The Modern People Leader Newsletter
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Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Shannon Hobbs, Chief People Officer at BNY, to talk about how to scale early careers, flatten organizational structures, and embed AI across the enterprise.
If you’re wondering what a future-ready HR strategy really looks like, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation. ⬇️
“When you flatten an organization, you see people rise. And that’s when hidden talent shows up - not because you created it, but because you finally made space for it to be seen.” — Shannon Hobbs
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Andrew Golden, Chief People Officer at RetailNext, to talk about how his team is rethinking org design, building custom AI tools, and embedding HR into the heart of business operations.
If you’re curious what it looks like to truly run HR like a product team, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation.
“Stop trying to be a consultant. Go get in the business and build things with people.” — Andrew Golden
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Jenny Molyneaux (VP People, Vercel) for a deep dive on how AI is reshaping HR, why SaaS as we know it might be dead, and what it actually looks like to build custom tools for your people team.
If you’ve ever looked at your HR tech stack and thought, “We could build this ourselves,” this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Jenny.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Melanie Naranjo, Chief People Officer at Ethena, and Taylor McLemore, Chief Operating Officer at Tilt, to talk about how HR leaders can escape the trap of busywork and reclaim time for strategic impact.
If you feel like you’re stuck in admin overload, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation. ⬇️
“We think: look at this 10-page manager handbook I created! See how hard I’m working? But what actually earns respect is impact, not hours.” — Melanie Naranjo
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Jessica Swank, Chief People Officer at Box, to talk about how HR teams can lead the transition to an AI-first company.
If you’re trying to reimagine org design, performance, and people systems in a world of human + agent teams, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation. ⬇️
“We’re in a grand experiment - every role is changing, every assumption is up for debate. And HR has a front-row seat to reinvent how work gets done.” — Jessica Swank
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Kit Krugman, SVP, People and Culture at Foursquare, to talk about how companies can build performance systems that actually reflect how people work today.
If you’re rethinking performance, but don’t want to grind your org to a halt with 360s and forms, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation. ⬇️
“Rethink performance, not just what you measure, but how you measure it.” — Kit Krugman
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Shannon Hobbs, Chief People Officer at BNY, to talk about how to scale early careers, flatten organizational structures, and embed AI across the enterprise.
If you’re wondering what a future-ready HR strategy really looks like, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation. ⬇️
“When you flatten an organization, you see people rise. And that’s when hidden talent shows up - not because you created it, but because you finally made space for it to be seen.” — Shannon Hobbs
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Darren Murph, Founder & CEO of Page 52 Consulting, to talk about how companies can build world-class operating models for distributed work.
If you're still treating remote work like a temporary hack or trying to make old systems fit a new world, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation.
“Knowledge is the new currency of trust - and businesses operate at the speed of trust.” — Darren Murph
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Brandon Weber, Co-Founder & CEO at Nava Benefits, to talk about how HR teams can rethink benefits as a strategic lever, not just a cost center.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation.
“You hold the purse strings for whether someone has a good or bad experience when they get cancer. You are the healthcare buyer for half of America.” — Brandon Weber
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Andrew Golden, Chief People Officer at RetailNext, to talk about how his team is rethinking org design, building custom AI tools, and embedding HR into the heart of business operations.
If you’re curious what it looks like to truly run HR like a product team, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation.
“Stop trying to be a consultant. Go get in the business and build things with people.” — Andrew Golden
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Gena Smith (CHRO, LVMH North America) to dig into how she’s building an HR-led AI strategy across 75 brands and 44,000 employees.
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to lead change inside a $85B decentralized company, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Gena.
“I don’t think AI is going to take your job. But the person next to you who is really learning AI — that person might.” — Gena Smith
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we recap the best moments from AI Confessions, a series of quick-hit interviews we recorded in ChartHop’s booth at HR Tech a couple weeks ago.
We pulled HR leaders aside to ask how AI is actually showing up in their work. The real stories. The unexpected blockers. The surprising wins.
