In this episode of Workplace Stories, we sit down with Zane Zumbahlen, Chief People Officer at Wedgwood Veterinary Pharmacy, to explore how vulnerability in leadership can catalyze organizational change.

With a 30-year career spanning IBM, CTCA, and global roles in Sweden and Japan, Zane shares candid stories that reveal the power of low-ego, high-confidence leadership. From active listening sessions that rebuilt trust among skeptical managers to structural programs that flipped the risk equation for women leaders, Zane's journey is a masterclass in how HR leaders can move from intention to impactful systems.

His approach blends authenticity, experimentation, and a relentless drive to make things better, one conversation at a time.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (00:00) Intro
• (04:21) How vulnerability accelerates trust and change.
• (12:45) The real-life risks of emotional leadership.
• (18:50) Driving systemic transformation from the HR seat.
• (22:33) A roadmap for active listening that leads to measurable action.
• (35:10) Building female leadership pipelines in risk-averse cultures.
• (47:52) Examples of HR-led innovation across global contexts.
• (56:15) Rethinking how credibility and compassion coexist in leadership.

Resources & People Mentioned:

• Wedgwood Veterinary Pharmacy
• Adam Grant on Personal Branding and Trust

Connect with Zane Zumbahlen:

• LinkedIn: Zane Zumbahlen

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Many organizations see learning and development (L&D) as a cost center rather than a strategic driver of value, but what if that mindset is costing them far more than they realize?

In this episode, Dr. Keith Keating explains why we’re moving from a “knowledge economy” to a “value economy,” where it’s not what we know but what we do with it that matters.

He shares practical ways for L&D teams to make their impact visible, bridging the disconnect with CFOs and earning a seat at the strategy table. Through his own journey from high-school dropout to Chief Learning Officer, Keith challenges learning leaders to see themselves as problem-solvers and value creators. 

He offers frameworks like the Value Creation Compass to help map L&D’s role in business growth, resilience, and customer value, showing that when L&D stays hidden, organizations lose far more than training budgets: they lose adaptability and talent. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (00:00) Intro.
• (00:22) Keith’s background and why his book matters.
• (04:58) The shift to a value economy for L&D.
• (08:50) Keith’s personal journey from dropout to leader.
• (15:10) Economic, personal, and societal value explained.
• (19:30) Four key disconnects between L&D and CFOs.
• (25:40) The Value Creation Compass model.
• (39:20) Risks if L&D’s value stays hidden.

Resources & People Mentioned

• https://www.bdo.ca/en-ca/
• Hidden Value by Dr. Keith Keating

Connect with Dr. Keith Keating

• Connect with Dr. Keith Keating on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Most organizations claim to care about employee development, but upon closer examination, their approach to skills is often vague, subjective, or downright confusing. They might assume people will simply "figure it out" on the job or resort to one-size-fits-all training. If you've ever wondered why your learning investments don’t seem to translate into impact, it might be because you’re still guessing when it comes to skills.

Today, you’ll hear how Johnson & Johnson’s tech organization stopped playing the guessing game. With clear processes to identify, assess, and verify skills, both digital and power skills, they’re not just hoping development happens; they’re engineering it. You'll learn how they use both talent leader insight and AI-driven inference to build a skills-based ecosystem that actually works, without overwhelming employees or managers.

By the end of the conversation, it’s clear this isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about building a practical, scalable system that aligns employee growth with business needs and helps people know, with confidence, exactly what’s next in their development journey. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (00:00) Intro.
• (02:32) Bas’s career path and transition into L&D.
• (05:08) Structure and priorities of J&J’s tech learning organization.
• (09:00) How J&J defines, identifies, and verifies critical skills.
• (17:34) Messaging, buy-in, and the cultural side of skill building.
• (23:47) How AI and tech are reshaping development and learning systems.

Resources & People Mentioned

• https://fortune.com
• https://degreed.com

Connect with Bas Debbink

• Connect with Bas Debbink on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

In this episode of Workplace Stories, Dani Johnson talks with Cher Murphy, Partner, Head of People+Talent Practice at ON Partner, founder of The Murphy Advisory, and faculty member at Pepperdine and the University of Michigan. Drawing from her deep experience in executive coaching and leadership development, Cher shares how leadership is evolving in response to rapid technological, political, and organizational change. She emphasizes that while AI and data can enhance decision-making, human traits like discernment, empathy, and the ability to communicate clearly remain irreplaceable. Leaders today must move from a mindset of control to one of clarity, especially as strategic planning windows shorten and collaboration across functions becomes essential.

