The TechWolf Podcast

TechWolf
  • 5.0 (2)
  • TECHNOLOGY

Technology in HR is booming, yet confusing. Many vendors claim to include AI (agents), skills, seamless integrations, and other technologies in their product offerings. In practice, product promises often differ from reality. In this podcast, our host, Julius Schelstraete, holds no-nonsense conversations with business practitioners and thought leaders on everything related to "the skills-based organization": what it is, whether it's realistic, typical roadblocks, real-life use cases, and more. Join us as we move beyond the hype and examine skills-based HR from a critical, realistic lens!

  1. “The 'All-Access Pass' to CEO Strategy.” | Experienced F500 CHRO, Jordana Kammerud, on the New Boardroom Mandate

    3 DAYS AGO

    “The 'All-Access Pass' to CEO Strategy.” | Experienced F500 CHRO, Jordana Kammerud, on the New Boardroom Mandate

    Most organizations are "dabbling" with AI while the technology's capability doubles every four months. Jordana Kammerud (Experienced F500 CHRO) and Mik Wornoo (Co-founder, TechWolf) argue that we’ve reached a turning point: the "Oppenheimer moment" of workforce transformation, where HR must either step up as a business strategist or watch the organization succumb to the weight of outdated role-based systems. This episode breaks down the three horizons of work intelligence and how to build a trust-based "all-access pass" to the CEO's agenda. In this episode, we discuss: 00:00 – The Fortune 500 Perspective: Introducing Jordana Kammerud. 01:04 – Why Skills Strategies Failed (Until Now): Moving past legacy systems that "died under their own weight." 03:43 – The End of Role-Based Talent Management: Why traditional job architectures are no longer viable in 2026. 04:14 – The "Go Deep" Mandate for CHROs: Why leaders must personally master AI tools to shepherd transformation. 05:42 – Exponential Acceleration: Understanding the shift from AI doubling every 7 months to every 4 months. 07:04 – The Early Adopter Program: Co-creating the future of workforce intelligence with TechWolf. 08:23 – The "Secret Sauce" of CEO Trust: How data-driven insights solidify the CHRO-CEO bond. 12:14 – The "All-Access Pass": Defining the CHRO as a business leader first, functional expert second. 14:52 – HR’s Oppenheimer Moment: Facing the reality of 50% displacement in early careers. 18:03 – Maintaining Humanity at Scale: Balancing "synthetic empathy" with real-world human judgment. 22:09 – From Black Coffee to Million Permutations: Reimagining career pathing through a "rich tapestry" of skills. 26:15 – The Three Horizons of Work Intelligence: A tactical framework for present and future AI ROI. 30:19 – Squelching vs. Cultivating Curiosity: How to protect innovation in an automated workforce. 33:54 – The Boardroom Question: "Is the caliber of our workforce better or worse than last quarter?" 36:49 – The Closing Question: Jordana’s query for the next global HR leader.

    41 min
  2. “AI goals are now mandatory.” | How Genesys hit 75% skill adoption in 60 Days with Lisa Brockman (Part 2)

    2 FEB

    “AI goals are now mandatory.” | How Genesys hit 75% skill adoption in 60 Days with Lisa Brockman (Part 2)

    Lisa Brockman, Talent Director at Genesys, returns to prove that skills-based transformation isn't a multi-year "maybe"—it’s a 60-day "must". After launching an AI-driven pilot to 2,000 employees in November, Genesys saw 75% of users validate their skills almost immediately. But they aren't stopping at data collection. In this episode, Lisa reveals why Genesys is making AI-specific goals mandatory for every single employee starting this February. She breaks down the shift from manual, static spreadsheets to a dynamic "Data Presence" where opportunities now find the employees. This is the blueprint for moving past the "manual trap" and building a workforce that is actually ready for the AI era.