No prep. No filter. Just candid takes from the people building the future of HR.
Here’s what stood out most.
“It’s like we’ve done the initial stuff, and now we’re at our limit - waiting for the technology to catch up.” – Bob Shields, People Systems & Operations Analyst, Articulate
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Angela Crossman (3x Chief People Officer), Hernan Chiosso (Founder of ProductizeHR), and Jean-Luc Charles (VP, People & Culture and DEI, EILEEN FISHER) to talk about what actually happened at MPL Live NYC.
MPL Live NYC focused on one big question: how will AI shape the future workplace? In our new “intentional networking” format, the Yellow Pod dove deep — swapping real examples, debating AI ethics, and pushing each other to rethink HR’s role.
If you missed the event or have felt overwhelmed by the pace of change in AI, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Joy Rothschild (Chief Human Resources Officer, Omni Hotels and Resorts) to talk about leading with empowerment, building cultural stickiness, and why she brought back a 1991 training program to transform service.
If you’ve ever felt like your culture work isn’t sticking, or struggled to roll out change across the entire org, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Joy.
“You can’t have an initiative in HR that’s separate. Culture has to be owned by the business — not just by HR.” – Joy Rothschild
Check out our latest episode with Jessica Zwaan where we sat down to break down exactly how to build a business case that actually gets approved.
If you’ve ever poured your heart into a deck, only to be met with “let’s park this for now,” this episode is for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Jessica.
“Organizational calories are being burned for questionable outcomes.” — Jessica Zwaan
In our last live event we sat down with Melanie Rosenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Chelsea Kaden (Chief People Officer, Warby Parker), and Angela Le Mathon (Chief AI Officer, People Alkemie; ex-GSK) for a live conversation in New York City on how HR leaders are navigating the chaos and potential of AI.
If you’ve been told to “figure out your AI strategy” without a roadmap - or you’re trying to support teams while workflows, tools, and expectations keep shifting - this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from MPL Live NYC.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Kim Minnick (People Ops Leader and Founder, Code Traveller HR) to talk about what’s broken in performance management, why comp doesn’t always have to be tied to performance, and what it might look like to start over entirely.
If you’re frustrated by how disconnected your performance and comp systems feel — this one’s for you.
Here are 5 moments that stood out from our conversation with Kim.
“What if we just stopped tying performance to compensation? Would people actually have better conversations?” – Kim Minnick
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Shelby Garrison (Co-Founder & CPO, Career Sandwich), Kelly Keegan Lohr (SVP, People at Intellistack), and Mita Mallick (best-selling author & former People leader) for a live conversation on what it really takes to lead through non-stop change.
If you’ve ever been asked to keep morale up in the middle of reorgs, layoffs, and shifting priorities — all while holding the business together — this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our last MPL Live Virtual.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Yemi Akisanya (VP of JEDI & People Experience, Axon) for a deep dive into what it really takes to build inclusive cultures that drive performance.
If you’ve ever felt the tension between DEI commitments and business realities, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Yemi.
“Success isn’t just about representation. Success is bringing in people with diverse perspectives - shaped by their lived experiences - and making sure they’re included so their ideas actually shape the business.” – Yemi Akisanya
Check out our recent episode with Jessica Zwaan where we sat down to talk about how HR teams can stop over-engineering their AI strategy — and start actually using it.
If you’re still in the research phase, trying to figure out if your org should use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini… or if you’re wondering whether your team needs to hire an “AI engineer” — this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Jessica.
“You don’t need a perfect strategy. You need a team willing to press start.” — Jessica Zwaan
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Pilar Muner (VP of People & Talent, ChartHop) to dig into the future of people data, AI-powered performance reviews, and how to unlock the full potential of your HR tech stack.
If you're building a data-smart HR function and want practical advice on using AI to supercharge your workflows, this one's for you.
