The Gartner Talent Angle

HR leaders are still experimenting with ways to support collaboration, connectivity and performance in response to a transforming global work environment. Martha Delehanty, Chief People Officer at Commvault, joins the Talent Angle and shares insights on how to equip employees for ongoing success to help leaders sustain high performance across the organization. She identifies the opportunities and challenges brought on by shifts in the nature of knowledge work. Martha explains how one-size-fits-all approaches can fail to unlock true capacity expansion and discusses habits HR leaders can adopt to declutter work at their organization. Martha Delehanty is the Chief People Officer of Commvault. Martha uses her decades of human resources experience at Verizon Operations and Verizon Wireless to guide and coach Commvault team members to build fantastic, life-changing careers — all while helping ensure that Commvault is a naturally relevant contributor to customers’ value chain. Martha earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College and master’s degree in business from the University of Texas. Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. He is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice to address clients’ key initiatives. Before his current role, he spent over 25 years at Gartner leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channels, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s degree in international politics from Aberystwyth University (formerly known as the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University.

The mandate for and position of HR have evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and these trends are only accelerated by continually shifting employee expectations. Lynanne Kunkel, chief HR officer (CHRO) of Vail Resorts and member of Gartner’s CHRO Global Leadership Board, shares her vision for how the HR function can strive for excellence while facing ongoing pressures in this new environment. She urges HR functions to develop capabilities like change leadership and human-centered experience design. She also discusses how HR can engage with other business leaders to become more integrated and aligned to strategic business outcomes. Lynanne Kunkel is the CHRO for Vail Resorts. Prior to joining Vail Resorts in 2017, Lynanne served in various executive positions for Whirlpool, most recently as senior vice president of global HR. Throughout her career, she has led all aspects of HR to deliver enhanced business performance in areas that include business HR, talent acquisition, talent management, leadership development, organizational effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, and talent analytics. Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. He is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice to address clients’ key initiatives. Before his current role, he spent over 25 years at Gartner leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channels, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s degree in international politics from Aberystwyth University (formerly known as the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University

Mark C. Crowley joins the Gartner Talent Angle to discuss why today’s unparalleled workplace challenges prompted him to release a second edition of his book, “Lead from the Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century” more than a decade after it was first published. Backed by scientific findings on employee motivation, Crowley outlines common misconceptions about leading from the heart. And drawing on examples from his own experience, he shares practical advice for how to effectively implement this type of leadership at an organization. Mark C. Crowley is the author of “Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century.” The second edition debuted in August 2022 as an “Amazon #1 Release,” and his book has been taught in nine American universities. Mark is a regular columnist for Fast Company Magazine and has been published in USA Today, Reuters, Forbes, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Huffington Post, Gallup & the Seattle Times. Mark spent over 20 years in the world of Financial Services. He held two national level positions at one of America’s largest financial institutions where he was named “leader of the year”. Mark proved that deeply caring about and supporting people, and thereby positively affecting employee’s hearts had a profound effect on motivating their sustained engagement, loyalty and productivity. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

As many organizations struggle to keep pace with technological innovations, digital transformation is a top priority. Gerald Kane, professor of information systems at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, joins the Gartner Talent Angle to explore the opportunities these digital disruptions create and to inspire HR leaders to approach digital transformation with confidence. He explains how people and processes, not just technology, are crucial to successful digital transformation, and emphasizes the need for leaders to have growth mindsets and to continually learn while building adaptability in their organizations. Dr. Gerald C. Kane is a Professor and the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Chair in Business Administration at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.  He researches and teaches about how companies can understand and respond to digital disruption to undergraduate, graduate, and executive education students worldwide; and he has published over 100 papers, articles, and reports on these topics. He has written two books for MIT Press: The Technology Fallacy: How People are the Real Key to Digital Transformation and the The Transformation Myth: Leading Your Organization Through Uncertain Times. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

While HR technology has made significant advances in the past few years, HR leaders still face challenges in delivering value to the organization through technology. Marcia Morales-Jaffe offers a path forward and shares insights from her experience as the former Chief People Officer of PayPal and World Fuel Services. Morales-Jaffe outlines how HR leaders can make the most of their technology investment and discusses the role that manager development, culture and change management play in the success of HR technology. Marcia Morales-Jaffe is a retired CHRO and Emeritus Member of the Gartner CHRO Global Leadership Board. She currently serves as Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company’s People & Organizational Performance Practice. Until 2017, Marcia was SVP, Chief People Officer at PayPal where she played an integral role in shaping culture and advancing its transformational business vision and social mission. Peter Aykens is Chief of Research in Gartner's Human Resources practice. Mr. Aykens is responsible for defining research coverage within the practice and building and leading research teams addressing client's key initiatives. In prior roles at the firm, he spent over 25 years leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channel, marketing, customer experience and product issues in financial services. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from St. Olaf College; a MSc.(Econ) degree in International Politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and a MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University.

