Podcasts

43 – The 8 habits of top managers

Dom Boon, VP Talent & Organizational Development at Liberty Latin America, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share innovative work they are doing to improve the  manager and employee experience.

We went deep on LLA’s research and how they identified the 8 habits of the top 10% of their managers which are now being used to build out new talent programs.

Episode highlights:

• LLA’s challenges in navigating the pandemic across 30 different markets
• Why LLA embarked on the journey of identifying characteristics of top managers
• How LLA identified the top 10% of managers and the research involved
• What 5 questions LLA used to measure manager effectiveness
• The 8 habits that differentiate the top 10% of managers at LLA
• Next steps in building talent programs from this manager research, and 
• Impact of shifting to a human-centric leadership to LLA’s employee experience

Check out Dom’s recent post on LinkedIn where he writes about the 8 new habits of their top people managers.

42 – Our Top 3 Moments from the Modern People Leader

During our very first, in-person, 1×1 riff episode we reflected on the past ten months and all of the great conversations that we’ve had on The Modern People Leader.

Here are some of Daniel and Stephen’s favorite moments:

During episode 4 with Dilshan Ratnayake EVP & Chief People Officer at Securonix, we learned the importance of HR people taking roles outside the HR, and the leadership accelerator at Securonix.

Lyndsay Lord, CHRO, Team Car Care, dba Jiffy Lube, joined us for episode 14 of The Modern People Leader; she was the first to highlight how our country is facing a crisis with hourly wage workers.

Episode 23 with Michelle Wax, Founder of the American Happiness Project, where Michelle shared her research and the biggest challenges people face in finding happiness.

The conversation with Yemi Akisanya, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Groupon, during episode 31, where we discussed how to build a business case for Diversity and Inclusion, and how to measure progress.

The conversation with David Hanrahan, CHRO of Eventbrite during episode 33 of the Modern People Leader, where he shared some bold predictions on the future of work, including 4-day work weeks, asynchronous work and more

.

41 – Angela Shaw (Chief People Officer, JuiceLand)

Angela Shaw, Chief People Officer at JuiceLand, joined us on The Modern People Leader. 

We talked about her nontraditional path into HR, uninviting people from the party if they can’t get behind your organization’s shared beliefs, and bucking industry norms when it’s the right thing to do. 

Episode Highlights:

• Angela’s nontraditional path into HR
• Her first 30, 60, 90 days on the job as the new CPO at Juice Land
• Creating shared beliefs, shared knowledge, and shared action with DEI efforts
• Why the fight over who should own DEI is so frustrating
• Bucking the industry norms when it’s the right thing to do
• Staying true to who you are and what you represent
• And finding balance and learning how to say NO.

40 – Jess Galica on Women Making Bold Career Pivots

Jess Galica, the founder of the Reclaim Your Career project, joined us on The Modern People Leader.

Over the past year, she has interviewed 100+ women that have made successful career pivots. In this episode, she shares her findings as well as some of those stories. 

Episode highlights:

• What led to Jess’s desire to make a career pivot
• What propelled her research and writing around women & career pivoting
• People in our generation are mastering the art of pivoting
• What’s feminist guilt?
• You’re the only one who needs to wake up and do your career every day
• Women are bearing the disproportionate brunt of the challenges the pandemic has put on people as it relates to work
• The three steps of a career pivo.

39 – Bouncing Forward in This Time of Uncertainty

This week we had two return guests for another MPL Group Chat:

• Libby Fiumara, Talent Program Manager from Expel and
• Sarah Salbu Young, Talent Experience Partner at Pegasystems

We talked about how companies can bounce forward vs. focusing on the great resignation, the importance of pausing and reflecting on people who are making a positive impact on you at work, and trends heading into the last quarter of the year.

Episode highlights:

• We’re in an environment where it feels like things are moving slowly
• How to bounce forward vs. focusing on the great resignation
• Getting the most of being exposed to different people, ideas, and work
• Doing work that gives you energy and aligns with your purpose
• How time-off has become a safety need (think Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) and why periodic company-wide days off will become the norm
• Why you should pause and reflect on people who are having a positive impact on you, and
• Trends in the workplace heading into Q4, the “People Quarter”.

