Clare Bonham (Chief Product Officer) and Sébastien Baehni (CTO) from beqom joined us on The Modern People Leader. 

We talked about how managers can make better pay and performance decisions, why AI should support but not replace human judgment, and what intentional AI looks like in compensation.

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Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode326 

Sponsor Links:

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(10:45) Why Managers Need Context for Pay and Performance Decisions

(11:35) Pay History, Pay Range, Budget and Talent Data

(14:40) The Evolving Role of Managers in Compensation Decisions

(16:05) The Difference Between Owning the Decision and Just Delivering the Message

(17:45) How Managers Should Talk About Pay Constraints With Employees

(23:05) Hiding Complexity While Letting Managers Drill Down

(25:05) Why People Do Not Want AI Fully Deciding Their Compensation

(26:15) Why AI Should Help but Humans Should Stay in Control

(29:25) The Three Principles of Intentional AI: Explainable, Collaborative and Controllable

(31:45) Why Compensation and Performance Decisions Must Stay Human-Centered

(34:10) Auditing the Data, Rules and Models Behind a Pay Decision

(36:10) The Three Types of AI in Compensation and Performance

(38:45) Why LLMs Should Not Make Compensation Calculations

(39:30) Why Compensation Needs Correctness, Not Plausibility

(40:35) Moving Comp Teams Away From Spreadsheet-Heavy Work

(41:20) Refocusing Comp Professionals on Strategy, Fairness and Incentives

(48:05) The Rise of the High-Impact Individual Contributor

(50:05) Why Automating Easy Tasks Could Increase Burnout

---- 

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Heather Dunn, Chief People Officer at Brex, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about Brex’s rapid acquisition by Capital One and how Heather led through diligence, communication, and integration.

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----  

(20:45) Joining Brex During a Company Pivot

(21:20) Brex’s 2024 Year of Transformation

(23:20) The January 1 Call: Capital One Acquisition Diligence Begins

(25:05) Three Weeks to Diligence, Communications and Announcement

(26:30) Late Nights, Diligence Requests and the Pressure to Be Accurate

(28:00) Supporting Executives Through the Emotional Weight of the Deal

(29:00) Communicating on Behalf of the CEO and Building Trust Across Leadership

(32:45) Telling the Company About the Capital One Acquisition

(33:35) The Two-Part Communication Plan for Employees

(35:30) The Emotional Load People Leaders Carry During Acquisitions

(36:35) Diligence, Communication, Retention and Advocating for Yourself

(39:50) “Don’t Crush the Butterfly” and Protecting What Makes Brex Special

(43:15) How CPOs Should Advocate for Themselves During M&A

(45:40) Fairness, Expectations and Protecting the Value of the CPO Role

(49:15) Relaunching Brex’s EVP and External Story

(50:35) The Story Behind “Be The Founder of Your Career”

(53:10) The Foundry and Investing in Future Founders Inside Brex

(57:48) Heather’s Superpower Nickname: Chief Truth-Teller Officer

---- 

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Patsy Mangan joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about Scribd Flex, why flexibility only works when it is paired with clarity and accountability, and why Scribd needed the GRIT Performance framework.

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about SixFifty

🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl

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MPL Links:

🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.

----  

(10:00) The Pandemic, Distributed Hiring and the One-Way Door

(12:40) Creating Scribd Flex Instead of Choosing a Generic Remote or Hybrid Label

(19:05) Learning That Flexibility Alone Does Not Create Connection

(20:00) Designing Hub Days Around Concentration of Attendance

(22:50) Why Scribd Flex Needed the GRIT Performance System

(23:35) Visibility Does Not Equal Performance

(24:10) Why Clarity Drives Accountability in Flexible Work

(26:35) The Four GRIT Dimensions: Goal-Oriented, Results-Driven, Innovative and Team-Focused

