From Star Player to People Leader: What Could Go Wrong?

Culture Starts at the Top - So Does the Damage

Culture doesn't start with HR. It starts with whoever's at the top. And when leadership is the problem, no amount of HR programming, culture initiatives, or team offsites is going to fix it. This week we're talking about Ryan Breslow, Bolt, and the very uncomfortable conversation about leadership accountability that most people in HR are having behind closed doors. We just chose to have it on a podcast.

From Star Player to People Leader: What Could Go Wrong?

In this lively discussion, HR Misfits Ami Graves, Marci Coppola, and LaToya Davis share candid stories and insights about the challenges of managing and developing effective leaders. We have seen some things. And today we're pulling back the curtain on one of the most common and most costly mistakes organizations make: taking your best individual contributor and handing them a team without a map, a plan, or a clue. We're talking about the real cost of poor leadership development, what HR can actually do about it, and why "they were great at their job" is not a leadership strategy. This one gets real. Let's get into it.

Reimagining HR: The Case for Licensure and Accountability

In this engaging episode, the HR Misfits and a special guest explore the credibility crisis in HR, the controversial idea of licensing the profession, and the innovative HR Accountability Project aimed at elevating standards and trust in HR.

The AI Throwdown: Heart vs. Algorithm

Three HR leaders. Three takes on AI. Zero agreement at the start. In this episode of The HR Misfits, Ami, LaToya, and Marci go all in on the conversation every HR team is having right now - but probably not like this. LaToya's ready to embrace it, Marci's side-eyeing it, and Ami's somewhere in the middle trying not to pick a fight. What starts as a debate, lands somewhere way more honest: AI isn't the enemy, but it's not the savior either. And the human stuff? That part's not optional.

Pandemic to Present: How Work Changed and Why We’re Still Arguing About It

The pandemic didn’t just change where we work, it exposed everything broken about how we work. In this episode of HR Misfits, we dig into the reality of remote and hybrid work beyond the headlines, policies, and performative debates. Because here’s the truth: Not everyone works best the same way. And trying to force a single model? That’s where companies are getting it wrong. We talk about: Why the “return to office vs. remote” debate is missing the point How different roles, personalities, and life realities shape how people perform best The gap between leadership expectations and employee experience Why flexibility still isn’t being applied fairly What actually drives productivity (hint: it’s not location) This isn’t about picking sides. It’s about rethinking work entirely. If you’re a leader still trying to figure out what actually works or an employee feeling stuck in a model that doesn’t - this conversation is for you. Timestamps 00:00 Intro – Building a High-Performing Agency 00:48 The Secret Behind 80%+ Staff Retention 02:30 Why Culture Must Start From Day One 03:30 Becoming an Employee-Owned Company 04:30 Why Most Company Values Are Useless 06:00 The 3 Values That Actually Work 08:30 Turning Values Into Real Behaviors 11:30 Performance Improvement Without Fear 13:00 How Junior Employees Bring Big Clients 14:30 Making Everyone Think Like an Owner 15:50 What Actually Changed After Employee Ownership 17:00 Employees Sitting in Board Meetings 19:30 Breaking the “Us vs Them” Culture 21:00 Salary, Bonuses & Fairness Explained 23:10 Preventing Employee Frustration Early 24:00 Why Team Trips Boost Performance 27:30 The “Olympics” Idea: Fitness + Charity + Fun 30:10 The Future Vision of the Company 32:30 Final Thoughts – Culture Drives Everything