38 – Steve Cadigan (Former CHRO at LinkedIn & Author)

Steve Cadigan, author, and former CHRO at LinkedIn, joined us on The Modern People Leader to discuss his recent book: ”Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working”

Episode Highlights:

• Steve’s journey from graduating with no plan to becoming LinkedIn’s first CHRO,
• the inspiration behind his book,
• workers and companies can see LESS of the future than ever before,
• what companies can learn from Duke basketball’s Coach K and his talent strategy,
• organizations are hiring for intellectual curiosity,
• the lifespan of a new skill is shorter than it has ever been,
• and how Steve was conned by students into joining TikTok.

37 – Hybrid Work & The 4-Day Workweek

For the 37th episode of The Modern People Leader, Daniel and Stephen explored the emergence of a new dual labor economy and the future implications this will have for businesses and employees. Specifically, we dove deep into the potential of the four-day workweek, as well as other pre-World War II work constructs that could change as part of the emergence of hybrid working.

Episode highlights:

• Future of work strategies and the impact to engagement and retention for companies
• Risks of rushing future of work strategies and things that should be considered
• Other related areas that are top of mind for HR Leaders
• Why we may need to consider a regional differences to hybrid work
• Potential of the four-day workweek and the logistical challenges behind it
• Other trends that may emerge based on the adoption of a hybrid working model

36 – MPL Group Chat: The Summer of Counteroffers & Choice

This week we had three return guests for another MPL Group Chat:

• Jennifer Paxton, VP People at Smile.io,
• Jaclyn Jussif, Director of Talent Acquisition at EDB, and
• Adrienne Barnard, SVP, People Operations & Experience at Mainstay

We talk about the summer of counteroffers & choice, moving people ops from an administrative function to a strategic function, and an employee-driven future of work.

Episode Highlights:

• Moving people ops from an administrative function to a strategic function
• The summer of counteroffers & choice
• Focusing on key performers and high potential employees
• Mental wellness is top of mind for employees
• Will the four-day workweek be the norm in the future?
• Redesigning the employee journey for the future of work
• Collecting data is a strategic approach to making decisions
• Advocating for more people on the people team,
• HR has the data to make the decisions that will change employees’ lives,
• And an employee-driven future.

35 – The Importance of Employer Branding

With so much change in the workplace, it’s critical that businesses are (re)defining their employee brand, leaning into a future-of-work strategy, and consistently communicating across levels of the company. In this expert session, Eric Harris, CEO of MindHandle shares best practices and tactics that will enhance your employer brand.

Episode Highlights:

• The difference between employee branding & employer branding
• Who should own employer branding internally
• Why employer branding is so important
• Do you have a culture or an employer brand issue?
• Getting HR to think more like a marketing department
• Organizations need to talk about their WINS more often
• The biggest challenge with employer branding
• Using your leadership team as thought leaders
• And how to communicate culture & values in job postings.

34 – The challenges of recruiting into new countries.

Noreen Zobel, Chief People Officer at CrossBoundary, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share the challenges of recruiting for a multinational growth company, maintaining culture as you grow, and the 16-hour diversity workshop series that they put on for their people.

Episode highlights:

• What it’s like being a new Chief People Officer at a high-growth company
• The challenges of recruiting into new international countries
• Maintaining your culture as you grow
• The 16-hour diversity workshop series they put their employees through
• And the biggest changes to come out of COVID when we look back in 20 years.

33 – Fading Relics at Work

David Hanrahan, CHRO at Eventbrite, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share why Eventbrite is letting employees decide on whether or not they want to return to the office, what operating in high trust mode looks like, why you should take a hard look at your culture and why the traditional workweek is outdated.

Episode highlights:

• Origin story for Eventbrite’s decision to go hybrid
• Why operating in a high trust mode drives higher engagement
• How culture is fundamentally changing
• Suggestions for how to rethink your culture
• Why the 9-to-5 workday is a relic of the past
• How work and life will continue to blend together, and
• Key people metrics you should keep a close eye on.

32 – Return to Office & The Great Resignation

This week we had four return guests on for our first-ever CPO Group Chat: 

• Lyndsay Lord, CHRO at Team Car Care dba Jiffy Lube
• Rhiana Barr, Chief People Officer at KushCo
• Dilshan Ratnayake, Chief People Officer at Securonix
• Kristen Barbor, VP Global HR at Groupon

We discuss their return to office strategies and the ‘Great Resignation’. 

Episode highlights:

• What their return to office strategies look like
• Apple taking a mandatory stance on employees coming into the office
• Crafting back-to-work strategies to get top talent
• The big concerns about the great resignation
• Communicating your strategy effectively across the organization
• Preventing your culture from eroding in the new world of work
• Quick wins with total rewards strategies
• And what every company should be doing to keep their best talent.