Cher also reflects on the erosion of trust in organizations and how leaders can rebuild it through transparency, consistency, and shared logic. She introduces the concept of leadership as a system—not just a set of traits—which, when embedded across all levels of an organization, can outlast any one individual. The conversation touches on the future of leadership development, the convergence of people functions, and how leaders can balance data and intuition to make better decisions. Ultimately, Cher makes a compelling case that strong leadership is still—at its core—a deeply human endeavor.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (00:00) — Intro & Cher’s background
• (04:00) — Leadership mindsets, speed, and trust
• (12:00) — Rebuilding trust & communication challenges
• (20:00) — Structural shifts and cross-functional collaboration
• (26:00) — AI’s role, human skills, and decision-making
• (32:00) — Universal leadership traits & leadership as a system
• (39:00) — Succession, culture fit, and final reflections on meaning

Resources & People Mentioned

• https://www.onpartners.com
• https://www.jeffwetzler.com

Connect with Cher Murphy

• Connect with Cher Murphy on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Most leadership development still clings to certainty, quarterly goals, strategic plans, official futures etched in stone. But what if that mindset isn’t just outdated, it’s dangerous? In this episode, Dani Johnson and Stacia Garr sit down with futurists and experience designers Lisa Kay Solomon and Jeff Rogers, two minds helping rewire how leaders think about the future, not as a distant unknown, but as a daily design challenge. What unfolds is a conversation that’s as practical as it is provocative, revealing how our obsession with predictability might be blinding us to the signals we most need to see.

For learning leaders, especially those in HR and people analytics, this episode offers a wake-up call. Future thinking isn’t a luxury or a moonshot exercise. It’s a leadership muscle, and the longer it goes untrained, the more fragile our organizations become. Lisa and Jeff unpack what it really means to design for the future, not just in abstract vision decks, but in how we design meetings, questions, experiences, and even relationships. Their approach is grounded in curiosity, humility, and a radical shift from answers to inquiry.

By the end, listeners don’t just understand why futures thinking matters, they feel invited to do something about it. The conversation offers not just hope, but tools: from rethinking design as a vehicle for emergence, to spotting and disrupting “official futures” inside their own organizations. Whether you’re planning your next L&D initiative or shaping strategy for a shifting workforce, this episode shows you how to lead with intention, not from the past, but toward what’s possible.

 You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (00:00) The overlooked leadership skill hiding in plain sight.
• (03:30) Meet the minds behind Elevate: Futurists with a purpose.
• (09:00) From theory to traction: Making futures thinking useful now.
• (15:00) Design that disrupts: How to spark new thinking in any room.
• (22:00) The silent trap: How a single “official future” keeps orgs stuck.
• (30:40) Elevate’s true mission: Courage, connection, and change for learning leaders.

Resources & People Mentioned

• https://lisakaysolomon.com
• https://rdcl.is/

Connect with Lisa & Jeff

• Connect with Jeffrey Rogers on LinkedIn
• Connect with Lisa Kay Solomon on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Many teams don’t realize how much time their people are losing to repetitive tasks and clunky systems. From filling out HR forms to bouncing between platforms, what’s called “employee experience” often adds up to unnecessary friction. The real problem? No one’s questioning whether those steps need to exist at all. There’s an unspoken assumption that better design means more interface, more features, more engagement. But what if the most valuable tech quietly solved problems in the background, no logins, no dropdowns, no disruption?

Josh Novelle, Global Head of People Solutions at Convatec, argues that it’s time to rethink how we define value in HR tech. In his world, the best tools don’t ask people to step out of their workday to interact with them, they fit invisibly into the flow. He points out how incentives from vendors often run counter to what organizations need, and how this misalignment quietly drains productivity. From nudging employees to use their leave before burnout hits, to questioning why booking time off isn’t already embedded in your calendar, he challenges long-held assumptions with clear, practical alternatives.

This conversation goes beyond tool choices. It raises a bigger question: what if your systems could work together behind the scenes to deliver support without demanding attention? As the boundaries between work, systems, and experience blur, the teams that win won't be the ones with the flashiest platforms. They'll be the ones who make their tech nearly disappear. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (00:00) Redefining employee experience beyond HR systems.
• (08:50) Choosing tech partners and surfacing vendor misalignment.
• (18:00) The rise of headless tech and middleware's quiet power.
• (27:10) Subtle interventions that reduce burnout.
• (35:00) Where AI fits into employee experience.
• (44:30) Why leadership development fails without operational alignment.

Resources & People Mentioned

• https://www.convatecgroup.com
• https://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk

Connect with Josh Novelle

• Connect with Josh Novelle on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Most conversations about AI in the workplace get stuck on the surface - job loss fears, tech hype, and hand-wringing about what’s next. But in this episode, we flip the script. What if AI itself isn’t the problem? What if the real story is how organizations introduce, structure, and integrate it into the human fabric of work?

Jeremy Broome, Global Head of Talent at Visa, shares how his team navigates AI with a surprisingly optimistic and deeply human approach. From scenario-based workforce planning to AI-powered feedback loops in sales training, Jeremy outlines how Visa empowers employees to experiment safely, learn organically, and ask better questions rather than just seek faster answers. Along the way, he introduces a simple but powerful framework, “one-way doors vs. two-way doors”, for evaluating risk, making bolder moves, and learning without losing trust.

