This is a very special episode in partnership with the Institute for Corporate Productivity, also known as i4cp where I had the opportunity to attend their annual “Next Practices Now Conference” in Scottsdale Arizona.

Over three days, 500 HR leaders came to Scottsdale, where they were treated to over 25 different presentations and key notes by thought leaders and HR practitioners

I was fortunate to be able sit down to interview seven of those amazing speakers and bring their insights to you.

So who are those amazing speakers….:

• Prasad Setty, Lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business & former VP, People Ops and Workspace, Google

• Charlene Li, Bestselling Author & Founder & CEO, Quantum Networks Group

• Diane Gherson, former IBM CHRO, Board member of Kraft Heinz, Centivo and TechWolf

• Monica Pool Knox, who is a 2x CHRO, HR Tech Advisor, Board Director

• Sal Falletta, Professor for Human Resource Leadership and Organizational Science, Drexel University and author of “Creepy Analytics: Avoid Crossing the Line and Establish Ethical HR Analytics for Smarter Workforce Decisions”

• Elliott Masie, Chair, MASIE Learning Foundation

• Kevin Oakes, CEO, i4cp

Episode Sponsor:

BizLibrary - Where Learning Happens

How have employee attitudes about work shifted since the pandemic?

Why it is even more important than even that we build human-centric organizations?

My guest on this episode is Kate Bravery, Mercer’s Global Talent Trends Author and Ilya Bonic, President of Mercer's Career Business and Head of Strategy

During our conversation Kate, Ilya and I discuss:

• How to build a winning organization in what they are calling the “People Age”
• Why you should think of employees as contributors instead of workers
• How AI will amplify our intelligence and increase our productivity
• Why HR needs to lead the way on building an AI first culture and driving it’s adoption
• Examples of three companies that are implementing different innovative skills-first initiatives

Connecting with Kate Bravery & Ilya Bonic

Connect with Kate Bravery on LinkedIn

Connect with Ilya Bonic on LinkedIn

Learn more about “Work Different: 10 Truths For Winning in the People Age”

Episode Sponsor:

BizLibrary - Where Learning Happens

Why does it mean to be a built to last company, like Johnson and Johnson?

How can you build a talent pipeline that produces a deep bench of leaders?

My guest on this episode is Peter Fasolo, CHRO and Micheal Ehret, Head of Global Talent Management at Johnson & Johnson

During our conversation Peter, Michael and I discuss:

• The power of J&J’s Credo and how it has served as the organization’s north star for over 135 years.
• How CHROs and Heads of Talent can partner to create value for their organizations
• Why talent leaders need to have a point of view on the top 100+ leaders in their organization.
• Why every HR professional needs to think about their job in terms of the outcomes they deliver.
• How J&J is personalizing career journeys and using skills as the foundation for their mentoring programs.
• How Generative AI and the digital transformation of work will impact every organization’s people strategies

Connecting with Peter Fasolo & Michael Ehret

Connect with Peter Fasolo on LinkedIn

Connect with Michael Ehret on LinkedIn

Episode Sponsor:

BizLibrary - Where Learning Happens

When it comes to Learning & Development, why are we so focused on new bright shiny objects?

How can you improve the Return on Investment from L&D initiatives?

My guest on this episode is Noah Rabinowitz, VP Talent Development at Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Brian Hackett, Founder, The Learning Forum

During our conversation Noah, Brian and I discuss:

• Why L&D needs to stop being driven by trends and start being driven by common standards
• How HR leaders need to rethink the “value of time” when it comes to investing in learning
• Why “skill surging” is an faster and better alternative to implementing a skills-based organization
• Why you should be refining, not reinventing your L&D governance model
• Noah’s advice to next-gen L&D leaders who want to increase their influence and impact

Connecting with Noah Rabinowitz and Brian Hackett

Connect with Noah Rabinowitz on LinkedIn

Connect with Brian Hackett on LinkedIn

Learn more about the CLO LIFT and The Learning Forum

Episode Sponsor:

BizLibrary - Where Learning Happens

How can you master your mindset?

Why should you embrace and lean into the mantra “Do it Afraid”?

