People and Strategy

In the fall of 2015, Betsy Rodriguez was the CHRO of the University of Missouri when the university president announced his sudden resignation on national television. The university needed to provide a rapid response to the unfolding scenario, and the board turned to Rodriguez for guidance and advice, highlighting the CHRO’s critical role in navigating executive transitions. In this episode of People and Strategy, host Mo Fathelbab speaks with Rodriguez about the valuable lessons she has learned during her career related to managing C-suite transitions - both well-planned and sudden – and other insights from her time as an HR executive.

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After realizing that a career in investment banking wasn’t for her, Julie Lodge-Jarrett went to a career fair in Detroit to stand in a long line, wondering if she could talk to someone about a job at Ford Motor Company. She landed in HR, and after a multi-decade career at Ford, she accepted an offer to become Chief People and Purpose Officer at DICK’s Sporting Goods in 2019. In this episode of People and Strategy, Lodge-Jarrett joins host Mo Fathelbab to discuss topics including how DICK’s promotes civility in a retail environment, and the organization’s use of “dialogue circles” to encourage healthy debate and discussion among team members.

Episode transcript

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AI is changing not only the nature of work, but also the approaches needed for effective human-centric change management related to this revolutionary technology. In this episode of People and Strategy, host Mo Fathelbab speaks with Nichol Bradford, SHRM’s executive in residence for AI and HI enablement to discuss topics including concerns about AI-related layoffs, how HR departments will evolve in the age of AI, and and achieving buy-in from senior leadership and employees on AI initiatives at your organization.

Episode transcript

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After being hired as senior vice president of human resources at Capital Group in 1998, Andrea Gill had to go on maternity leave just four days into her new role, but Capital assured her “We are a long-term focused company.” 25 years later and having risen to Capital’s chief human resources officer, it’s an alignment of values between Gill and the organization that has helped shape her career. In this episode of People and Strategy, Gill joins host Tony Lee to discuss the maturing of inclusion, equity & diversity initiatives, the case for a measured approach to AI, and remote work.

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Following a career that began with an HR generalist role at IBM, Calvin Crosslin now serves as both Chief Diversity Officer at Lenovo and President of the Lenovo Foundation. In his role, Crosslin drives the corporate vision, goals, strategies, and performance metrics for Lenovo's Global Diversity and Inclusion Office, which supports more than 63,000 employees from 60 countries around the world.

In this episode of People and Strategy, host Tony Lee speaks with Crosslin on topics including the transformative power of diversity initiatives, measuring the ROI of diversity training programs, and the importance of personalized approaches to understand and drive both employee retention and engagement.

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After a career of HR leadership positions that have included leading the Victoria’s Secret brand through an organizational transformation, Andre Joyner began a new role as CHRO at JCPenney in 2021. In this episode of People and Strategy, Joyner joins host Tony Lee to discuss how JCPenney is navigating talent shortages, the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting diverse talent, and the nuances of an AI future.

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Following an eclectic series of roles at Walmart, WPP and Accenture, Jacqui Canney is now Chief People Officer at IT systems provider ServiceNow, where she leads talent strategies for more than 20,000 employees. In this episode of People and Strategy, Canney speaks with host Tony Lee about how generative AI is impacting HR, leveraging Inclusion, Equity and Diversity (IE&D) as a business strategy, and her advice for those pursuing the C-suite.

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In a career with previous roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Hewlett Packard, and BHP, talent management has always proved both a passion, and a key aspect of Suzan McDaniel’s responsibilities. In this episode of People and Strategy, McDaniel speaks with host Tony Lee about the breadth of her current role as Chief Human Resources Office at Edward Jones, advice for aspiring CHROs, and her take on the most important talent-related issue HR leaders should be thinking about this year and beyond.

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After starting in IT as a systems engineer, Ginny Rometty began a career at IBM, where she climbed the corporate ladder to become the first woman CEO in IBM’s history. In this episode of People and Strategy, recorded live at SHRM23 in Las Vegas, Rometty joins host Tony Lee on stage to reflect on her experiences, career journey, and lessons learned that inspired her to write Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World, a memoir about “how to do hard things, but to do them in a good way”.

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This episode of People and Strategy is sponsored by Safeguard Global.

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Adam Bryant is the senior managing director of the ExCo Group, and author of the new book The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership. A self-described “insight junkie” driven by content that prompts new understanding of people, organizations, and the world at large, these interests effectively fueled his 30+ year career as a journalist, as well as his Corner Office series at the New York Times, where he interviewed more than 500 CEOs. In this episode of People and Strategy, Bryant joins host Tony Lee to discuss topics including the self-examination necessary for people managers considering senior leadership roles, the traps leaders can fall into, and some of the most surprising answers CEOs have given in response to the question, “How do you hire?”

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This episode of People and Strategy is sponsored by Safeguard Global.

Episode transcript