Your HR Data Means Nothing Without This Mindset

Why Bolt's CEO Fired HR and the 5 Mindsets Every CHRO Needs Now

Last week, Bolt's CEO Ryan Breslow defended firing his entire HR team. He said the problems disappeared the day they left. He is not the only CEO who has thought it. He is just the only one who said it out loud. If you are a CHRO doing the same job you did five years ago, your seat is already obsolete. Unless you adopt one of these five mindsets, you are next. In this episode I break down what Breslow got right, what he got wrong, and why AI is already filling the CHRO seat at the companies that still have one. Then I lay out the five mindsets every Modern CHRO must hold to survive what is coming next: the Architect, the Engineer, the Scientist, the COO, and the Coach. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open: a CEO fires HR and means it 00:30 Why the traditional CHRO is on a five-year clock 01:30 Act 1: The Bolt case, in Breslow's own words 04:30 Act 2: AI is already reading employee Slack messages 07:30 Act 3: Right diagnosis. Wrong cure. 10:00 Act 4: The Five Mindsets of the Modern CHRO 13:30 What to do this week ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ THE FIVE MINDSETS OF THE MODERN CHRO 1. The Architect: sees the organization as a system 2. The Engineer: closes the seams between functions 3. The Scientist: builds the causal story, not the dashboard 4. The COO: operates in business rhythms, not HR rhythms 5. The Coach: translates leadership behavior into business KPIs ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ WATCH THE FULL MODERN CHRO SERIES https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt89w_O9KY0J3C66aw1g-R0uEYlm1n5OV [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt89w_O9KY0J3C66aw1g-R0uEYlm1n5OV] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SOURCES Fortune (May 19, 2026): Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow defends eliminating HR https://fortune.com/2026/05/19/bolt-ceo-ryan-breslow-cut-hr-department-causing-problems-fintech-startup-turn-around/ [https://fortune.com/2026/05/19/bolt-ceo-ryan-breslow-cut-hr-department-causing-problems-fintech-startup-turn-around/] The Times: Ryan Breslow / Bolt sacks HR team https://www.thetimes.com/business/technology/article/ryan-breslow-bolt-ceo-sacks-hr-team-m003kh5gh [https://www.thetimes.com/business/technology/article/ryan-breslow-bolt-ceo-sacks-hr-team-m003kh5gh] CNBC (February 2024): How Walmart, Delta, Chevron and Starbucks use AI to monitor employee messages https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/09/ai-might-be-reading-your-slack-teams-messages-using-tech-from-aware.html [https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/09/ai-might-be-reading-your-slack-teams-messages-using-tech-from-aware.html] Fast Company: Your boss's AI may already be reading your Slack messages https://www.fastcompany.com/91544725/your-bosss-ai-may-already-be-reading-your-slack-messages [https://www.fastcompany.com/91544725/your-bosss-ai-may-already-be-reading-your-slack-messages] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ CONNECT WITH TRENT Website and newsletter: https://www.trentcotton.com [https://www.trentcotton.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentcotton/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentcotton/] The Human Capitalist podcast: https://www.purpleacornnetwork.com/podcasts/the-human-capitalist [https://www.purpleacornnetwork.com/podcasts/the-human-capitalist] If this episode hit, drop a comment telling me which of the five mindsets is the hardest in your seat right now. I read them. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ #ModernCHRO #HumanCapitalist #CHRO #HRLeadership #AIinHR #FutureOfHR #WorkforceStrategy #TalentAcquisition #HRStrategy #PeopleAnalytics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Your HR Data Means Nothing Without This Mindset

