People Multiple

In this episode of People Multiple, host Gia Ganesh sits down with Hein Knaapen, a seasoned HR executive with more than 40 years of experience, to explore why organizations struggle to turn ambitious strategies into measurable business results and how leaders can close the gap between talent strategy and value creation.

Drawing from his experience at ING, where he led the people agenda for more than 53,000 employees across 45 countries, and decades of working with executive teams and boards, Hein challenges conventional thinking about leadership effectiveness, organizational transformation, and human capital management.

Hein explains why focus is often more about deciding what to stop than deciding what to start. From organizations juggling hundreds of strategic initiatives to leadership teams unable to agree on their most critical priorities, he reveals how complexity, competing demands, and unclear accountability can undermine even the strongest value creation plans.

Learn more about Hein Knaapen:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hein-j-m-knaapen-a879289
• Website: https://www.heinknaapen.com/
• YouTube: @HeinJ.M.Knaapen

The discussion also tackles questions…

• Why do so many organizational transformations fail to achieve their intended business outcomes?
• How can CEOs and CHROs identify the most critical priorities in a value creation plan?
• Why is strategic focus more about stopping initiatives than starting new ones?
• How can leadership teams recognize the early warning signs of a failing business transformation?
• Why do organizations struggle to identify the roles that create the greatest business value?
• How can companies identify and prioritize critical talent beyond the executive leadership team?
• Why does top talent often move toward organizational hierarchy instead of business opportunity?
• How should organizations allocate talent to maximize business performance and value creation?
• What role should boards play in CEO appointments and strategy execution?
• How can boards stress-test CEO appointments with the same rigor used for capital investments?
• What is a CEO mobilization plan, and how can it reduce leadership appointment risks?
• Why do leadership appointments fail despite a candidate's strong track record?
• How can private equity firms improve talent due diligence during acquisitions?
• What are the risks of relying on intuition when making critical executive hiring decisions?
• How does delaying difficult talent decisions affect business performance?
• Why do organizations struggle to translate strategic priorities into measurable employee performance?
• How should performance management evolve from retrospective evaluations to continuous performance improvement?
• What makes leadership development programs effective at improving organizational performance?

Key takeaways:

1. Successful Business Transformation Requires Strategic Focus on the Few Priorities That Create the Most Value
2. Talent Allocation Should Be Driven by Business Opportunities, Not Organizational Hierarchy
3. Critical Roles Outside the Executive Team Often Have the Greatest Impact on Business Value Creation
4. CEO Appointments and Executive Hiring Decisions Deserve the Same Rigorous Risk Assessment as Capital Investments
5. Effective Strategy Execution Depends on Clear Accountability, Measurable Deliverables, and Fewer Competing Priorities
6. Boards Must Identify Critical Talent Risks and Establish CEO Mobilization Plans to Support Business Performance
7. Leadership Development Programs Deliver Greater Value When They Build Practical Management Skills Aligned With Business Strategy
8. Frontline Manager Effectiveness Plays a Critical Role in Employee Engagement and Organizational Performance
9. CEOs, CFOs, and CHROs Must Align Human Capital and Financial Resources With Strategic Business Priorities
10. Delaying Difficult Talent Decisions and Overlooking Leadership Risks Can Undermine Long-Term Business Success

Similar episodes: 

Why Great Founders Struggle to Become Great CEOs: https://youtu.be/9nVND7lLGCU?si=D429cHBprFxdJQm5 

The Recruiting Engine Every Growth Company Needs: https://youtu.be/s5VW1vR69Qo?si=CzC3DZTwlXOSVhdP 

The People Strategy Behind a $24 Billion Integration: https://youtu.be/X-friEXJQbA?si=ctRVcVBHwMCNtPv_ 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

What makes a merger or acquisition successful? The financials may justify the deal, but leadership decisions, cultural alignment, and talent retention often determine whether the expected value is realized.

In this episode of People Multiple, host Gia Ganesh sits down with Jillian Moulton, Chief People Officer at Fabric, to explore the hidden people risks behind mergers and acquisitions and why even promising deals can struggle after closing.

With experience navigating multiple acquisitions, organizational integrations, and rapid business growth, Jillian shares how strategic talent decisions influence acquisition outcomes. From identifying leadership risks during M&A due diligence to integrating company cultures and retaining high-performing employees, she explains why the people side of an acquisition deserves the same rigor as financial and operational planning.