(28:10) Giving Employees Ratings Across Each GRIT Dimension

(29:00) How Scribd Flex Gives Freedom and GRIT Gives Clarity

(34:15) Why Scribd Made Performance More Complex, Not Less

(36:05) Calibration, Manager Bias and Making GRIT Fair

(38:40) The Next Big Evolution: Becoming AI-Native

(40:05) Moving From AI Adoption to Workflow Redesign

(41:00) Rethinking Hiring, Career Journeys, Promotions and Performance Standards

(42:15) Hiring for Specialty, Not Just Capacity

(45:05) Connecting HR Tools to Where Employees Already Work

(45:50) Why HR May Need Software Engineers Inside the Function

(50:20) Why Human Judgment Becomes More Important as Output Gets Easier

(52:38) Career Advice: Learn the Rules, Then Rewrite Them

---- 

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Brandon Roberts, leader of Talent Strategy and Workforce Transformation at ServiceNow, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how ServiceNow is redesigning HR for the AI era, why every role needs to be mapped for AI impact, and more.

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl

🔗Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl

🔗. Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report

MPL Links:

🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.

----  

(09:30) Creating ServiceNow’s Talent Strategy and Workforce Transformation Organization

(14:45) How AI Supercharges ServiceNow’s Workflow Platform

(21:50) Now Assist and the Productivity Shift in HR Operations

(22:55) Why ServiceNow Reinvested AI Productivity Gains Instead of Just Cutting Costs

(25:15) How AI Is Changing Software Engineering Roles

(29:25) Building an AI Heat Map for Every Role in the Company

(35:05) AI Control Tower, Usage Signals and Where to Invest Transformation Resources

(36:45) Employee Works and the Agent Orchestration Layer for HR

(38:30) Data Agent, Engagement Agent and Real-Time People Insights

(41:00) The Reskilling Challenge for HRBPs Using AI-Powered Insights

(43:25) People Strategists, People Technologists and People Scientists

(47:30) Why Brandon and Jacque Built the ServiceNow AI Transformation Playbook

(51:15) Why Companies Are Too Focused on Technology and Not Enough on Skills

(52:05) Helping People Step Away From Their Work Identity as Roles Change

---- 

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---- 

Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Jessica Zwaan joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about her first four months at Leapsome, why HR needs to operate more like a product team, and how AI agents, forward-deployed engineers, and flexible HR systems could reshape the future of people operations.

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about SixFifty

MPL Links:

🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.

----  

(11:40) Jessie’s 12-Week Sprint and the “How We HR” Document

(13:10) Why The Purpose of Work Changed What Jessie Wanted Next

(14:10) Why People Ops Will Change the Most Through AI

(15:30) The Three Future Archetypes of People Teams

(17:35) Starting With Retros, Problem Statements and Roadmaps

(18:15) Launching Transparent Compensation and Leveling

(19:10) Building a Dynamic Promotion and Merit Increase Coach

(19:30) Why Leapsome Added a Forward-Deployed Engineer to the People Team

(20:15) What to Look for in a Forward-Deployed Engineer for HR

(22:30) What Surprised Jessie After Joining Leapsome

(23:20) Why Founder Fit Matters So Much for People Leaders

(31:20) Speed, Urgency and Knowing When to Pull Back

(32:25) Why Traditional 30, 60, 90 Day Plans Are Dead

(35:10) Bringing Practitioner Credibility Into Product Strategy

(37:35) Building HR Agents People Can Trust

(39:20) AI-Powered Calibration Pre-Reads and Better Manager Conversations

(40:35) The Idea of a Plastic HRIS

(41:10) What HR Should and Should Not Vibe Code

(42:00) Why HR Deserves Commercial-Grade Tools and Better ROI

---- 

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---- 

Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Molly Graham, Host of WorkLife Podcast & Co-Founder of Glue Club and The Guild, joined us on The Modern People Leader. 

We talked about career emergence, why fear is slowing down AI adoption at work, and why the future of HR will depend on leaders who can create clarity, curiosity, accountability, and better management habits for both people and AI agents.

