People Managing People

If you’re out there being told to slap AI tools onto everything and call it “digital transformation,” this episode is your reality check. I sat down with Darren Murph—yes, the remote‑work oracle behind GitLab’s all‑remote strategy—to pull back the curtain on what needs to exist before you ever type “chatbot” or “LLM integration” into your roadmap.We dug into why good documentation isn’t optional anymore, why remote‑work lessons are now directly relevant to AI adoption, and how companies who rushed ahead without building infrastructure are setting themselves up for a trust disaster. In short: if your data, your knowledge systems, your culture aren’t ready for AI, this technology is not your solution—it’s your liability.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Darren on LinkedInCheck out Darren’s websiteSupport the show

AI isn’t just generating insights anymore—it’s acting on them. In this episode, I talk with Francisco Marin, CEO of Cognitive Talent Solutions, and Dan George, the company’s Chief Experience Officer, about how agentic AI is changing the game for HR. These aren’t your standard dashboards—they’re autonomous systems that detect workforce patterns in real time and proactively intervene, from mentoring and onboarding to retention and burnout prevention.We get into what makes AI “agentic” in the first place, why consent and trust must sit at the core of any autonomous HR system, and how early pilots are already cutting onboarding time by 40%. If you’ve been wondering what comes after analytics and automation in HR—this is it.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Dan on LinkedInCheck out Cognitive Talent SolutionsNetwork-First ManifestoSupport the show

We’re in an era where everyone’s talking about AI, but few are actually getting value from it. In this episode, futurist and author Ravin Jesuthasan joins host David Rice to unpack why the ROI of AI is still so elusive — and why most organizations are looking at it backwards.Ravin argues that the problem isn’t technological; it’s human. Companies are rushing to deploy tools before they rethink the work itself. He explains how leaders can shift from a tech-first to a work-first mindset, what it really means to be AI fluent, and why the job-based identity that defined the past 150 years of work is quietly crumbling.If you’re an HR leader, executive, or strategist trying to navigate AI adoption without losing the human center of work, this conversation will help you see what transformation actually looks like — and where to start.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Ravin on LinkedInCheck out Mercer and Ravin’s websiteSupport the show

In this lively discussion, Kenneth Corrêa, a global AI educator and author of 'Cognitive Organizations', dives into AI fluency. He emphasizes the shift from predictive to generative AI and stresses the importance of education over fear in fostering responsible implementation. Kenneth reveals that effective AI use is more about empowering humans than replacing them. He also highlights the dangers of casual AI use, practical applications in HR, and the need for leaders to experiment with AI tools to understand their true potential.

Join Jason Lee, fintech pioneer and founder of DailyPay and Salt Labs, as he dives into the complexities of financial wellness programs. He discusses why these initiatives often fail, linking poor engagement to outdated designs and lack of modern tech. Jason shares innovative saving strategies like round-ups and the unexpected benefits of rewards points. He envisions a comprehensive financial wellness 'hospital' to better serve employees and predicts a future with smarter, frictionless financial products that prioritize user experience.

Most people don't burn out because they're working too hard—they burn out because they’re performing at a pace they were never built to sustain, chasing goals that don’t align with who they are. Matt Granados joins David Rice to unpack why the language we use around productivity—high performance, hustle, passion—is misleading at best, and actively harmful at worst.They get into the mechanics of optimal performance, the difference between consuming and contributing, and why fulfillment requires more than vision boards and vague inspiration. If you're leading people in an age of AI, distraction, and burnout, this conversation offers a clear path forward—one rooted in structure, intention, and personal agency.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Matt on LinkedInCheck out Life Pulse Inc.Free resourcesSupport the show

In a world where AI is eating the routine work and career ladders look more like Escher paintings, what does leadership agility really mean? In this episode, I sit down with David Jones, CEO and Partner at Mercer Assessments, to explore how leaders can ground themselves in productivity, positivity, people, and purpose while rethinking the broken systems we’ve inherited.We dig into why organizations don’t actually have a leadership shortage—they have a followership problem. From the dark matter of astronomy to the dark matter of organizational life, David makes the case that 93% of performance depends on the people who don’t sit in the spotlight. We also examine how AI is reshaping careers, why assessments should be GPS systems for skills, and why employers may need to stop outsourcing education to institutions that are years behind reality.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with David on LinkedInCheck out Mercer AssessmentsSupport the show

We’ve all heard the pitch: “Hybrid work is the future.” But dig beneath the slogans and you’ll find wildly different realities—some thriving, others quietly imploding. In this episode, I sit down with Lynette Caruso, a PhD candidate at Australian National University, to unpack her field research across public and private sectors on what makes hybrid work succeed—or fail.From the power of casual coffee chats to the pitfalls of hot desking, Lynette shows how flexible policies often collapse under rigid cultures. If you’ve ever wondered why your “flexible” workplace feels anything but, or why your team can’t seem to find its rhythm under hybrid rules, this conversation will help you cut through the noise.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Lynette on LinkedInSir Roland Wilson ScholarSupport the show

We’ve spent the last few years talking about mental health at work like it’s always a crisis—trauma, burnout, damage done. Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor, thinks that framing actually makes the conversation harder. Instead, what if we positioned mental health as something everyone can access, not just people in distress? In this episode, we cut through the jargon and look at resilience, performance, and the everyday practices that actually help people do their best work.Bryan and I also dig into the cultural pendulum swing from “bring your whole self to work” to “respect my boundaries,” the generational divides shaping expectations around connection, and how AI is reshaping not just jobs, but how leaders set boundaries, communicate, and build culture. Spoiler: the hot takes on AI are everywhere, but the real opportunity isn’t doing more with less—it’s doing more with the same.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Bryan on LinkedInCheck out NextdoorSupport the show

Alana Fallis, Head of People at Quantum Metric and author of the Talk HR to Me column, dives into the complexities of AI's role in HR. She discusses the risks of biased performance reviews dictated by AI and the importance of genuine leadership engagement. Alana also highlights employee concerns about job security in an automated workplace and shares strategies for navigating these fears with transparency. Plus, she humorously tackles the delicate issue of accommodating recovering employees in the workplace. A fascinating look at modern HR challenges!