Here's what stood out most from the conversation with Pilar Muner.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with JooBee Yeow, PhD (Adviser to start-ups, educator, speaker, writer and entrepreneur) to explore how HR leaders can break out of their lane and become true business leaders.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re stuck doing the busy work and missing the bigger picture, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with JooBee.
“Stop trying to be the Chief Editor of everything. Be the Chief Translator. Let the business see what’s really happening.” JooBee Yeow
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Tiffany Stevenson (Former Chief People Officer, WeightWatchers) to talk about the hardest job in the C-suite, board readiness, and why HR leaders need to think more like futurists.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in the current state of HR, this one will help you reframe the moment we’re in.
Here’s what stood out most from the conversation. Tiffany Stevenson
“You can’t control the external chaos, but you can create internal cover by staying relentlessly focused on your own path.” — Tiffany Stevenson
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Priscila Bala (CEO, LifeLabs Learning) to talk about the future of learning, how to support overwhelmed managers, and why the real power of AI might just be unlocking better human skills.
If you’re trying to design high-impact learning experiences — without needing a 5-figure budget or in-house L&D team — this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Priscila.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Jenny Molyneaux (VP People, Vercel) for a deep dive on how AI is reshaping HR, why SaaS as we know it might be dead, and what it actually looks like to build custom tools for your people team.
If you’ve ever looked at your HR tech stack and thought, “We could build this ourselves,” this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Jenny.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we hosted Allison Vendt (Head of Employee Experience, Dropbox), Geanne Weaver-Hepler (Head of Employee Experience, Charlie Health), Brian Elliott (Future of Work Expert), and Nick Freeman (Co-CEO, Marco Experiences) for a live conversation on what it actually takes to make in-person time matter for distributed teams.
If you’ve ever struggled to justify the ROI of offsites or wondered whether it’s possible to build real culture remotely, this one's for you.
Here’s what stood out most from MPL Live: The Connection Gap.
Check out our recent episode with Jessica Zwaan where we sat down to unpack how HR leaders can measure Employee Lifetime Value (ELTV) and actually use it to make better decisions.
If you’ve ever wanted a people metric that has the same weight as marketing’s CAC or LTV, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Jessica.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Joanne Rodgers (CHRO, New York Life) to unpack how a 180-year-old insurance company is going all-in on AI, redefining internal mobility, and reshaping how HR leads transformation.
If you’ve ever struggled to get your exec team to rally behind an AI strategy or felt stuck trying to surface the hidden skills in your workforce, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Joanne Rodgers.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Jennifer Henderson (CEO, Tilt), Justin Clifford (CEO, Bereave), Allison Whalen (CEO, Parentaly), and Jessica Winder (SVP, People) for a live conversation on what’s actually broken in how companies handle employee leave.
If you’ve ever had to scramble to support a teammate on leave without guidance, or returned to work with zero re-onboarding support, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our leave-focused live conversation.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Kahina Ouerdane (Chief People Officer, Workleap) to talk about what it means to take the leap into a new era of work.
If you're trying to wrap your head around what AI means for HR, where IT fits into employee experience, and how to reskill your org for the future, this one's for you.
Here's what stood out most from our conversation with Kahina.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Alex Buder Shapiro (Chief People Officer, Jasper) for a deep dive into how AI is reshaping org design, why we need to rethink early-career talent, and what it takes to lead a people team through this moment.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change or unsure where to start, this one will give you the nudge you need.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Alex.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Eliza Jackson (Chief People & Administrative Officer, ButcherBox) to talk about how operational excellence can drive culture, how she’s using AI to expand capacity (not cut heads), and why hybrid work still needs rethinking.
If you’ve ever struggled to bring structure to a fast-growing org without killing the culture, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Eliza.
Check out our recent episode with Jessica Zwaan and Joris Luijke where we sat down to break down how journey maps can actually help HR teams scale impact, ditch chaos, and make employee experiences feel intentional again.
If you’ve ever felt stuck duct-taping processes together across onboarding, performance, and L&D — this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Joris and Jessica.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Thomas Forstner (Head of People, Juro) to talk about how AI is reshaping the work tech stack and what that means for the future of HR.
If you’ve ever wondered how to actually operationalize AI in a people team’s day-to-day, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Thomas.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot) to unpack what’s top of mind for HR leaders right now and how to actually move fast without breaking trust.
If you’re feeling the tension between AI urgency and the human side of work, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Helen.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader - where we sat down with Lenke Taylor (Chief People Officer, Personio) for a conversation on what real business partnering looks like - and how HR can keep up as AI, economic shifts, and cultural differences reshape the work world.
If you’ve ever wondered how to get your CEO and CFO to see HR as a true strategic partner (not just a cost center), this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Lenke Taylor.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader where we sat down with Lisa Anne Logan (Chief of Staff, People), Dashini Jeyathurai (Senior Director, Development and Employee Experience at Upstart), and Danny Guillory (Chief People Officer at Glassdoor) to unpack the real performance tension points keeping HR up at night.
If you’ve ever wondered how to protect your people from burnout and help them level up in the age of AI, this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation.
Check out our recent episode with Jessica Zwaan where we sat down to talk about how HR leaders can level up their metrics game and start building with data that actually tells a story.
If you’ve ever been handed a dashboard full of vanity metrics and wondered, “What is this even telling me?” — this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Jessica
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where we sat down with Frieda Möcker (Head of People & Culture at Sastrify) for a deep dive into what it actually looks like to treat the people experience like a product.
If you’ve been hearing more HR teams talk about roadmaps, sprints, and MVPs lately and wondering how to bring that mindset to life in your org, this episode is for you.
Here’s what stood out most from our conversation with Frieda.
Go listen to the latest episode of The Modern People Leader — where Stephen sat down with Kelli Dragovich (4x CHRO), Tiffany Stevenson (Former CPO, WeightWatchers), and Jennifer Rettig (Chief People Officer, Pendo.io) for a live conversation in San Francisco on what’s actually broken in how companies handle performance.
If you’ve ever been handed a bloated performance review process and told to “just make it work,” this one’s for you.
Here’s what stood out most from MPL Live San Francisco.
Check out our recent episode with Jessica Zwaan where we unpacked how to hire for People Ops as a Product.
She shared the 5 core skillsets needed, the importance of t-shaped talent, and how to use case studies to spot product thinking in HR Candidates.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Check out this week's episode with Matt McFarlane (Director, FNDN) and Haris Ikram (Co-Founder & CEO, CandorIQ).
They joined us for a live session to break down everything modern HR leaders need to know about compensation—from philosophy and strategy to pay transparency and AI tools.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Check out this week's episode with Abby Brennan, Former Head of People Strategy & Operations at Carta.
We discussed the power of ONA as the “shadow org chart,” how it reveals hidden influencers, and why it may be key to building smarter, more connected teams in the age of AI.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Check out our recent episode with Jessica Zwaan where we unpacked how to structure a people ops as a product team.
She shared four ways to build an HR squad, how to use a spider diagram for squad design, and why it’s smart to pilot just one squad first.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Check out this week's episode with Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor.
We talked about how the company is navigating its “third era” under the return of co-founder Nirav Tolia. We explored “The Founders Mentality”, embracing an owner’s mindset, and Nextdoor’s AI bootcamp.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Check out our newest episode with Jessica Zwaan, Author of Built for People.
We talked about “human ops” versus “people ops”, the sprint planning process for her people team, and how nobody gets people ops as a product 100% right (and that’s ok).
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ⬇️
Check out this week's episode with Taylor Bradley, VP, Talent Strategy & Success at Turing.
We talked about why every HR team needs to create an AI “prompt pantry”, how Turing “AI’d” their way out of onboarding 800 employees in five days, and how to build AI workflows for HR.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Check out this week's episode with Molly Sands, Head of the Teamwork Lab at Atlassian.