This conversation isn't just about tech adoption. It's about how thoughtful design, cultural muscle, and a focus on community can transform fear into fluency and uncertainty into innovation. Whether you're starting your AI journey or stuck in the middle of one, this episode shows you what people-first AI looks like. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (0:00) Optimism, people-first AI, and two-way doors.
• (4:36) Jeremy’s background and Visa’s AI legacy.
• (9:06) GenAI as an opportunity and top-down momentum.
• (13:38) Real-world use cases: recruiting, learning, chatbots.
• (17:40) Future-back workforce planning and scenario design.
• (24:01) Learning shifts: community, context, and curiosity.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Highspot - AI coaching in sales training
• Visa University - Visa’s internal learning hub

Connect with Jeremy Broome

• Connect with Jeremy Broome on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

HR teams have more data than ever, but many still rely on guesswork when it comes to people decisions. In this episode, we unpack the rapid growth of the people analytics tech market, which ballooned from $1.7B in 2019 to $8.1B by last summer.

Hosts Dani Johnson, Stacia Garr, and Priyanka Mehrotra walk through how this market has evolved, what’s driving investment, and why the demand for better-connected, more useful insights keeps rising.

We also dig into what’s not working, like customer frustration, disappointing ROI, and the reality that AI in these tools often overpromises and underdelivers. Whether you’re brand new to people analytics or looking to uplevel your HR tech strategy, this episode will help you move from “hoping for the best” to truly leading with insight. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (0:00) Setting the stage: Why people analytics tech is worth revisiting.
• (4:31) The market’s growth from $1.7B to $8.1B, and what’s fueling it.
• (8:31) Three big shifts: use cases, democratization, and ethics.
• (13:40) Pandemic-driven surge: Why execs finally cared about people data.
• (14:57) What vendors are getting right: Partnerships and practical AI.
• (23:25) Where vendors are falling short: UX, ROI, and unmet promises.
• (29:30) The near-term future: Middleware, consolidation, and embedded insights.
• (36:00) AI expectations vs. reality: Trust, risk, and what vendors still miss.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Visier –  https://www.visier.com
• Culture Amp –  https://www.cultureamp.com
• One Model –  https://www.onemodel.co

Connect with Dani, Stacia, and Priyanka

• Dani Johnson
• Stacia Garr
• Priyanka Mehrotra on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Many L&D teams still see themselves as a support function—creating learning programs, responding to training requests, and advocating for development. But in a rapidly changing business landscape, is that enough? 

In this episode, Al Dea, founder of Edge of Work, challenges the traditional identity of L&D and makes the case for a more strategic role—one that positions learning as a core driver of business transformation, not just an enabler of it.

We dive into the recurring struggle for L&D to "get a seat at the table" and why that framing might be holding teams back. Instead of waiting for an invitation, L&D leaders must shift their focus from delivering learning to solving real business problems.

Al shares insights on how forward-thinking organizations are embedding learning into business strategy, leveraging skills data, and embracing new ways of working—such as agile methodologies and systems thinking—to drive real impact. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (00:00) L&D’s Identity Crisis
• (05:10) Why L&D struggles for influence and how to fix it
• (12:40) The shift from support function to strategic problem-solver
• (20:50) The role of skills data in transforming L&D
• (32:00) Challenges and mindset shifts needed for L&D leaders
• (42:41) Final thoughts and why Al Dea does this work

Resources & People Mentioned

• The Edge of Work
• Josh Bersin

Connect with Al Dea

• Connected with Al Dea on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

AI is transforming work at an unprecedented pace, but many organizations still struggle to move beyond experimentation and into real implementation. In this episode, we sit down with Steven Moran, Chief Learning Officer and Chief Partnerships Officer at Bertelsmann, to explore how one of the world’s largest media, education, and services companies is tackling this challenge head-on. 

With 400 businesses and 80,000 employees worldwide, Bertelsmann is uniquely positioned at the intersection of AI, workforce learning, and industry partnerships—making its approach to AI adoption especially insightful.

Steven shares how Bertelsmann strategically identifies which work AI should take over and which skills employees should double down on to stay competitive. He also unpacks why AI isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about fostering creativity, innovation, and business transformation.

From collaborating with OpenAI to rethinking job structures, Steven offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Bertelsmann is future-proofing its workforce. Whether you’re an HR leader, a learning professional, or simply curious about AI’s role in the workplace, this episode provides a roadmap for navigating the next era of work.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• (0:00) How Bertelsmann’s Chief Learning Officer also leads partnerships
• (1:10) AI’s shift from experimentation to real implementation in organizations
• (8:33) Bertelsmann’s strategic partnership with OpenAI and its goals
• (10:32) How AI is reshaping work and what skills employees should prioritize
• (16:40) The journey from AI experimentation to company-wide adoption
• (22:50) Balancing AI-driven efficiency with human creativity in the workplace
• (35:00) How Bertelsmann uses skill gap analysis to drive workforce strategy

Resources & People Mentioned

• Bertelsmann
• OpenAI
• Ethan Bernstein & Job Moves

Connect with Steven Moran

• Connect on LinkedIn

Connect With Red Thread Research

• Website: Red Thread Research
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook
• On Twitter

Subscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES