The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

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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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
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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.

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.

Jessica Zwaan joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about her first four months at Leapsome, why HR needs to operate more like a product team, and how AI agents, forward-deployed engineers, and flexible HR systems could reshape the future of people operations.
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Sponsor Links:
🔗 Learn more about SixFifty
MPL Links:
🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.
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(11:40) Jessie’s 12-Week Sprint and the “How We HR” Document
(13:10) Why The Purpose of Work Changed What Jessie Wanted Next
(14:10) Why People Ops Will Change the Most Through AI
(15:30) The Three Future Archetypes of People Teams
(17:35) Starting With Retros, Problem Statements and Roadmaps
(18:15) Launching Transparent Compensation and Leveling
(19:10) Building a Dynamic Promotion and Merit Increase Coach
(19:30) Why Leapsome Added a Forward-Deployed Engineer to the People Team
(20:15) What to Look for in a Forward-Deployed Engineer for HR
(22:30) What Surprised Jessie After Joining Leapsome
(23:20) Why Founder Fit Matters So Much for People Leaders
(31:20) Speed, Urgency and Knowing When to Pull Back
(32:25) Why Traditional 30, 60, 90 Day Plans Are Dead
(35:10) Bringing Practitioner Credibility Into Product Strategy
(37:35) Building HR Agents People Can Trust
(39:20) AI-Powered Calibration Pre-Reads and Better Manager Conversations
(40:35) The Idea of a Plastic HRIS
(41:10) What HR Should and Should Not Vibe Code
(42:00) Why HR Deserves Commercial-Grade Tools and Better ROI
---- 
📬 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.

Molly Graham, Host of WorkLife Podcast & Co-Founder of Glue Club and The Guild, joined us on The Modern People Leader. 
We talked about career emergence, why fear is slowing down AI adoption at work, and why the future of HR will depend on leaders who can create clarity, curiosity, accountability, and better management habits for both people and AI agents.
----  
Sponsor Links:
🔗 Learn more about Beqom at beqom.com/mpl
🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report
🔗 Learn more about SixFifty
MPL Links:
🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.
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(05:25) Molly’s Origin Story: Google, Facebook, Quip and Career Emergence
(09:30) What Molly Does Today: Helping People Feel Less Alone and More Confident at Work
(11:30) Turning Down the Big COO Job That Would Have Made Her Miserable
(19:00) Why Fear Is Dominating the Future of Work Conversation
(23:49) The Macro Narrative That AI Is Coming for Everyone’s Job
(24:32) Why AI-Branded Layoffs Are Damaging the Trust Conversation
(25:24) Why the Future Belongs to People Who Approach AI With Curiosity
(27:15) Building a Clear Leadership Narrative Around AI
(31:28) Creating a Culture of Sharing and Experimentation
(32:04) What Facebook Got Right About Blameless Failure
(34:36) Why Culture Is Built Through What Leaders Do, Not What They Say
(35:20) Why the “Super IC” Conversation Misses the Real Point
(36:20) Why Everyone Just Became a Manager
(37:05) Managing Agents Requires the Same Skills as Managing Humans
(40:06) Why Token Consumption Can Become the New Productivity Theater
(41:05) Why No Company Has AI Fully Figured Out
(43:39) Lazy Interns: Why AI Slop Is Turning Smart People Into Bad Employees
(48:00) Why AI Work Still Requires Human Accountability
(49:05) Molly’s Rule: If You Send It, You Own It
(50:49) False Productivity and Why the End Result Matters Most
(52:04) Career Advice: Learn the Business
---- 
📬 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.