Hiring executives can be daunting for founders. In this podcast, a16z talent partner and executive search process experts discuss assessing talent, measuring success in talent assessment, referencing, personal growth vs. mistakes, vetting EQ, hiring veterans for startups, talent landscape in 2024, recruiting top talent in a tight market, and the value of tough feedback.

Nolan Church, a thought leader in HR discussions, and Kelli Dragovich, an advocate for impactful organizational leadership, dive into a provocative New York Times article criticizing HR. They discuss the pervasive dissatisfaction between employees and HR, the increasing strain on HR professionals, and the importance of collaborative leadership. They also explore the transformative potential of AI in hiring and the need for nurturing relationships within organizations to enhance both performance and employee well-being.

Kelli Dragovich, an HR strategies expert, and Nolan Church, an innovative HR solutions professional, dive into the proactive role HR can play in organizations. They discuss the importance of visibility and showcasing HR's value beyond just reactive measures. Key topics include enhancing employee engagement through transparency, effective communication around compensation, and building trust in hybrid work environments. Their insights inspire HR teams to take charge and demonstrate their impactful contributions.

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single person, think about their work, and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha interviewed Nolan Church, the CEO and co-founder of Continuum, about his perspective on the tech layoff wave. While we do indeed get into how his vision of fractional work fits into this conversation, we start with the fact that Church helped conduct Carta's layoffs in 2020 (a low of his entire career, he says) and what that experience taught him about the importance of being direct. Here are a few of the topics we get into: Twitter's recent layoffs, Jack's silence and who should take ownership for what The generic CEO statement on macroeconomic challenges Stripe's recent layoffs What is the best way to conduct a layoff, and how should you communicate with staff? How does that change based on stage? Is the rumor that all startups should just cut 20% of staff to extend runway accurate at all? If Church could go back in time, would he change anything about the way that Carta conducted its layoffs? What executive role is most likely to be disrupted and why Q1 may bring more doom and gloom into the tech sphere And finally, Church's attempt to summarize all of 2022 in a headline (I don't disagree with his final answer, by the way). From Natasha: I'll fully take ownership for the fact that my column from just two weeks ago (!) has poorly aged. If you or someone you know is whipping up a cool program - like this -  to support those laid off, hit me up on Twitter and I may just create a good news show.Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, a show that details how our stories come together and more! Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

HR experts Kelli and Nolan dive into the controversial topic of Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), debating their true purpose and effectiveness. They advocate for alternative approaches like the 'fork method,' focusing on communication and empowerment. The episode challenges traditional HR practices and offers insightful solutions for addressing performance issues in the workplace.