In this episode, Ali Nawab interviews Austen Allred, Founder of BloomTech. They talk about the intricacies of Bloom's two-sigma problem, the transformative potential of AI in education, and the unique challenges and opportunities in the global education landscape. Austen shares his personal journey, the mission behind BloomTech, and his thoughts on the evolving role of coding in the age of AI. This episode is packed with insights into how personalized, mastery-based education can create significant shifts in learning outcomes and career prospects.

[00:51] - Introduction

[01:20] - Bloom's Two Sigma Problem

[01:56] - The Experiment Details - effectiveness of one-on-one mastery-based tutoring

[03:57] - The Challenge of Implementation - the two-sigma solution hasn't been widely adopted in traditional education systems

[07:34] - AI as a Game Changer in Personal Tutoring

[10:30] - Ali's Experience with AI - reduced his workload in coding education

[13:25] - Traditional vs. Modern Education

[17:24] - Global Impact of BloomTech

[20:42] -Relevance of Coding Skills

[23:26] - Motivations Behind BloomTech

[27:14] - Pay-After-Placement Model

[30:04] - Addressing Criticism

[37:17] - Building a Strong Team

[42:55] - HR and Finance Alignment

[50:39] - Rapid Fire Questions- effective HR leadership, influential figures in Austen's journey, and top book recommendations.

[58:29] - Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

[01:08:14] - The Role of HR Leaders

[01:11:03] - Acknowledging Influencers

[01:13:37] - Final Thoughts and Closing

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

In this episode, Mackenzie Luong, Managing Director at Accenture, discusses the operating model and organization design with the host Ali Nawab. Their conversation revolves around reinventing workplaces by blending AI with human-centered organizational design.

Mackenzie shares her unique perspective on the role of organizational design in the current and evolving businesses around the globe. Having started her career path in strategy and chain management streams, Mackenzie grew interested in understanding not just how organizations function, but also why they operate the way they do—later practicing Organizational Design in San Francisco.

She also discusses the potential and the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in decision-making processes within organizations and her take on them replacing human communication and decision-making. This episode will help you gain insights into how organizational design can shape the future of work and the skills required to meet business goals.

 00:56 - Introduction

1:33 - Difference Between Organizational Design and Operating Model

2:50 - Inspiration behind choice of field

5:39 - Importance of Participatory Nature in Org Design Past vs Now

10:05 - People-Centric Approach

13:20 - Obvious Things About Org Design

16:45 - Executives Say About Structure

18:30 - Impact of AI on Org Design 

22:00 - Role of AI in Decision-Making

27:10 - Adapting to The Time Being Saved by Technology

29:12 - Planning Future Skills and Operating Model

32:12 - Need for Org Designers

35:35 - Design Thinking and Application in Operating Model

40:30 - Feedback and Process of Operating Model Activation

43:03 - Secrets of Chocolate Chip Cookie

46:07 - Mackenzie’s Work-Life Balance with Travel

In this episode of Ali's Boardroom, the host Ali Nawab engages in an interesting conversation with Nick Kennedy, Chairman of the Workforce Planning Institute. Nick shares his remarkable career trajectory, from being a mechanical engineer and later developing an interest in recruitment "the people side of work". It was during his tenure as a recruiter that Nick found himself drawn to the analysis of workforce management, ultimately leading him to his current role as Chairman of the Workforce Planning Institute. Nick highlights the importance of strategic workforce planning and data consistency in today's business world. He stresses the role of data analytics in making informed decisions. He delves into the keys to success in workforce planning and the potential impact of AI and automation on the future of work. Additionally, he shares his involvement in triathlon as a personal interest. 

00:00 - Introduction 

2:36 - Inspiration to get into the workforce planning field 

05:42 - Importance of accuracy in strategic workforce planning 

9:50 - Handling workforce analytics and planning 

13:00 - The process of strategic workforce planning 

18:50 - Capability mapping and how it fits into workforce planning 

23:15 - Key to enabling successful people 

28:33 - Defining successful strategic workforce planning in 2024 

33:00 - Impact of AI and automation on workforce planning 

36:30 - Nick’s triathlon journey

In this episode, Mark Putrus, Chief People Officer at Nativo, takes us on a journey from his early days in sales to becoming a maestro in orchestrating people and culture. He unfolds the challenges of remote work adaptation, revealing how modern workplaces are reinventing themselves.

Mark brings a fresh perspective to the table. He discusses the secret sauce of psychological safety in teams and the art of balancing compassion with performance in leadership. He paints a picture of the future where Chief People Officers are the new rockstars in CEO roles and boardrooms.

This episode isn't just a treasure trove for HR enthusiasts and business leaders; it’s for everyone keen on the strategic impact of human resources in shaping the future of businesses. Expect an enlightening discussion on leadership, culture, and the transformative power of HR in driving organizational success and innovation.
 