Author Caleb Gardner argues that while change has been constant for some time, organizations are still unprepared to address it. In his latest book, “No Point B: Rules for Leading Change in the New Hyper-Connected, Radically Conscious Economy,” Gardner lays out his vision for how organizations should approach change in the new environment. The founder of the consulting firm 18 Coffees joined the Gartner Talent Angle Podcast to share examples of organizations undergoing transformation, and he extols the virtues of effective communication, adaptive capability and revised assumptions. Caleb Gardner is the co-founder of innovation consulting firm 18 Coffees and author of the new book, “No Point B: Rules for Leading Change in the New Hyper-Connected, Radically Conscious Economy.” Caleb’s career has spanned from working at Edelman and Bain & Company to running U.S. President Barack Obama’s Twitter account. Caleb’s insights about building more ethical and effective companies have been featured in publications such as NBC News, Wired, Crain’s, BBC News and Cheddar News. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

According to the 2020 Gartner Well-Being Benchmarking Survey, 70% of companies have introduced new well-being benefits or increased the amount of existing well-being benefits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To sustain momentum in developing a healthy workforce, organizations must continue to create an environment where employees value well-being. Dr. Richard Safeer, author of “A Cure for the Common Company,” joins the Talent Angle to make the case that organizations should go beyond well-being programs to create a culture of well-being. He offers practical guidance to help HR leaders establish the norms and environment that supports workforce health. Dr. Richard Safeer currently serves as the Chief Medical Director of Employee Health and Well-Being for Johns Hopkins Medicine where he leads the Healthy at Hopkins employee health and well-being strategy.  Previously, he was the Medical Director of Preventive Medicine for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Baltimore, Maryland. In January 2023, with publisher Wiley, Dr. Safeer released "A Cure for the Common Company: A Well-Being Prescription for a Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient Workforce.” Jessica Knight is a vice president of research in the Gartner HR practice. She leads research teams to identify best practices and new opportunities for addressing HR executives’ most urgent challenges. Her areas of focus include employee experience, organizational culture, change management and the future of work.

While hybrid work, new technologies and evolving skills needs are changing how work gets done, what motivates employees remains constant. Author and psychologist Ron Friedman joins the Gartner Talent Angle to share how the latest findings in behavioral psychology can be applied throughout organizations. Friedman shares insights from his books “Decoding Greatness” and “The Best Place to Work” along with examples and stories from his work as founder of ignite80. He explains how HR leaders can use the method of reverse engineering to achieve success, and he details how an intentional focus on the psychological needs of employees can unlock their highest potential. Ron Friedman is an award-winning social psychologist and the founder of ignite80, a learning and development company that teaches leaders science-based strategies for building high-performing teams. Friedman has served on the faculty of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, Fast Company, Forbes, and CNN. Popular accounts of his research have appeared on NPR and in major newspapers, including The New York Times, Financial Times, the Globe and Mail, Washington Post, The Guardian, as well as magazines such as Men’s Health, Entrepreneur, and Success. His first book, The Best Place to Work, was named an Inc. Magazine Best Business Book of the Year. His new book, Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success, was selected by Amazon's editors as one of 2021’s best books. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

As employees rethink the role that work has in their lives, organizations must similarly reimagine how they engage and retain employees. Author and commitment expert Joe Mull makes the case that employees do a great job when they believe they have a great job. Mull joins the Talent Angle to share insights from his book “Employalty: How to Ignite Commitment and Keep Top Talent in the New Age of Work.” He discusses how key employment value proposition (EVP) aspects such as compensation, workload and flexibility help create a destination workplace. Joe Mull is the author of three books including “No More Team Drama” and “Employalty: How to Ignite Commitment and Keep Top Talent in the New Age of Work.” He is the founder of the BossBetter Leadership Academy and hosts the popular Boss Better Now podcast. Joe has appeared as an expert in multiple media outlets including Forbes, the International Business Times, on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and on Good Morning America.

Ronald Schellekens, PepsiCo CHRO, and Ceree Eberly, former Coca-Cola Company chief people officer, join the Gartner Talent Angle to discuss how HR leaders can serve as role models for the business to manage through sustained uncertainty. Schellekens and Eberly share their perspectives for navigating ongoing changes to the talent landscape and preparing for long-term volatility. They draw on their experiences as HR leaders to share advice for attracting external candidates, developing a strong internal talent market and boosting employee engagement. Ronald Schellekens is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of PepsiCo. Ronald joined PepsiCo in 2018 and oversees the company’s global HR function, which leads talent management and acquisition, leadership development, learning and capability building, compensation and benefits, organizational effectiveness, and HR operations. Ronald and his team also partner with PepsiCo’s Sectors and business units to advance culture, as well as diversity, inclusion and engagement. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Ronald served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Vodafone for 10 years. Ronald holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and a Master’s degree in Management and Organization from TIAS Business School in the Netherlands and has completed the Program for Management Development (PMD) at Harvard Business School. Ceree Eberly serves as Chair for the CHRO Global Leadership Board, a network of HR executives working with Gartner to share best practices and influence cutting-edge thinking to guide the next generation of HR leaders. In March 2018, Ceree retired as SVP and Chief People Officer for Coca-Cola after 28 years with the company. She led significant improvements in Coca-Cola’s people and talent processes, leaving a lasting legacy at the organization Ceree is also a member of Women Corporate Directors global organization and has been involved with numerous Human Resources Global Leadership organizations. Ceree has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating with high honors. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.