
Future of HR “Why HR Must Lead With Courage” with Pat Wadors, CHRO, Intuitive and author of “Unlock Your Leadership Story.”
Feb 3, 2026
Pat Wadors, seasoned CHRO and author of Unlock Your Leadership Story, shares how neurodiversity, humility, and curiosity shaped her leadership. She discusses courage in challenging decisions, creating healthy high-performing cultures, why the business should own talent initiatives, adopting a product mindset for employee experience, and using a personal scorecard to guide life and career choices.
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From Workhorse To Unicorn Stretch
- Jeff Weiner told Pat he wanted a 'unicorn' CHRO and she offered to be a workhorse instead.
- She agreed to start by running the function and slowly build the public-facing skills he wanted.
Be Willing To Be Fired For Values
- Be willing to risk your role when leadership decisions violate core values.
- Hold up the mirror, show downstream costs, and be prepared to leave if alignment fails.
Health Over Perks
- A healthy company shows respect, belonging, and everyday human connection, not just benefits.
- Healthy behaviors deliver long-term wins while bad behavior yields only short-term gains.