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl

🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report

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MPL Links:

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(05:25) Molly’s Origin Story: Google, Facebook, Quip and Career Emergence

(09:30) What Molly Does Today: Helping People Feel Less Alone and More Confident at Work

(11:30) Turning Down the Big COO Job That Would Have Made Her Miserable

(19:00) Why Fear Is Dominating the Future of Work Conversation

(23:49) The Macro Narrative That AI Is Coming for Everyone’s Job

(24:32) Why AI-Branded Layoffs Are Damaging the Trust Conversation

(25:24) Why the Future Belongs to People Who Approach AI With Curiosity

(27:15) Building a Clear Leadership Narrative Around AI

(31:28) Creating a Culture of Sharing and Experimentation

(32:04) What Facebook Got Right About Blameless Failure

(34:36) Why Culture Is Built Through What Leaders Do, Not What They Say

(35:20) Why the “Super IC” Conversation Misses the Real Point

(36:20) Why Everyone Just Became a Manager

(37:05) Managing Agents Requires the Same Skills as Managing Humans

(40:06) Why Token Consumption Can Become the New Productivity Theater

(41:05) Why No Company Has AI Fully Figured Out

(43:39) Lazy Interns: Why AI Slop Is Turning Smart People Into Bad Employees

(48:00) Why AI Work Still Requires Human Accountability

(49:05) Molly’s Rule: If You Send It, You Own It

(50:49) False Productivity and Why the End Result Matters Most

(52:04) Career Advice: Learn the Business

---- 

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---- 

Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Kate Connor, Chief Operating Officer at Moxie Communications Group, joined us on The Modern People Leader.

We talked about how Moxie is adopting AI safely, why leaders should automate low-judgment work first, and how to embed AI into the culture without replacing human creativity, judgment, and relationships. 

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about SixFifty

🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl

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MPL Links:

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----  

(19:14) Why AI Strategy Is Different in a People-Powered Agency

(20:06) Automating Admin and Low-Judgment Work First

(20:51) Using AI to Create More Time for Client Relationships and Storytelling

(21:24) Bringing the Team Into the AI Roadmap Through Workshops

(24:06) Why Moxie’s AI Approach Starts With Safety

(24:35) Building an AI Use Policy With Cybersecurity and CTO Advisors

(25:41) Why AI Belongs on the Strategic Roadmap

(26:08) Being Transparent With the Team About AI Intentions

(26:31) Positioning AI as an Extension of the Team

(28:00) Running Team Workshops to Identify What Should Be Automated

(29:05) Building Proprietary Tools for Problems Off-the-Shelf Platforms Cannot Solve

(30:38) Messaging AI as an Expander, Not a Replacement

(32:31) GEO Optimization and the Future of PR

(34:07) Monthly AI Hackathons and Learning From the Team

(34:43) Why AI Cannot Stay With the Leadership Team

(35:22) When to Build Custom AI Tools Instead of Buying Off-the-Shelf

(39:08) Culture as the Feeling and Energy People Associate With a Company

(39:43) Building People Programs Around Real Business Needs

(44:19) Why Moxie Has Strong Retention

(48:43) Listening to the Team to Build Better Retention Programs

(51:03) Career Advice: Understand What AI Means for Your Job

---- 

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Davida Lindsay-Bell, Chief People Officer at Hanna Andersson, joined us on The Modern People Leader. 

We talked about why AI transformation needs to start with people, how Hanna Andersson operationalized psychological safety, and why trust, learning, and intelligent failure are the foundation for lasting change.

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl

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🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report

MPL Links:

🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.

