The Edge of Work

Ana Maria Sencovici is the Chief Talent Officer at Royal Caribbean Group. In this role, she oversees talent management, career development, and leadership strategies for the organization. During this conversation, she shares her approach to career development, focusing on empowering employees through a systemic approach to career development that goes beyond traditional roles and promotions. Ana Maria discusses how Royal Caribbean’s 'My Career Journey' platform enables employees to take ownership of their growth by emphasizing skills, feedback, and personal aspirations. She also explores the evolving nature of careers, stressing the importance of adaptability and the development of career 'meta skills' to navigate today's dynamic work environment. Finally, Ana Maria offers insights into how leaders can create a culture of development that supports meaningful employee growth and engagement.LinksLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asencovici/Al: https://al-dea.com/leadership-offerings/

This is an episode that features 4 interviews from key leaders and speakers at SIOP’s Leading Edge Consortium in late October 2024. In this episode, we speak with four key leaders including Shonna Waters, Trish Vassar, Sophia Lamuraglia, and Richard Chambers.During the conversation, we explore key topics including what it means for leaders to lead effectively in a changing workplace, the role of AI in leadership development, and what’s top of mind for those in the organizational psychology profession in today’s workplace. This episode also explores key leadership development practices, including AI-driven coaching tools, simplified competency models, and the critical role of learning agility in preparing leaders for an uncertain future. LinksSIOP Leading Edge Consortium: https://www.siop.org/Leading-Edge-ConsortiumTrish Vassar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trish-vassar-phd-96aab1/Richard Chambers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-chambers-phd-aa680a56/Shonna Waters: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shonna-waters/Sofia Lamuraglia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofialamuraglia/

In this special episode, we traveled to Nashville to attend the Guild Opportunity Summit.This episode features conversations with Matthew Daniel, Talent Strategist at Guild, Terrence Cummings, Chief People & Opportunity Officer at Guild, and Katie Giles, VP of Associate Experience at Gentiva and Board Member at AMPED Louisville. During each interview, they explore key themes such as skills-based organizations, the impact of AI on talent development and the workforce, and creating equitable opportunities for all those who have been underserved.LinksGuild Opportunity Summit: https://events.guild.com/opportunitysummit2024Guild Website: https://guild.com/ AMPED Louisville: https://ampedlouisville.org/ Work with Al Dea: https://al-dea.com/leadership-offerings/

Jennifer Buchanan is the VP of Walmart Academy at Walmart. In her role, Jennifer is responsible for a learning ecosystem that supports millions of Walmart associates with the development resources they need to be effective today while setting them up for success and opportunities for development in the future.During the conversation, Jennifer spoke about the Manager Academy, a program aimed at developing leadership skills through purpose-driven training focused on culture, values, and empathy for thousands of Walmart’s store manager. Jennifer also highlighted Walmart’s investment in their associates' growth, including the global expansion of the Manager Academy and the introduction of programs like Live Better U. along with the company’s commitment to fostering a learning culture.Links:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/8-ways-we-improved-one-nations-largest-training-walmart-buchanan-vmzic/?trackingId=oZtVrrRlRSiw7UkxPeJUZA%3D%3D Jennifer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferabuchanan/

Sarah Franklin is the CEO at Lattice. After starting her career as a chemical engineer, Sarah spent 15 years at Salesforce and along the way has spent a lot of time collaborating and partnering with different C-Suite roles on using technology and AI to enhance the employee experience. Now, in her role as CEO of an HR software company, Sarah spends her time talking with Chief People Officers and has a keen understanding of how they navigate the strategic and operational challenges in today’s work environment.During this conversation, Sarah shares her reflections on the evolving role of HR, the CEO-CPH relationships, and the role of and how companies can foster manager effectiveness to drive performance and employee engagement. Sarah also shares insights on the role of AI in HR, balancing technology with human skills and strategies for creating high-performing teams in today’s dynamic workplace.LinksSarah Franklin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfranklin/Lattice: www.lattice.comLattice & YouGov Research: https://lattice.com/library/lattice-research-reveals-what-employees-really-think-about-hrs-impact-on-cultureV2MOM Background: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/how-to-create-alignment-within-your-company/Al Dea: https://al-dea.com/contact/

