HR Leaders

Hosted by Chris Rainey

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867

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Join host Chris Rainey on the HR Leaders Podcast, where he sits down with top Chief People Officers, CHROs, and leading HR experts to uncover the strategies, trends, and insights shaping the future of human resources. Each episode dives into best practices in people management, leadership challenges, and transformative HR innovations that impact both business success and society at large. Whether you're an HR professional or simply passionate about modern workplace strategies, this podcast delivers expert advice, real-world experiences, and the latest trends in HR, making it your go-to resource for all things human resources. ]]>

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60 recent

August 26, 202632 min

How AI Is Quietly Rewriting Every Job

What if AI isn't replacing jobs, but quietly redesigning the tasks inside them? In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Sultan Murad Saidov , Former CEO / Founder and Investor at Beamery . He explains why task intelligence could become critical to workforce planning, how AI is changing the work inside existing roles, and why deciding what gets automated should become an HR question, not just a technology question. Drawing on more than a decade of building Beamery and working at the intersection of AI, skills and workforce data, Sultan explains why skills alone are no longer enough to understand where work is heading. 5 things you’ll learn from this episode: Why looking at tasks instead of job titles changes how leaders understand AI's impact on work The research Sultan references suggesting 75% of jobs may need redesign because of AI augmentation How digital twin teams could help leaders model workforce decisions before making them Why reducing junior roles may create a long-term talent and career pipeline problem Why Sultan believes HR and technology teams should jointly lead the redesign of work 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Arist Meet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 25, 202648 min

How to Build Trust with Employees in Times of Chaos

Constant tech shifts and viral noise are quietly exhausting your workforce and killing critical thinking. In the latest HR Leaders Podcast episode, I spoke with Laura Maffucci, Head of HR at Globalization Partners. She explains why HR cannot rely on corporate spin, unvetted AI add-ons, or forced office returns during times of rapid change. Most organizations do not lack technology tools. They lack transparent communication, psychological safety, and a clear process for building learning agility. And even when tools are enabled, a harder question remains:Are you actually solving an operational problem, or just adding tool overload? 5 things you’ll learn from this episode: The unconventional quarterly award designed to celebrate smart operational failures The quiet credibility trap behind performative return-to-office mandates The hidden data flaw causing 70–80% of enterprise AI bots to give bad advice The three core human traits rendering static technical skills obsolete A simple peer-led initiative driving AI adoption far better than formal training See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 19, 202633 min

How High Performers Beat Imposter Syndrome at Work

What if the self-doubt holding you back isn't proof of failure, but evidence of growth? In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Maharukh Dalal, founder of The Career Accelerator for Women by Maharukh Dalal. She explains how senior leaders can overcome imposter syndrome by closing the internal identity gap, reframing self-doubt into a signal of growth, and shifting self-perception to drive executive execution. Drawing on two decades of corporate leadership across finance and hospitality, Dalal explains how mindset precedes execution. This conversation offers senior HR and business leaders a clear playbook for mastering the mental side of executive performance. 5 things you’ll learn from this episode: The psychological gap that stops capable leaders from taking action A simple two-word shift that instantly turns daily dread into agency What a 1980 university experiment reveals about how people actually perceive you The advice Rafael Nadal’s coach gave him during his worst slump that applies to executives Why relying purely on willpower and discipline eventually fails even top performers 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Arist Meet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 17, 202645 min

How to Build an AI Strategy That Scales Beyond the Pilot

AI could influence 90% of jobs. David Lloyd says AI literacy is still only around 38%. That gap is where many enterprise AI strategies begin to break. In the latest HR Leaders Podcast episode, I spoke with David Lloyd , SVP Platform Engineering & Chief AI Officer at Dayforce . He explains why HR cannot wait until the end of an AI transformation to address skills, trust and organisational change. Most organisations do not lack AI ideas. They lack trusted data, safe environments and a clear process for deciding which ideas deserve to scale. And even when an experiment works, a harder question remains: Can it scale from one employee to 5,000? 5 things you’ll learn from this episode: Why three to six months is too long to judge an AI pilot The three questions that decide whether an AI idea moves forward What is really driving the rise of shadow AI Why adding AI across a fragmented HR stack creates more chaos How a three-person governance team can approve ideas in under five days 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Fluide Work is changing too fast for learning to take weeks. Learn how Fluide turns skill gaps into live adaptive learning in 3 steps and see performance move by Friday. Try FLuide now → https://fluide.ai/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 12, 202656 min

How to Get Your Team to Actually Use AI at Work

Why do enterprise skills programs always look great on paper, but break down the moment real work happens? In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Josh Newman, VP of Skills and Talent Readiness at ServiceNow. He explains why organisations must shift away from perfectionist data collection and embrace good-enough skills capture paired with real-world talent readiness. By moving training out of LMS silos and leveraging ambient data signals alongside AI simulation playgrounds, ServiceNow tracks true human capabilities in real time while keeping human judgment at the centre of workforce strategy. 5 things you'll learn from this episode: Why traditional skills-based models fail and how to move past perfectionist data gathering How Talent Signature captures ambient data signals from daily work to track capability growth How SimStudio simulation playgrounds replace course completion certificates with real-time practice The key difference between basic AI adoption and true behaviour absorption that drives business ROI How building psychological safety around AI tools directly boosts employee performance and sales quota attainment See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 10, 202653 min

