HR Superstars

On this show you get to hear from truly stellar people leaders and how they think about running extraordinary companies and cultures. While Shane occasionally shares some of his ideas alongside them, we thought we'd switch things up a bit and give you a glimpse into how he thinks about the world of progressive HR, people operations, and doing business a little differently than it's ever been done...

How many times have you taken a personality assessment only to forget all about it a few days later? Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, Chair of the Board and Chief Thought Leader at Herrmann, believes it's time to make assessments usable on a daily basis. Hermann uses a proprietary Whole Brain® Thinking approach (not a personality assessment) to make it easy to build alignment, engagement, and agility across yo...

We're about to launch our new season of HR Superstars in September, so we wanted to give you a sneak peek at which amazing guests you can expect to hear from. First, we kick off with brain science. Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, shares how Herrmann's HBDI Brain Dominance Instrument assessment differs from personality assessments, using a proprietary Whole Brain Thinking approach to make it easy to build alig...

A people-first approach to work sounds great, but is it really a winning strategy? Diane Adams, Chief Culture and Talent Officer at Sprinklr, is here to say it is, and she has the numbers to prove it. In just over a year, her team reduced attrition by 44%, even in the midst of a hot labor market. She joins the show to share her perspective on work-life integration, the power of believing in people...

If you want to be a strategic HR leader, you need to master compensation. And then remaster it again and again. Andrea Morales, VP of People Rewards, Data, and Operations at Affirm, shares insights from her experience, as well as principles for creating a compensation strategy that accomplishes business goals and retains high performers. Buckle up for a great conversation that's part therapy and p...

Becoming a teammate with the rest of the leadership team is critical to building a successful HR function. Kate McKinnon, Head of HR at Playfly Sports, knows this firsthand and has developed strategies that allow her to serve her form a partnership with the C-Suite from day one at an organization. In this episode, Kate and Shane discuss what it looks like to partner with your people, find creativi...

In the midst of the Great Resignation, Great Reshuffling, or whatever you call the turnover trend, any organization would jump at the chance to reduce their attrition by 100% and serve their community at the same time. Amber Selking, VP of Leadership and Culture Development at Lippert Components, joins the show to share how her team's attrition fell drastically over 10 years as their organization...

Developing an intentional culture is a challenge for any team, but it's especially daunting in the midst of intense growth. Casey Bailey, Head of People at Deel, jumped in to build HR infrastructure soon after the company had grown from 50 to 550 employees in a single year. In this episode, she shares how you can avoid some of the challenges she's been facing, how she takes a high-trust approach t...

LaToya Lyn, Chief People Officer at Help Scout, is more than a people leader. She's a business and product leader. In this episode, LaToya shares what this dichotomy looks like for her, how HR drives business growth, and the importance of finding both mental and emotional renewal. She also explains how to find a seat at the table for strategic business conversations while prioritizing both persona...

Are you still looking for your "new normal"? It's not coming anytime soon, explains Brian Elliott, Executive Leader of Future Forum, SVP at Slack, and author of How the Future Works. The good news? We're going to keep getting better – constantly evolving, rather than settling into the status quo. In this episode, Brian shares research-backed insights from how to most effectively change company pra...

If you build on a house of cards, it will eventually crumble. Kiana Davari, Head of People at Sorare, learned first-hand earlier in her career that how you think about organizational design, and your hiring process early on is critical at a fast-growing company. She's starting at square one again at Sorare and is bringing lots of wisdom with her this time around. She joins the show to share her bi...

What does it mean to bring your whole self to work? And is that actually what we want from our people? Jen Fox, Director of People Experience and Culture at Justworks, joins the show to share how her team meets the needs of employees and stays authentic in messy conversations—all while setting healthy boundaries. We discuss the importance of curiosity, intentionality, and calling others in rather...

We're all figuring out what we want to be when we "grow up". Katie Burke, HubSpot's Chief People Officer, shares that sometimes in order for us to create a different future, we have to be willing to recreate what will get us there. In this episode, we discuss creating a culture that normalizes growth and development, and why listening is one of our greatest superpowers. Katie shares how to think a...

