How do you get certain in an uncertain world?

Why is seeking out variance in your life the key to personal and professional growth?

My guest on this episode is the one and only Dave Ulrich, Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at The RBL Group

In our conversation, Dave opens up about his personal journey and shares insights that have guided his influential career as we discuss...

• How his parents' values shaped his view that work is an opportunity, not a burden
• Why a pivotal college course redirected him from law to a groundbreaking career in HR
• The importance of building on existing knowledge rather than reinventing HR concepts
• His personal motto "the best is yet to come" and how it drives continuous learning
• Why embracing variance in thinking leads to personal growth and innovation in HR practices

Connecting with Dave:

Connect with Dave Ulrich on LinkedIn

Sign up for Dave’s LinkedIn newsletter here

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

Elevate 2025 - Learn more about this a flexible 3-week virtual program focused on taking your strategic capabilities and business impact to the next level with 16 interactive sessions led by 18 HR thought leaders.

HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.

How does the combination of pressure and power impact a leader’s behavior?

What can HR leaders do to help their managers to be better bosses?

My guest on this episode is Sabina Nawaz, Executive Coach and author, “You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)”

During our conversation Sabina and I discuss:

• Why pressure, not power alone, makes leaders behave poorly and what leaders can do about it
• Simple ways to set healthy work limits even when bosses expect too much
• Why communication breakdowns happen and practical ways to fix them
• How the "shut up exercise" helps leaders listen more and talk less, leading to better team results
• Why the skills that got you promoted might be seen differently once you're in a leadership role

Connecting with Sabina:

Connect with Sabina Nawaz on LinkedIn

Learn more about her book: You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

Elevate 2025 - Learn more about this a flexible 3-week virtual program focused on taking your strategic capabilities and business impact to the next level with 16 interactive sessions led by 18 HR thought leaders.

HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.

How do we want our leaders, our organizations, and HR to be augmented by AI?

Why is generative AI an historic opportunity for HR leaders to shape the future of work and leadership?

My guests on this episode are Bob Johansen, Distinguished Fellow at Institute for the Future (IFTF), Gabe Cervantes, Director, Scalable Foresight, IFTF, and Jeremy Kirshbaum, CEO, Handshake, a generative AI consultancy who go deep into their new book, Leaders Make the Future: 10 New Skills to Humanize Leadership with Generative AI”

During our conversation Bob, Gabe, and Jeremy and I discuss:

• How "future-backed thinking" helps leaders craft bold 10-year visions for their organizations.
• The shift from a VUCA world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) to a BANI future (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible), and its implications for leaders.
• What early aviation's breakthroughs can teach us about managing AI innovation today and tomorrow.
• The rise of "smart mobs and agentic swarms" and how these new team structures will blend AI and human talent at scale.
• How HR can shape an AI-enabled workplace that keeps humans at the center.

Connecting with Bob, Gabe and Jeremy:

Connect with Bob Johansen on LinkedIn

Connect with Gabe Cervantes on LinkedIn

Connect with Jeremy Kirshbaum on LinkedIn

Learn more about “Leaders Make the Future: 10 New Skills to Humanize Leadership with Generative AI”

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

Elevate 2025 - Learn more about this a flexible 3-week virtual program focused on taking your strategic capabilities and business impact to the next level with 16 interactive sessions led by 18 HR thought leaders.

HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.

How can you embrace an Agile HR mindset?

Why is Agile HR a better approach to delivering value than our traditional methodologies?

My guest on this episode is Riina Hellström, Founder, Agile HR Community

During our conversation Riina and I discuss:

• How Agile HR can revolutionizing HR's approach to value delivery
• How small-scale pilots before full rollouts leads to better HR solutions that actually stick.
• Why cross-functional teams are the secret sauce for transforming everything from onboarding to performance management.
• How co-creating HR programs with employees dramatically boosts both buy-in and results.
• How HR can shift from traditional metrics to product-focused KPIs that showcase real impact.

Connecting with Riina:

Connect with Riina Hellström on LinkedIn

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

Elevate 2025 - Learn more about this a flexible 3-week virtual program focused on taking your strategic capabilities and business impact to the next level with 16 interactive sessions led by 18 HR thought leaders.

How do the most effective leadership teams really make decisions?

Why do traditional approaches to team effectiveness often fail?

My guests on this episode are Wanda Wallace, Managing Partner of Leadership Forum and Darren Overfield, EVP, Coaching & Consulting at Kaiser Leadership Solutions

During our conversation Wanda, Darren and I discuss:

• Why traditional ideas about executive team effectiveness often fail in the real world.
• The surprising discovery that “cliques” and subgroups in executive teams can actually help, not hurt, team effectiveness.
• Why transparency is critical to reducing conflict and improving team dynamics.
• How effective top teams “zoom in and zoom out” to encourage collaboration and healthy debates.
• How HR leaders can guide their leaders in creating natural “hubs” that result in high-performing teams.

Connecting with Wanda & Darren:

Connect with Wanda Wallace & Darren Overfield on LinkedIn

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.

How can you create a culture that embraces change?

Why is it critical to build leaders at levels of your organization?

My guest on this episode is Monique Herena, Chief Colleague Experience Officer at American Express.

During our conversation Monique and I discuss:

• Monique's philosophy on taking career leaps and the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone.
• Why American Express refers to their team members as colleagues and invests in improving the “colleague experience” each and every day.
• Why their framework for winning is the north star for their business strategy and culture
• How American Express is building enterprise leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Why next-gen HR leaders should embrace change and adopt a mindset of continuous learning and improvement.

Connecting with Monique:

Connect with Monique Herena on LinkedIn

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.

How can we make work more fair?

Why should fairness be embedded in all core HR processes?

My guest on this episode is Siri Chilazi, Leading Gender Equality & DEI Researcher, Co-Author of 'Make Work Fair’

During our conversation Siri and I discuss:

• Why fairness in the workplace creates better outcomes for both the organization and the individual.
• Why it's more effective to focus on changing behaviors and systems rather than attempting to debias people.
• Why fairness is a collective responsibility, not just for HR professionals.
• The importance of fairness should be embedded in every core HR process.
• Why transparency is a key enabler of ensuring fairness in the workplace.

Connecting with Siri:

Connect with Siri Chilazi on LinkedIn or visit her Siri’s website

Learn more about her new book, Making Work Fair

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.

What does it mean to be an “Essential Leader” in the future of work?

What is a “gray collar” job and why are they the future for many industries?

My guest on this episode is Kelly Monahan, Managing Director, Research Institute @ Upwork, Christie Smith, Founder of The Humanity Studio

During our conversation Kelly, Christie, and I discuss:

• Why designing "unicorn jobs" is hurting both candidates and organizations - and what to do instead.
• The rise of "gray collar" jobs jobs—a blend of white and blue-collar skills and what this means for the future of work.
• Why employee agency and autonomy are non-negotiable elements for building high-performing cultures in today's workplace.
• Why leaders need to spend more time identifying the work that needs to be done by a human and what work should be done with AI
• Why “Essential Leaders” of the future will have to focus on their teams, not themselves.

Connecting with Kelly and Christie:

Connect with Kelly Monahan and Christie Smith on LinkedIn

Learn more about their new book, Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership

Episode Sponsor:

Next-Gen HR Accelerator - Learn more about this best-in-class leadership development program for next-gen HR leaders

HR Leader’s Blueprint - 18 pages of real-world advice from 100+ HR thought leaders. Simple, actionable, and proven strategies to advance your career.