Hire Power with Kim Frost

Kim Frost
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

You don’t need more resumes—you need better leaders. I’m Kim Frost, founder of Frost Connections, and after 20+ years in recruiting, I’m here to give you the truth about hiring—no fluff, no buzzwords. Hire Power is for founders, CEOs, VPs, and HR leaders ready to hire smarter. In 20 minutes or less, I share bold insights and real talk on leadership and today’s shifting talent market. If “good enough” isn’t cutting it, hit follow—and let’s get to work. Connect with me at https://www.frostconnections.com or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/

  1. 1d ago

    65. The Companies That Win Won’t Have the Best AI. They’ll Build the Best Leaders. (AI Series Part 7 of 7)

    Everyone’s going to have good AI. Your competitors can buy it, license it, and build on it. So what’s going to set you apart? It’s the finale of my AI Series. Seven episodes ago I asked: if AI is replacing entry-level jobs, where will our future leaders come from? This week I give you my answer. Fair warning: it’s a little longer than usual, because I’ve got something good to say. In this episode, I get into: Why the technology isn’t your advantage (and what the Microsoft 2026 Work Trend Index found that is) My formula for connecting your AI strategy to your business strategy. Have a pen ready. Why “AI handles 70% of our calls” might be the wrong KPI What AI literacy really means (hint: it’s not a prompt-writing class) Judgment, and why it may become your most valuable leadership capability The outsourcing pendulum, what Dell learned, and why we’re about to make the same mistake with AI Why I think being human is about to become a competitive advantage again Four questions every leader should be asking about their pipeline. (Yes, only four. You know how I feel about lists.) So where will future leaders come from? Wherever you intentionally build them. If you want to talk about your leadership pipeline, succession, or talent architecture, reach out. I’d love to have the conversation. And if this series made you think, share it with a leader who needs to hear it, and subscribe and rate Hire Power. 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

  2. Oct 5

    64. Your Leadership Pipeline is Now a Business Strategy (AI Series, part 6 of 7)

    You've got the three-year plan, the growth targets, and the financial models. But who's actually going to lead the company you're trying to become? This is part six of my series on where our future leaders will come from, and it's where the pieces start to click. Your leadership pipeline isn't an HR conversation. It's business strategy. And putting a name in a succession spreadsheet doesn't make anyone ready. Experience does. In this episode, I get into: Why "who can lead the business today?" is the wrong questionWhat Deloitte and LinkedIn's 2025 research says about the experience gap, and why it's a business problem, not a recruiting problemTalent architecture, and why your talent strategy has to connect to your business strategyThe experience question every succession plan should be askingPractical, low-budget ways to start building bench strength now (not when the job opens up)What to do with the capacity AI frees up, besides pocketing the efficiencyThe trade-off every leader faces: efficiency today vs. capability tomorrow 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

  3. Sep 29

    63. Stop Hiring Experience, Start Building It (series, part 5 of 7)

    Five episodes into her AI series, Kim goes after the years-of-experience requirement on every job posting. Her take as a career recruiter? Experience tells you what someone's been exposed to, not whether they're actually good at it. With AI eating the entry-level work people used to learn on, she lays out what to hire for instead and how to build the experience you can no longer just buy. In this episode: Why years of experience isn't the same as capability ("sometimes it's one year of experience repeated ten times")The stat that started this episode: 22% of CHROs say a leader in their org stopped hiring entry-level roles because AI absorbed the workFour moves to build experience on purpose: create places to earn it, let people stretch before they're ready, make development part of every leader's job, and hire for trajectory over historyWhy "talent shortage" is often really an experience shortage companies created themselves If this got you thinking about how you're developing talent in your organization, reach out to Kim — she's happy to share more about what she's seeing and what companies can do differently. Subscribe so you don't miss the final episode in this series. 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

  4. Sep 22

    62. AI Gave You Your Time Back. Are You Using It to Get Better or Just Do More? (AI series, part 4 of 7)

    This week Kim widens the lens on her AI series. It's not just about developing future leaders anymore, it's about all of us. If AI just handed you back hours you used to spend on a task, what are you doing with them? Kim breaks down what it actually takes to keep growing instead of just staying busy. In this episode: Why "what can I take off my plate" is the wrong question — the real one is "what do I need to add to myself"How to go deeper (not just faster), build range beyond your lane, and keep asking better questionsThe skills you can't afford to let atrophy, and how to move "one level above the task"A challenge for leaders: track capability, not just performance Look at what's changed in your job this year. What have you handed off and are you using that time to get better, or just do more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode: what to replace when AI replaces part of your job. 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

