“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

HR Heretics

After a decade+ of “blitz-scaling” companies, HR, talent, and People leaders now face an uncertain economy that has already seen big booms and busts. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact?     Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners – Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. This show is for those who are ready to ditch conventional wisdom and figure out from first principles what works for their culture, business model, and industry, with the goal of building a resilient and enduring company. You’ll come away with real guidance for seeing around corners, building enduring companies, and carving out an impactful career – plus a newly-honed bullshit detector. Topics frequently touched on in this season include: building high performing cultures, compensation negotiation, performance reviews, company design, equity, M&As, recruiting the best talent, and how to manage your own psychology as a people leader. hrheretics.substack.com

  1. The Death of Traditional VC: Why Platform Shifts Demand People-First Investors, with Katelin Holloway of Seven Seven Six

    قبل ١٢ ساعة

    The Death of Traditional VC: Why Platform Shifts Demand People-First Investors, with Katelin Holloway of Seven Seven Six

    For today's essential Heretics 101 feature, Kelli and Nolan talk to Katelin Holloway, Founding Partner of Seven Seven Six. Katelin argues HR professionals possess essential early-stage investing skills, and advocates their transition from support roles to decision-making positions through founder relationship-building strategies. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. It only takes minutes to get up and running. Check it out! KEEP UP WITH KATELIN, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Katelin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelinholloway/ Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — LINKS: Seven Seven Six: http://sevensevensix.com — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:27) How HR "Found" Katelin: The Accidental Career Path (02:02) Pixar University: Learning from World-Class People Operations (03:16) Meeting Alexis Ohanian: The Reddit Turnaround Story (04:12) When Employees Refused to Wear Company Swag (04:43) Why Hard Challenges Build Deeper Professional Bonds (05:42) From Boardroom to Back Room: The VC Industry Problem (07:24) Why Early-Stage Investing IS People Work (08:52) The "Talent Partner" Problem: Wasted Potential in VC (09:40) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview (12:03) The Marc Andreessen Challenge: Selection vs. Support (13:23) Platform Shifts Are Disrupting Venture Capital (14:07) Product and People First: 776's Different Approach (15:30) The Tactical Playbook: How to Break Into Venture (15:49) Build Founder Relationships, Not VC Relationships (16:22) The "How Can I Help?" Problem: Why Most VCs Fail Founders (17:39) From Advisor to Angel: Getting Equity Without Cash (18:28) The Golden Rule: Genuine Help Must Come First (20:06) Ed Catmull's 5-Year Rule: Knowing When to Leap (21:57) Why the Smartest People Never "Figure It Out" (22:26) Closing: Building the Future of Venture Capital This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ٢٣ من الدقائق
  2. Applying Design Thinking to People Operations with Iain Roberts, Airbnb

    قبل ٥ أيام

    Applying Design Thinking to People Operations with Iain Roberts, Airbnb

    For today's essential Heretics 101 feature, Kelli and Nolan talk to Iain Roberts, Airbnb's Global Head of Employee Experience and discuss his transition from IDEO designer to Airbnb's CHRO, exploring how design thinking principles reshape organizational structure, collaborative leadership, and workplace policies in opposition to traditional HR practices. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. It only takes minutes to get up and running. Check it out! KEEP UP WITH IAIN, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Iain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsiain Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — LINKS: Airbnb: http://airbnb.com/ — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:08) "Everything Needs to be Designed" Philosophy (02:48) Founder Mode: Leadership Through Collaboration (05:50) The One Roadmap Strategy (08:04) Prototyping Human Experiences (12:14) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview (14:42) Live and Work Anywhere: The Contrarian Bet (18:12) Talent Strategy & Future of Work (20:19) Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ٢١ من الدقائق
  3. The AI Expectations Crash with Metaview CEO Siadhal Magos

    ٩ سبتمبر

    The AI Expectations Crash with Metaview CEO Siadhal Magos

    In this latest installment of AI Corner, Kelli, Nolan and CEO Metaview Siadhal Magos discuss the "Trough of Disillusionment" in enterprise AI adoption, exploring the gap between inflated expectations and practical implementation realities in recruiting workflows. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview 10x Recruiting Podcast - instead of recycled LinkedIn takes, you get contrarian insights from operators who've actually built elite talent machines. Instead of theory, you get real tactics and metrics from leaders at Vercel, Coinbase, and Uber. Head to The 10x Recruiting Podcast for more interviews like this one: https://www.metaview.ai/resources/10x-recruiting KEEP UP WITH SIADHAL, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Siadhal: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/siadhal Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction: The Trough of Disillusionment (01:41) The Dinner Revelation: "We Don't Do S**t" (03:31) MIT Study: 95% of AI Pilots Are Failing (04:19) "They're Doing It Wrong" (07:02) The Human Curse of Instant Gratification (08:51) Early Adopters vs. The Wait-and-See Crowd (10:46) The Expectations Correction (12:33) Sponsors: Metaview 10x Podcast | Planful (14:25) The 30-Minute Rule: Small Wins Add Up (15:23) Stop Scaring People (16:59) Enterprise Reality Check (19:11) The Four Buckets of AI Value (21:16) Compensation Revolution (24:06) The Future of Compensation Strategy (28:46) The Great Adoption Debate (32:29) Forward Deployed Engineers: The New Reality (33:29) Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ٣٤ من الدقائق
  4. Inside LinkedIn's First AI Agent, with Mark Lobosco