----  

(18:58) Why AI Transformations Are Struggling Right Now

(20:10) Why Organizations Need to Start With the Why Before AI

(21:14) Building AI With Trust, Experimentation and Learning Out Loud

(21:53) Why Cultural Readiness Must Come Before Technical Readiness

(22:30) Making Psychological Safety a Priority 35 Days Into the Role

(23:03) What Davida Noticed During Her Listening Tour

(24:23) Infusing Psychological Safety Into Values and Leadership Expectations

(25:17) Shifting From a Nice Organization to a Kind Organization

(28:16) Inclusion, Learner, Contributor and Challenger Safety

(29:07) Making Culture Measurable Through Calibration Rubrics

(30:23) Creating Clarity With Bain’s RAPID Decision-Making Framework

(33:00) Why the CEO Relationship and Air Cover Matter First

(35:00) Davida’s LORA Framework: Listen, Absorb, Respond, Act

(38:41) Why Strategy and Culture Are Not Separate Tracks

(39:26) Cultivate Excellence as Hanna Andersson’s Strategic People Pillar

(42:25) Amy Edmondson’s The Right Kind of Wrong and the Permission to Fail

(45:05) Preventable Failures vs. Intelligent Failures

(47:05) Hanna Andersson’s Three-Pronged AI Journey

(49:20) How Psychological Safety Supports AI Adoption

(52:08) Hanna Andersson’s AI Philosophy: Augmenting Human Judgment to Unleash Creativity

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Laura Fuentes, CHRO at Hilton, joined us on The Modern People Leader. 

We talked about Hilton’s hospitality mindset, why great leaders should operate like great hosts, and how Hilton scales culture, listening, recognition, and purpose across more than 500,000 team members.

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl

🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report

🔗 Learn more about SixFifty

MPL Links:

🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.

----  

(17:18) Behind the Scenes of the Hospitality Mindset Report

(19:21) Reintroducing a More Optimistic Narrative About Work

(22:05) Hilton’s Four Culture Pillars: Inclusion, Wellness, Growth and Purpose

(22:34) Culture Is the Accumulation of Small Moments

(24:54) Leaders Should Think Like Chief Host Officers

(25:41) Moving From AI Anxiety to AI Agency

(27:56) Why Nuance Does Not Scale Easily Across Global Teams

(33:29) Why Leadership Is Energy Management, Not Just Time Management

(39:28) Scaling the Systems and the Soul of the Company

(41:49) The One Conversation That Sparked Hilton’s Crisis Concierge Program

(45:10) Why Hilton’s General Managers Are the Global Leaders the World Needs Now

(48:39) The Soul of Hilton: Purposeful, Hospitable, Gritty and Competitive

(50:35) Giving Away One Million Room Nights to Medical Professionals

(51:12) Helping Furloughed Team Members Find New Jobs During the Pandemic

---- 

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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Jessie Zwaan, author of Purpose and Work and Built for People, joined us on The Modern People Leader.

We talked about why the old purpose-at-work narrative is breaking, how people relate to work through jobs, careers, and callings, and why HR leaders need to rethink how they build meaning into work.

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Sponsor Links:

🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl

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MPL Links:

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----  

(08:05) Why Jessie Wrote Purpose and Work

(10:00) The Question That Sparked the Book: What Job Does Your Job Do for You?

(15:05) The Three Research Pillars Behind the Book

(16:38) Why People Are Questioning Work More Than Ever

(18:31) The Rise of Mission Statements, Values Walls and “Changing the World” Messaging

(20:07) How AI, Layoffs and Recession Broke the Purpose Narrative

(22:47) The Three Job Orientations: Job, Career and Calling

(23:43) Why Purpose Alignment Does Not Automatically Mean Higher Performance

(24:51) Why Seeing Work as “Just a Job” Can Still Drive High Performance

(26:22) Matching Workplace Programs to Employee Purpose Profiles

(27:22) How Writing Purpose of Work Changed Jessie as a Person and Leader

(34:11) What Holds HR Leaders Back From Changing the Purpose Narrative?

(35:08) The Employee Who Thought She Was Broken Because Purpose Did Not Motivate Her

(36:03) How False Purpose Narratives Can Silence and Hurt People

---- 

📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps

💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn

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---- 

Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.