The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work®, shares insights on the powerful role of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in corporate success. He highlights how great leaders impact employee experiences and why Gen Z prioritizes leadership over brand loyalty in job selection. Bush provides examples of companies excelling in DEIB initiatives and discusses the future of work, including AI's influence in fostering workplace inclusivity. Tune in for compelling takes on leadership and building a thriving organizational culture.

Polly Barnes, an Operating Partner at EQT Ventures focused on talent, shares her insights on high-performing founders. She discusses EQT's 20 indicators that define success, emphasizing resilience balanced with self-reflection. The conversation highlights the evolving profile of tech founders amid AI advancements and explores the critical role of psychological support in their journeys. Polly also addresses the challenges DEI initiatives face in startups and provides valuable advice for modern HR leaders in VC-backed environments.

Melanie Rosenwasser, Chief People Officer at Dropbox, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed Dropbox’s virtual-first model, how they measure its success, and the three types of in-person gatherings they organize. ----  Go get your tickets for MPL Live using our 50% off discount code, MPL-LIVE-50. Don't miss out—get your ⁠ticket⁠ now!  ----  This episode was brought to you by Great Place To Work®. Learn more at http://greatplacetowork.com/mpl. ----  (0:41) Good news stories (6:00) Melanie's career journey (9:18) What Dropbox does and why it's a great place to work (12:04) The importance of flexibility in Dropbox's virtual-first model (13:11) Key elements for success in a virtual first environment (19:39) The role of data and research in shaping Dropbox's work model (23:05) Insights from Dropbox's research on remote work (24:00) Building trust and culture in a remote-first environment (27:01) Challenges and learnings from remote work at Dropbox (30:30) The importance of in-person gatherings for remote teams (37:52) Offsite modalities and their impact on team collaboration (41:02) Experimenting with AI and its impact on the future of work (46:15) Predictions for the future of work (52:01) Rapid fire questions (55:11) One word or phrase close ----  📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn

Brené Brown, a prominent professor, author, and podcast host, shares her insights on leadership and vulnerability. She discusses the powerful concept of metacognition and how it can transform leadership dynamics. Brown emphasizes the importance of creating space between stimulus and response, allowing for thoughtful reactions. The conversation touches on the challenges of implementing a four-day workweek and the delicate balance between striving for excellence and embracing imperfection in leadership.

Tracy Letzerich, Vice President of People at Wheel, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed why feedback is the lifeblood of organizational progress, why Wheel is ditching the annual performance review, and why every manager should start keeping feedback journals with their team. ----  This episode was brought to you by Great Place To Work®. Download their Employee Retention Report here. ----  (0:45) Good news stories (3:52) Great Place to Work’s research on RTO mandates. (5:05) Tracy’s story: Nontraditional HR path and becoming VP of People at Wheel. (9:00) Why do some business solutions work and others fail? It boils down to the people. (13:42) What does Wheel do? (15:39) Tracy’s passion for feedback in organizations. (17:23) What does it mean to have a culture of feedback? (18:29) Was there something in the data or personal observation that led to the focus on feedback? (19:52) Tracy's journey at Wheel and the need for a new feedback model. (21:59) Feedback culture is an ongoing journey. (24:16) Balancing informal and formal feedback. (25:16) Building relationships in a remote world. (27:48) Role modeling feedback behaviors. (29:23) Rethinking the one on one: The Feedback journal. (31:32) Direct reports should own the one on one. (33:01) The challenges of being a manager today. (35:57) The journey to pay transparency at Wheel. (38:18) Resistance to change around the annual review. (39:30) Replacing the annual review with continuous feedback. (41:04) The importance of training and ongoing support for feedback. (43:09) Accountability in feedback culture. (44:22) Performance map as an alternative to the annual review. (45:01) Integrating feedback and compensation. (47:45) Rapid fire questions. ----  📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn

Greg Hill, Chief People Officer at Exos, shares insights from his journey in HR, illustrating the evolution of Exos from elite coaching to corporate wellness. He delves into the Readiness Culture Code and the promising outcomes of implementing a four-day workweek. Hill discusses the balance between productivity and effectiveness, highlights the role of middle management in accountability, and explores the challenges of adapting workplace culture post-COVID. He also hints at future research on 'quiet quitting' and the role of generative AI in enhancing productivity.

Vanesa Cotlar (VP, People & Culture, PolicyMe) and Melanie Naranjo (VP, People, Ethena) joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed the three questions every manager should be asking themselves about their direct reports, why setting expectations with new hires can go a long way in improving performance, and how to create a common language for employees around performance. ----  This episode was brought to you by Great Place To Work®. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com/mpl. ---- (1:29) Good news stories (8:43) What’s new with Vanesa and Melanie (12:55) Why performance management is a hot topic right now (19:43) The 3 questions Ethena managers ask themselves about direct reports (21:40) Expectation setting with new hires during the first 90 days (31:47) Handling performance conversations (36:18) Create a common language for employees around performance (39:30) The percentage of managers effectively managing performance (45:39) What happens when your current team isn’t the right team to get you to the next level (51:18) Great Place To Work’s research on RTO mandates ---- 📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get key learnings & career advice from Modern People Leaders 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn

Larry McAlister, Head of Digital Transformation at Nutanix, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We discussed what transformation looks like, the importance of defining it for your organization, and the difference between mere tinkering and true transformation. ----  This episode was brought to you by Great Place To Work®. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com/mpl. ---- (1:22) Good news stories (4:03) Great Place To Work’s research on RTO mandates (5:41) Going from CHRO roles to the Head of Digital Transformation  (9:02) What he does as a Head of Digital Transformation (10:20) What Nutanix does (10:59) Why we should be jealous he gets to work at Nutanix (13:45) What is transformation? (16:04) You need an enablement strategy for new HR tech (18:00) Get very specific about what transformation means to your company (20:00) Tinkering versus transformation (23:07) Tell people the truth about the change that’s coming (27:20) Generative AI & Microsoft Co-Pilot (38:55) The only reason there's still humans in Talent Acquisition (42:50) Why he wrote The Power to Transform (45:13) You are a technologist (46:56) Rapid fire questions ---- 📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get key learnings & career advice from Modern People Leaders 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn

HR experts JP Elliott, Stephen Huerta, & Daniel Huerta discuss the future of HR leadership, challenges, and insights. Topics include elevating next-gen HR leaders, limiting beliefs, HR time capsule ideas, team performance reviews, and contrasting practices in startups vs. Fortune 500 companies.

Nick Bloom, Stanford Economist & Co-Founder of wfhresearch.com, discusses managing in a hybrid environment, WFH data points, benefits of being in office, and the four versions of the 4-day workweek. He also predicts future work trends and shares the weird things he's researching next.