Podcast
People Managing People
Hosted by David Rice · EN
The People Managing People podcast equips forward-thinking leaders to thrive in the AI era—reshaping teams, systems, and strategy without losing what makes work human. Hosted by David Rice, each episode brings real-world insights from innovators, executives, and people leaders on topics like AI in practice, people-first leadership, performance systems, and workplace culture.
45episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
From Tools to Agents: Preparing for the Next Phase of AI at Work
Jan 2700:40:43Tap to summarizeMost business leaders are still talking about AI as if it’s just another “productivity upgrade.” Meanwhile, the world building the future — massive data centers, AGI R&D, and winner‑take‑all investment — is sprinting ahead without guardrails, ethics, or broad societal input. In this conversation, researcher Christopher DiCarlo pushes executives to confront a reality most aren’t prepared for: AI isn’t a tool you add to the org chart, it’s a paradigm shift that will redefine work, power, human purpose, and morality.This episode is part wake‑up call, part philosophical intervention. It challenges HR leaders and executives to stop asking “how much more productive do we need to be?” and start asking “what kind of future are we building — and at what cost?” If you’re still waiting for a miracle app to solve everything, this conversation will shift your perspective on AI strategy, ethics, and leadership responsibility.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Christopher on LinkedInCheck out Convergence AnalysisSupport the show
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From Curiosity to Confidence: A Practical Framework for AI Adoption
Jan 2000:35:07Tap to summarizeAI is everywhere—and yet, in most organizations, it’s nowhere. People are intrigued, but unsure. Leaders evangelize, but workflows stay the same. Curiosity, it turns out, is not a strategy. In this episode, we’re joined by Justin Angsuwat, Chief People Officer at Culture Amp, to unpack how they flipped the script. In just six weeks, they moved nearly 80% of their workforce from passively curious to actively confident in using AI—without top-down mandates or perfectionist paralysis.We get into the nuts and bolts of the “Accelerate” program, the value of separating exploration from expectation, and why confidence—not usage metrics—is the better north star for early-stage AI adoption. Justin also shares the uncomfortable truths about integrating AI into daily work, especially for senior employees whose identities are tied to outdated workflows. If your team is hovering in AI limbo, this conversation is your blueprint for action.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsCheck out this episode’s sponsor: DeelConnect with Justin on LinkedInCheck out Culture AmpSupport the show
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Why HR Gets Stuck on AI—and What It Takes to Lead the Transformation
Jan 1300:40:24Tap to summarizeFor the past 18–24 months, HR teams have been asked a blunt question: What are you doing with AI? The response has often been activity without strategy — policies, guardrails, governance frameworks — busy work that signals compliance rather than creates value. Dr. Dieter Veldsman joins David to diagnose this pattern of urgency → paralysis → compliance, explain why it’s holding HR back, and show how a deeper sense‑making process is the real lever for progress.Dieter argues — and the data backs it up — that most HR orgs focused on what can’t be done with AI, not what should be done to drive business value. The root isn’t technology ignorance, it’s cultural: HR has treated AI like a tech project when it’s fundamentally a people and organizational transformation. This episode walks through how to break the compliance trap, structure experimentation with purpose, and expand the CHRO role into the architect of the human‑machine ecosystem.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Dieter on LinkedInCheck out AIHR (Academy to Innovate HR)Support the show
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The Real Work Now Is Managing Energy, Not Productivity
Jan 600:38:38Tap to summarizeIf you’ve noticed that effort stopped being a differentiator, this episode will explain exactly what shifted — and what actually drives value in modern work. Lena Thompson, a leadership consultant with a systems analysis background, argues that the era where hustle and logic alone produced breakthroughs is over. AI can outpace us on sheer processing — but it cannot manage emotional energy, and that’s where the real work of leadership now lives.We dig into what emotional energy actually is (it’s not soft feel‑good fluff — it literally shapes brain function), why unprocessed emotions create cognitive blockages, how leaders can regulate emotional energy to improve decisions under pressure, and practical tools you can use today. This is an episode about leading from within, not just doing more — because the quality of your energy determines the quality of your impact.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Lena on LinkedInSupport the show
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Why Your AI Strategy Needs HR From Day Zero
Dec 1600:41:57Tap to summarizeIf your organization still views HR as the compliance cops standing by to squash complaints about an AI mandate, this episode is going to upend that thinking. David sits down with Tim Fisher—Head of AI at Black & White Zebra and longtime observer of organizational behavior—to dissect the real challenge of AI adoption in business. What he’s learned from being an “HR outsider” is simple but staggering: most companies are treating AI like a tech rollout when the real work is massive human change at scale—the kind of transformation HR has always lived in, even if others failed to notice.From the cavernous disconnect between what HR is being asked to do with AI and what they’re actually equipped to do, to why HR leaders must be at the table before strategy is set (not as cleanup crew), today’s conversation strips away the myth of AI as just another productivity tool. Tim and David map the human, technical, and leadership gaps that are shaping every AI effort today—and why success in 2026 will look nothing like a rushed compliance sprint.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsCheck out this episode’s sponsor: Intuit QuickBooks PayrollConnect with Tim on LinkedInCheck out Black & White ZebraSupport the show
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How AI Is Reshaping Leadership (and Why Agility Matters More Than Ever)
Sep 1600:30:58Tap to summarizeIn a world where AI is eating the routine work and career ladders look more like Escher paintings, what does leadership agility really mean? In this episode, I sit down with David Jones, CEO and Partner at Mercer Assessments, to explore how leaders can ground themselves in productivity, positivity, people, and purpose while rethinking the broken systems we’ve inherited.We dig into why organizations don’t actually have a leadership shortage—they have a followership problem. From the dark matter of astronomy to the dark matter of organizational life, David makes the case that 93% of performance depends on the people who don’t sit in the spotlight. We also examine how AI is reshaping careers, why assessments should be GPS systems for skills, and why employers may need to stop outsourcing education to institutions that are years behind reality.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with David on LinkedInCheck out Mercer AssessmentsSupport the show
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Building Hybrid Teams That Work — Lessons Leaders Need Before Adding AI
Sep 900:37:41Tap to summarizeWe’ve all heard the pitch: “Hybrid work is the future.” But dig beneath the slogans and you’ll find wildly different realities—some thriving, others quietly imploding. In this episode, I sit down with Lynette Caruso, a PhD candidate at Australian National University, to unpack her field research across public and private sectors on what makes hybrid work succeed—or fail.From the power of casual coffee chats to the pitfalls of hot desking, Lynette shows how flexible policies often collapse under rigid cultures. If you’ve ever wondered why your “flexible” workplace feels anything but, or why your team can’t seem to find its rhythm under hybrid rules, this conversation will help you cut through the noise.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Lynette on LinkedInSir Roland Wilson ScholarSupport the show
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How Nextdoor’s Head of People is Protecting Workplace Mental Health While Adopting AI
Sep 200:24:42Tap to summarizeWe’ve spent the last few years talking about mental health at work like it’s always a crisis—trauma, burnout, damage done. Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor, thinks that framing actually makes the conversation harder. Instead, what if we positioned mental health as something everyone can access, not just people in distress? In this episode, we cut through the jargon and look at resilience, performance, and the everyday practices that actually help people do their best work.Bryan and I also dig into the cultural pendulum swing from “bring your whole self to work” to “respect my boundaries,” the generational divides shaping expectations around connection, and how AI is reshaping not just jobs, but how leaders set boundaries, communicate, and build culture. Spoiler: the hot takes on AI are everywhere, but the real opportunity isn’t doing more with less—it’s doing more with the same.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Bryan on LinkedInCheck out NextdoorSupport the show
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AI Risks in HR: Bias, Leadership Buy-In, and Employee Trust
Aug 2800:28:22Tap to summarizeWhat happens when an executive quietly outsources performance reviews to ChatGPT? Or when your C-suite is loudly preaching about AI adoption while refusing to touch the tools themselves? In this episode, I sit down with Talk HR to Me columnist and Head of People at Quantum Metric, Alana Fallis, to tackle real listener questions in a live advice-column format.We dig into the messy realities of AI in the workplace—from misplaced trust in automated reviews, to the awkward theater of “innovation” at the executive level, to the human side of employee fears around automation. And yes, we even unpack the HR dilemma of whether an employee in recovery should be allowed to stock the breakroom fridge with non-alcoholic beer.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Alana on LinkedInCheck out Quantum MetricTalk HR to MeSupport the show
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From Layoffs to Loyalty: Building Alumni Networks That Work
Aug 1900:22:08Tap to summarizeLayoffs are often treated like a dirty secret—a rushed, impersonal process designed to move people out the door with as little friction as possible. But the way you offboard employees says just as much about your company culture as the way you welcome them in. In this episode, I sit down with Jena Dunay, founder of Recruit the Employer and host of Culture Uncovered, to talk about how organizations can approach layoffs, exits, and alumni relations with dignity—and why that matters more than ever.We dig into the bad habits that keep companies scrambling at the eleventh hour, the power of communication over cash, and why alumni networks and boomerang employees should be a core part of your talent strategy. Offboarding isn’t just the end of the employee lifecycle—it’s the part that makes the circle whole.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Jena on LinkedInCheck out Recruit the Employer and Culture Uncovered PodcastSupport the show
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