    ٤ سبتمبر

    Inside LinkedIn's First AI Agent, with Mark Lobosco

    In this episode of HR Heretics, Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church sit down with LinkedIn's VP of Talent Solutions Mark Lobosco to discuss their new "Hiring Assistant" - an agentic AI tool automating recruitment intake, sourcing, and messaging. Today, early adopters are saving 4+ hours per role, reviewing 62% fewer profiles, and seeing a 69% improvement in InMail acceptance rates. They also discuss how AI will affect recruiting roles, candidate requirements, and why LinkedIn profiles are about to get that much more critical. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. It only takes minutes to get up and running. Check it out! KEEP UP WITH MARK, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklobosco/ Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — TIMESTAMPS: (00:13) Intro (01:24) Introducing Hiring Assistant: LinkedIn's First Agentic Product (03:20) The ChatGPT Moment: Microsoft Partnership Changes Everything (05:30) Inside the Intake Process: From Chat Interface to Candidate Search (08:44) The Magic of Agentic Sourcing: "Go Get a Cup of Coffee" (10:06) Purple Squirrel Syndrome: Faster Feedback Loops for Hiring Managers (11:21) "I Love My Job and I Hate My Day": The Recruiter's Dilemma (12:06) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview (14:34) LinkedIn Profile Optimization: The New Resume Reality (17:04) ATS Integration: The Next Generation of System Connect (18:33) The Beginning of the End of Sourcing (19:26) Charter Customer Success: Global Construction Company Results (22:30) AI Tool Overwhelm: What Does This Replace? (26:33) Product Access: Who Gets Hiring Assistant? (27:00) The Open to Work Banner Debate (28:12) Profile Pictures and Bias: Microsoft's Responsible AI Approach (30:22) Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ٣١ من الدقائق
  5. Building Relationships with Board Members

    ٢ سبتمبر

    Building Relationships with Board Members

    Dear Heretics is back! Kelli and Nolan explore strategic board engagement for people leaders, covering presentation frameworks, relationship building, and navigating the delicate balance between board influence and CEO loyalty. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. It only takes minutes to get up and running. Check it out! KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:48) Dear Heretics: The Board Question (01:15) There Is No Best Practice (02:38) Know Your Level (Don't Be 27 at DoorDash) (03:49) If You Don't Set Strategy, Someone Else Will (05:34) The Carta Framework: Show Value, Ask for Help (06:30) Earn the Right Through Your CEO (07:28) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview (10:00) Board Presentation Framework (11:00) Run It Like a Business: The QBR Method (11:51) Building Board Relationships: Start Early (13:00) They're Just F*cking People (14:00) Board Members Are Your Career Funnel (15:50) Start With One: The Relationship Strategy (17:16) The Loyalty Warning: Team CEO, Period (19:32) Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ٢٠ من الدقائق
  6. 40 Hours, No Meetings, No Politics: Building a Company That Actually Works with David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH)

    ٢٦ أغسطس

    40 Hours, No Meetings, No Politics: Building a Company That Actually Works with David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH)

    For today's essential Heretics 101 feature, we talk to David Heinemeier Hansson (aka DHH), creator of Ruby on Rails and co-owner & CTO of 37signals. He critiques DEI implementation and workplace wokeness, advocates political neutrality at work, and outlines his organizational philosophy emphasizing minimal management, creative constraints, and HR as leadership firewall. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. It only takes minutes to get up and running. Check it out! KEEP UP WITH DHH, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN DHH: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-heinemeier-hansson-374b18221/ Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — LINKS: Ruby on Rails: https://rubyonrails.org/ 37signals: https://37signals.com/ — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (02:34) "I Want My Code to Sing": Why Programming Is Poetry (04:35) How We Built a Company That Runs Itself (07:34) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview (08:34) The 40-Hour Work Week That Silicon Valley Hates (11:05) The Remote Work Wars: Why Both Sides Are Wrong (15:14) "No Politics at Work": The Two Weeks That Changed Everything (17:00) How Wokeness Held Corporate America Hostage (22:16) The Hardest Two Weeks of My Professional Life (25:28) The DEI Deception: Why Equity Isn't Equality (27:40) Why HR People Don't Suck (And Founders Need Them) (31:00) Final Thoughts: People Go Crazy When Work Is Everything (33:35) Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ٣٤ من الدقائق
  7. "I Live Off Intensity": Steve Cadigan on Jeff Weiner's Leadership That Built LinkedIn