You have more HR data than ever. They're still not answering your hardest questions. In Episode 4 of The Five Personas of the Modern CHRO, we're breaking down Persona 3 — The Scientist. This isn't about hiring a data analyst or buying a new people analytics platform. It's about a fundamental shift in how your CHRO engages with workforce data — and the difference between an HR leader who reports numbers and one who actually diagnoses the business. Deloitte found that 71% of companies say people analytics is a high priority — but only 9% believe they have a strong analytics capability. Gartner reports that only 22% of HR leaders say their analytics are driving real business impact. And McKinsey's research shows that companies with mature people analytics are 3.1x more likely to outperform their peers on total shareholder return. The gap isn't about tools. It's about approach. In this episode I break down: - Why most HR functions are data-rich and insight-poor - The difference between correlation and causation in workforce data - A real consulting story: how we traced 73% of high-performer attrition back to just 6 managers - The 4 capabilities of the Scientist CHRO: Hypothesis-Driven Thinking, Causal Chain Mapping, Evidence-Based Recommendation, and Intellectual Honesty - 3 action steps you can take this week to start making the shift If your CEO is still getting dashboards instead of answers — this episode is for them. And for you. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly insights on the future of HR leadership. 👇 Drop a comment: Is your HR function data-rich and insight-poor? --- 📺 THE FIVE PERSONAS OF THE MODERN CHRO SERIES: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt89w_O9KY0J3C66aw1g-R0uEYlm1n5OV --- #CHRO #HRLeadership #PeopleAnalytics #HumanResources #FutureOfWork #HRStrategy #WorkforceData #TheHumanCapitalist #CHROSeries #HRData Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Should the CHRO Become the Chief Technologist?

In this episode, I sat down with Sarika Lamont (Chief People Officer at Vidyard) to break down one of the most critical shifts happening in HR leadership right now. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: 97% of AI transformations are failing. It’s not the technology that’s broken. It’s because we—HR leaders—aren't leading them. AI transformation is fundamentally about behavior change, not tooling. And that means HR is uniquely positioned to own it. In this conversation, we unpack: 🔑 Key Topics: * Why AI is evolving entry-level roles, not eliminating them (and the critical 20% gap everyone's missing) * How the CHRO role has shifted from managing HR functions to owning the entire operating model * The difference between automation, AI, and agentic AI (and why most organizations get this wrong) * Why HR leaders need to become "Chief Technologists"—not engineers, but business-savvy innovators * How to separate hype from reality when every AI vendor claims to solve everything * The power of "building in public" for real AI adoption (not compliance) * Why HR leaders must understand revenue, ARR, and cash flow to earn a seat at the table * Practical steps CHROs can take today to lead AI transformation in their organizations ⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro – why AI is changing HR 01:30 Guest intro – Sarika Lamont, CPO at Vidyard 04:48 Is AI really killing entry-level jobs? 12:35 Microsoft’s new HR model and “workforce acceleration” 14:11 How the CHRO role has changed in the AI era 15:44 Should HR lead AI transformation? 21:31 What CHROs should actually focus on with AI 25:32 Why HR leaders must become technologists 29:28 How to lead AI even without enterprise tools Core Takeaway: The CHRO role is evolving from "people function owner" to "Chief Technologist"—someone who understands how humans, systems, and business outcomes interconnect. If you're not getting hands-on with AI tools, building in public, and learning your business inside out, you're going to get left behind. Connect with Sarika:* LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarikalamont [http://linkedin.com/in/sarikalamont] (She's actively building in public and always open to connecting on AI, HR, and organizational transformation) 🎧 The Human Capitalist is a podcast + newsletter at the intersection of AI and HR leadership. We talk about what actually works—grounded in real HR challenges, bold thinking, and practical advice. Subscribe to never miss an episode. Newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/humancapitalist [https://tinyurl.com/humancapitalist] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Future CHRO Thinks Like an Engineer

