The Remarkable Leadership Podcast Creating a Better Model of Working with Steve Cadigan
What if the future of work isn't just about where we work, but how we think about work itself? In this episode, Kevin is joined by Steve Cadigan to explore the shifts reshaping our workplaces, what Steve calls a "work quake." Steve shares insights on how leaders and employees can adapt to a rapidly changing world of work. They discuss why lifelong learning and "learning agility" are no longer optional, and how our ability to learn quickly is becoming more valuable than what we already know. Steve also challenges leaders to rethink traditional talent strategies, including embracing higher turnover, building organizational capacity more rapidly, and treating employees as part of a lifelong talent ecosystem.
Listen For00:00 Introduction to the episode topic – "Work Quake" 00:30 Importance of preparing for the future of work 01:00 How to join live and engage with future podcast episodes 01:36 Kevin's book mention – "The Long-Distance Leader" 02:00 Introduction of guest Steve Cadigan 02:23 Steve's background and experience 03:16 Steve joins the conversation 03:36 Steve's unconventional career journey 04:57 Discovering a passion for recruiting 05:45 Learning through working in small and large organizations 06:49 Why Steve wrote "Workquake" 08:11 Adjusting the book for the impact of COVID 09:06 Kevin on how the book stayed relevant since 2022 09:30 Employee vs. employer vs. leader mindsets 09:57 The importance of learning agility 10:47 AI as an opportunity for human differentiation 11:53 Defining learning agility 13:16 The organizational challenge of fostering agility 14:17 Spotify's experiment with internal mobility 14:49 Delegation and building organizational capacity 15:06 How the world of work radically changed in 2020 16:08 What employers must consider now 16:43 The remote vs. in-person debate 17:16 "Yes, and…" hybrid work models 18:16 Pilot vs. policy mindset 19:45 Aligning work strategy with actual results 20:04 Rethinking AI's role and use 21:17 The limits of AI for customer experience 22:01 The power of asking better questions 23:06 Rethinking talent strategy: 7 models 23:27 Steve's ecosystem approach to talent 24:04 Designing for shorter tenures 25:03 Speeding up onboarding and retention through new models 26:15 The "illegal after 3 years" strategy exercise 26:58 What Steve would add to the book today 27:29 The rise of hybrid experimentation 28:08 The benefits of remote/hybrid work 29:04 Zoom meetings and inclusive communication 29:24 Final reflections on hybrid as an opportunity 29:45 Any final takeaways from Steve? 30:25 Organizations must become business schools 31:03 Training and internal learning over hiring externally 31:22 Kevin's rapid fire closing questions 31:44 Steve's personal interests – tennis, coaching, bird watching 32:26 Books and content Steve is consuming 33:04 Being a student of AI – trusted sources 34:39 Where to find Steve online 35:18 Kevin's closing thought: Take action now 36:26 Outro and invitation to return next week
Steve's Story: Steve Cadigan is the author of Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working. He is a top talent strategist and leadership expert with 30+ years of experience. He famously led LinkedIn's early hyper-growth phase as its first CHRO, building its world-class company culture from scratch and scaling the organization from 400 to 4,000 employees in 3.5 years. As one of the most provocative global thought leaders on the future of work, Steve is hired not only by F500 companies but by entire countries to help them navigate the talent landscape. His clientele spans from Google, X, Slack, BBC, and Inel, to the City of Lisbon, which hired him to develop the startup incubator Unicorn Factory. He has also written for Forbes and Inc., will soon be writing for Business Insider, and frequently appears on Bloomberg and CNBC to talk about the evolving nature of work, talent management, the Big Resignation, and successful leadership.
This Episode is brought to you by...Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.
Book Recommendations- Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working by Steve Cadigan
- The God of the Woods: A Novel by Liz Moore
- How to Navigate the Future with Margaret Heffernan
- How the Future Works with Brian Elliott
- The Forces Reshaping the Workplace with Phil Simon
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