Navigating Change with Resistant Leaders

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.

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(05:42) Good News – Personal and professional life updates from the panelists

(11:24) Topic Kickoff – Why performance management is broken

(18:13) Leadership Reality – JR on managing through uncertainty

(20:50) Inside the CEO Mind – Performance pressure and shifting tolerance

(28:20) Forward Motion – How to simplify systems and focus on what matters

(35:38) Microbehaviors Matter – One key question to ask each quarter

(36:25) What’s Broken – Beyond ratings, what's really not working

(40:05) The Manager's View – Starting performance conversations with real people

(41:05) HR Island – Why we need to co-build with the business

(44:48) Career Sandwich Sponsor Message – Support during layoffs

(48:17) Organizational Network Analysis – Better questions, better signals

(49:30) Q&A Begins – First audience question: feedback transparency

(49:55) Anonymous vs. Attributed – Building trust through open feedback

(54:47) Normalizing Feedback – Everyday moments to reinforce culture

(55:04) Lessons from the Past – Why we over-indexed on anonymity

(56:16) Q&A Follow-Up – When high ratings don’t match company performance

(59:40) HR’s Role – Ownership, repetition, and enabling accountability

(1:11:35) Modern Performance Frameworks – Quizlet’s hybrid approach and iteration

(1:13:35) Integrating AI – PM mindset in HR and finding product-style solutions

(1:15:13) Focus and Roadmaps – Tightening priorities like a product team

(1:19:51) The Resistant CEO – Approaching change and building empathy

(1:22:25) Testing and Pilots – Experimenting with change and using the word “try”

(1:24:34) Planning Together – Building alignment and pitching as a united front

(1:30:30) AI in Reviews – Making performance reflection easier and meaningful

(1:35:14) Q2: Iteration Frequency – How often is too often to change?

(1:40:36) Final Thoughts – Change is constant, strategic, and collaborative

(1:41:09) Closing – Sponsor thanks, giveaway winner, wrap-up message

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.