HR isn't broken because it lacks data. It's broken because the data isn't connected to anything that drives decisions. 63% of HR professionals describe their function as the company's crisis hotline. 41% of their time goes to admin work. And 98% of CHROs are unhappy with how performance management works — despite sitting on more workforce data than ever. That's not a data problem. That's a gap problem. And in Episode 3 of The Five Personas of the Modern CHRO, we get into the persona built to fix it: The Engineer. The Engineer doesn't own any single function's process. They hunt the gaps between functions — where Sales ends and Talent begins, where Finance is making workforce decisions without people data, where two AI implementations are running in parallel and nobody's coordinating them. Then they close those gaps. I also share a real story from my consulting work — a Sales team missing ramp targets, a recruiting team taking the blame, and the gap nobody was looking at that was sitting right between them. **In this episode:** - Why HR is data rich and insight poor — and what that's costing the business - The AI stats making cross-functional gaps more expensive by the month - How engineers actually think — and what that mindset looks like in the CHRO seat - The four behaviors that define the Engineer persona - A real-world example: how closing a Sales-Recruiting gap improved quota attainment and first-year retention - Three action steps to start this week --- **Timestamps** 0:00 The gap problem nobody owns 0:40 Welcome back 1:00 Series recap 1:45 Problem: HR as the crisis hotline 3:40 Research: AI is making gaps more expensive 5:30 How engineers actually think 6:40 The CHRO as Engineer 7:10 Real world example: Sales and Recruiting 10:05 The four behaviors of the Engineer CHRO 12:10 Plan of action: 3 moves this week 13:30 Bottom line --- **Further reading:** [AI Isn't Breaking Your Middle Managers](https://www.fastcompany.com/91514051/ai-isnt-breaking-your-middle-managers) — Fast Company -https://www.fastcompany.com/91514051/ai-isnt-breaking-your-middle-managers --- **About The Human Capitalist** For 20 years I've been rebuilding organizations for C-suite leaders. This channel is an intelligence briefing on the business of people — for CEOs, Board Members, and CHROs who want the signal without the noise. New episodes every week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Architect: The Only CHRO Skill That Matters Now

HR isn't broken because it lacks data. It's broken because the data isn't connected to anything that drives decisions. 63% of HR professionals describe their function as the company's crisis hotline. 41% of their time goes to admin work. And 98% of CHROs are unhappy with how performance management works — despite sitting on more workforce data than ever. That's not a data problem. That's a gap problem. And in Episode 3 of The Five Personas of the Modern CHRO, we get into the persona built to fix it: The Engineer. The Engineer doesn't own any single function's process. They hunt the gaps between functions — where Sales ends and Talent begins, where Finance is making workforce decisions without people data, where two AI implementations are running in parallel and nobody's coordinating them. Then they close those gaps. I also share a real story from my consulting work — a Sales team missing ramp targets, a recruiting team taking the blame, and the gap nobody was looking at that was sitting right between them. **In this episode:** - Why HR is data rich and insight poor — and what that's costing the business - The AI stats making cross-functional gaps more expensive by the month - How engineers actually think — and what that mindset looks like in the CHRO seat - The four behaviors that define the Engineer persona - A real-world example: how closing a Sales-Recruiting gap improved quota attainment and first-year retention - Three action steps to start this week --- **Timestamps** 0:00 The gap problem nobody owns 0:40 Welcome back 1:00 Series recap 1:45 Problem: HR as the crisis hotline 3:40 Research: AI is making gaps more expensive 5:30 How engineers actually think 6:40 The CHRO as Engineer 7:10 Real world example: Sales and Recruiting 10:05 The four behaviors of the Engineer CHRO 12:10 Plan of action: 3 moves this week 13:30 Bottom line --- **Further reading:** [AI Isn't Breaking Your Middle Managers](https://www.fastcompany.com/91514051/ai-isnt-breaking-your-middle-managers) — Fast Company -https://www.fastcompany.com/91514051/ai-isnt-breaking-your-middle-managers --- **About The Human Capitalist** For 20 years I've been rebuilding organizations for C-suite leaders. This channel is an intelligence briefing on the business of people — for CEOs, Board Members, and CHROs who want the signal without the noise. New episodes every week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]