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The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR: Daily Summaries Delivered
by The Modern People Leader
Listen to interviews with CHROs, Chief People Officers, and other work experts on how they're pioneering the way that we work. They share what's working, what's not, and how they've gotten to where they're at in their careers.
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- Yesterday1h 0m
318 - The #1 Place To Work in The World: Laura Fuentes (CHRO, Hilton)
Laura Fuentes, CHRO at Hilton, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about Hilton’s hospitality mindset, why great leaders should operate like great hosts, and how Hilton scales culture, listening, recognition, and purpose across more than 500,000 team members.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl🔗 Explore the 2026 Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report🔗 Learn more about SixFiftyMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- Behind the Scenes of the Hospitality Mindset Report Reintroducing a More Optimistic Narrative About Work Hilton’s Four Culture Pillars: Inclusion, Wellness, Growth and Purpose Culture Is the Accumulation of Small Moments Leaders Should Think Like Chief Host Officers Moving From AI Anxiety to AI Agency Why Nuance Does Not Scale Easily Across Global Teams Why Leadership Is Energy Management, Not Just Time Management Scaling the Systems and the Soul of the Company The One Conversation That Sparked Hilton’s Crisis Concierge Program Why Hilton’s General Managers Are the Global Leaders the World Needs Now The Soul of Hilton: Purposeful, Hospitable, Gritty and Competitive Giving Away One Million Room Nights to Medical Professionals Helping Furloughed Team Members Find New Jobs During the Pandemic---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
- 1 weeks ago41 min
What Job Is Your Job Doing (Purpose and Work): Jessica Zwaan
Jessie Zwaan, author of Purpose and Work and Built for People, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why the old purpose-at-work narrative is breaking, how people relate to work through jobs, careers, and callings, and why HR leaders need to rethink how they build meaning into work.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- Why Jessie Wrote Purpose and Work The Question That Sparked the Book: What Job Does Your Job Do for You? The Three Research Pillars Behind the Book Why People Are Questioning Work More Than Ever The Rise of Mission Statements, Values Walls and “Changing the World” Messaging How AI, Layoffs and Recession Broke the Purpose Narrative The Three Job Orientations: Job, Career and Calling Why Purpose Alignment Does Not Automatically Mean Higher Performance Why Seeing Work as “Just a Job” Can Still Drive High Performance Matching Workplace Programs to Employee Purpose Profiles How Writing Purpose of Work Changed Jessie as a Person and Leader What Holds HR Leaders Back From Changing the Purpose Narrative? The Employee Who Thought She Was Broken Because Purpose Did Not Motivate Her How False Purpose Narratives Can Silence and Hurt People---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
- 2 weeks ago56 min
316 - Doing things that don’t scale but actually matter: Daniel Bay, Chief People Officer at Underdog
Daniel Bay, Chief People Officer at Underdog, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why HR teams in hypergrowth should stop copying big-company playbooks, how Underdog invests deeply in manager coaching, and why impact matters more than activity.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Explore the 2026 Deloitte Human Capital Trends ReportMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- The Misconception About Hypergrowth HR Why Startups Should Not Copy Google, Meta or Big-Company HR Playbooks Pick One or Two Things That Do Not Scale But Actually Matter Why World-Class Managers Are the Biggest Unlock at Underdog The Case for Giving Every Manager a Coach Rethinking One-Size-Fits-All Performance Processes Running HR Like a Political Campaign Why Impact Matters More Than Activity Why the People Team Should Never Become a Drag on the Business The Simple Test: Will Employees Actually Want to Do This? Rethinking Overly Structured Interview Processes Why Daniel Would Not Hire a Traditional HR Leader Today Why Thinking Differently Is HR’s Competitive Edge in the Age of AI---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
- 3 weeks ago57 min
6 M&As Later: What this CPO has Learned (Nichole Viviani, Chief People, Culture & Change Officer at Global Payments)
Nichole Viviani, Chief People, Culture and Change Officer at Global Payments, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why culture makes or breaks M&A, how Global Payments aligned 27,000 people through “goals before roles,” and why leaders need to over-communicate through uncertainty.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Workforce at QuickBooks.com/workforce🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- Nichole’s Career Journey: From Commercial Leadership to HR & Change The Global Payments Merger & Combining Leadership Teams in Five Months Why Culture Makes or Breaks M&A Why Transformation Should Never Have a Start and End Date How to Keep What Made an Acquired Company Special Why Culture Is So Often Misunderstood During M&A Turning Company Values Into Behaviors and Non-Negotiables Why Truly Uniting Two Cultures Can Take Three Years Behind the Scenes of Global Payments’ Welcome Day “Goals Before Roles”: Creating Focus Before the Org Structure Is Final How 98% of 27,000 Employees Got Goals During Uncertainty Focus on What You Can Control During Major Change Don’t Make Assumptions: Ask Questions and Stay Curious Building Momentum Through Tracking, Monitoring & Pulse Checks Turning an Uphill Marathon Into Achievable Sprints Managing Team Energy Through Psychological Safety How to Rally People and Protect Morale During Constant Uncertainty “In the Absence of a Narrative, People Will Find Their Own”---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
- 3 weeks ago58 min
314 - Building HR from Scratch: From Team of 3 to 40: Courtney Kolar (Chief People Officer, Neighborly)