    12 min
  3. “People don’t care about skills.” | Genesys’ Lisa Brockman on the Internal-First Mobility Playbook (Part 1)

    20 JAN

    “People don’t care about skills.” | Genesys’ Lisa Brockman on the Internal-First Mobility Playbook (Part 1)

    Most organizations spend 18 months building manual skill taxonomies only to realize the data was stale before it was even finished. Lisa Brockman (Talent Management Director at Genesys) realized that if employees don’t trust the data, they won’t use the marketplace, leaving leadership to hire externally for skills they likely already own. In this PART 1 episode with Lisa, we break down how to move from "manual and messy" to a scalable, AI-driven skills strategy that actually fuels internal mobility. The Breakdown 01:51 – The 18-month mistake: Why manual skill mapping isn't scalable. 03:04 – AI Mindset: Shifting from "nice-to-have" to "must-have" for AI readiness. 05:22 – The "So What?" Factor: Connecting skills to gigs, roles, and learning. 07:44 – Why Workday Skills Cloud needs a "clean fuel" source to drive Career Hub adoption. 09:30 – Change Management: Why HR can’t push this alone.

    12 min
  4. "Your business case isn't big enough. The best ones have these two elements" | SAP SuccessFactors' CRO on the revenue-first skills strategy

    12 JAN

    "Your business case isn't big enough. The best ones have these two elements" | SAP SuccessFactors' CRO on the revenue-first skills strategy

    Most companies are using AI to do the same boring work faster. They’re chasing "efficiency" while completely ignoring the fact that the work itself needs to be redesigned. Jan Duthoo (CRO, SAP SuccessFactors) joins us to explain why your business case for skills is likely too small, why L’Oreal and Safran used the exact same technology for opposite reasons, and how to stop "boiling the ocean" with HR tech. Timestamps: 04:12 – Why SAP’s own revenue grew when they stopped "selling and forgetting." 08:45 – The L’Oreal Paradox: Using skills to decrease internal mobility. 12:30 – The Business Case: Moving from "efficiency" to "work redesign." 18:15 – Why your HR project needs to fail faster (and smaller). 22:40 – The "Car on Steroids": How SAP and TechWolf actually fit together. 28:05 – The COVID Moment: Can CHROs reclaim their seat at the executive table?

    24 min
  5. “Skills tech is useless without this” | Advent Health’s culture-first playbook for skills transformation

    5 JAN

    “Skills tech is useless without this” | Advent Health’s culture-first playbook for skills transformation

    Most organizations buy the software and hope the culture follows. Advent Health did the exact opposite. Marquita and Mary Beth spent two years building a "culture of curiosity" before flipping the switch on their technology. In this live episode from Workday Rising, they break down why skills have a five-year shelf life and how to move your workforce from "episodic learning" to a dynamic, self-driven engine. Episode Highlights 02:15 – The 9 critical skills for the 2030 workforce. 06:40 – Why the "shelf life" of a skill is shorter than you think. 11:20 – "Pull" vs. "Push": Moving away from mandatory training. 18:45 – The Psychological Safety gap: Why employees hide their weaknesses. 24:10 – The ROI of curiosity in a healthcare talent shortage.

    21 min
  6. "If We Do Nothing, We Lose." | HSBC’s Blueprint for Future Competitive Advantage

    03/12/2025

    "If We Do Nothing, We Lose." | HSBC’s Blueprint for Future Competitive Advantage

    Is your workforce plan looking in the rear-view mirror, or is it predicting your next market win? Rob Etheridge, Group Head of Workforce Strategy at HSBC, argues that most organizations are drowning in "use cases" while missing the bigger picture: future competitive advantage. In this episode, Rob reveals why he rejected the "4,000 skills" taxonomy, why buying more HR tech won't solve your talent gap, and how HSBC is building a "Blueprint" to secure its future. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – 01:22 | Setting the stage 01:22 – 03:33 | Why skills-based workforce planning actually matters 03:33 – 06:29 | Business triggers for HSBC’s skills-led transformation 06:29 – 11:40 | From abstract concept to actionable blueprint 11:40 – 16:59 | Why HSBC partnered with TechWolf 16:59 – 23:53 | Early wins: taxonomy, pilots & proof points 23:53 – 27:32 | Choosing the right pilot area 27:32 – 30:11 | Storytelling and stakeholder buy-in 30:11 – 32:19 | Looking one year ahead 32:19 – 33:27 | Rob’s question for the next guest

