The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

311 - How Mejuri Runs: Operating Model, Biz Reviews & Decision Velocity (Kate Railton, Chief People Officer at Mejuri)

Kate Railton, Chief People Officer at Mejuri, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  We talked about how Mejuri transitioned from e-commerce into retail, why they've decided to flatten the organization, and the business review cadences and operating model that allow them to move faster. ----   Sponsor Links: 🔗 Learn more about Tilt at https://hellotilt.com/mplhellotilt.com/mpl [http://hellotilt.com/mpl] MPL Links: 🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build [https://mplbuild.com]. ----   (08:00) Kate’s Origin Story: Psychology, Sociology & Finding HR (13:00) Joining Mejuri and Building People Ops from the Ground Up (15:15) Why Founder-Led Businesses Are Addictive (16:40) What Mejuri Does: Fine Jewelry for Everyday Celebration (20:00) Mejuri’s Shift From E-Commerce to Retail (34:00) Why Mejuri Flattened the Organization (35:00) Diagnosing Decision Velocity, Clarity & Top-Heavy Management (37:00) Span of Control, Broader Scopes & Founder Access (39:00) Managing Employee Perception During Org Flattening (42:00) Strategic Memo Writing and Business Reviews (44:00) What Goes Into Mejuri’s Memo Template (45:00) Training Leaders to Write Clear Strategic Narratives (46:00) The Lasting Impact of Operating Cadences (48:00) Mejuri’s Weekly, Monthly & Quarterly Business Review Rhythm (50:00) How People Ops Connects to Strategic Pillars (51:00) People QBRs, Retail Metrics & Org Health Signals (55:00) The Amazon-Inspired Operating System Behind Mejuri’s Reviews (58:00) HR Metrics CEOs and ELTs Actually Care About (59:00) Tier One vs. Tier Two People Metrics (01:01:00) The “So What?” Behind HR Reporting ----  📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps [https://www.modernpeopleleader.com/newsletter] 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-modern-people-leader/] 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-huerta-mpl/] 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenhuerta/] ----  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.

310 - Rethinking the Manager Role & Career Growth (CPOs of Yelp, Zapier, & Time Doctor @ Running Remote)

Daniel moderated a live panel at Running Remote 2026 with Carmen Amara (Yelp), Brandon Sammut (Zapier), and Vinícius Coelho (Time Doctor) to discuss how AI is reshaping leadership, management, and career growth. ----   Sponsor Links: 🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforce [http://quickbooks.com/workforce] 🔗 Learn more about Cloverleaf at cloverleaf.me/mpl [https://cloverleaf.me/mpl/] 🔗 Explore the 2026 Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report [https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/human-capital-trends.html?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Modern+People+Leader] MPL Links: 🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build [https://mplbuild.com]. ----   (05:07) Talent Development and Why Managing Is Getting Harder (07:09) Employee Clarity, Engagement, and Organizational Alignment (08:29) AI Adoption, Skill Building, and Employee Expectations (10:01) Zapier’s AI Journey: From Hackathons to Business Impact (12:43) Moving Beyond AI Adoption to Strategic Outcomes (13:36) Building AI Functions and Faster Decision-Making (15:21) Yelp’s AI Strategy and Operationalizing AI Across the Business (18:43) How AI Is Changing the Role of Managers (19:30) The Future Manager: More Scale, More Development, or More Building? (22:29) Leadership, Talent Growth, and Manager Evolution (24:36) Fewer Management Roles and New Career Paths (25:28) Leadership Beyond People Management (28:53) Executive-Level Individual Contributors and AI-Enabled Roles (29:42) Flattening Organizations and Growing Without Promotions (32:05) The Challenge of Career Development in Flat Organizations (35:01) New AI-Native Roles and the Rise of AI Automation Engineers (38:30) Helping Employees Grow Through Lateral Development (40:47) Final Advice: Rethinking Leadership and Career Growth (44:15) Audience Q&A Begins (44:54) Developing Future Leaders Who May Leave the Company (47:29) Keeping Management Layers Lean Without Overloading Managers (49:10) Should AI Agents Receive Performance Reviews? (50:45) Why Zapier Created the AI Automation Engineer Role (52:04) Does Managing AI Mean Everyone Becomes a Manager? (53:57) The Future of Early-Career Talent in an AI World ----  📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps [https://www.modernpeopleleader.com/newsletter] 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-modern-people-leader/] 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-huerta-mpl/] 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenhuerta/] ----  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.