Mark's Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/markputrus

[00:00] Introduction

[03:09] The role of HR in business

[05:34] Misconceptions about HR

[06:35] HR business partner role

[08:48] Workplace operating systems

[11:01] Reimagining workplace collaboration

[13:17] Effective workforce management

[15:27] Debating the return to work

[17:46] Flexibility in performance reviews

[19:10] Discovering productive work patterns

[21:34] Growth and downsizing in companies

[25:04] Layoffs and leadership accountability

[26:32] Executive compensation and ethics

[28:52] Balancing risk and responsibility in business decisions

[31:37] The role of HR in strategic workforce planning

[34:52] Aligning HR, finance, and decision making

[36:34] Importance of HR-finance relationship

[38:47] Storytelling in leadership and HR

[41:11] Compassion and performance in organizations

[43:33] Cultural impact of leadership style

[46:02] Unlocking the 'frozen middle' in organizations

[47:46] Addressing challenges in crises

[51:01] Coaching opportunities in crisis

[54:41] Parting thoughts

On this week's episode, Ali sits down with Kumar Anshu, the global head of organizational effectiveness and workforce planning at OLX Group. Kumar is an accomplished HR professional with more than 13 years of enriching experience across diverse HR functions and industries. His journey has taken him from steering Factory HR operations to architecting global HR strategies and supporting acquisition deals.

Expect to learn the benefits of aligning HR with the business strategy, how to get HR and finance to work together, why all HR professionals cannot afford to ignore the numbers, and much more!

Kumar’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anshu-kumar25/?originalSubdomain=in

[00:00] Introduction

[02:37] How to solve alignment issues in an organization

[07:30] Why clarity is crucial for organizational success

[11:43] Tips on how to achieve consistent organizational alignment

[17:04] The benefits of integrating HR into the business strategy

[22:37] Things every HR leader must do to succeed

[29:44] HR and finance: Designing the perfect alignment tool

[33:37] Intelligent decision-making: A must-have skill for all HR leaders

[35:27] The fast-evolving role of HR in the age of AI

[39:19] Advice for traditional HR leaders in the modern HR landscape

[44:1o] Demystifying common HR stereotypes

[48:44] Workforce planning: What it means and why you should care

[53:02] The ultimate HR-Finance collaboration tool

[56:37] What workforce planning is not

[58:00] The three main pillars of HR success

[58:50] Parting thoughts

Why did Ali decide to build Agentnoon? Like most founders, Ali had lived a problem and was driven by frustration and passion to create a solution.

In this video, Ali shares the main stories behind Agentnoon and how the design and workforce planning software enables executives and people leaders to build more efficient organizations aligned to business outcomes.

[00:00] Why Ali decided to build Agentnoon

[02:00] Stories that shaped Agentnoon

[2:07] Story #1

[03:14] Story #2

[05:20] Story #3

[08:22] A CEOs ultimate superpower

Wouldn't it be nice if CEOs, HR, and finance people had a control panel? A type of tool that gives them a high-level summary of their key operational metrics and makes it easier to make decisions based less on gut feelings and more on quantifiable data.

Well, such a tool exists. In this video, Ali shares how finance leaders can supercharge organizational design and workforce planning with data-driven insights.

[00:00] What is the future of HR leaders?

[02:08] The relationship between HR and finance

[03:06] The control panel for CEOs and leadership teams

On this week's episode, Ali sits down with Debbie Plager, an Organizational Strategist and Executive Coach at The Plager Group, a strategy consulting and executive coaching firm that works with individuals, teams, and organizations. Debbie is passionate about driving sustainable business results through people-centric strategies and change management to make a true difference.

Expect to learn the biggest challenge with organizational alignment, workforce planning best practices, how HR-finance collaboration can drive business success, and much more!

The Plagergroup - https://www.theplagergroup.com/about/

Debbie's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsplager/

[00:00] Introduction

[02:07] How to solve the problem of organizational alignment

[06:02] The power of early employee involvement

[12:08] When faced with a lack of decision-making at the top

[15:51] Can finance and HR really get along?

[19:40] How to get HR and finance to speak the same language

[22:14] The best way to announce the closing down of an organization

[27:23] What is workforce planning, and why it's important

[31:30] Keep your workforce planning efforts up to date

[33:40] The Star Model for org alignment

[40:55] The future of HR in a world of AI

[44:50] Debbie's message to all HR practitioners

[45:17] Parting thoughts

Although HR speaks French, and Finance speaks German, they are often committed to the same end goal—a successful company and a thriving workforce. However, they approach these goals separately, relying on different insights, data, and strategies and, as a result, work off disconnected versions of truth.

In this video, Ali explores the start of Agentnoon through the context of the relationship between HR and finance and why they must work together as strategic partners.

[00:00] HR speaks French and finance speaks German

[02:05] How to get HR and finance to work together

HR speaks French, and Finance speaks German. So, how can CEOs get these two teams to work together?

We live in a world where it's no longer sufficient for HR and Finance to operate in isolated silos. In this video, Ali covers how HR and finance can learn to work together to ensure the organization's success.

[00:00] What's common between HR and finance?

[01:17] The 3 major roles of the finance department

[05:20] Understand that finance people love their spreadsheets