Connect with Jillian Moulton:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianmoulton/

The discussion also tackles questions…

• What are the biggest people risks in mergers and acquisitions?
• Why do some acquisitions fail to deliver their expected business value?
• How can leadership decisions make or break an acquisition?
• What should companies evaluate during HR and people due diligence?
• How can companies successfully integrate different organizational cultures after a merger?
• Why is the first six months after an acquisition so critical for employee retention?
• How can high employee retention rates hide problems with post-merger integration?
• Why do high-performing employees sometimes leave after an acquisition?
• How can compensation structures reveal cultural differences between merging companies?
• Which leadership decisions must be finalized before an acquisition closes?

Key takeaways:

1. Leadership Decisions Can Make or Break an Acquisition 

2. Talent Retention Doesn't Always Equal Acquisition Success 

3. The First Six Months After an Acquisition Are Critical for Employee Retention 

4. Company Culture Should Be Evaluated During M&A Due Diligence

5. Successful Post-Merger Integration Doesn't Require Every Company to Operate Identically 

6. Compensation Structures Reveal More About Company Culture Than Leaders Realize

7. Historical Employee Performance Doesn't Guarantee Future Success After an Acquisition

8. AI Adoption Should Be Measured by Business Outcomes, Not Just Usage 

9. Leadership Development Is a Long-Term Investment in Organizational Performance

10. Consistent Leadership Communication Builds Trust During Organizational Change

Similar episodes: 

The People Decisions That Make or Break M&A: https://youtu.be/wdzKjihV8BI?si=a6yGp2fyt4fAi6uk 

From Employee #16 to IPO: Lessons Every Growth Leader Should Know: https://youtu.be/4ZVvZpCgEzs?si=gw5vTSyVTrB4h8N6 

How One People Leader Increased Employee Retention from 30% to 80%: https://youtu.be/McDXzlcptN8?si=HInmmuhckmXI6wzr 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

In this episode of People Multiple, Gia Ganesh sits down with seasoned HR executive Jeri Hawthorne to explore why human capital decisions are often harder to connect directly to business performance and how people leaders can build a stronger case for the investments they know matter.

Drawing from her experience as CHRO of Aflac and across financial services, energy, insurance, and private equity-backed organizations, Jeri explains why the impact of people decisions often has a long tail. The challenge is not simply proving that people matter. It is identifying the business problem, defining success metrics, understanding the investment, and demonstrating how a human capital solution can improve business outcomes.

Jeri shares real examples of turning people initiatives into business solutions. At Aflac, employee wellness programs, on-site healthcare services, childcare, and career development resources helped address challenges such as absenteeism, turnover, employee engagement, and workforce availability. In another organization, a recruiting technology pilot designed to solve hiring bottlenecks ultimately generated nearly half a million dollars in savings while improving time to fill and candidate quality.

Learn more about Jeri Hawthorne:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerihawthorne
  
  

The discussion also tackles questions…

• How can HR leaders use low-cost pilots to prove the value of larger people investments?
• How can HR identify the right business champion for a new people initiative?
• Why should companies treat employees as a strategic business investment?
• How can employee retention create a competitive advantage?
• How can recruiting technology improve time to hire and reduce costs?
• How should HR measure the ROI of recruiting technology?
• How is AI changing the way organizations define work?
• Should companies use AI to replace work or enable employees to work differently?
• How will AI affect entry-level jobs and early-career development?
• What is AI-driven skill atrophy, and why should business leaders care about it?
• Should employee performance be measured by AI adoption as well as output?
• What human skills will remain important as AI becomes more capable?
• How should organizations redesign jobs and performance metrics for the age of AI?
• How should leadership assessments influence executive hiring decisions?
• Why do companies invest in employee assessments but fail to use the results effectively?
• How can organizations build stronger internal leadership pipelines?
• What are the risks of relying too heavily on external executive hiring?
• What people metrics should CEOs monitor most closely?
• Why should CEOs focus on turnover among critical talent rather than overall turnover?
• How should employers evaluate rising healthcare costs and their impact on employees?
• Should CHROs own AI transformation?
• How should HR and technology leaders collaborate on AI transformation?
• How can people decisions influence the success of mergers and acquisitions?
• How can companies preserve the right culture and talent during an acquisition?

Key takeaways:

1. Human Capital Investments Should Be Evaluated With the Same Rigor as Other Business Investments
2. HR Leaders Must Connect People Decisions to Measurable Business Outcomes
3. Employee Well-Being Investments Can Reduce Absenteeism and Strengthen Workforce Performance
4. Small HR Pilots Can Build the Business Case for Larger Strategic Investments
5. Retaining Critical Talent Creates a Long-Term Competitive Advantage
6. Recruiting Technology Can Improve Hiring Efficiency, Candidate Quality, and Return on Investment
7. AI Should Enable Human Work, Not Simply Replace It
8. AI Adoption Requires Organizations to Rethink Performance Metrics and Employee Development
9. Preventing Skill Atrophy Will Become Critical as AI Takes Over Foundational Tasks
10. Successful Mergers and Acquisitions Require Deliberate Decisions About Talent, Leadership, and Culture

Similar episodes: 

• The People Decisions That Make or Break M&A: https://youtu.be/wdzKjihV8BI?si=rPwpZDQcLdpBtkfs
• How One People Leader Increased Employee Retention from 30% to 80%: https://youtu.be/McDXzlcptN8?si=2W-WZkuBrnUxlekO 
• After 45 Acquisitions, These Are the Leadership Red Flags She Never Ignores: https://youtu.be/zRdL7itzrVc?si=KbXjpC9Hta6dcZXs 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

What happens when a CHRO brings a $200,000 humanoid robot into the workplace? And how do leaders determine whether AI is actually creating business value or simply adding another expensive tool?

In this episode of People Multiple, host Gia Ganesh sits down with Joseph Eitner, a seasoned HR executive whose career includes leadership roles at Disney, BlackRock, and Eton Capital Management, to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, human judgment, and strategic HR leadership.

Joe shares his experience introducing a humanoid robot named Bob into the workplace, navigating employee uncertainty, and evaluating the return on AI investments. His approach challenges a common assumption about digital transformation: implementing new technology doesn't automatically improve organizational performance.

Learn more about Joseph Eitner:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/JEkrollHR
• Website:https://bit.ly/HRjoe

The discussion also tackles questions…Will artificial intelligence replace human resources professionals?

• How can companies introduce AI into the workplace without creating fear among employees?
• What should executives consider before investing in AI and workplace automation?
• How can organizations measure the return on investment of AI technology?
• What role should human judgment play in AI-assisted hiring and recruitment?
• How can CHROs connect people decisions to business performance and enterprise value?
• Why is understanding the P&L essential for strategic HR leadership?
• How can HR leaders build a stronger business case for workforce investments?
• What can companies learn from Disney's workforce challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic?
• How can organizations break down silos between HR, finance, and operations?
• What are the risks of relying too heavily on AI-generated information?
• How can leaders distinguish meaningful AI transformation from simply purchasing new technology?
• Why are onboarding and offboarding critical components of talent strategy?
• How can HR leaders demonstrate their contribution to organizational performance?

Key takeaways:

1. AI Should Enhance Human Judgment, Not Replace It. 

2. Successful AI Adoption Starts With a Clear Business Objective. 

3. Employee Trust Is Critical to Successful Workplace Automation.

4. HR Decisions Are Business Decisions That Directly Influence Organizational Performance.

5. CHROs Must Understand the P&L to Become Strategic Business Partners. 

6. Strategic Workforce Investments Can Protect Business Operations During Disruption.

7. AI-Powered Recruitment Still Requires Human Oversight.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration Strengthens Business Performance.

9. Measuring HR's Business Impact Requires Connecting People Metrics to Organizational Goals.

10. Effective Talent Strategy Begins With Understanding the Business, Not Replicating Previous Solutions. 

Similar episodes: 

The People Strategy Behind a $24 Billion Integration | William Ingham: https://youtu.be/X-friEXJQbA?si=eWFA4Ttzae1rrMR2 

How to Redesign Work for AI Without Losing the Human Advantage: https://youtu.be/il1i_th6J3Q?si=QPOUve1IQa6lTXXa 

70% of Your Work Could Be Automated. What Happens Next?: https://youtu.be/DxJbWCHm2f4?si=GD0vl0d9ckj5RZgL 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

In this special compilation episode of People Multiple, Gia Ganesh revisits answers to the show’s signature question: What’s a talent decision that changed a business outcome, but no one in the room recognized it as a talent decision at the time?