309 - Why AI Should Give Us Time Back, Not More Work: Ray'n Terry (Chief People Officer, MOO)

Ray'n Terry, Chief People Officer at MOO, joined us on The Modern People Leader to discuss why AI should create more space for humanity at work instead of simply increasing productivity.  We talked about balancing business performance with employee wellbeing, rethinking performance management in an AI-powered world, and why leaders must intentionally help people reclaim time, creativity, and connection. ----   Sponsor Links: 🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl [https://competewith.com/mpl] 🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Workforce at QuickBooks.com/workforce [http://quickbooks.com/workforce] 🔗 Learn more about Tilt at https://hellotilt.com/mplhellotilt.com/mpl [http://hellotilt.com/mpl] ----   (05:12) Ray'n's Career Journey and Moving from the U.S. to London (10:05) Joining Moo and Choosing the Right Leadership Opportunity (12:25) The Interview That Almost Went Wrong (14:18) Vulnerability, Resilience, and Leadership Self-Awareness (16:05) Opening Moo’s South Africa Office and Scaling Globally (17:28) Why Strong Culture Changes the Role of a CPO (18:10) AI, Humanity, and Giving People Time Back (20:08) The Washing Machine Story and Lessons for AI Adoption (21:55) Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Human Connection in an AI Era (24:05) Why Leaders Must Intentionally Reclaim Time (26:10) Fighting the Culture of Filling Every Minute with Work (26:52) Moo’s Experiment: Reinvesting Free Time Into Personal Wellbeing (28:15) The ROI of AI: Better Humans, Not Just More Productivity (30:20) Leadership, Employee Engagement, and Human Performance (31:05) Can HR Still Make Work Better? (32:15) Why Human Impact Often Happens Behind the Scenes (34:15) Moo’s AI Survey and Understanding Employee Sentiment (35:20) Speed vs. Quality: What Employees Are Experiencing (36:40) Leadership Responsibility in High-Pressure Environments (38:20) AI’s Impact on Productivity and Workday Design (39:05) Recognition, Performance, and AI-Assisted Work (40:35) Rethinking Performance Reviews in an AI World (42:10) Why Traditional Performance Management May Need Reinvention (44:00) Balancing Compliance, Governance, and Modern Talent Practices (46:45) Leadership, Humanity, and High Performance Can Coexist (49:45) Clear Expectations, Feedback, and Human-Centered Leadership (51:20) Productivity, Flexibility, and Managing Outcomes Instead of Time (52:30) Rapid Fire: Advice for New HR Professionals  ----  📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps [https://www.modernpeopleleader.com/newsletter] 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-modern-people-leader/] 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-huerta-mpl/] 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenhuerta/] ----  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.

308 - Lean Into the White Space: Amy Reichanadter (Chief People Officer, Databricks)