    34 min
  7. “AI Could Turn White-Collar Work Into the New Assembly Line.” | Former IBM CHRO Diane Gherson on the Future of HR (LIVE from Workday Rising)

    25/11/2025

    “AI Could Turn White-Collar Work Into the New Assembly Line.” | Former IBM CHRO Diane Gherson on the Future of HR (LIVE from Workday Rising)

    In this episode of the TechWolf Podcast, Julius Schelstraete sits down with Diane Gherson, former CHRO of IBM and current independent director at TechWolf. From her vantage point as one of the most influential HR leaders of the past decade, Diane shares a candid, strategic, and urgent message for HR executives navigating AI, workforce intelligence, and the shift to skills-based organizations. Diane recounts IBM’s pioneering journey toward AI-inferred skills and internal mobility, explains why today’s moment mirrors the historic shift triggered by Frederick Winslow Taylor, and warns that without intentional leadership, AI could push organizations toward a dehumanized, assembly-line model of white-collar work. This episode offers clarity, challenge, and concrete direction for any leader shaping the future of talent. 00:08 — Welcome + introducing Diane Gherson 02:00 — Uniquely human skills vs. durable skills: what truly matters 05:20 — IBM’s journey to AI-inferred skills and internal mobility 09:45 — Why Diane joined the TechWolf board 12:10 — The “Frederick Winslow Taylor moment”: history repeats with AI 17:00 — The rise of AI-serving jobs (annotators, auditors, trainers) 20:30 — HR’s urgent role: redesigning work before AI redesigns it 23:45 — Reality check: entry-level roles down 50% since 2019 26:00 — How HR can zoom out and align with business value creation 29:20 — Skills as a board-level metric: assessing workforce caliber 33:00 — How Diane keeps up with AI and HR trends (and who she follows) 35:10 — Diane’s question for the next guest, Lisa Brockman Key Takeaways Skills ≠ the whole story — durable human capabilities like context-setting, situational awareness, and organizational intuition remain irreplaceable. IBM’s early skill-based model proved the value: AI-inferred skills fueled mobility, training, and strategic workforce planning long before the market caught up. We’re entering a “Frederick Winslow Taylor moment” — AI could standardize white-collar work the way scientific management standardized the assembly line. HR must lead system-level redesign — not just productivity gains, but sustainable talent ecosystems, career pathways, and future leadership pipelines. Entry-level talent is already under pressure — openings are at 50% of 2019 levels; HR must address this before long-term capability erodes. Boards now expect clarity on “caliber of workforce” — skills data is becoming a board-level strategic metric.

    20 min
  8. “Skills-based hiring isn’t broken. Your interviews are.” | The Business Case for Skills-Based Hiring at Workday With Marianne Herrmann

    23/10/2025

    “Skills-based hiring isn’t broken. Your interviews are.” | The Business Case for Skills-Based Hiring at Workday With Marianne Herrmann

    In this episode of the TechWolf Podcast, recorded live at Workday Rising in San Francisco, Marianne Herrmann (Principal, Skills-Based Hiring Strategy & Enablement at Workday) reveals the real numbers behind a hiring revolution. Workday didn’t “experiment” with skills-based hiring; they rebuilt hiring around it. By combining AI-driven insights from TechWolf with behavioral science and relentless business alignment, they cut underperformance by 39% and accelerated ramp-up speed by 14% across key roles. This conversation goes far beyond HR strategy; it’s about how precision in skills can transform hiring outcomes, productivity, and even patient care.

    30 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
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About

Technology in HR is booming, yet confusing. Many vendors claim to include AI (agents), skills, seamless integrations, and other technologies in their product offerings. In practice, product promises often differ from reality. In this podcast, our host, Julius Schelstraete, holds no-nonsense conversations with business practitioners and thought leaders on everything related to "the skills-based organization": what it is, whether it's realistic, typical roadblocks, real-life use cases, and more. Join us as we move beyond the hype and examine skills-based HR from a critical, realistic lens!

Information

  • Creator
    TechWolf
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © TechWolf
  • Show Website
    The TechWolf Podcast

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