The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

Gianna Driver, CHRO at Exabeam, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how Exabeam’s HR team built their AI roadmap and which AI for HR use cases have been the most successful for them. ---- [02:00] - Good news stories [06:00] - Gianna's career journey and her unexpected path into HR [10:00] - Discussion on pivotal career moments and the importance of supportive leadership [13:00] - Learning from failures [17:00] - Gianna talks about the integration and challenges of implementing AI within HR at Exabeam [21:00] - Initial failures and subsequent successes in adopting AI for HR at Exabeam [25:00] - Practical applications of AI in writing job descriptions and updating employee handbooks [30:00] - The potential and limitations of AI in handling complex HR tasks and strategic decision-making [34:00] - Gianna offers her perspectives on the future roles of AI in enhancing employee experience and development [40:00] - Discussing the ethical considerations and policy frameworks necessary for AI deployment in HR [45:00] - Closing thoughts on the importance of courage and innovation in HR ---- 📬 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

Laura Putnam, CEO & Founder of Motion Infusion, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about the state of wellbeing, why managers are our greatest hope in getting workplace wellness to work, and the 3 simple actions every manager can take to promote wellbeing on their team. ---- Want to be one of the 10 founding members of MPL? Apply here. ---- (1:10) Good news stories (9:14) Laura’s journey and how that led her to found Motion Infusion (13:14) Getting every person and team in motion (15:00) Laura’s daily wellness practice (16:10) We’re creatures of culture and environment (18:09) The current state of wellbeing & the massive “knowing and doing” gap (23:28) Creating mini “blue zones” in your company (24:57) The biggest blocker to promoting wellbeing in the workplace (30:22) Managers are our greatest hope in getting workplace wellness to work (37:44) The 3 key calls action for managers (40:00) Using nudges and cues to promote wellbeing (48:46) 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

Samantha Simmons, SVP, People & Culture at Spurs Sports & Entertainment, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  We talked about how the Spurs are redefining their Employee Value Proposition, the work they're doing to move towards a more unified culture, and what the phrase "pounding the rock" means for their organization. ---- This episode was brought to you by Pyn. Get access to their Employee Journey Designer here. ---- (2:38) Good news stories (8:15) Samantha’s story (16:40) Spurs Sports & Entertainment is more than just the San Antonio Spurs (19:20) Why we should be jealous that she gets to work for the Spurs (21:25) Change management is all about prioritization, transparency, communication, and connection (23:06) Even the sports industry is having to change for it’s people (25:50) The culture of change and innovation within the Spurs organization (28:07) How Samantha prioritized the work when she joined the Spurs (29:44) Her style of play in HR (31:00) The design of their people team (33:47) Defining the employee value proposition for the Spurs (37:24) Aligning the culture of the separate entities (San Antonio Spurs, Austin Spurs, and San Antonio FC) to the overarching Spurs organization (40:50) Working towards a unified culture (43:00) What “pounding the rock” looks like at the Spurs (46:50) 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

AJ Thomas, Global People Leader, Board Member, & Award-Winning Children’s Book Author, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  She shared a framework for getting back to the basics in HR, why we need to “throw away the career path”, and the 1 lesson every adult would take away from AJ’s children’s book about teams. ---- This episode was brought to you by Pyn. Go check out Pyn’s list of 50 over 50 Women in Tech. ---- (2:08) Good news stories (7:02) AJ’s story (14:00 What pulled AJ into the HR world (18:03) AJ is a “Chaos Pilot” (22:12) Everyone is actually an HR leader  (26:40) A framework for getting back to the basics: Philosophy, Process, & Practice (31:30) “Unrecruiting” at X (37:45) AJ says we need to throw away the career path (44:54) The Four immutable laws of the spirit (50:00) AJ wrote a book for kids about teams (51:08) The 1 lesson every adult would take away from AJ’s children’s book about teams (53:30) 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

Q Hamirani (Chief People Officer, Paper) and David Hanrahan (Chief People Officer, Flare) joined us on The Modern People Leader.  We talked about HR’s role in driving your company’s AI strategy, the best use cases for AI in HR, and why you need a solid data strategy first. ---- This episode was brought to you by Deloitte. Download their FREE Generative AI and the Future of Work report.  ---- (1:17) Good news stories (8:12) How the SXSW AIHR event came to fruition (16:22) You need a data strategy before you can have a real AI strategy (23:37) Whose responsibility is it to drive AI in the company (25:51) How HR leaders can identify where to invest in AI efforts  (31:33) We’re still very much in the innovation cycle of AI in HR (36:00) Using AI for Talent Development (38:56) There’s a lot of noise in the AI HR space right now (40:06) The best use cases for AI in HR that came out of the workshop (43:00) The one thing all people leaders need to hear about Generative AI in the workplace ---- 📬 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

Stacey Nordwall, VP of People Strategy at Pyn, discusses the burnout cycle in HR, advice for exhausted people leaders, and questions to vet people-first orgs during interviews. She also touches on the evolving role of HR leaders, red flags in the interview process, and the importance of asking specific questions to evaluate company culture.

Dena Upton, Head of People at Dandy, discusses her value framework for evaluating career moves, employee value proposition at Dandy, and their path to profitability providing career equity. Topics include building brand muscle, skills meritocracy, and connecting corporate with manufacturing employees.

Colleen McCreary, a 6x Chief People Officer turned VC, discusses the importance of looking beyond spreadsheets in VC, the lesson of profitability giving freedom, and the need for more HR professionals in VC. She shares insights on thinking like an investor, similarities between recruiting and deal-making, and the state of HR. The podcast unveils the value of human judgment in decision-making, emphasizing the limitations of data-driven analysis in HR and venture capital.

Anessa Fike, Author & “Queen of Fractional HR”, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  We talked about what’s contributed to her success as a fractional people leader, why it’s hard to move the needle in HR, and why we need to stop going through motions in HR. ---- If you’re an HR leader that’s trying to uplevel your managers’ 1x1 meetings, check out Leapsome’s FREE Meeting’s Module. ---- (1:33) Good news stories (8:54) Anessa’s story (17:44) The more open you are to the universe, the more opportunities you will see (19:47) What’s contributed to her success as a fractional people leader (23:00) The state of the union for HR  (25:50) It’s hard to move the needle in HR because it’s set up that way (29:06) The Revolution of Work: Fuck the patriarchy and the workplace it built (31:41) Stop going through the motions as an HR leader (38:40) Why CEOs are more prone to listening to a fractional executive over their people leader (40:55) You’re allowed to be way bolder as a fractional HR leader (44:20) The real reason she thinks there’s a disconnect between CPOs and CEOs (50:27) We need to step away from fear based leadership (52:40) Where to get her new book (53:47) 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

David Hanrahan, Chief People Officer at Flare, shares insights on testing team performance reviews, lessons from a survey to first-time CPOs, and the value of seeking mentorship from executives outside HR. Topics include rebuilding culture, AI emergence, handling layoffs, and actionable feedback from reviews.