered uniquely ours.Part workplace critique, part philosophical exploration, this special bonus episode offers a provocative and thought-provoking look at how organisations can create more human, engaging and meaningful experiences at work.Download the Workbook to find out more about Nick Shackleton-Jones.Video production and camera: Calum LindsayCamera: Miguel Santa ClaraIllustration: Phoebe Gitsham

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Kalifa Oliver, Ph.D. Senior Director of Technology - People Analytics at Lowe's Companies, Inc. to explore why HR needs to stop chasing AI tools and start solving the right business problems.Kalifa now sits in technology, not HR, leading teams across engineering, product, analytics, and people data. That gives her a very different view of what HR transformation actually requires.Her message is clear: AI is not magic. It will only be useful if HR asks better questions, understands the problem it is trying to solve, and stops adding technology on top of broken or unnecessary work.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Jennifer Reimert, SVP, Consulting Practice at Workhuman, to explore how organizations can make recognition reach the people who are often hardest to reach: frontline and deskless workers.Jennifer spent 20 years as an HR practitioner and total rewards leader before joining Workhuman. She was also a Workhuman customer back when the company was Globoforce, using recognition to help bring two merged companies together when culture, identity, and belonging were under real pressure.Her message is clear: recognition cannot only work for people at a desk. If most of the work that defines your culture happens on the floor, in the field, in hospitals, in plants, in stores, or across customer sites, then recognition has to meet people where they actually work.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with KeyAnna Schmiedl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman, to explore how organizations can identify future leaders before they are already in the obvious succession pipeline.KeyAnna shares how Workhuman's Future Leaders technology is helping companies spot the people giving off strong leadership signals across the business, including those who may not be visible through traditional talent reviews, manager nominations, or proximity to senior leaders.Her message is clear: the best future leaders are not always the most obvious names in the room. If HR can use better signals to see talent earlier, organizations can retain, develop, and invest in people before they walk out the door.

In this episode of our On The Road series, we sit down with Ken Wechsler, SPHR, CCP, VP, Total Rewards at Akamai Technologies, to explore how AI is changing the conversation around rewards, recognition, performance, and the future of work.As a total rewards leader, Ken is now facing questions that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago: What is our AI strategy? What outcomes are we trying to drive? How will AI change productivity, performance, and how people are rewarded?His message is clear: AI skills alone should not automatically mean higher pay. The real question is whether AI helps people deliver better outcomes, raise performance, create more value, and help the business move forward.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Eric Mosley, Founder and CEO at Workhuman to explore how recognition data, AI, and human insight are changing the way organizations identify their future leaders.Eric shares how Workhuman's new Future Leaders capability uses recognition data, performance data, and AI to identify the people most likely to rise into senior leadership roles years before they are officially promoted.And this is where it gets really interesting.Eric says the strongest signals are not coming from a traditional succession planning form. They are coming from the language people use about each other, the recognition moments that describe how work actually gets done, and the patterns that emerge across billions of human interactions.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Jorge Quezada, MBA (He.Him.His), Vice President, Culture & Performance at Granite Construction, to unpack what happens when culture stops being treated as a soft initiative and starts being run as a business driver.Jorge explains why culture is the operating system of an organization, shaping how people think, act, interact, and bring the company's mission, vision, and values to life every day.He shares how Granite is updating its culture for the next 100 years by preserving what makes the company strong, diagnosing what needs to change, and creating the conditions for people to grow, adapt, and perform.Most importantly, Jorge reveals why the future of culture belongs to leaders who stop copying best practices from other companies and start understanding what their own people, business, and operating system actually need.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Khalil Smith, VP, Inclusion, Diversity, and Engagement at Akamai Technologies, to unpack what it really takes to build a performance culture where people trust each other enough to speak up, challenge ideas, and grow.Khalil explains why culture is not what leaders say they want, but what the organization actually rewards, and why silence is often the clearest signal that trust has broken down.He shares how leaders can build stronger cultures by creating trust, encouraging healthy disagreement, aligning systems with values, and making recognition and feedback feel honest, specific, and useful.Most importantly, Khalil reveals why the future of culture belongs to organizations that close the gap between what they say and what they reward, creating environments where people can challenge respectfully, perform boldly, and speak up without fear.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Peter Andrew Danzig, Senior Advisor, Foundation Culture at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, to unpack what psychological safety really means beyond the buzzword.Peter explains why psychological safety is not a checklist, policy, or one-time initiative, but a belief system that has to be co-created, practiced, and reinforced through everyday behavior.He shares how leaders can build safer spaces by embracing healthy friction, operationalizing empathy, and creating room for challenge, accountability, apology, repair, and growth.Most importantly, Peter reveals why the future of culture belongs to organizations that stop treating safety as comfort, and start building environments where more people can speak honestly, move through conflict, and still feel seen, heard, and valued.