    ٢١ أغسطس

    "I Live Off Intensity": Steve Cadigan on Jeff Weiner's Leadership That Built LinkedIn

    For today's essential Heretics 101 feature, we talked to Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn's first hired CHRO. Steve dissects LinkedIn's hypergrowth challenges, contrarian HR principles, and the fundamental shift from acquiring to developing talent internally. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. It only takes minutes to get up and running. Check it out! KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cadigan Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — LINKS: Metaview 10x Podcast: https://www.metaview.ai/resources/10x-recruiting — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:50) LinkedIn's Identity Crisis: When Your Product Is Your Problem (02:40) The Million-Dollar Question: "Why Would Anyone Want to Work Here?" (04:35) HR's Only Two Products: Judgment and Credibility (05:00) The Performance Review Rebellion (05:16) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview (07:21) Jeff Weiner's Intensity Philosophy: "I Live Off Chaos" (08:10) The Vulnerability Breakthrough: How a CEO Learned to Inspire (10:15) The Ownership Revolution: Why Leadership Teams Must Own HR (11:15) Remote Work Reality Check: "We Don't Know Yet" (12:00) Blitz Scaling Failures: Inheritors vs. Builders (13:43) The Perfectionist's Trap: "Do You Hear All Those Balls Dropping?" (14:20) Why He'll Never Return: The Six-Year-Old's Question That Changed Everything (15:27) Future of Work: From Buy Talent to Build Talent Economy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ١٧ من الدقائق
  8. How AT&T's CEO Just Exposed the Engagement Survey Con Game

    ١٩ أغسطس

    How AT&T's CEO Just Exposed the Engagement Survey Con Game

    Kelli and Nolan critically examine employee engagement surveys, arguing they're performative exercises for disconnected executives rather than meaningful tools for understanding and improving workplace sentiment. In this episode of HR Heretics, Kelli and Nolan sit down with Dave Margulius discussing Quizlet's remarkable 18-year journey from a bootstrapped startup founded with teenage co-founders to a globally successful education platform, sharing insights on building company culture, managing young talent, transitioning from founder to board member, and maintaining mission-driven values while achieving sustainable growth. *Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: hrheretics@turpentine.co For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/ HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine. Support HR Heretics Sponsors: Planful empowers teams just like yours to unlock the secrets of successful workforce planning. Use data-driven insights to develop accurate forecasts, close hiring gaps, and adjust talent acquisition plans collaboratively based on costs today and into the future. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/heretics to see how you can transform your HR strategy. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. It only takes minutes to get up and running. Check it out! KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ — LINKS: Related article:https://www.businessinsider.com/att-ceo-memo-workplace-loyalty-dead-employees-job-security-2025-8 Nolan's Linkedin post:https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nolan-church_when-can-we-eliminate-employee-engagement[…]m=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAWcjXgBb3Jw6dX16PD9lRJSsxfgqVAqZLw — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:50) The 73% Response Rate That Changed Nothing (02:18) Devil's Advocate: Why Companies Think They Need Surveys (03:34) The Second Order Problem: Getting Data, Doing Nothing (04:30) "Get Out of the Ivory Tower" (05:28) Exit Interviews vs. Real Conversations (06:41) The Employee Perspective: Anonymous Survey Skepticism (07:37) The Performative Dance Exposed (08:43) Surveys as Substitutes for Real Leadership (09:13) Sponsors: Planful | Metaview (11:41) Better Alternative: Executives in the Dirt (13:25) The Venture Capital Leadership Model (14:49) The Small Minority That Actually Cares (15:40) The Semantics Problem: Stop Saying "Engagement" (17:00) Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

    ١٨ من الدقائق
٤٫٩
من ٥
‫٥٢ من التقييمات‬

حول

After a decade+ of “blitz-scaling” companies, HR, talent, and People leaders now face an uncertain economy that has already seen big booms and busts. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact?     Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners – Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. This show is for those who are ready to ditch conventional wisdom and figure out from first principles what works for their culture, business model, and industry, with the goal of building a resilient and enduring company. You’ll come away with real guidance for seeing around corners, building enduring companies, and carving out an impactful career – plus a newly-honed bullshit detector. Topics frequently touched on in this season include: building high performing cultures, compensation negotiation, performance reviews, company design, equity, M&As, recruiting the best talent, and how to manage your own psychology as a people leader. hrheretics.substack.com

قد يعجبك أيضًا