We talked about Atlassian’s latest research on the three things the best teams do differently, the power of unleashing collective knowledge, and why distributed teams have a headstart on AI adoption.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Check out this week's episode with Pat Wadors, CHRO at Intuitive.
We talked about how to find and amplify the golden nuggets of your culture, the three layers of a great employee experience, why you need to “touch the elephant”, and what kids’ stories can teach us about leadership.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Watch this week's episode with 4x guest, Jessica Zwaan.
She returned for a deep dive on how her People Ops as a Product philosophy came to life: the early days of the framework, writing her book, and the launch of MPL Build — a new collaboration between MPL and Jessica to bring the methodology to more teams (coming soon).
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Watch this week's episode with Shane Koller, Chief People Officer at Ancestry.
We talked about adopting a product mindset in HR, how Ancestry’s people team built their “product roadmap”, and why even great HR programs fall short when they’re not connected.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Watch this week's episode with Michele Bousquet, Chief People Officer at Strava.
We talked about how a personal tragedy shifted her career perspective, why we need to stop overcomplicating HR, and how to navigate tough situations inside your company.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Watch this week's episode with Michael Walsh, CEO at Cariloop.
We talked about how silence and stigma are the biggest barriers to caregiver support, why it's time for employers to pay attention to caregivers, and the trends from Cariloop's 2025 Employee Caregiver Top Needs Report.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ⬇️
Listen to this week's episode from MPL Live Boston with Linda Aiello (CPO, DraftKings), Carmel Galvin (CPO, Klaviyo), and Stacey Richey (Global VP, People, Smartcat).
We talked about the current state of HR, how roles are shifting with AI, and how they’re moving beyond traditional engagement metrics.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Listen to this week's episode with Brandon Carson, Chief Learning Officer at Docebo.
We talked about the one thing holding companies back from adopting AI faster, why AI makes learning “scaled to one”, and why the future of work isn’t about replacing humans - it’s about amplifying them.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Listen to this week's episode with Crystal Boysen, Chief People Officer at Sprout Social.
We talked all-things "People Debt". We discussed what it is, how to identify it, and specific areas where Sprout Social is focusing its efforts to address it.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Watch our recent episode with Brian Elliott, CEO at Work Forward and a leading expert on flexible work.
We talked about whether or not remote work is actually dead (looked at the actual data), the questions to ask when your CEO pushes for a RTO, and why a return to office won’t fix bad management.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ⬇️
Listen to our recent episode with Lucia Guillory, Chief People Officer at Virta Health.
We discussed why great leadership is about more than just being smart, how to get your CEO involved in onboarding, and who your first HR hire should be at the 200 person mark if you want to run your people team like a product team.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Listen to our most recent episode.
We talked about the growing backlash against DEI initiatives and why companies are scaling back their commitment, the potential hidden agendas behind RTO mandates, and the current frustrations with HR tech.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below.
Watch our recent episode with Dave Scott, Chief People and Administration Officer at ADT.
We talked about ADT’s evolution from a services to tech company, Dave's journey from Walmart to leading HR at ADT, and how to cut costs in HR without cutting value.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ⬇
Watch our recent episode with Sam Simmons, Chief People and Internal Operations Officer at the LPGA.
We talked about her transition from the San Antonio Spurs to the LPGA, 2025 HR predictions, and the LPGA People Team goals for the year.
If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ⬇️
January is here, and you know what that means—comp reviews and merit cycles are in full swing.
We’ve been thinking a lot about compensation lately, and here’s what’s sticking with us:
Companies are underinvesting in total rewards.
Despite compensation accounting for 60-80% of operating expenses, HR teams are only dedicating 10-15% of their budgets to comp tools. That’s wild when you think about how essential compensation is for attracting and retaining top talent.
So, it’s no surprise that comp season feels like a painful, slow, and frustrating process for HR and Finance leaders.
Here’s the silver lining: we’re starting to see real innovation in how leaders are tackling comp—both in the processes they use and the technology they’re adopting...
Here are some moments from the podcast that have stuck with us. ⬇️
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