Leaders including Lynee Luque, Steve Schloss, Marty Reaume, Payal Maheswari, Stephanie Bonnet, Michelle Byrd Robinson, Kaja Odegard, and Lynn Herrick reveal how seemingly operational and strategic choices can carry significant talent implications.

Together, these stories challenge the artificial divide between people strategy and business strategy. They demonstrate how leadership, organizational design, hiring, talent management, and culture can influence execution and company performance long before the impact becomes obvious in the numbers.

Watch the full interviews here:

• Lynee Luque: https://youtu.be/yXB7-GS0ahE?si=1mXYgYIwIX6d_rKB 
• Steve Schloss: https://youtu.be/9nVND7lLGCU?si=mzsQgtQ0VzIH9_-B 
• Marty Reaume: https://youtu.be/zRdL7itzrVc?si=UqWyBkYjexXAXxpn 
• Payal Maheswari: https://youtu.be/Wx35nZdJSXc?si=yOkKm-nYzNFs3K35 
• Stephanie Bonnet: https://youtu.be/McDXzlcptN8?si=wvhUjqAtg8E2qbGt 
• Michelle Byrd Robinson: https://youtu.be/s5VW1vR69Qo?si=R9sIJFqHbbakZ1XS 
• Kaja Odegard: https://youtu.be/4ZVvZpCgEzs?si=rATsohc9ed0wwZJi 
• Lynn Herricks: https://youtu.be/wdzKjihV8BI?si=dEhjc7AeRbzuYvvJ 

The discussion also tackles questions…

• What talent decisions have the greatest impact on business performance?
• How can an operational decision become a talent strategy decision?
• How do decision rights and ownership affect organizational speed?
• Are talent outcomes and business outcomes really separate?
• How do you decide who should lead the next stage of company growth?
• When should a founder or early employee transition out of a growing company?
• How can leaders handle an employee who is no longer the right fit for the company’s stage?
• How does remote work affect a company’s ability to recruit talent?
• What happens when leaders trust someone without traditional subject-matter expertise to lead a critical initiative?
• How can one strategic hire influence company culture beyond the role itself?
• How do hiring decisions affect representation and leadership opportunities?
• How can people strategy serve as an early indicator of business performance?

Key takeaways:

1. Talent decisions are business decisions, even when they are not labeled that way. Choices involving leadership, organizational structure, workplace strategy, hiring, and decision-making authority can have lasting effects on business performance.
2. Operational decisions can quietly reshape a company’s talent strategy. Lynee Luque’s experience shows how a real estate decision ultimately expanded access to talent beyond San Francisco and enabled a distributed workforce.
3. Clear decision rights can improve organizational speed and execution. Kaja Odegard explains how clarifying ownership and involvement helped unlock greater velocity, even though the underlying challenge was not initially viewed as a people issue.
4. People strategy and business strategy should not operate as separate functions. Michelle Byrd Robinson argues that talent outcomes and business outcomes are interconnected, with major people initiatives aligned directly to organizational objectives.
5. Choosing who leads the next stage of growth is one of a company’s most consequential talent decisions. Marty Reaume highlights leadership selection during scaling, transformation, and M&A integration as a people decision with significant business implications.
6. Leadership potential is not always defined by subject-matter expertise. Steve Schloss’s experience with the U.S. Open demonstrates how organizations may create better outcomes by identifying the person with the right skills to facilitate a critical process, rather than simply choosing the obvious expert.
7. The talent that helps build a startup may not always be the talent it needs to scale. Payal Maheswari discusses the difficult reality that an early employee’s skills or working style may no longer fit as the organization evolves.
8. Managing employee transitions with respect can protect both people and the business. When someone no longer fits the company’s stage, leaders can acknowledge that person’s contribution while helping them separate their identity from the organization and move toward what comes next.
9. One strategic hire can influence company culture far beyond a single role. Stephanie Bonnet describes how hiring a woman into a male-dominated engineering environment generated greater excitement around representation and influenced leadership’s approach to future hiring.
10. The full impact of a hiring decision may not be measurable on a spreadsheet. Lynn Herrick’s decision to hire the best candidate while she was eight months pregnant ultimately changed how women within the company viewed leadership, family, and their own opportunities, even though Lynn could not draw a direct line from that decision to financial ROI.

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

In this episode of People Multiple, Gia Ganesh sits down with Priti Patel, a people executive at G2 with a background in finance and conscious leadership coaching, to explore how people strategy, financial thinking, and AI transformation come together to shape business performance.

Priti challenges the idea that HR's primary responsibility is simply to represent the employee voice. Instead, she argues that people leaders must understand the business intimately and evaluate decisions through both a human and financial lens. From performance decisions and talent investments to compensation and organizational design, the goal is to create outcomes that work for employees while strengthening enterprise value.

The conversation explores G2's integration following its acquisition of Gartner Digital Markets, which nearly doubled the company's headcount and almost tripled its revenue. Priti explains why cultural integration deserves the same strategic attention as financial, legal, product, and sales integration, and why differences in language, leadership, and decision-making can create significant business costs when they are ignored.

Learn more about Priti Patel:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pritipatel1/
  
  

Mentioned in this episode: 

• G2 – Priti discusses G2's business, culture, AI transformation, talent strategy, organizational design, performance practices, and integration following the acquisition of Gartner Digital Markets.
• Peak by Chip Conley – The book that inspired G2's PEAK values: Performance, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Authenticity, and Kindness.
• Conscious Leadership – A leadership framework central to Priti's coaching background and G2's culture, focused in the conversation on presence, authenticity, self-awareness, and separating facts from personal interpretations.
• eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) – Used by G2 as a recurring measure of employee experience.
• INPS (Inclusiveness Net Promoter Score) – A metric Priti discusses using alongside eNPS to better understand whether employees feel that they belong and can be their authentic selves at G2.

The discussion also tackles questions…

• How can HR leaders connect people decisions to enterprise value?
• Why should people leaders understand financial statements and business economics?
• Can HR leaders balance empathy for employees with financial accountability?
• How can transparency make difficult performance and talent decisions more effective?
• Why is cultural integration critical to the success of mergers and acquisitions?
• How can companies successfully integrate two different organizational cultures after an acquisition?
• What does AI transformation look like inside the people function?
• How can companies measure AI fluency across their workforce?
• What AI skills should organizations look for when hiring talent?
• Do companies need full-time employees for every AI role?
• How can college students and apprentices become part of an organization's AI talent strategy?
• How should companies move from AI experimentation to measurable AI impact?
• How is AI changing organizational design and traditional career paths?
• What is a "super IC" career track, and why does it matter in the age of AI?
• Should AI talent be centralized or decentralized across an organization?
• Why does business context matter when deploying AI builders across teams?
• How can AI change the role of managers and individual contributors?
• What is the Inclusiveness Net Promoter Score (INPS), and how is it different from eNPS?
• How can organizations measure whether employees genuinely feel that they belong?

Key takeaways:

1. HR Leaders Must Connect People Decisions to Enterprise Value
2. Financial Acumen Helps People Leaders Balance Empathy With Business Performance
3. Transparency Makes Difficult People Decisions More Effective and Less Surprising
4. Cultural Integration Is a Critical Investment in Mergers and Acquisitions
5. AI Fluency Is Becoming a Core Workforce Competency Across Every Business Function
6. AI Talent Strategy Should Look Beyond Traditional Full-Time Hiring Models
7. AI Is Creating New Career Paths for High-Impact Individual Contributors
8. Decentralized AI Talent Can Accelerate Transformation by Combining Technical Skills With Business Context
9. Employee Belonging Should Be Measured Separately From Traditional Employee Engagement
10. Revenue per Employee Helps People Leaders Connect Workforce Strategy to Business Value

Similar episodes: 

70% of Your Work Could Be Automated. What Happens Next?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxJbWCHm2f4

From Employee #16 to IPO: Lessons Every Growth Leader Should Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZVvZpCgEzs&t=2s

How to Redesign Work for AI Without Losing the Human Advantage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il1i_th6J3Q 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

In this episode of People Multiple, Gia Ganesh sits down with Halai Shukran, an HR executive and COO whose career journey took her from broadcast journalism to talent management, people leadership, and ultimately business operations. Drawing from her experience in commercial technology, venture-backed companies, and government contracting, Halai explains why people leaders create greater business impact when they understand how talent decisions connect to revenue, delivery, margin, client risk, and growth.

