Inspiring the next generation of HR Leaders

How can leaders make work both fun and drive high-performance? Why do the high performers find joy in intense work? My guests on this episode are Bree Groff, workplace expert and author of “Today was Fun,” and Mary Kate Stimmler, Practitioner Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences at Stanford During our conversation, Bree, Mary Kate, and I discuss the following: Why the belief that high performance requires pressure and sacrifice is flawed How leaders can design work that creates energy, not burnout Why “fun” at work is about experience, not perks Why stress undermines creativity and long-term performance How small, everyday moments shape culture more than large-scale initiatives

This is Part 2 of our live at the CHRO Association's annual CHRO Summit in Orlando, Florida. I was honored to be invited to the CHRO Association's annual CHRO Summit that brought together more than 300 CHROs and senior HR leaders for strategic conversations truly shaping the future of work. With 25 presenters and panelists on the agenda, I was able to sit down and interview seven of those amazing speakers and bring their insights directly to you across these two episodes (EP 186 & EP 187). In this episode, Part 2 - we’re going to hear from three more incredible leaders: Darrell Ford, Vice Chair of the CHRO Association and Executive Vice President and CHRO at UPS Rebecca Hinds, PhD, Head of the Work AI Institute and Thought Leadership at Glean, and author of Your Best Meeting Ever Kevin Cox, Former CHRO at General Electric and President of LKC Advisory LLC

This is a very special episode recorded live at the CHRO Association's annual CHRO Summit in Orlando, Florida. Over two days, more than 300 CHROs and senior HR leaders came together for strategic conversations truly shaping the future of work. With 25 presenters and panelists on the agenda, I was fortunate enough to sit down and interview seven of those amazing speakers and bring their insights directly to you. The conversations were so good and in-depth that we're making this a two-part series to ensure we do each conversation justice. This is Part 1. In this episode, you'll hear from: Tim Bartl, CEO of the CHRO Association Tim Richmond, Chair of the CHRO Association and former EVP and CHRO at AbbVie Kristi Hummel, Chief People Officer at Optum Ethan Mollick, Innovation Expert, AI Thought Leader, and Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of Business

How can HR Rethink Performance Management? Why is Performance Management broken and what can HR do about it? My guests on this episode are Edie Goldberg & Alan Colquitt, co-authors of “Performance Enablement: A New Model for Driving Organizational Performance.” During our conversation, Edie, Alan, and I discuss the following: Why traditional performance management systems were built for a different era of work. How performance management became more about compensation than improving performance. Why shifting from performance management to performance enablement changes the leadership mindset. How continuous coaching and feedback outperform annual reviews and performance ratings. Why team-based goals better reflect how work actually gets done in modern 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 Global During our conversation, Girish and I discuss the following: Why HR operations are the foundation of real impact Why credibility requires understanding the work beneath the work How 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.

How can two simple words, “How so?” unlock a deeper conversation with any leader? Why is consistency more important than intensity when building new leadership habits? My guest on this episode is Dave Stachowiak, Host of the Coaching for Leaders podcast. During our conversation, Dave and I discuss the following: Why most "questions" aren't really questions. How defining success in advance makes behavior change measurable. Why high achievers are especially prone to feeling like they've failed. Why pushback when you go more coach is often a green light, not a red one. Why the future of leadership is “both/and."

How can we redesign our culture by redesigning our meetings? Why do well-designed meetings allow for more time for individual and value-added work? My guest on this episode is Rebecca Hinds, author of “Your Best Meeting Ever” and leading expert on organizational behavior and the future of work. During our conversation, Rebecca and I discuss the following: Deciding what deserves to be a meeting (and what doesn’t) is one of the most important decisions leaders can make. How poorly designed meetings become signals of busyness rather than drivers of real work. What meetings reveal about your organization's culture Why treating meetings like a product changes how leaders think about time, collaboration, and outcomes. How high-performing organizations design clear communication norms so meetings are a last resort, not the default.

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 break Where I think AI will shape HR careers What 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-being Why 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.

How can organizations use coaching to build leadership capability? Why should every organization have a clear coaching strategy? My guest on this episode is Brian Underhill, Founder and CEO of CoachSource During our conversation, Brian and I discuss the following: How the executive coaching industry evolved and matured over the past few decades. How organizations can design disciplined, scalable coaching systems that drive measurable behavior change. Why coaching works best when it is aligned to the talent strategy. How team coaching can improve trust and effectiveness when designed intentionally. Where AI can support coaching at scale and where it can’t.