My guest on this episode is Sohee Jun, PhD, a premier leadership coach for successful women executives, a highly sought-after keynote speaker, leadership development expert and Amazon best-selling author

During our conversation, Sohee and I discuss the following:

• What she learned from researching successful women in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s
• Why having the right mindset is so powerful in overcoming challenges and achieving success
• How to build a “board of advocates” that will challenge and support you over the course of your career
• Why imposter syndrome impacts all of us and how to move past it
• What organizations can do to invest in and develop their female leaders
• Her advice for next-gen HR leaders who want to accelerate their career

Connecting with Sohee:

Sohee Jun, PhD on LinkedIn

Sohee’s website

Episode Sponsor:

BizLibrary - Where Learning Happens

What does it take to create a championship culture?

How can you create a compelling employee experience that drives engagement?

My guest on this episode is Shaun Mayo, Chief People Officer, Arizona Cardinals Football Club

During our conversation Shaun and I discuss:

• How he was “drafted” into an HR role early in his career
• What it is like to be a Chief People Officer in the NFL?
• How the organization is working to instill a championship culture on and off the field
• How they are redefining their values and what it means to be a Cardinal
• His advice for HR leaders who want to redefine their values and culture
• Why believes in creating a compelling employee experience is critical high performance and employee engagement

Connecting with Shaun Mayo

Connect with Shaun on LinkedIn

Episode Sponsor:

BizLibrary - Where Learning Happens

What makes someone a powerful communicator? 

Why does every HR leader need to master the art of communication?

My guest on this episode is Gabe Zichermann entrepreneur, public speaker, gamification expert, and author of “The A-HA! Method: Communicating Powerfully in a Time of Distraction”

During our conversation Gabe and I discuss:

• How the power of effective communication skills can help your career
• Why more is not better when it comes to communicating powerfully and effectively
• Why effective communication now requires a different skill set due to the daily distractions of technology
• How to create “AHA” moments in your presentations
• How gamification will help people develop the soft skills to be successful in the future of work
• Why friendships at work can be a foundation for high performance and employee engagement

Connecting with Gabe Zichermann

Connect with Gabe on LinkedIn

Learn more about Gabe’s speaking engagement, coaching, and books

Learn more about The A-HA! Method

What skills will be essential in the new workplace?

How can you and your organization adapt to the future of work?

My guest on this episode is Wagner Denuzzo, Future of Work Expert and Author of “Leading to Succeed: Essential Skills for the New Workplace,” Executive Coach, and HR start-up Advisor,

During our conversation Wagner and I discuss:

• Why he believes awareness, acceptance, and accountability are the keys to success in life and your career
• What a personal success profile is and how it can help accelerate your career
• What he calls the five D’s of the new workplace and why they matter
• Why he believes we should move away from performance management and move towards “project assessments”
• His “disruptive” coaching model and how to apply it

Connecting with Wagner DeNuzzo

Connect with Wagner on LinkedIn

Learn more about Wagner and Leading to Succeed. 

How can you align your personal purpose with your values? 

Why is “putting people first” not only the right thing to do, but also a great business strategy?

My guest on this episode is Sara Kelly, Chief Partner Officer, Starbucks

During our conversation Sara and I discuss:

• How her “personal purpose”has served as her north star throughout her career
• Why she believes that putting people first is critical to business success
• Why she believes you should be open to new opportunities and the power of saying “yes.”
• How Starbucks co-created their new values with input from their partners
• Her advice to HR leaders who are updating their organization’s values
• Why co-creation and an effective listening strategy is helping them to evolve their industry leading benefit offerings

Connecting with Sara Kelly

Connect with Sara Kelly on LinkedIn

What does it mean to be a coachable leader?

How can being a coachable leader future-proof your career? 

My guest on this episode is Kevin Wilde

During our conversation Kevin and I discuss:

• Why believes that “leaders teaching leaders” is critical to successful leadership development programs
• Why coachable leaders have a different mindset than less coachable leaders
• Why being coachable decreases as we age and advance in our careers
• How to overcome the seven faulty assumptions that low coachable leaders make 
• How Kevin’s “two question” technique helps leaders seek out feedback
• How to seek out and find a truth teller who can give you candid feedback
• What most people are doing wrong when receiving feedback and what you should do instead

Connecting with Kevin Wilde

Connect with Kevin Wilde on LinkedIn

Learn more about the The Coachable Leader and Kevin’s research