Halai shares how developing systems thinking and business fluency helped her expand beyond traditional HR responsibilities into IT, quality, marketing, contracting, and operations. Rather than bringing HR activity to the executive team, she argues that people leaders should translate workforce issues into business choices and clearly articulate the trade-offs behind those decisions.

The conversation explores the unique economics of talent strategy in government contracting, where people are the product, recruiting capacity can protect revenue, and long procurement cycles require leaders to balance retention, overhead investment, delivery risk, and future growth. Halai also explains why employer brand matters even when employees leave, and how transparency can create alumni who refer talent, return to the organization, and strengthen its reputation.

Learn more about Halai Shukran:

• Halai’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halai-shukran/
• Pluribus Digital’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pluribusdigital/
• Pluribus Digital’s Website: https://pluribusdigital.com/
  
  

The discussion also tackles questions…

• How can HR leaders transition from people leadership into broader business operations and COO roles?
• What skills do HR leaders need to become effective business operators?
• How can people leaders translate HR decisions into revenue, margin, delivery, and business outcomes?
• Why is systems thinking an important skill for HR and people leaders?
• What business and financial knowledge should HR leaders develop to earn greater influence in the C-suite?
• How should people leaders communicate workforce risks and opportunities to CEOs and executive teams?
• How can companies effectively cascade business strategy as they scale?
• Why does clarity become increasingly important during organizational growth?
• How does talent strategy differ between venture-backed companies and government contractors?
• How do long government contracting procurement cycles affect hiring and workforce planning?
• How can government contractors manage employees who are temporarily on the bench?
• How do employee retention and employer brand affect business performance?
• Why can recruiting capacity be considered revenue protection rather than simply an HR cost?
• When should a growing CEO begin delegating people and operational responsibilities?
• Why do early managers become a company's operating system before a formal HR function exists?

Key takeaways:

1. HR Leaders Create More Business Value When They Translate People Problems Into Business Outcomes
2. Systems Thinking Is a Critical Skill for HR Leaders Moving Into Business Operations
3. Business Acumen Helps HR Leaders Earn Greater Influence in the C-Suite
4. Clarity Is One of the Most Important Principles for Scaling an Organization
5. Early Managers Become a Company's Operating System Before a Formal HR Function Exists
6. Talent Strategy Must Reflect the Economics of the Business Model
7. Recruiting Capacity Can Be Revenue Protection, Not Just an HR Cost
8. Employer Brand Is Built Through Transparency, Including When Employees Leave
9. AI Can Strengthen People Strategy, but It Cannot Replace Human Judgment
10. Curiosity Is One of the Most Undervalued Leadership Competencies

Similar episodes: 

• 70% of Your Work Could Be Automated. What Happens Next?: https://youtu.be/DxJbWCHm2f4 
• How to Redesign Work for AI Without Losing the Human Advantage: https://youtu.be/il1i_th6J3Q 
• Startup Hiring Lessons from Google: https://youtu.be/28bkrOkZU7w 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

In this episode of People Multiple, Gia Ganesh sits down with Shlomit Gruman-Navot, former Chief People Officer at OLX and Miro and co-founder of Prakti, to explore what real AI transformation looks like inside an organization. Drawing on 25 years of experience across HR, organizational transformation, and operating model design, Shlomit explains why leaders need to look beyond AI tools and usage metrics and focus instead on workflows, business outcomes, and value creation.

Shlomit challenges the traditional organizational chart as a way of understanding where work and accountability live in an AI-enabled company. As workflows increasingly move between humans and AI agents, she argues that leaders need to understand who owns the workflow, what should remain human, what can be augmented by AI, and what can be fully automated.

The conversation also examines the difference between AI adoption and genuine AI productivity. Shlomit explains why efficiency gains do not automatically translate into ROI, why AI can actually increase cognitive load when work is not redesigned, and why one of the most important questions leaders can ask is, “What have we stopped doing?”