Are you tired of feeling like the “trainer police,” constantly chasing down team members to complete mandatory training? Does your Learning & Development program feel like a source of stress, rather than growth, for your employees? If you’re ready to transform your training from a stressful obligation into a positive, eagerly awaited experience, then this episode is for you. Join us as we reveal the L&D secret to training success: Discover how to shift your approach from “push” to “pull,” eliminating the high-stress environment of deadline-driven training. Learn the power of just-in-time, responsive learning that listens to your team’s needs and delivers instant value. Uncover the key to building a culture of positive opt-in, where your staff is not only used to being upskilled but actively looks forward to it. Stop pushing training up a hill and start pulling your team toward success. Welcome back to the Juvo Hub Podcast. 

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Julie A. Stone, Chief Learning Officer, Group VP at TTEC, to unpack what it really takes to bring AI into an organization without losing the human connection, trust, and coaching that actually drive performance.Julie explains why simply training people on AI tools is not enough, and how leaders must help employees understand where, when, and how AI fits into their actual work.She shares how TTEC is using AI to create more time for human coaching, improve guidance in the flow of work, measure coaching effectiveness, and give people safe spaces to practice, learn, and build confidence.Most importantly, Julie reveals why the future of AI transformation belongs to leaders who start with real business problems, bring people along transparently, and redesign work in a way that helps people perform better.

Dani Johnson is Co-Founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research, and returns to the show to unpack how learning and development is being reshaped in real time. Drawing on new research, she offers a different perspective on the centralized vs decentralization org structure and staffing model, and instead argues for more intentional, decision-based design. Dani also shares why Learning and Development's pursuit of having a “Seat at the table” may be fading and why that might not be a bad thing. From the rise of workflow-based learning to the growing importance of data and change management, she outlines what it means to be tactically strategic. Linkshttps://redthreadresearch.com/redthread-summit-2026https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-johnson/

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast On The Road, we sit down with Raúl J. Valentín, EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer at ABM Industries, live from Workhuman Live Orlando 2026, to unpack what it really takes to lead a frontline workforce through constant change, AI transformation, and rising employee expectations.Raúl explains why the future of HR is not about choosing between people and technology, but designing systems where people and AI work together to make work faster, fairer, and more human.He shares how ABM is building resilience across a workforce of more than 100,000 team members by focusing on fairness, recognition, manager capability, and helping employees feel seen, heard, and valued wherever they work.Most importantly, Raúl reveals why HR leaders must stop waiting for perfect answers before taking action, and instead create safe ways to launch, learn, improve, and lead transformation in motion.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Blair Bennett, Senior Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition at PepsiCo, to unpack how talent acquisition is being completely redefined in the age of AI, hyper-personalization, and constant change.Blair explains why simply adding AI tools into outdated recruitment models doesn't work, and how PepsiCo redesigned its entire talent acquisition operating model to move faster, stay agile, and deliver better outcomes for both the business and candidates.She shares how the function is shifting from execution to strategy, enablement, and intelligence, embedding design thinking, talent intelligence, and co-creation with recruiters to build systems that actually scale.Most importantly, Blair reveals why the future of talent acquisition belongs to leaders who embrace uncertainty, collaboration, and continuous iteration, replacing command-and-control leadership with a model built around problems, not predefined answers.

