The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

Becks Port, Chief People Officer at Okta, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why AI agents should be treated like digital coworkers, how Okta is thinking about agents on the org chart, and what the future of HR, career development, security, and team design could look like as humans work alongside machines.
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🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl
🔗 Learn more about SixFifty
MPL Links:
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(07:45) AI Agents as Coworkers and Digital Workers
(08:20) Why Agents Need Managers, Accountability and Clear Handoffs
(09:00) Which AI Agents Belong on the Org Chart
(11:10) Deconstructing and Reconstructing Roles Around AI
(13:15) How AI Is Creating New Roles at Okta
(15:45) Why Okta Is Adding an Agentic Coach to the Org Chart
(18:20) Decision-Making With Human and Agentic Coworkers
(19:10) Why Task-Level Granularity Matters for AI Delegation
(20:45) Okta’s Head of AI Transformation Role
(21:15) Building Agentic Coaches and Onboarding Agents
(22:00) Upskilling Employees to Become AI Proficient
(23:15) The Future Structure of the People Team
(25:00) Coaches, Advisors, Workforce Architects and Embedded Tech Talent
(27:10) Why AI Proficiency Is the Safest Career Bet
(29:10) Why Graduate Programs and Rotational Programs May Make a Comeback
(32:35) Why Getting an Agent on the Org Chart Is a 12-Month Process
(34:35) Securing AI Agents, Access and Kill Switches
(37:30) Digital Colleagues That Never Sleep
(40:05) Why Future Teams May Be Organized Around Processes Instead of Functions
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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Clare Bonham (Chief Product Officer) and Sébastien Baehni (CTO) from beqom joined us on The Modern People Leader. 
We talked about how managers can make better pay and performance decisions, why AI should support but not replace human judgment, and what intentional AI looks like in compensation.
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Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode326 
Sponsor Links:
🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl
🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl
🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report
MPL Links:
🔗Go sign up for MPL Build.
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(10:45) Why Managers Need Context for Pay and Performance Decisions
(11:35) Pay History, Pay Range, Budget and Talent Data
(14:40) The Evolving Role of Managers in Compensation Decisions
(16:05) The Difference Between Owning the Decision and Just Delivering the Message
(17:45) How Managers Should Talk About Pay Constraints With Employees
(23:05) Hiding Complexity While Letting Managers Drill Down
(25:05) Why People Do Not Want AI Fully Deciding Their Compensation
(26:15) Why AI Should Help but Humans Should Stay in Control
(29:25) The Three Principles of Intentional AI: Explainable, Collaborative and Controllable
(31:45) Why Compensation and Performance Decisions Must Stay Human-Centered
(34:10) Auditing the Data, Rules and Models Behind a Pay Decision
(36:10) The Three Types of AI in Compensation and Performance
(38:45) Why LLMs Should Not Make Compensation Calculations
(39:30) Why Compensation Needs Correctness, Not Plausibility
(40:35) Moving Comp Teams Away From Spreadsheet-Heavy Work
(41:20) Refocusing Comp Professionals on Strategy, Fairness and Incentives
(48:05) The Rise of the High-Impact Individual Contributor
(50:05) Why Automating Easy Tasks Could Increase Burnout
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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Heather Dunn, Chief People Officer at Brex, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about Brex’s rapid acquisition by Capital One and how Heather led through diligence, communication, and integration.
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Sponsor Links:
🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report
🔗 Learn more about SixFifty
MPL Links:
🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.
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(20:45) Joining Brex During a Company Pivot
(21:20) Brex’s 2024 Year of Transformation
(23:20) The January 1 Call: Capital One Acquisition Diligence Begins
(25:05) Three Weeks to Diligence, Communications and Announcement
(26:30) Late Nights, Diligence Requests and the Pressure to Be Accurate
(28:00) Supporting Executives Through the Emotional Weight of the Deal
(29:00) Communicating on Behalf of the CEO and Building Trust Across Leadership
(32:45) Telling the Company About the Capital One Acquisition
(33:35) The Two-Part Communication Plan for Employees
(35:30) The Emotional Load People Leaders Carry During Acquisitions
(36:35) Diligence, Communication, Retention and Advocating for Yourself
(39:50) “Don’t Crush the Butterfly” and Protecting What Makes Brex Special
(43:15) How CPOs Should Advocate for Themselves During M&A
(45:40) Fairness, Expectations and Protecting the Value of the CPO Role
(49:15) Relaunching Brex’s EVP and External Story
(50:35) The Story Behind “Be The Founder of Your Career”
(53:10) The Foundry and Investing in Future Founders Inside Brex
(57:48) Heather’s Superpower Nickname: Chief Truth-Teller Officer
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📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps
💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn
---- 
Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Patsy Mangan joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about Scribd Flex, why flexibility only works when it is paired with clarity and accountability, and why Scribd needed the GRIT Performance framework.
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Sponsor Links:
🔗 Learn more about SixFifty
🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl
🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl
MPL Links:
🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.
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(10:00) The Pandemic, Distributed Hiring and the One-Way Door
(12:40) Creating Scribd Flex Instead of Choosing a Generic Remote or Hybrid Label
(19:05) Learning That Flexibility Alone Does Not Create Connection
(20:00) Designing Hub Days Around Concentration of Attendance
(22:50) Why Scribd Flex Needed the GRIT Performance System
(23:35) Visibility Does Not Equal Performance
(24:10) Why Clarity Drives Accountability in Flexible Work
(26:35) The Four GRIT Dimensions: Goal-Oriented, Results-Driven, Innovative and Team-Focused
(28:10) Giving Employees Ratings Across Each GRIT Dimension
(29:00) How Scribd Flex Gives Freedom and GRIT Gives Clarity
(34:15) Why Scribd Made Performance More Complex, Not Less
(36:05) Calibration, Manager Bias and Making GRIT Fair
(38:40) The Next Big Evolution: Becoming AI-Native
(40:05) Moving From AI Adoption to Workflow Redesign
(41:00) Rethinking Hiring, Career Journeys, Promotions and Performance Standards
(42:15) Hiring for Specialty, Not Just Capacity
(45:05) Connecting HR Tools to Where Employees Already Work
(45:50) Why HR May Need Software Engineers Inside the Function
(50:20) Why Human Judgment Becomes More Important as Output Gets Easier
(52:38) Career Advice: Learn the Rules, Then Rewrite Them
---- 
📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps
💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn
---- 
Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.

Brandon Roberts, leader of Talent Strategy and Workforce Transformation at ServiceNow, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how ServiceNow is redesigning HR for the AI era, why every role needs to be mapped for AI impact, and more.
----  
Sponsor Links:
🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl
🔗Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl
🔗. Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report
MPL Links:
🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.
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(09:30) Creating ServiceNow’s Talent Strategy and Workforce Transformation Organization
(14:45) How AI Supercharges ServiceNow’s Workflow Platform
(21:50) Now Assist and the Productivity Shift in HR Operations
(22:55) Why ServiceNow Reinvested AI Productivity Gains Instead of Just Cutting Costs
(25:15) How AI Is Changing Software Engineering Roles
(29:25) Building an AI Heat Map for Every Role in the Company
(35:05) AI Control Tower, Usage Signals and Where to Invest Transformation Resources
(36:45) Employee Works and the Agent Orchestration Layer for HR
(38:30) Data Agent, Engagement Agent and Real-Time People Insights
(41:00) The Reskilling Challenge for HRBPs Using AI-Powered Insights
(43:25) People Strategists, People Technologists and People Scientists
(47:30) Why Brandon and Jacque Built the ServiceNow AI Transformation Playbook
(51:15) Why Companies Are Too Focused on Technology and Not Enough on Skills
(52:05) Helping People Step Away From Their Work Identity as Roles Change
---- 
📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps
💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn
---- 
Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.