Future of HR

Alan Colquitt, HR author and advisor who rethinks performance systems. Edie Goldberg, HR strategist and firm founder focused on talent and effectiveness. They explore why old performance systems no longer fit modern work. They discuss how pay-focused reviews took over, the case for continuous coaching and team-based goals, and practical steps to redesign performance for today’s organizations.

How can HR Operations help transform the function and drive business impact?Why should HR shift from People First to People Forward strategy?My guest on this episode is Girish Ganesan, Chief People Officer, S&P GlobalDuring our conversation, Girish and I discuss the following: Why HR operations are the foundation of real impactWhy credibility requires understanding the work beneath the workHow HR teams can shift from "People First" to "People Forward"Why execution is becoming a defining capability for next-generation HR leaders.Why adaptive leadership is critical in the age of AI. Connecting with Girish: Connect with Girish on LinkedIn Episode Sponsor: Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leadersHR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.Succession Planning Playbook: In this focused 1-page resource, I cut through the noise to give you the vital elements that define what “great” succession planning looks like.

Dave Stachowiak, leadership coach and host of Coaching for Leaders, shares practical frameworks for developing leaders. He explains why tiny, consistent practices beat big bursts. He demonstrates simple questions like “How so?” to unlock real dialogue. He stresses defining success up front, treating pushback as progress, and blending AI with human coaching for the future of leadership.

Rebecca Hinds, organizational behavior researcher and author of Your Best Meeting Ever, studies collaboration and meeting design. She talks about when meetings are truly needed and how they expose culture and collaboration breakdowns. Learn the 4D test for meeting necessity, how to treat meetings like products, and why rhythms, norms, and AI matter for better meetings.

Over the past 180 episodes, I've only been the one getting interviewed twice. I continue to get requests and questions from you saying, "JP, we'd love for you to answer more questions. We want to get to know you better. We've got some questions we would love you to answer." So, that is what I am doing today. This is a special Ask Me Anything episode.I am joined by my brilliant friend, Anne Gotte, who's the Senior Vice President, Global Talent and Organizational Effectiveness for Mondelēz International. Anne was kind enough to say, "Hey, JP, I want to interview you. I think this will be a lot of fun." And she was right.All the questions today were submitted by you — through the newsletter, on LinkedIn, and across the Future of HR community. I saw some of the questions as they came in, but Anne and I made a deliberate choice: no scripts, no prep, just a candid conversation. So what you're going to hear is Anne and I working through your questions in real time.I'm going to do my best to answer questions around:How I got my first big breakWhere I think AI will shape HR careersWhat I would do differently if I could go back in time and give myself the advice I give many next-gen HR leaders today

How can organizations make employee well-being a leadership responsibility, not just an employee responsibility?Why is belonging the number one driver of employee well-being?My guest on this episode is Mark C. Crowley, a pioneer in workplace leadership, speaker, and bestselling author of Lead from the Heart and The Power of Employee Well-Being.During our conversation, Mark and I discuss the following: Why leading with the heart is often misunderstood as being "soft" in business settings.How pulse surveys, when paired with real accountability systems, can transform manager behavior and team performance.Why belonging is the number one driver of employee well-beingWhy employee well-being is the leader’s responsibility, not the employee’s and the research that proves it.Why HR leaders need to challenge decisions that prioritize short-term financial metrics over long-term culture and people.Connecting with Mark: Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Learn more about Mark’s books and podcastEpisode Sponsor: Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leadersHR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.Succession Planning Playbook: In this focused 1-page resource, I cut through the noise to give you the vital elements that define what “great” succession planning looks like.

Brian Underhill, Founder and CEO of CoachSource and author of Executive Coaching for Results, shares his journey from early coaching work to building scalable leadership systems. He discusses how coaching evolved into disciplined practice. Short takes cover designing measurable coaching programs, team coaching vs individual work, proper coach selection, and where AI can and cannot support coaching.

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.

How do leaders develop cultural agility?Why is cultural agility an essential skill in the age of AI?My guest on this episode is Paula Caligiuri, Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University, Co-Founder of Skiilify, and Best-Selling Author.During our conversation, Paula and I discuss the following: Why cultural agility is becoming a critical leadership capabilityHow leaders actually develop effectiveness across culturesWhy vulnerability, curiosity, and perspective-taking build trust and adaptability.How individual behavior shapes team dynamics more than formal authority.How organizations can intentionally design experiences to develop global leaders.Connecting with Paula: Connect with Paula on LinkedIn Learn more about Paula’s company, SkillifyCheck out my conversation with Paula on International Business Today podcast where we discuss The Future of HREpisode Sponsor: Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leadersHR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.Succession Planning Playbook: In this focused 1-page resource, I cut through the noise to give you the vital elements that define what “great” succession planning looks like.

In this discussion, DJ Casto, Executive Vice President and CHRO at Synchrony, shares his unique journey into HR and emphasizes the importance of active listening in shaping a trusting workplace culture. He reveals how adopting agile methodologies transformed their HR practices and led to a flexible work model that respects employee feedback. DJ also highlights the creation of a frontline experience team that enhances both employee and customer journeys, advocating for continuous, real-time listening over outdated annual surveys.