Skilled

Irina Novoselsky presents a leadership model designed for speed, trust, and relevance. At Hootsuite, social intelligence informs decisions across marketing, customer experience, and HR. Talent decisions prioritize skills over experience, enabling internal mobility and adaptability. Leaders build credibility by listening first and showing up authentically. Culture is reinforced through action, not statements.Key Takeaways1. Skills Drive Performance: Curiosity, positivity, and data centric thinking outperform linear experience in most leadership roles.2. Internal Talent Scales Faster: Promoting from within strengthens culture and execution.3. Listening Enables Relevance: Leaders who can interpret real time signals outperform those relying on past experience.4. Employee Voices Build Trust: Advocacy outperforms paid media for credibility and retention.5. Leadership Must Be Visible: Culture is shaped by action and presence, not statements.Chapters:00:00 - From Refugee to CEO: Irina shares how her early life experience shaped her mindset around opportunity, resilience, and risk.03:32 - Hootsuite’s Evolution to Social Intelligence: Why Hootsuite moved beyond social media management into enterprise level listening and insight.05:35 - Listening as a Competitive Advantage: How early detection of sentiment creates relevance and strategic optionality for brands.08:18 - Skills Over Experience in Leadership Decisions: Irina explains why curiosity, positivity, and data driven thinking matter more than perfect resumes.11:01 - Cross Functional Leadership Moves: The reasoning behind moving a Chief People Officer into a Chief Customer Officer role.16:43 - Building Executive Presence on Social: Lessons from Irina’s own LinkedIn learning curve and why perspective outperforms promotion.20:48 - HR as a Market Facing Function: Using social listening and employee advocacy to improve hiring, engagement, and retention.29:56 - Social Media Is Now Simply Media: Why ignoring social platforms increases irrelevance rather than reducing risk.41:32 - Leading in an AI Shaped World: Why adaptable leadership and human skills remain the ultimate advantage.

Liz Volk is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Longo Brothers Fruit Market (Longo’s), a Canadian grocery chain rooted in the Greater Toronto Area.With two decades inside the organization, she has shaped culture, learning, and people strategy. Her experience across retail and food service gives her a grounded view of how work really gets done on the floor and what teams need to thrive.In this episode, Liz Volk explains how Longos sustains a family-first culture while navigating growth and industry pressure.

Greg Pryor, a seasoned human capital leader with experience at Accenture and Workday, dives into the vital role of social capital in career success. He explains how social networks can predict outcomes, using a surprising papal ascension as a case study. Pryor introduces four network patterns—fast movers, shapers, scalers, and risers—and emphasizes the importance of social agility, especially as AI reshapes the workforce. He passionately advocates for HR leaders to cultivate human skills alongside technology, fostering meaningful connections for lasting impact.

 In this episode, we sit down with Steve Ransone, Vice President of Organizational Capability at White Lodging, to uncover how his extensive background in hotel operations has uniquely influenced his approach to HR leadership Steve shares his journey from the front lines of hospitality into organizational development, offering insights on talent development, career pathing, and change management.We discuss the challenges and wins of building a custom career pathing platform, why listening and adaptability are essential in times of change, and how blending operational expertise with HR strategy can fuel both associate growth and organizational success.

In this episode, Bryan Allen shares how he tackled one of the most significant challenges for HR: improving retention and driving organizational success.Drawing from his experience, Bryan explains why retention should be the highest priority for any company.He discusses the importance of going beyond industry averages, setting ambitious goals, and investing in existing talent.Bryan also highlights how this approach not only saves costs but leads to a more skilled and committed workforce.

Joshua Remerowski, VP of Learning & Development at SRS Distribution, shares how his unconventional career path—from truck driver to L&D executive—shaped his approach to leadership development.  He reveals the importance of understanding frontline roles, designing impactful training, and creating career growth opportunities for everyone that drive business success.

Douglas Stitt, former CHRO of the U.S. Army (Deputy Chief of Staff, G1), led HR for 1.1 million people in one of the world’s most complex organizations. In this episode, he shares what it takes to manage talent at scale, build a resilient workforce, and drive leadership development in high-stakes environments. From leading HR transformations to testifying before Congress (while accidentally on mute), Doug reflects on the lessons military HR can teach leaders in any industry.

Quentin Misenheimer, Chief People Officer at Garlock Flexible, shares his journey from HR leadership at Newell Rubbermaid to transforming talent development at Rollins. In this episode, he dives into the power of succession planning, how he built a leadership pipeline that still thrives today, and the lessons learned from an HR initiative that didn’t go as planned. He also reflects on what makes an HR leader truly impactful—understanding the business, building strong relationships, and treating HR as a customer service function. With over 25 years of experience, including a military background that shaped his leadership style, Quentin offers invaluable insights for HR leaders looking to drive meaningful change.

Charlie Ackerman, former Senior Vice President of HR at Bosch North America, shares how he led a large-scale HR transformation that supported the company’s rapid growth. With over 35 years of experience, Charlie discusses the challenges of driving organizational change, building a strong talent pipeline, and ensuring HR functions align with business strategy. He also reflects on key lessons in communication, leadership, and the role of HR as a business driver. Tune in for insights on how HR leaders can create a lasting impact by fostering trust, clarity, and a shared sense of purpose.

Meet Sheryl Raphael Whitaker, learning and talent executive, as she recounts her journey in creating Claims University at AIG. From the challenges of shifting in-person training to digital to lessons learned about stakeholder engagement, Sheryl shares her journey in driving impactful digital transformations.