  5. Sep 15

    61. If Your Company Doesn't Have a Mentorship Program, Start One (AI series, part 3 of 7)

    AI can coach you. It can even sound like a therapist. But it can't advocate for you in a room you're not in — and it definitely can't tell you what you're leaving out of your own story. Kim kicks off with a confession (Diet Coke loyalists, brace yourselves) before diving into episode 3 of her series on developing future leaders: why mentorship — real, human, sometimes uncomfortable mentorship — is the one thing AI can't automate away. What's Covered Why AI can act like a mentor but isn't oneWhy every company needs a mentorship programWhat mentoring someone actually looks like day to day (it's not a calendar commitment)Judgment: why it's built through exposure, not through AI giving you the right answerThe power of a mentor saying "here's where I messed up" — the real version, not the polished oneThe two things AI can't do"Talent architecture" — mentorship as strategy, not an HR nice-to-haveThis week's call to action: name your mentor, then ask who you're mentoring 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

  6. Jul 28

    60. Your Future Leaders Won't Grow Up the Way You Did (AI series, part 2 of 7)

    I don't think AI is killing entry-level jobs so much as it's killing the way we've always grown leaders. So if that path is disappearing, what replaces it? Last week I asked where future leaders come from if AI keeps eating entry-level work. This week I answer it: they don't grow up the way we did, and that's not the problem. The problem is whether we're intentional about what replaces the experiences AI removes. I look back at my own unglamorous start in recruiting, the tasks I've been happy to hand off to AI, and why leadership development has to be designed, not hoped for. If today's conversation got you thinking, I'm putting together a guide with practical strategies on building your talent architecture. Reach out if you'd like a copy. In This Episode: Why the entry-level grunt work AI is erasing was actually leadership training in disguiseWhat talent architecture is, and why hiring is only the front doorThe real reason succession planning keeps failing 10-15 years laterWhy organizational development is the first thing cut and the thing you can least afford to loseWhat to intentionally design instead of hoping leaders emerge 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

  7. Jul 21

    59. If AI Is Replacing Entry-Level Jobs...Where Will Your Future Leaders Come From? (AI series, part 1 of 7)

    Everyone's asking what AI can do for their bottom line. Almost nobody's asking the question that actually keeps me up at night: if AI keeps eating entry-level work, who's left to become your next leader? I don't think AI is killing entry-level jobs. I think it's exposing how little thought we've put into what those jobs are for in the first place — and if we don't fix that, the bill comes due years from now, right when you can least afford it.  Over the next couple podcasts, I'm going to continue sharing what I believe talent architecture looks like in the age of AI, because I think we're only scratching the surface.  If today's conversation got you thinking, I'm putting together a 6–10 page guide with practical strategies on this. Reach out if you'd like a copy. In this episode: Why the AI conversation everyone's having is missing the bigger questionA Nordstrom story about how leadership actually gets earnedWhat AI should automate — and what it should never touchA first look at talent architecture, and why it's bigger than a hiring plan 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

  8. Jul 14

    58. Hope in Leadership: What Gallup's Research Says Your Team Actually Needs

    56% of what makes a leader powerful comes down to one word. It's not trust. It's not vision. It's not charisma. Kim breaks down the Gallup research that stopped her in her tracks — and why "hope" is not the soft, feel-good concept you think it is. With layoffs, AI, and constant restructuring dominating the headlines, Kim's been thinking about one word: hope. Not the inspirational-quote-on-the-wall kind, and not the "everything's fine" kind either — the real thing, backed by research she couldn't ignore. In this episode, she unpacks why Gallup found hope to be the single biggest driver of how people experience leadership, why it's easy to fake and easy to spot when it's faked, and what separates leaders who build real belief from leaders who just sound confident. She also gets honest about what happens when hope quietly disappears from a team — and why that's a lot harder to catch than someone walking out the door. Key Takeaways: The Gallup stat that reframes what "powerful leadership" actually meansWhy hope and optimism are not the same thing (and leaders keep confusing them)The line between honest leadership and false positivity — and why people always know the differenceWhat silence does to a team when leaders don't have all the answers (yes, this applies to AI)The quiet warning sign that your team has already lost hope — before anyone quits 💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

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About

You don’t need more resumes—you need better leaders. I’m Kim Frost, founder of Frost Connections, and after 20+ years in recruiting, I’m here to give you the truth about hiring—no fluff, no buzzwords. Hire Power is for founders, CEOs, VPs, and HR leaders ready to hire smarter. In 20 minutes or less, I share bold insights and real talk on leadership and today’s shifting talent market. If “good enough” isn’t cutting it, hit follow—and let’s get to work. Connect with me at https://www.frostconnections.com or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/

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