Bringing the Human back to Human Resources

This week, Traci sits down with Steve Cadigan to explore what the future of work actually demands from HR leaders and why most organizations are still building for a world that no longer exists.
Steve is a globally recognized talent strategist, advisor, author, and founder of Cadigan Talent Ventures. Best known as LinkedIn's first CHRO, he helped scale the company from 400 employees through its IPO. His book Work Quake debuted as Amazon's #1 Hot New Release and a graduate-level course at Stanford was built around the culture he helped create.
In this conversation, Steve shares the frameworks, hard lessons, and contrarian thinking that have shaped his career and what they mean for HR leaders navigating today's workplace.
What We Cover:
Why high turnover might actually be your competitive advantage
The two things every HR leader must have and why you can't have one without the other
What LinkedIn taught Steve about building HR completely from scratch
Why working yourself out of a job makes you more valuable, not less
The happiness trap that's quietly leading organizations toward mediocrity
Why "Head of Diversity" might be creating more problems than it solves
Where AI delivers the greatest leverage in HR right now
Connect with Steve Cadigan: LinkedIn | TikTok | Podcast: Workplace Weekly |  Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working
Connect with Traci here:https://linktr.ee/HRTraci

Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed.

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

This episode is about how the language we use to describe people at work is quietly shaping both workplace culture and the future of AI. Joshua Berry, author, speaker, and Director of Iconic, brought this conversation to the podcast last year and it has only gotten more relevant since.

The business terms you've been using on autopilot (headcount, right-size, prospects) aren't neutral. They're belief systems, and they're being baked into the AI your organization will rely on tomorrow.

What We Cover:
Words are a symptom of your unconscious beliefs about people
"Headcount" isn't neutral, and neither is "right-size"
Your internal messages are actively training the next generation of AI
We're at an inflection point where conscious language can reshape what AI believes about human value
What HR professionals actually need to hear about AI and their jobs
The custom ChatGPT setting that flags dehumanizing language before you hit send

Connect with Joshua Berry: LinkedIn | Iconic Website | JoshuaBerry.com

Connect with Traci here:

This week, Traci sits down with Stephen Flanagan to tackle one of the most persistent problems in growing organizations: the gap between strategy set in the boardroom and what actually gets executed on the ground.

Stephen Flanagan is the founder of Seeks Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping lean, fast-growing companies scale leadership by turning mid-level managers into execution-ready leaders. He spent the last decade in learning and development across high-growth organizations, and his flagship program, the Performance Booster, has helped hundreds of leaders drive measurable business impact.

What We Cover:
Why 60% of strategic goals never translate into results, and what HR leaders say the real number is
Translation, communication, and adoption — the three forces driving or stalling execution
Why mid-level managers are the most critical leverage point in any organization
The "when instead of I will" framework and how it turns strategy into simple, triggerable daily habits
Why starting laughably small leads to a 75-85% habit adoption rate
How workplace habits spill into personal life, improving stress, presence, and performance at home

Connect with Stephen Flanagan: LinkedIn | Seeks Consulting
Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci

Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed.

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

This week, Traci sits down with James Warren, founder and CEO of ShareMore Stories, to explore how storytelling, emotional intelligence, and human experience research are reshaping the way organizations understand their employees, and themselves.

James brings nearly 30 years across marketing, insights, and strategy, blending storytelling and AI through his company's SEEQ platform to help leaders listen more deeply and act with more impact.

In this episode:
The hidden truths your employees are carrying into work every day
The fishbowl nobody warns leaders about
The power imbalance every employee feels but nobody talks about
Why failure is actually the belonging signal you've been missing
The one reframe that changes how your whole team takes risks
Why you're shaping your culture faster than you think

Connect with James Warren: LinkedIn | ShareMoreStories.com | IG and YT: @warrenjwric

Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci
Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed.
Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.

This week's greatest hits replay features generational researcher Dr. Meghan Grace breaking down who Gen Z actually is, what drives them at work, and how leaders can better engage and retain them.

Dr. Meghan Grace is a leading generational researcher, host of the Hashtag Gen Z podcast, and co-author of three books on Generation Z. She co-leads the Institute for Generational Research and Education, where she's spent the last decade helping companies, universities, and associations around the world understand generations and work better together.

- The Generation That Refuses to Be Scammed
- Why They Question Everything (And Why That's Actually Good News)
- The Trait Gen Z Values Most — And the One Thing That Unlocks It
- Where the Real Tension Comes From
- What HR Can Actually Do Differently
- The 10-Minute Habit That Builds More Loyalty Than Any Perk

Key Quote: "You don't find connection over spreadsheets. I'm sorry, you just don't." — Dr. Meghan Grace

Connect with Dr. Meghan Grace: MeganmGrace.com | LinkedIn | Instagram/Threads: @meghangrace | institute4gens.com 

Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraci

Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed.

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.