Rob Cross is an SVP of Research at the i4cp. A longtime expert, researcher, and author on the collaboration, teams, and organizational network analysis, Rob and his colleagues at the i4cp have recently conducted research to unearth the leading practices of how leaders collaborate effectively in today’s workplace. During this conversation, Rob Cross discusses the challenges of collaboration overload in the workplace. He explains that the explosion of collaborative work is drowning people today, leading to stress and burnout. He emphasizes the need for organizations to be intentional and precise in their collaboration efforts, rather than simply throwing meetings and teams at everything. Rob also highlights additional findings from The Team Network Effective, including the importance of effective talent practices and leadership behaviors in driving precision collaboration, what gets in the way of productive collaboration, and how leaders can make time to collaborate in intentional and precise ways.Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crossrob/Web: https://www.i4cp.com/Research: The Team Network Effect: https://go.i4cp.com/teams

Note: This is a replay from a LinkedIn Live Virtual Conversation with Lindsey PollakLindsey Pollak is a Career and Workplace Expert, Best-Selling Author, and Keynote Speaker.In this conversation, Al and Lindsey discuss the evolution of career development strategies as outlined in Lindsey's latest book, 'Getting From College to Career.' They explore the significant changes in the job market, the impact of technology and AI, the importance of flexibility in work-life integration, and the need for a supportive environment for first-time professionals. Lindsey emphasizes actionable advice for job seekers, the value of networking, and the necessity of a growth mindset in navigating career transitions.LinksLindsey Pollak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseypollak/Lindsey’s Website: https://lindseypollak.com/ Al's Website: https://al-dea.com/leadership-offerings/

We’ve got a special episode! This week, we’re in Las Vegas for the HR Tech Conference hosted by HR Executive. During the week, we spoke with a handful of leaders from various parts of the HR ecosystem to better understand what’s new and next at the intersection of technology, talent, and the workplace, including Jason Averbook (Mercer,) Carina Cortez, (Cornerstone) Kyle Forrest (Deloitte Consulting) and Thomas Stone (I4CP.)This episode features unique insights into key trends in the broader HR/technology landscape, including key insights into the role of AI, agents, and HR, the potential opportunity for collaboration between humans and machines, the intersection of tech solutions for improving company culture, and the opportunities for AI-powered learning and talent development.LinksHR-Tech: https://www.hrtechnologyconference.com/Jason Averbook, Senior Partner, Mercer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook/ Carina Cortez, Chief People Officer, Cornerstone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carinacortez/Kyle Forrest, Principal & Chief Marketing Officer, Human Capital, Deloitte Consulting LLP: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleforrest/Thomas Stone, Senior Research Analyst, I4CP: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomrstone/

Katya Laviolette is the Chief People Officer at 1Password. A fully remote organization since its inception in 2005, 1Password has undergone significant growth over the past few years as it’s moved up to the enterprise, and has had to adapt and evolve its people and talent strategy to meet the needs of an evolving business and market.During our conversation, Katya spoke about some of the approaches she and the team have taken to strategically build a robust set of programs that provide intentional support and scaffolding to enable their workforce to be effective and engaged. Katya also spoke about the importance of leaders establishing clear guidelines and engaging in productive conflict, as well as how the company's remote-first environment has supplemented its focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).LinksKatya’s LinkedIn Profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/katya-laviolette-6907b726/ Katya’s Previous Episode on The Edge of Work: https://theedgeofwork.buzzsprout.com/2046865/14679777-live-from-transform-mutual-mentorship-with-katya-laviolette-cpo-1password

Jolen Anderson is the Chief People and Community Officer at BetterUp. In her role, Jolen is not just responsible for leading the talent and people strategy at BetterUp, but she also connects and speaks with numerous HR leaders and other members of the broader HR ecosystem. During the conversation, Jolen spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing HR leaders today, and the complex nature of the role, especially in navigating both technology topics (ex: Artificial Intelligence) as well as human topics (ex: politics) Jolen also spoke about the importance of developing managers and leaders with skills in resilience, empathy, and coaching, so they can help elevate the performance of each individual employee.Links:Jolen Anderson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolen-anderson-5616762/BetterUp: Pilots vs Passengers: https://grow.betterup.com/pilots-passengers Work with Al: https://al-dea.com/leadership-offerings/