Connect with Shlomit Gruman-Navot:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shlomit-gruman-navot/
• Join Practi: https://community.practicommunity.com/join?invitation_token=0ece52bfb59ed763a8ea48c9d28a29d690073f72-6470e37d-4722-4495-bb23-1cae56f02f63 
• Shlomit’s cohort for HR/People leaders called AI-Ready HR Leaders: https://practi-hr-leaders.lovable.app/ 

The discussion also tackles questions…

• How can companies tell the difference between real AI transformation and AI adoption theater?
• Why is AI adoption a poor metric for measuring business impact?
• How should boards measure the ROI of AI investments?
• What is the difference between AI-driven P&L impact and AI return on investment?
• How can companies redesign workflows around humans and AI agents?
• What work should remain human, what should AI augment, and what can be fully automated?
• Why are traditional organizational charts becoming less useful in AI-enabled organizations?
• What should leaders look at instead of the org chart to understand how work actually gets done?
• How can organizations determine whether they have the operating model required to execute their strategy?
• What should companies stop doing after implementing AI?
• Can AI increase employee workload instead of reducing it?
• How should HR leaders redesign performance management for an AI-enabled workforce?

Key takeaways:

1. AI Adoption Does Not Equal AI Transformation

2. Real AI Transformation Starts With Workflow Redesign, Not New Tools

3. Leaders Should Ask, “What Have We Stopped Doing Because of AI?”

ys Human, What AI Augments, and What AI Automates

6. AI ROI Should Be Measured Through Business Outcomes, Not Productivity or Usage Alone

7. HR Must Shift From Designing for Stability to Designing for Adaptability

8. AI Is Changing How Organizations Should Recognize and Reward Talent

9. Strong Talent Cannot Overcome a Fundamentally Broken Operating System

10. Many Business Problems Are Ultimately People Problems

Similar episodes: 

• The People Decisions That Make or Break M&A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdzKjihV8BI 
• The CEO Wanted a 5-Minute Layoff Call. She Said No.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx35nZdJSXc 
• The Recruiting Engine Every Growth Company Needs: https://youtu.be/s5VW1vR69Qo?si=iKUUZ14lYBKptuFU 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

In this episode of People Multiple, Gia Ganesh sits down with Will Ingham to explore how operating models, culture, leadership effectiveness, and people decisions directly influence business performance and enterprise value.

Drawing from his experience across organizations including Visa Europe, Oracle, Clorox, and his advisory work, Will explains why people are too often treated as a cost rather than a business asset. He shares how leaders can identify organizational friction by examining decision-making, information flow, leadership behavior, meeting structures, and what an organization chooses to reward.

Will also breaks down why an operating model is much more than an organizational chart. Governance, rewards, communication, decision architecture, rhythms and routines, and organizational structure all determine whether strategy can actually translate into execution.

Learn more about William Ingham:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willingham2030/
• Website: www.wewilltransform.com

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Culture: The Asses, The Alchemists, and AI by Will Ingham
• Thresholds by Dr. Andrew White and Andy Rumbles
• Moonshots with Peter Diamandis

The discussion also tackles questions…

• What do CEOs and boards misunderstand about the relationship between people strategy and enterprise value?
• How can leaders identify organizational friction before it compromises execution?
• What is the difference between normal growing pains and unhealthy organizational friction?
• How can organizational friction be measured?
• What does an effective enterprise operating model look like?
• Why is an operating model more than an organizational structure?
• How should talent strategy be integrated into business strategy and financial planning?
• How could AI reshape the operating model of the future?
• What does it mean to use dignity as a design principle during AI-driven workforce transformation?
• How should companies rethink severance and support employees displaced by AI?
• What signals indicate that a founder is becoming a bottleneck to organizational growth?
• How can investors evaluate whether a company's operating model can actually deliver its growth plan?
• What people risks are commonly underpriced during investments and acquisitions?
• What should investors look for during people and organizational due diligence?
• What people metrics are genuinely useful at the enterprise level?
• What information should a Chief People Officer present to a board to bring the same rigor as financial reporting?
• What signals show that an organization's culture is real rather than performative?