Amy Reichanadter, Chief People Officer at Databricks, joined us on The Modern People Leader to discuss her upskilling journey throughout her career, creating consumer-grade employee experiences, and leading through rapid technological change.  ----   Sponsor Links: 🔗 Learn more about Cloverleaf at cloverleaf.me/mpl [https://cloverleaf.me/mpl/] ----   (07:28) Long-Term Career Growth and the Value of Staying Power (10:35) Why Continuous Learning Matters for Modern HR Leaders (13:11) The Builder Mindset: AI, Leadership, and Hands-On Learning (16:08) How Databricks Uses AI Internally Across HR (17:37) Upskilling in the AI Era and Accelerated Learning Loops (19:10) Building AI Readiness: From Baseline Knowledge to Power Users (20:59) Identifying AI Champions and Future Talent (23:18) Databricks’ AI Transformation Journey and Early Use Cases (26:08) Prioritizing HR Automation and Building AI-Native Processes (28:39) AI Transformation as a Full-Time Organizational Effort (30:18) Consumer-Grade AI Experiences for Employees (33:19) Building HR Agents and Delivering Instant Employee Support (36:42) Product Design Lessons from Consumer Technology (39:29) Creating a North Star for AI Transformation (42:26) AI, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Learning (45:17) Learning Resources, Podcasts, and Professional Development (47:39) Does AI Free Creative Capacity or Reduce Critical Thinking? (50:08) Reimagining the HR Function Through AI (51:47) Why AI Skills Are Becoming Essential for Every Employee  ----  📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps [https://www.modernpeopleleader.com/newsletter] 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-modern-people-leader/] 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-huerta-mpl/] 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenhuerta/] ----  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.

How Does AI Make Employees Feel? (What Medium's Data Says): Cameron Price, Head of People & Talent at Medium

Cameron Price, Head of People & Talent at Medium, joined us on The Modern People Leader to discuss how people teams can lead AI change management through trust, curiosity, and human-centered design.  We talked about AI fluency, balancing innovation with authenticity, measuring employee sentiment around AI adoption, and why humans-first leadership matters more than ever. ----   Sponsor Links: 🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl [https://competewith.com/mpl] 🔗 Learn more about Tilt at https://hellotilt.com/mplhellotilt.com/mpl [http://hellotilt.com/mpl] 🔗 Explore the 2026 Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report [https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/human-capital-trends.html?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Modern+People+Leader] ----   (06:22) Cameron’s Career Story and Journey Into People Leadership (07:20) From Poetry Degree to Startups and Customer Support (08:18) Building Teams Across San Francisco, Dubai, and the Philippines (09:10) Growing Through Recruiting, HR, and Leadership at Medium (10:05) Biggest Lessons Becoming Head of People (11:20) What Medium Does and Why Human Content Matters (12:50) Content Businesses, AI, and Why These Times Feel Different (14:10) Medium’s AI Journey: Observation to Transformation (15:40) AI as Change Management, Not Just Tool Adoption (17:05) Humans First: Medium’s Values and AI Philosophy (18:45) What Humans First Actually Looks Like in Practice (20:05) Knowing When Not to Use AI (21:15) Balancing Human Creativity with AI Capabilities (22:10) Creating AI Policies Without Top-Down Control (24:00) Experimentation Culture and Building AI Guidelines (25:20) AI as a Capability Expander, Not a Content Machine (26:35) AI Fluency Expectations and Behavior-Based Frameworks (28:15) Why Judgment Matters More Than Tool Usage (29:00) Building an AI Culture Without Centralized Control (30:10) The Role of Managers in AI Adoption (31:10) Using AI to Make Management More Effective (32:10) Rolling Out AI Fluency Expectations Through Managers (34:10) Addressing AI Skeptics and Resistance to Adoption (36:05) Staying Curious While Managing AI Concerns (37:30) AI Skills, Career Development, and Job Market Realities (39:15) Why AI Won’t Replace You, But AI Fluency Might Matter (40:00) Development Responsibility and Proactive Learning (42:10) Measuring AI Sentiment Instead of AI Spend (43:10) AI Brain Fry and Managing the Pace of Change (44:40) What Happens If AI Tools Disappear Tomorrow? (45:30) Designing Medium’s AI Sentiment Survey (47:00) Survey Findings: Friction, Slop, and Downstream Work (49:05) Engagement, Satisfaction, and Employee Trust (50:15) AI Overload, Burnout, and Context Switching ----  📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps [https://www.modernpeopleleader.com/newsletter] 💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-modern-people-leader/] 😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-huerta-mpl/] 😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenhuerta/] ----  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.