HR Superstars

Historically, organizations have operated with an overly simplistic view of what motivates people. They had little understanding of how important belonging is, how to build esteem, or how important it is to be sensitive to individual needs. But if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we must be human first. We talked with Gianna Driver, Chief People Officer at BlueVine, about leading with compassion, empathy, and understanding. We also talked about: - What 2020 taught us about empathy and how to lean in to those lessons. - How to keep human first values top of mind as we go back to “the new normal.” - How to operationalize individual needs at scale. - What ingredients a culture needs to help its employees realize their potential. - How to train and practice core competencies like resilience. For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website.

The traditional approach to sales was all about hitting the number at all costs. Not only is that unsustainable; it’s inefficient. The key to high performance at any company is for managers to compassionately and empathetically engage and enable their people. To find out how to do that, we talked with Sandi Kochhar, Chief People Officer at Gong.io, about living company values and manager enablement strategies. We also talked about: -How to keep values at the center of your culture. -The role of the manager in culture. -The hard and soft skills of management. -How to help your people with emotional renewal. For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website.

What is the first step on the path to high results? Answer: when leaders care about their employees as whole beings. Employees do their best work when their deepest needs are met. How can we work toward an environment that is compassionate, fulfilling, and safe? We talked with repeat guest David Hanrahan, Chief Human Resources Officer at Eventbrite, about the state of mental health post-2020 and the CHRO’s role in addressing mental health in the workplace. What we talked about: -Depression, anxiety, and social comparison in the workplace -The balance between caring for people and pushing results -Questions to ask your people to check in on them -How to uncover your people’s motivators For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website.

It’s easy to come up with the idea of a corporate value. But coming up with convergence where people align their bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits with that value and actually living it…that’s tough. How do we get people to buy in to corporate values and live out a collective mission? To find out, we talked with David Hanrahan, Chief Human Resources Officer at Eventbrite, about working towards convergence and maintaining strong company culture in the face of crises. What we talked about: -How to take care of your people when your industry is hit hard. -How to encourage buy in from your leadership team around empathetic leadership. -What convergence means and how that builds great culture. -How to empower employees to live out corporate values. For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website.

Nearly 1,300 employees at an all-remote and always remote org pose a considerable culture challenge. Tune in to learn about remote culture done well. In this episode, we interview Lori McLeese, Global Head of HR at Automattic, about strategies for celebrating culture at your remote org. What we talked about: -Total freedom to live and work in the way that suits your lifestyle -Data and what to track -The need for transparency in remote orgs -Why management isn’t a promotion at Automattic For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player.

Before COVID, hardly anyone opted to work full-time remotely. After COVID, hardly anyone wants to go back to the office full time. COVID changed HR forever, period. How do we support our people now? In this episode, we interview Jennifer Christie, Chief HR Officer at Twitter, about how the pandemic accelerated their decentralization plans and helped grow an even stronger culture. What we talked about: -Practical strategies for supporting remote employees -How the use of office space has changed forever -Leading change with Why, not what, when, or how -Twitter’s diversity and inclusion gains and goals For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player.

How can we recognize and nurture dragons in our organizations? How can we become dragons ourselves? Wait, what is all this talk about dragons? Don’t worry, we’re not trying to become flying, fire-breathing mythical creatures. But we are on a quest to push ourselves to improve, to commit to our purpose, and to serve our full potential. As leaders, we want to help our people do the same. To find out how to become better leaders and help employees connect to greater meaning, we caught up with “The Dragonist” Dov Baron, Leadership Strategist and Loyalty Authority, IncMag Top100 leadership speaker, #1 Fortune500 PodcastHost, and Entrepreneur Magazine contributor. What we talked about: -Where the term “Dragon Leader” came from. -How to lead your people through a heroic journey. -What meaningful leadership looks like. -How your past shapes the way you lead (and a reflective exercise that makes us a bit uncomfy). -The difference between vulnerability and emotional vomit. -How to address division with continuous curiosity. For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website.

After last year’s massive economic crisis, a lot of companies scrambled to cut costs. One program that was often cut: D&E. But when that was followed by a massive social crisis, companies had the choice to either save face through the things they said or to create positive change by actually taking action. Will the dual nature of 2020 propel our evolution forward to where we start paying attention to our role in society?   We talked with Josh Bersin, founder of the Josh Bersin Academy, the world's professional development academy for HR, about how D&E plays a critical role both in organizations and in society as a whole. We also talked about: -How companies can embrace corporate citizenship. -How D&E conversations have evolved. -How companies can support minority communities now and in the future, -The biggest opportunity HR professionals have right now. For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website.  

Josh Bersin, founder of the Josh Bersin Academy, discusses the HR industry's shift from an administrative to a strategic function. Topics include balancing empathy and results, creating economic opportunity, and ensuring security within companies.

A critical responsibility of CEOs is creating the space for people to be their greatest selves. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that companies and the people who make decisions in them have a long way to go in understanding and growing diversity and inclusion. How can CEOs create an environment where everybody has equal opportunity to become their best selves if they don’t really understand the underlying dynamics that different types of people face? To find the answer, we talked with Amber Cabral, Inclusion and Diversity Strategist, Executive Coach, and Author of “Allies and Advocates” about how to identify privilege in our own personal lives and how leaders can develop diversity and inclusion strategies at their companies. What we talked about: -What led Amber to become a D&I strategist and author. -The difference between an ally and an advocate, and how to be both. -How to become aware of privilege and extend privilege to others. -Tangible steps for moving from awareness to action. -Tips for intelligently and compassionately engaging in conversations on diversity. For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Or, tune in on our website.