Key takeaways:

1. People Strategy Should Be Treated as an Enterprise Value Driver, Not Just a Cost

2. Organizational Friction Can Quietly Undermine Business Performance

3. An Operating Model Is Much More Than an Organizational Chart

4. Talent Strategy Should Be Built Into Business and Financial Planning

5. Culture Should Be Connected to Measurable Business Performance

6. The Best Chief People Officers Focus on Operating Model, Culture, and Leadership Effectiveness

7. Founder Bottlenecks Can Become a Serious Barrier to Scaling a Company

8. AI Is Becoming a Fundamental Operating Model Design Question

9. Dignity Should Be a Design Principle During AI-Driven Workforce Transformation

10. Organizational Design Can Play a Critical Role in Post-Acquisition Value Creation

Similar episodes: 

• The People Decisions That Make or Break M&A: https://youtu.be/wdzKjihV8BI?si=8lP6c8mfTFIOh_We 
• Why Great Founders Struggle to Become Great CEOs: https://youtu.be/9nVND7lLGCU?si=z77d3UCIEOf1cYW4 
• Startup Hiring Lessons from Google : https://youtu.be/28bkrOkZU7w?si=xNYEau-d-afDk8hY 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected] 

In this episode of People Multiple, Gia Ganesh sits down with Lynn Herrick, a former M&A lawyer, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Chief Operating Officer who has experienced acquisitions from both sides of the deal table. Lynn brings a rare perspective: she has helped build the diligence file a buyer scrutinizes and then lived with the operational reality of the deal after closing.

Drawing on her experience at GreatCall, which Best Buy acquired for $800 million in 2018, Lynn explores why traditional M&A due diligence often fails to examine how decisions are actually made, how work gets executed, and how two organizations will operate once the deal closes.

Lynn argues that companies routinely budget millions for technology integration while failing to dedicate meaningful resources to people and culture integration. The result can be months of organizational friction, leadership conflict, unclear decision rights, title and compensation battles, and employees operating from fear instead of focusing on value creation.

Learn more about Lynn Herrick: 

• Facebook: Lynn Kantor Herrick
• Instagram: lkherrick
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnkantorherrick/
• Website:lynnherrickart.com

Mentioned in this episode: 

• GreatCall / Best Buy Acquisition: https://corporate.bestbuy.com/2018/best-buy-acquires-greatcall-expanding-reach-in-health-space/

The discussion also tackles questions…

• What is people due diligence in mergers and acquisitions?
• Why is people diligence often overlooked during M&A?
• What questions should companies ask about leadership during M&A due diligence?
• Why should companies examine how decisions are made before an acquisition?
• How does company culture affect post-merger integration?
• What causes M&A integrations to fail after the deal closes?
• How can companies successfully integrate two different organizational cultures?
• What is the "boiled frog" approach to M&A integration, and why can it create problems?
• How should leaders communicate organizational changes after an acquisition?
• How can companies reduce employee fear and uncertainty during post-merger integration?
• Should companies budget specifically for people and culture integration after an acquisition?
• How can leadership coaching improve post-acquisition integration?
• How quickly can people-related problems begin affecting financial results after an acquisition?
• What should companies do when an acquisition underperforms?

Key takeaways:

1. People due diligence should receive the same rigor as financial, legal, and technology due diligence.
2. How a company makes decisions is one of the most important questions to ask during M&A due diligence.
3. Companies should budget for people and culture integration as part of the M&A deal thesis.
4. The "boiled frog" approach to post-merger integration can create unnecessary organizational friction.
5. People-related M&A problems can begin affecting business results within two quarters.
6. When an acquisition underperforms, leaders should revisit the original deal thesis before immediately cutting costs.
7. CHROs build credibility when they connect people initiatives to measurable business outcomes.
8. Workforce optimization should begin with the work, not a headcount target.
9. AI transformation is an opportunity for CHROs to lead enterprise-wide optimization.
10. A single talent decision can change an organization's culture in ways leaders may not immediately recognize.

Similar episodes: 

• The Recruiting Engine Every Growth Company Needs: https://youtu.be/s5VW1vR69Qo?si=6m2EdW15_0tBsReI 
• How One People Leader Increased Employee Retention from 30% to 80%: https://youtu.be/McDXzlcptN8?si=V2odjMWlJCotWLNb
• After 45 Acquisitions, These Are the Leadership Red Flags She Never Ignores: https://youtu.be/zRdL7itzrVc?si=TthSmGGkof_BTt5b 

Production

Produced by: The AGN Group

Host: Gia Ganesh 

Producer: Katie Hart

Websites: https://peoplemultiple.com/ 

Social Media Channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplemultiple/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemultiple 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-multiple 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@people.multiple 

Want to be a Podcast Guest?

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected]