Skilled

Ben Putterman, VP of Learning & Talent Development at HubSpot, has a bold claim: leadership development has actually gotten worse over the last 20 years. In this episode, he breaks down why. Ben also shares the "explorer vs. map reader" framework HubSpot uses to build leaders who can thrive without a roadmap.

Jon Caldwell, CPO of Valvoline, on building "Vamily" culture through a massive corporate transformation, hypergrowth goals and the people strategy it'll take to get there, and why culture is the real competitive advantage in retail.

In this episode, we sit down with James Killian to explore the intersection of HR, learning, and performance. James shares practical insights on coaching, skills development, and building a growth mindset in the workplace.

Whether you’re an HR leader, manager, or lifelong learner, you’ll discover actionable strategies to unlock potential and drive meaningful development across your team.

Irina Novoselsky presents a leadership model designed for speed, trust, and relevance. At Hootsuite, social intelligence informs decisions across marketing, customer experience, and HR. Talent decisions prioritize skills over experience, enabling internal mobility and adaptability. Leaders build credibility by listening first and showing up authentically. Culture is reinforced through action, not statements.Key Takeaways1. Skills Drive Performance: Curiosity, positivity, and data centric thinking outperform linear experience in most leadership roles.2. Internal Talent Scales Faster: Promoting from within strengthens culture and execution.3. Listening Enables Relevance: Leaders who can interpret real time signals outperform those relying on past experience.4. Employee Voices Build Trust: Advocacy outperforms paid media for credibility and retention.5. Leadership Must Be Visible: Culture is shaped by action and presence, not statements.Chapters:00:00 - From Refugee to CEO: Irina shares how her early life experience shaped her mindset around opportunity, resilience, and risk.03:32 - Hootsuite’s Evolution to Social Intelligence: Why Hootsuite moved beyond social media management into enterprise level listening and insight.05:35 - Listening as a Competitive Advantage: How early detection of sentiment creates relevance and strategic optionality for brands.08:18 - Skills Over Experience in Leadership Decisions: Irina explains why curiosity, positivity, and data driven thinking matter more than perfect resumes.11:01 - Cross Functional Leadership Moves: The reasoning behind moving a Chief People Officer into a Chief Customer Officer role.16:43 - Building Executive Presence on Social: Lessons from Irina’s own LinkedIn learning curve and why perspective outperforms promotion.20:48 - HR as a Market Facing Function: Using social listening and employee advocacy to improve hiring, engagement, and retention.29:56 - Social Media Is Now Simply Media: Why ignoring social platforms increases irrelevance rather than reducing risk.41:32 - Leading in an AI Shaped World: Why adaptable leadership and human skills remain the ultimate advantage.

Liz Volk is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Longo Brothers Fruit Market (Longo’s), a Canadian grocery chain rooted in the Greater Toronto Area.

With two decades inside the organization, she has shaped culture, learning, and people strategy. Her experience across retail and food service gives her a grounded view of how work really gets done on the floor and what teams need to thrive.

In this episode, Liz Volk explains how Longos sustains a family-first culture while navigating growth and industry pressure.

Greg Pryor explains why relationships are a decisive driver of performance and advancement.

He shares the papal prediction story to illustrate how networks forecast outcomes, defines four network patterns: fast movers, shapers, scalers, and risers, and offers practical ways to build social agility.

He urges HR and learning leaders to design for connection and to teach these human skills alongside AI capabilities so people remain relevant and organizations move faster with greater certainty.

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Greg Pryor is a long-time human capital leader and pracademic who has held senior roles at Accenture, Merrill Lynch, Guild, and Workday. He collaborates with Connected Commons alongside scholars and practitioners such as Rob Cross, Deb Zehner, and Michael Arena, advancing research and practice on social capital.

 In this episode, we sit down with Steve Ransone, Vice President of Organizational Capability at White Lodging, to uncover how his extensive background in hotel operations has uniquely influenced his approach to HR leadership

Steve shares his journey from the front lines of hospitality into organizational development, offering insights on talent development, career pathing, and change management.

We discuss the challenges and wins of building a custom career pathing platform, why listening and adaptability are essential in times of change, and how blending operational expertise with HR strategy can fuel both associate growth and organizational success.

In this episode, Bryan Allen shares how he tackled one of the most significant challenges for HR: improving retention and driving organizational success.

Drawing from his experience, Bryan explains why retention should be the highest priority for any company.

He discusses the importance of going beyond industry averages, setting ambitious goals, and investing in existing talent.

Bryan also highlights how this approach not only saves costs but leads to a more skilled and committed workforce.

Joshua Remerowski, VP of Learning & Development at SRS Distribution, shares how his unconventional career path—from truck driver to L&D executive—shaped his approach to leadership development. 

He reveals the importance of understanding frontline roles, designing impactful training, and creating career growth opportunities for everyone that drive business success.

Douglas Stitt, former CHRO of the U.S. Army (Deputy Chief of Staff, G1), led HR for 1.1 million people in one of the world’s most complex organizations. In this episode, he shares what it takes to manage talent at scale, build a resilient workforce, and drive leadership development in high-stakes environments. From leading HR transformations to testifying before Congress (while accidentally on mute), Doug reflects on the lessons military HR can teach leaders in any industry.