The Modern People Leader

Career advice for HR pros from 21 Chief People Officers & work experts ⬇️ 1. Try a different approach to HR (Melanie Naranjo, VP of People, Ethena) 2. Take your time (Helen Russell, Chief People Officer, HubSpot) 3. Don’t be so money-obsessed (Nick Bloom) 4. Make more mistakes (Katya Laviolette, Chief People Officer, 1Password) 5. Ask more critical questions (Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer, Workweek) 6. Create a leadership style portfolio (David Landman) 7. Treasure your relationships (Don Robertson) 8. Do what you love (Vanesa Cotlar, VP of People, PolicyMe) 9. Don’t let ambition take over (Alex Seiler) 10. Stay curious (Annie Dean, VP Team Anywhere, Atlassian) 11. Failures are growth accelerants (Melanie Rosenwasser, Chief People Officer, Dropbox) 12. Do things outside of HR (Rich Jacquet) 13. Get a hobby (Cara Brennan Allamano) 14. Run your own race (Katie Burke, Chief People Officer, Harvey) 15. Be careful who you get advice from (Christine Song, Chief People Officer, Knix) 16. Supporting roles are ok (David Hanrahan, SVP of People Success, SolarWinds) 17. Be bold (Katherine (Kate) C Parente) 18. It’s just work (Jim Bartolomea) 19. Trust the process (Lars Schmidt) 20. Bet on yourself (Brandon Sammut, Chief People Officer, Zapier) 21. Embrace your authenticity (Pat Wadors, CHRO, Intuititve) All of this & way more is free for your ears on The Modern People Leader podcast --> link in the comments to sign up for our weekly newsletter. 😊 #HR #Chiefpeopleofficer #humanresources #hrpodcast #careeradvice

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting in HR today? Starting this week, we’re asking new rapid-fire questions at the end of each episode, and this was one of them. 👆🏼 So far, the one response we’ve gotten is: “In addition to getting payroll and total rewards experience, what I would say is, the culture of any organization is not defined by the sign on the wall, it's defined by the worst behavior that any leader in your organization will tolerate. So address bad behaviors, because they will define your culture so much faster than the company can.” What’s the one piece of advice you would give to folks just starting out in HR? Drop your answer in the comments! P.S. Shout out to David Scott (Chief People & Administration Officer at ADT) for letting us use him as our guinea pig for these new questions. His episode will be out in the next few weeks! #HR #HumanResources #Podcast #HRpodcast #ChiefPeopleOfficer #CHRO

It’s been almost a month off from LinkedIn over the holidays, which was GREAT! 2025 has come in hot for The Modern People Leader (in a great way), so it’s nice to be back. Following Daniel Huerta’s lead, here’s a quick catch-up on what I've been up to while offline: 🥁 Picked up drumming again after a 17 year hiatus—feels amazing to get back into it! ⛷️ Took some time to completely unplug during our family holiday trip to Bend, OR, and had an awesome time skiing at Mt. Bachelor. 💍 My fiancée Sarah and I had a detailed planning conversation for our wedding later this year. 🔥 Kicked off 2025 with a record sales week at MPL—we're seeing exciting traction across media and consulting businesses 🌟 Daniel and I also wrapped up our final picks and announced the inaugural 2025 MPL Awards! On the last point, here’s a rundown of my MPL Awards picks: 🏆 Best Hang – Brené Brown, Founder & CEO at Brené Brown Education and Research Group Having Brené on the show was one of those “pinch-me” moments. But beyond my fan-boy excitement, it was her honest reflections on leadership that made this one special. We talked about vulnerability, leadership, and the complexities of being a CEO. And I’ll never forget her quote: “Every day is leg day”—can’t do squats now without hearing that in my head. 😂 🏆 Innovator of the Year – Melanie Rosenwasser, Chief People Officer at Dropbox Melanie truly impressed me with her approach to operational innovation at Dropbox. From async-first workflows to redefining in-person team meetings, she and her team brought fresh thinking to how remote-first work can thrive. I quoted this episode for months after it dropped. 🏆 Data Hero – Nick Bloom, Professor of Economics at Stanford University Nick’s research on remote work is unmatched. He shared his fascinating research on how remote work exploded during COVID and how that shift continues to shape the workplace today. His insights on the complexities of return-to-office policies were eye-opening. Plus, his ability to explain complex data simply made him my pick for this award. 🏆 CEO Whisperer – Hannah Yardley, CHRO at Achievers Hannah’s decision-making framework is genius. She broke down the big people decisions into three clear buckets: CEO-driven, joint CEO-CHRO, and SLT-wide collaborations. So simple, yet so effective for making sure everyone stays aligned. These were such hard decisions to make and there are too many honorable mentions to list out. If you want to listen to the full episodes and hear Daniel's choices, see the link in the comments👇 I’m curious—who would YOU nominate for these awards? Let me know! #MPLAwards #HRLeadership #PeopleOps #HRTech #Leadership #Innovation

Time isn't a resource you can stretch to achieve more. We can't just create a 25th hour in the day. And expecting employees to work longer for your goals isn't a sustainable performance strategy. Joshua Siegal says that we're already at the limit of the time we can dedicate. That's why he's a big fan of The Energy Project, which applies the science behind high-performing athletes to corporate life. Their core idea is that our energy fluctuates. We follow an ultradian rhythm, sustaining high performance for only about 90 minutes. This could involve various activities, from working out to coding. After this period, performance dips and we need to recharge. ____ 🔔 Want more MPL content? Sign up for our weekly newsletter in the comments. #HR #HumanResources #Podcast #ChiefPeopleOfficer #ModernPeopleLeader

"If you talk to any venture or private equity firm right now, the biggest thing they're driving is every one of our portfolio companies must have an AI strategy." That's what Steve Cadigan had to say when he joined us on the pod last year. Here's where he would start: 1️⃣ Look around and ask, "Who knows AI in our organization?" If the answer is no one, then it's time to bring in partners to form a council to help build that strategy. 2️⃣ Start with low-hanging fruit to build confidence. Find departments or teams that are comfortable with adopting new technology and have a high experience level. These are the sandbox areas where experimentation won't wreck anything substantial. Now, what would he do with a blank check? "I'd start by raising awareness of the talent we have in the company. It's frustrating when organizations say they have a recruiting problem but can't provide a list of every employee's skills. How do you know you have a recruiting problem if you don't know the skills of every employee?" ___ 🔔 For more HR insights like these, sign up for our weekly newsletter in the comments. #HR #CHRO #Peopleleader #chiefpeopleofficer #podcast #hrpodcast #AIHR #AI

Here are the winners of our 2024 MPL Awards: 1️⃣ The CEO Whisperer: Brandon Sammut & Hannah Yardley 2️⃣ The Best Hang: Hebba Youssef & Brené Brown 3️⃣ The Data Hero: Annie Dean & Nick Bloom 4️⃣ The Innovator: Melanie Rosenwasser & David Hanrahan Check out the full article to see what we talked about with each winner on their episode. And if you missed any of these episodes, I highly recommend giving them a listen! #HR #CHRO #ChiefPeopleOfficer #podcast #HRpodast #modernpeopleleader

Every now and then, we have a guest who completely blows our minds—and we end up talking about them for months. That’s exactly how we described "The Innovator" award during our 2024 MPL Awards episode. My pick: David Hanrahan (Chief People Officer, Flare) David Hanrahan’s built different. Whether he’s rethinking performance management or shaking up how we look at comp, he always brings a fresh perspective. One of his standout contributions? Team performance reviews. He first piloted this concept at Eventbrite, then refined it at Flare. The idea is simple: What if performance management isn’t about individuals but about teams? David shared how they approached measuring team performance and redefined what “high-performance” means. When you’ve got thought leaders like Steve Cadigan calling David “the future of HR,” you know he’s earned this title. Stephen’s pick: Melanie Rosenwasser, Chief People Officer at Dropbox While David pushed the envelope on rethinking HR concepts, Melanie wowed us with her operational innovation. Melanie and her team at Dropbox tackled the challenges of a virtual-first working model with precision and creativity. Here’s what stood out: • Async-first workflows: Building a culture where asynchronous communication is the default. • In-person strategy: Defining when and how teams should meet IRL to maximize impact. • Measuring success: Melanie didn’t just talk about what they were doing—she shared how they were tracking and evaluating the results. The level of detail she brought was matched by very few. For all our MPL listeners out there, who’s your “innovator of the year”? Drop your pick.👇 Link to the full episodes in the comments. #HR #CHRO #ModernPeopleLeader #ChiefPeopleOfficer #Podcast

E-Learning is the New VHS Tape. That's what Michelle Kay, VP of Learning & Development at Albertsons had to say when she joined us on the pod: "E-learning is dead. It’s like the modern equivalent of rolling in the TV-VCR combo and making a room of people watch a training video. We know it’s outdated, but there’s no clear replacement yet." She sees two major shifts coming for L&D: 1️⃣ End of one-size-fits-all Employees are used to self-selecting content that resonates with them, and L&D programs need to adapt to this reality. 2️⃣ Way less e-learning She feels like e-learning is stale and ineffective for many. But what’s next? Michelle admits there isn’t a perfect solution yet, but the shift away from e-learning is already underway. ___ 🔔 For more HR insights like these, sign up for our weekly newsletter in the comments. #HR #HumanResources #Podcast #ChiefPeopleOfficer #Chieflearningofficer #LearningAndDevelopment

Cheat code for creating a high-performing org 👇 It's just 3 E's. 1️⃣ Education • Teach your team the how and why. • Give them with the tools and knowledge to excel at their jobs. • Explain the impact of their work. • Let them teach back and grow their skills. 2️⃣ Experience • Go beyond cookie-cutter opportunities. • Customize experiences for each team member based on their strengths, interests, and ambitions. • Give them challenges that resonate and help them grow—no one-size-fits-all here. 3️⃣ Exposure • Open doors to the future. • Connect your team to the right people, places, and opportunities. • Help them see what’s next and how to get there. Are you hitting all three E’s with your team? Shout out to Robert H. Johnson Jr. for breaking this down for us. ___ 🔔 For more HR insights like these, sign up for our weekly newsletter in the comments. #HR #HumanResources #ChiefPeopleOfficer #CHRO #Podcast #Culture

3 reminders for all of the busy HR leaders out there as we kickoff 2025: 1️⃣ Prioritization Over Panic Every Sunday, Colin practices “Do it, Defer it, Delegate it, Delete it.” A simple system. Big impact. Anxiety fades, clarity sharpens, and the week begins without dread. 2️⃣ Strategy, From the Ground Up People and culture aren’t checkboxes—they’re the foundation. Colin’s team designs strategies collaboratively, ensuring talent, engagement, and DEI initiatives align with organizational goals and staff needs. No top-down mandates. 3️⃣ Feedback Loops That Build Trust In the absence of facts, narratives emerge. Colin keeps ears to the ground by creating safe spaces for continuous feedback. Listening isn’t enough—it’s about using insights to inform decisions and building evangelists for the work. Link to the full episode in the comments. #HR #CHRO #ChiefPeopleOfficer #humanresources #podcast