Ep 304 – Laura Tomaino (Chief People Officer, Glooko)

1. People-first leadership has nothing to do with ping pong tables

Laura challenged the idea that being people-first is about perks, fancy offices, or expensive wellness programs. In her experience, the best employee experiences are built around four things: connection, growth, recognition, and alignment.

Those became the foundation for how she thought about culture while scaling organizations through rapid growth, leadership changes, and economic uncertainty.

One of the most important distinctions she made: you can absolutely build a people-first company on a budget. What matters most is whether employees feel heard, connected to the mission, recognized for their work, and clear on how the business operates.

“What you need is someone to listen, to care, and to try to make it better.”

She also emphasized that employee engagement isn’t something solved through one giant initiative. It’s built through hundreds of small decisions — how leaders communicate, how feedback is handled, and whether employees actually understand what’s happening inside the business.

The reminder here was simple but powerful: culture isn’t built through perks. It’s built through trust.

2. HR leaders are carrying an enormous amount of invisible weight right now

One of the strongest themes from the conversation was just how emotionally heavy HR leadership has become over the last several years.

Laura talked about how people leaders are simultaneously navigating economic pressure, rapid technological change, global instability, and constant organizational evolution — all while still trying to advocate for employees and drive business outcomes.

And often, that work feels incredibly lonely.

“I think the thing that HR leaders don’t say as publicly is how lonely this job and this role can feel.”

What stood out was her framing of the HR role itself. She described it as “standing on the fence” between employees and the business — advocating both ways at the same time.

That means helping leadership teams understand the employee impact of business decisions while also helping employees understand the realities and priorities of the business.

The takeaway: being people-first doesn’t mean avoiding hard decisions. It means approaching those decisions with humanity, transparency, and curiosity.

3. AI is creating uncertainty — and curiosity is the skill that matters most

The AI portion of the conversation was refreshingly balanced.

Laura acknowledged that people are reacting to AI in very different ways as organizations navigate rapid technological change. Some employees are eager to experiment. Others are more cautious. Most are still figuring out what these tools will ultimately mean for the future of work.

“We’re all new to this. None of us know how this is going to play out.”

Rather than framing AI as something leaders should blindly rush toward or fear, Laura emphasized the importance of helping employees learn, experiment responsibly, and maintain critical thinking throughout the process.

“You can dabble, but you have to maintain your critical thinking in this process.”

4. Sometimes being people-first means admitting you got it wrong

One of the most practical moments in the conversation came when Laura shared a real example of a benefits decision that didn’t go as planned.

Her team introduced a new healthcare reimbursement model they believed would improve the employee experience — but once open enrollment began, it became clear that employees in different states were being impacted unevenly.

Instead of defending the rollout or pushing through resistance, the company pivoted.

“There is power in owning something that was a mistake and in fixing it.”

That moment captured a theme that showed up repeatedly throughout the conversation: people-first leadership isn’t about perfection.

It’s about responsiveness.

It’s about staying curious enough to recognize when something isn’t working, listening to employee feedback, and being willing to change course quickly.

That level of humility builds credibility far faster than pretending every decision was correct the first time.

5. “Stay curious” might be the most important leadership advice of the next decade

By the end of the conversation, one phrase kept resurfacing over and over again:

Stay curious.

Laura connected curiosity to almost every major challenge leaders are facing right now:

• AI adoption
• Organizational change
• Team conflict
• Leadership growth
• Innovation
• Hiring
• Employee trust

And not just curiosity about technology — curiosity about people.

“Stay curious, not judgmental.”

That mindset shapes how she interviews candidates, how she leads teams, and how she approaches uncertainty.

Instead of rushing to conclusions or becoming defensive, she encouraged leaders to ask better questions:

• What problem are we actually solving?
• Why is this hard?
• What are we missing?
• What can we learn here?

In a moment where work feels increasingly reactive and fast-moving, that advice felt especially relevant.

Curiosity creates space for better decisions, stronger relationships, and more human leadership.

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