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
Beyond Corporate Astrology: The Science and Strategy of Personality Assessments in Hiring
Aug 1200:26:31Tap to summarizeIf you’ve ever sat through a personality test during hiring and thought, “This feels a bit like corporate astrology”—you’re not wrong. In this episode, I talk with Jason Hreha, Founder & CEO of Persona, about why so many workplace assessments are built on outdated theories and questionable science, and how to separate the gimmicks from the tools that actually help you hire better. We dig into what reliability and predictive validity really mean, why they’re non-negotiables for any credible test, and where most HR teams go wrong in applying behavioral science to talent decisions.Jason also shares his work on a new leadership-focused assessment that aims to measure two very different—but equally valuable—leadership archetypes: transformational and operational. From structuring interviews to making personality data a meaningful (but not overblown) part of your hiring process, this conversation is a crash course in evidence-based talent evaluation.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Jason on LinkedInCheck out Persona and Jason’s websiteSupport the show
Transcribe →
Redefining Engagement in a Post-Trust Era
Aug 5, 202500:32:19Tap to summarizeThe word “engagement” gets thrown around a lot—but what does it really mean in today’s workplace? In this candid, first-half conversation with Kamaria Scott, industrial-organizational psychologist and founder of Enetic, we take a hard look at how the definition of engagement has drifted, how the psychological contract between employees and employers has frayed, and why trust is harder to come by in the aftermath of layoffs, AI hype, and corporate euphemisms.Kamaria brings the receipts. From the history of engagement theory to the real human consequences of gig work and bad layoffs, she unpacks what it means to create work that actually matters—and why loyalty isn’t what it used to be. This episode sets the stage for a broader dialogue about how we redefine value, trust, and meaning in a world of accelerating automation and shrinking safety nets.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Kamaria on LinkedInCheck out Enetic and Manager Momentum Operating SystemSupport the show
Transcribe →
No Secrets, No Surprises: Inside a Firm with 15 Years of Open Books
Jul 29, 202500:20:48Tap to summarizeMost leaders assume that transparency around pay and finances will sow discord or fuel envy. Mel Price is living proof that the opposite is possible. As co-founder and CEO of Work Program Architects, she’s spent the last 15 years running a firm with full salary and financial transparency—by design, not by accident. The result? A company where people understand how money moves, why decisions are made, and how their own work ladders up to business outcomes.In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to implement radical transparency—from open books and compensation committees to staff-run hiring and contract signing. Mel shares what she's learned from building a distributed leadership model where every employee is given the tools and data to think (and act) like an owner.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Mel on LinkedInCheck out Work Program ArchitectsSupport the show
Transcribe →
How AI Can Help HR Speak CFO: Turning Data into Strategy
Jul 22, 202500:31:43Tap to summarizeHR leaders say they want a seat at the table—but too often, they show up without speaking the language. In this episode, David talks with Julie Mahfouz Rezvani, Managing Director of The Orion Group, about the critical gap between HR's people expertise and the commercial acumen needed to drive real business impact. Julie brings clarity to the misunderstood concept of "HR as a cost center," unpacking the ways HR can become indispensable by translating people insights into financial impact.They dig into the basics: How does your company make money? What's your revenue per employee? And if you can't answer that, why should your CFO listen to you? It's a candid conversation that calls HR professionals to step up, understand the business model, and learn to speak the language of the C-suite—not by mimicking it, but by reframing people problems in business terms.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Julie on LinkedInCheck out The Orion Group Inc.Support the show
Transcribe →
Is Your Mission Real or Just Branding? How to Tell (and What to Do About It)
Jul 15, 202500:13:30Tap to summarizeWhat happens when your mission statement no longer fits the company you're building? For Chase Warrington, Head of Operations at Doist, that question wasn’t rhetorical—it was a radical prompt that reshaped their culture. In this candid, live conversation recorded from the lawn of a remote work conference in Austin, Chase and David Rice unpack how purpose gets defined, tested, and redefined in remote-first companies—and why so many organizations still get it wrong.We dig into why aligning your purpose with actual customer needs isn’t just a branding exercise—it’s a cultural imperative. Chase shares how Doist uses radical candor, documented values, and consistent reinforcement to build a culture where purpose isn't wallpaper. It’s a mirror. Whether you’re trying to refresh your mission statement or just make it mean something again, this episode offers a grounded look at how to move from performance to authenticity.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Chase on LinkedInCheck out DoistSupport the show
Transcribe →