How to Prepare Your Workforce to Lead and Collaborate with AI
If you’re looking for a quick how‑to on rolling out AI in your org and actually seeing adoption—not just flashy pilots—you’ll want to stick with today’s episode. Glen Cathey joins us to get real about what it takes to move from “hey, we launched a chatbot” to a workforce that defaults to AI, and why most companies trip themselves up at the starting line.We peel back the usual “let’s train everyone” playbook and instead ask: what happens when leadership doesn’t live what it preaches? How do you build habits, not just certifications? And how do you get everybody (yes, including your tenured folks) to think of AI as a real teammate instead of a toy? Expect a mix of hard truths, practical frameworks, and a few punches at our collective complacency.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Glen on LinkedInCheck out Randstad EnterpriseSupport the show
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AI, Trust, and the Future of Leadership: What We’re Getting Wrong
We’re at a tipping point. The promise of AI to amplify human judgment and creativity is here—but too many organizations are instead using it as a surveillance tool, and in doing so, they’re sending a message: “We don’t trust you.” Amy Centers walks us through what’s really at stake when leaders outsource tough decisions to algorithms, when productivity becomes presence, when brain‑states and nervous systems are treated as afterthoughts. If you’re leading people right now, this episode is your wake‑up call: you can’t just automate the work—you have to humanize it.We dig into the trust gap between organizations and workers, the erosion of judgment when AI becomes a crutch, and what a next‑generation model of work looks like when it’s built around energy cycles, meaning and human capacity—not over‑attendance and endless context‑switching.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsCheck out this episode’s sponsor: Intuit QuickBooks PayrollConnect with Amy on LinkedInCheck out SmartWorks LabSupport the show
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What AI Will — and Won’t — Replace in People Analytics
AI won’t replace 90% of what a strong people analytics team delivers. But what exactly is in that 90%—and how long will it stay out of reach? Roxanne Laczo (Head of People Analytics at Cloudflare), Cole Napper (VP of Research, Innovation & Talent Insights at Lightcast), and Noelle London (Founder and CEO of Illoominus) join David for a grounded roundtable on what AI can and can’t do in HR today.This isn’t a breathless tour of shiny tools. It’s a candid look at the real dynamics reshaping the people analytics function: the transactional work being automated, the strategic work that still demands human context, and the business acumen gap that could soon define who stays relevant—and who doesn’t.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Noelle, Cole, and Roxanne on LinkedInCheck out Illoominus, Lightcast, and Cloudflare, Inc.Support the show
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Surveillance, Burnout, and Pickup Lines? The Realities of AI in the Workplace
We’ve reached the point where “AI in HR” isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a mandate. But with every vendor promising a smarter, faster, more predictive future, it’s getting harder to tell the difference between innovation and smoke and mirrors. In this episode, Alana Fallis and I go deep on how to navigate the noise: What should you actually invest in? How do you build real AI readiness, not just compliance theater? And how do you make sure your “data-driven” decisions don’t quietly erode employee trust?We also tackle the people-and-technology dilemmas that HR leaders are facing right now. From scaling culture without losing soul, to drawing red lines on surveillance and privacy, to the sheer absurdity of AI-generated workplace flirtation—we’re not short on material. These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re real, messy, and urgent. Let’s get into it.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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AI Readiness Starts with Documentation: Lessons from Remote Work
If you’re out there being told to slap AI tools onto everything and call it “digital transformation,” this episode is your reality check. I sat down with Darren Murph—yes, the remote‑work oracle behind GitLab’s all‑remote strategy—to pull back the curtain on what needs to exist before you ever type “chatbot” or “LLM integration” into your roadmap.We dug into why good documentation isn’t optional anymore, why remote‑work lessons are now directly relevant to AI adoption, and how companies who rushed ahead without building infrastructure are setting themselves up for a trust disaster. In short: if your data, your knowledge systems, your culture aren’t ready for AI, this technology is not your solution—it’s your liability.Related Links:Join the People Managing People community forumSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Darren on LinkedInCheck out Darren’s websiteSupport the show
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.
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