Courtney Kolar, Chief People Officer at Neighborly, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how she helped build an HR function from a three-person team into a 40-person people organization, the People Services 2020 roadmap that created the foundation for scale, and why every company should operate as if it needs to be IPO ready.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Cloverleaf at cloverleaf.me/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- Courtney’s Career Journey: From Kohl’s Store Management to HR Neighborly’s Growth: From 600 Employees and 9 Brands to 1,600 and 28 Walking Into a Three-Person HR Team & Seeing the Blank Slate How the People Organization Grew to 40 Across HR, Comms & Facilities People Services 2020: The Four-Year Roadmap to Transform HR Building the Foundation: Going Digital, Organizing Policies & Adding Systems Manager Training, Change Management & the Resistance to More Structure The M&A People Integration Playbook: Inventory, Trust & Culture What Came After 2020: Pandemic Pivots & the Next Phase of the HR Roadmap What People Services 2030 Could Look Like in the Age of AI Reimagining Job Architecture for a Changing Workforce Why Every Company Should Operate Like It Needs to Be IPO Ready Courtney’s Personal Readiness Plan for the Next Stage of Leadership---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
- 4 weeks ago43 min
313 - The New Power Duo: CHRO + CTO (Sunaina Lobo, Chief People Officer, Omnissa)
Sunaina Lobo, Chief People Officer at Omnissa, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why the HR-IT partnership is becoming critical in the AI era, how Omnissa is approaching AI transformation with a small but mighty team, and what it takes to build an AI-first culture while maintaining trust and engagement.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforceMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- Sunaina’s Global Journey Across Eight Countries From Aspiring Jazz Singer to HR Leader The Power of Sponsors Over Mentors What Omnissa Does and Its AI-Driven Digital Work Platform Why the HR-IT Partnership Is the New Strategic Alliance Leading AI Transformation with HR and R&D Together How Omnissa’s AI Leadership Team Operates The “Small But Mighty” AI Transformation Team Early AI Wins Across Product, Marketing, and People Teams The Rise of Employees Who Reinvent Their Own Roles Lessons Learned from Omnissa’s AI Transformation Journey Building AI Fluency Across the Organization Overcoming Fear and Building Trust Around AI Adoption Why Thoughtful AI Rollouts Matter More Than Speed Reimagining Performance Management with AI Looking Ahead: Omnissa’s People Experience Strategy Development Days, Manager Excellence & Employee Growth Creating a Global Culture with Local Relevance The Return of Employee Engagement and Listening Programs ---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
- Jun 30, 20261h 5m
312 - How an Army General Mobilized a 30,000-Person Company to Build Talent from Within: Patricia Frost, Chief People & Places Officer, Seagate
Patricia Frost, Chief People and Places Officer at Seagate, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about her military-to-CPO journey, how Seagate built Talent Link to unlock internal mobility, and what it looks like to democratize AI across a global workforce.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Cloverleaf at cloverleaf.me/mpl🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Explore the 2026 Deloitte Human Capital Trends ReportMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- Patricia’s story: four generations of military service Transitioning from the military to civilian leadership Applying military team development principles to HR The internal mobility gap Patricia discovered at Seagate Building Career Discovery, now Talent Link, with Gloat Using AI to make the most of internal talent Shifting from “my team” to “Seagate’s talent” Training managers not to hold back internal talent Seagate’s company-wide AI implementation strategy Seagate’s AI Council, AI Collective, and AI Champions CEO-mandated transformational initiatives and BHAGs Creating an agent management system Redesigning jobs without replacing people Why AI agents won’t sit on Seagate’s org chart What it means to redesign job roles and workflows Seagate’s full job architecture review with Cobrainer Skills taxonomy and planning for future talent needs Why engineers are embracing job architecture---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
- Jun 26, 20261h 6m
311 - How Mejuri Runs: Operating Model, Biz Reviews & Decision Velocity (Kate Railton, Chief People Officer at Mejuri)
Kate Railton, Chief People Officer at Mejuri, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how Mejuri transitioned from e-commerce into retail, why they've decided to flatten the organization, and the business review cadences and operating model that allow them to move faster.---- Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mplMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.---- Kate’s Origin Story: Psychology, Sociology & Finding HR Joining Mejuri and Building People Ops from the Ground Up Why Founder-Led Businesses Are Addictive What Mejuri Does: Fine Jewelry for Everyday Celebration Mejuri’s Shift From E-Commerce to Retail Why Mejuri Flattened the Organization Diagnosing Decision Velocity, Clarity & Top-Heavy Management Span of Control, Broader Scopes & Founder Access Managing Employee Perception During Org Flattening Strategic Memo Writing and Business Reviews What Goes Into Mejuri’s Memo Template Training Leaders to Write Clear Strategic Narratives The Lasting Impact of Operating Cadences Mejuri’s Weekly, Monthly & Quarterly Business Review Rhythm How People Ops Connects to Strategic Pillars People QBRs, Retail Metrics & Org Health Signals The Amazon-Inspired Operating System Behind Mejuri’s Reviews HR Metrics CEOs and ELTs Actually Care About Tier One vs. Tier Two People Metrics The “So What?” Behind HR Reporting---- 📬 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---- Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
About The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR
Listen to interviews with CHROs, Chief People Officers, and other work experts on how they're pioneering the way that we work. They share what's working, what's not, and how they've gotten to where they're at in their careers.
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