As workforce dynamics continue to shift, organizations investing in employee development are better positioned to compete. In this month's HR podcast, Rob, Scott, and Jason discuss how employers can strengthen internal talent, adapt to evolving employee expectations around growth, and build more resilient teams through upskilling, cross-training, and increased AI literacy. For support with employee development programs, workforce planning, and HR strategy, contact hr@employco.com.

About the guest: Megan Torrance is a workplace learning and development leader who helps organizations create better systems for growth, performance, and skill development. In this conversation, she brings together practical insight from her work in learning design, her perspective on AI as an augmentation tool, and her own lived experience as an athlete, coach-supported leader, and endurance hiker.About the episode: In this episode, Steve sits down with Megan Torrance to unpack what it really means to be growth ready. Megan reframes growth as what we learn from a leap, not just the leap itself, and explains why readiness is less about feeling fully prepared and more about having the mindset, tools, support, and willingness to step into the next challenge anyway.Megan shares how real growth happens when people are clear on the goal, supported with the right systems, and willing to reflect in the middle of discomfort.Key topics and themes discussedWhat “growth ready” really meansWhy growth comes from learning through the leapThe difference between being a teacher and teachingWhy workplace learning should focus on performance, not completionReflection as a critical part of the learning loopThe role of AI in personalized learning and leadership developmentReadiness, uncertainty, and the “gulp” before the next challengeBuilding systems that make the next right action easierCuriosity as a driver of long-term growthExpanding capacity inside and outside of workLessons from ice hockey, coaching, and endurance hikingResources mentionedMegan Torrance on LinkedInTorrance Learning — torrancelearning.comAI Implementation Guide for L&D by Megan TorranceKhan AcademyMagicSchoolSend us Fan MailSupport the showConnect with Steve MellorStay connected and keep growing with Steve:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mellor-cc/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/coachstevemellorBook Steve to speak at your next event → www.stevemellorspeaks.comSupport the GrowthReady Podcast by leaving a 5-star rating → Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/growthready-podcast/id1406082163Connect with GrowthReadyJoin the community and keep your growth journey going:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearegrowthready/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/growthreadypodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/growthreadywithcoachstevemellorOfficial Website - https://growthready.com/----This podcast was produced on Riverside and released via ...

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Sarah Stary, Vice President Global Head of People and Organisation and Internal Communications at Swisslog Healthcare. Sarah breaks down what it really takes to lead transformation in a complex global business. She explains why standardizing the basics, especially onboarding and recruiting, became a high-impact priority, how her team built global consistency with local nuance, and why too many leaders still get distracted by innovation before fixing the fundamentals.Sarah also shares a more important leadership lesson. Do not rush to prove your value in the first 90 days. Instead, she argues that credibility is built by listening, traveling, understanding culture, and making changes that fit the business you are actually in, not the one you just left. The conversation also explores clear communication, trust-building, team autonomy, shared services, AI adoption, and culture integration inside the broader KUKA group.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Frederic Patitucci, Chief People & Culture Officer at Philip Morris International, to unpack how one of the world's largest organizations is transforming both its business model and its workforce capabilities at the same time.Frederic explains how PMI's bold shift toward a smoke-free future forced the company to rethink its operating model, moving from a single-product cigarette business to a complex multi-category innovation company spanning consumer technology, healthcare, and new consumer experiences.He shares how this transformation required new skills, new operating structures, and a completely redefined company culture, including codifying the PMI DNA and embedding it directly into hiring, performance management, leadership development, and everyday decision-making.Most importantly, Frederic reveals why the future of HR lies in managing skills instead of jobs, preparing employees for the skills that are rising, and helping people avoid career dead ends before disruption makes those roles obsolete.