One of the most undervalued yet critical aspects inside modern organizations is the ability to effectively help people grow and develop. Sarah Haggard, CEO and Founder of Tribute, shares that mentorship programs are an easy and highly effective way to integrate growth and development into your company culture. In this episode, Sarah shares her journey as a first-time founder, some of the key momen...

Creating an inclusive culture involves much more than trite phrases and modernizing policies. Cara Pelletier, Sr. Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at 15Five, shares how building an inclusive culture takes multiple building blocks. Some of those blocks are cultivating traits like humility, curiosity, and vulnerability. Others are very tactical, like using intentional language...

Burnout and inefficiency are some of the biggest challenges people leaders face today. Jennifer Christie, Chief People Officer at Bolt, shares how her team's transition to four-day workweeks has unlocked efficiency and provides space for employees to pursue their passions outside of work. Join us as we discuss: [01:00] What inspired Bolt's four-day workweek [06:30] Cultural changes as a result of...

What does it take to be a great People Partner? Susanna Fisch, Lead of Stripe's People Partners, is here to tell us. We dive into the best tactics for enabling teams, measuring your impact, and why managers are the linchpin of your organization. Join us as we discuss: [01:00] The role of People Partners [08:30] Leveraging leaders within your organization [15:00] What great People Partners and mana...

It's no secret that life is hard. But we tend to make it harder than it needs to be. Chris Westfall, author, speaker, and business coach, has learned this the hard way and joins the show to share how to discover easier paths in all areas of life. Join us as we discuss: [02:00] Reframing your circumstances [09:30] Creating possibility at scale [16:00] Becoming a better coach [23:00] What causes str...

The days of handing your employees a 401k brochure and wishing them luck are gone. Modern employers need to support their people in making the best decisions about their finances. Will Peng, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstar, shares why employers need to provide guidance to help their employees through the paradox of choice in personal finance. He also explains how financial wellness is about more t...

Developing a compensation philosophy is no simple task, but it's critical to your success. First Person's CEO & Founder, Bryan Brenner, and SVP & Consultant, Paul Ashley, reveal the strategic power of getting compensation right and share their tips to help you get started. We also dive into HR trends Bryan and Paul have noticed, where total rewards fit in the HR hierarchy of needs, and how focus o...

Karen Mangia, VP, Customer & Market Insights at Salesforce & WSJ Bestselling Author, is proof you don't have to choose between advancing in a traditional career and building your personal brand. In fact, investing in yourself outside of your 9-5 is a win-win for employees and employers. The key to balancing it all? Living in alignment with your values. Karen joins the show to help you connect your...

How do you build a sense of community as a hybrid or fully remote organization? After multiple years of remote work, David Hassel and Shane Metcalf have learned a thing or two about creating a strong remote culture. David, CEO, and Shane, Chief People and Culture Officer at 15Five, share how they've cultivated a successful remote-first organization and managed to sustain its energy. Join us as we...

The way we work has changed dramatically. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the importance of putting people first. Abby Hamilton, Chief People Officer at LiveIntent, has compelling advice for doing just that, even when it's hard. This value permeates all areas of her team, from conversations about compensation to managing employee performance. A people-first perspective also calls for ref...

HR Superstars is coming back for a second season! In these new episodes, we're going to be hosting new HR leaders who are innovating high-performance cultures at some of the fastest-growing and most successful companies in the world. We're also adding some subject matter experts, academics, coaches, and other business leaders who work beside and inspire HR leaders. You don't want to miss it.

Trust is key in any relationship, but it's especially important for those in HR leadership right now. Skepticism is at an all-time high, and leaders are searching for ways to build (and rebuild) relationships. Talie Schwager, VP of People and HR at CoinDesk, gives her advice for restoring your people's trust. She shares ways to leverage tech to save time so you can focus on impacting your people,...