How to Prepare Your Workforce for Jobs That Do Not Exist Yet

Every company wants to become AI-native. But who is preparing the workforce for what comes next? In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an important conversation with Bijal Shah , CEO & Board Director at Guild . She explains why becoming AI-native is not simply a technology upgrade. It requires employers, governments and learning institutions to rethink how people gain skills, build careers and participate in the future economy. 5 things you’ll learn from this episode: How organisations can make the AI-native transition without leaving their workforce behind Why Bijal believes 95% of companies still need to make this leap What makes workforce transformation a collective action problem How critical thinking, judgement and curiosity separate useful AI from “slop” Where automation creates an advantage, and where human connection must remain See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 5, 202645 min

Why 80% of HR Teams Are Doing Strategic Work Wrong

We spend all our time fixing business workflows, so why is HRs own workflow still broken? In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Jeffrey Schmitz, Former Chief People Officer at Zebra Technologies. He explains how his team successfully restructured their entire HR operating model by separating daily tactical operations from long-term talent strategy. By replacing fragmented, manual support with a centralised service hub and self-service workflows, Zebra built a scalable foundation for digital transformation while keeping culture at the centre. 5 things you’ll learn from this episode: The structural model shift that allowed Zebra to transition from 60 HR Business Partners down to 8 The simple "start at the centre" rule that turned daily support tickets into an operational data goldmine The non-negotiable tech stack foundation HR teams must build before attempting to deploy AI tools The single candidate trait Zebra looks for that matters far more than rare technical AI expertise The culture stewardship strategy Zebra used to navigate a massive M&A carve-out and hybrid work shift 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Arist Meet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

July 29, 202637 min

Why Most Remote Cultures Fail

HR fixes everyone else's workflows, but who fixes HR's? In the most recent HR Leaders Podcast episode, I had an inspiring conversation with Barbara Matthews, Chief People Officer at Remote. She explains how her team successfully operates across 85 countries without traditional office mandates or endless meetings. By replacing friction with clear asynchronous documentation, Remote maintains connection and speed at scale. 5 things you’ll learn from this episode: Integrating AI into performance management and HR operations Building trust and culture in fully remote asynchronous teams Transitioning HR from lagging reporting to predictive indicators Developing leadership pillars and manager capabilities Prioritizing human power skills and process mapping in tech adoption 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, 365 Talents Download the free toolkit and get your 2026 skills strategy moving faster → https://365talents.com/en/lp/hr-skills-strategy-toolkit/?utm_source=hr_leaders&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=july_2026 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

July 27, 202639 min

Why Traditional Performance Reviews Fail (And What to Do Instead)

Many HR teams struggle to move beyond transactional order-taking . Ty Beasley , Chief Talent Officer at RSM US LLP , shares how grounding HR in financial realities transformed his team into trusted strategic advisors . Through the Drive Peak Performance framework, RSM redesigned performance advisor training and held partners directly accountable for the talent experience . This strategy replaces rigid office mandates with physical agility to support individual employee growth. This episode provides a concise roadmap for connecting talent strategy directly to business growth. It shows leaders how to build a stronger HR function that drives measurable business outcomes. 🎓 In this episode, Ty discusses: How leading without a title empowers junior staff to take early initiative. The finance immersion that taught HR to analyze financial statements . Why Drive Peak Performance serves as the firm's talent North Star. How redesigning performance advisor roles improved coaching quality. Why partners are directly rated on the talent experience . 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, 365 Talents Download the free toolkit and get your 2026 skills strategy moving faster → https://365talents.com/en/lp/hr-skills-strategy-toolkit/?utm_source=hr_leaders&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=july_2026 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

July 22, 202638 min

Why Benefits Remain One of HR’s Biggest Data Blind Spots

Employee benefits can be the second-biggest people cost, yet many global organisations cannot clearly see what they offer, what they spend, or what value each provider delivers. In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Chris Bruce , CEO and Co-Founder at Origin . He explains why fragmented policies, spreadsheets, and local systems have kept benefits out of strategic business conversations. 🎓 In this episode, Chris discusses: Why one of the biggest people costs remains largely invisible, leaving leadership teams unable to make informed decisions about benefits. How AI changes a 12.5-year manual challenge by turning thousands of policies, handbooks, and agreements into structured data. Why benefits data must live inside daily workflows if organisations want it to remain accurate after the initial review. What co-creating technology with multinational employers reveals that industry expertise alone cannot uncover. How benefits can become a strategic workforce lever, supporting cost control, employee experience, expansion, compliance, and retention. 🙏 Thank you to our series partner, 365 Talents Download the free toolkit and get your 2026 skills strategy moving faster → https://365talents.com/en/lp/hr-skills-strategy-toolkit/?utm_source=hr_leaders&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=july_2026 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .