In the Flow of Work

In The Flow of Work

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Where managers and people leaders explore what it takes to lead well in modern teams. AI-powered, manager-led, and grounded in the flow of work. Real stories, tough lessons, and practical ideas for setting expectations, giving feedback, and keeping performance on track.

Mar 20

15 - Performance happens in between Reviews

Jennifer Turner, Senior Director of People Operations at G2, joins Gavin to unpack what performance actually looks like inside a high-performing culture. Her perspective stands out because she treats performance less like an HR event and more like a daily operating rhythm grounded in clarity, feedback, and trust. In this episode, Jen shares why managers need to think like coaches, why “feedback is a gift” only works when it’s specific and timely, and how strong expectations help eliminate surprises. They also explore the role automation can play - not to replace judgment, but to make performance conversations easier and more consistent. It’s a practical conversation for HR leaders looking to build performance systems that feel lighter for managers, clearer for employees, and more connected to how work actually gets done. --- This episode was brought to you by Topicflow — the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. --- Connect with the hosts and guest:⁠Gavin Johnston⁠ | ⁠Amin Palizban⁠ | ⁠Jennifer Turner

45 min
Mar 11

14 - AI Meets the Manager Crisis

Many of you know the famous Stephen Huerta. If you don’t, he is the co-host of Modern People Leader and a 25-year HR operator whose career spans consulting, corporate HR, HR tech, and media. He brings a sharp point of view on what managers are really carrying right now. In this episode, Stephen breaks down how HR’s push for scale quietly dumped performance work, survey follow-up, and talent development onto managers - then AI showed up and raised the stakes again. The conversation gets into manager overload, change management, trust, and why performance reviews are still here even if nobody loves them. Amin and Gavin push on what better looks like: less admin, better feedback, and performance inputs captured in the flow of work so talent decisions can get faster, cleaner, and more fair. --- This episode was brought to you by Topicflow - the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. --- Connect with the hosts and guest on LinkedIn: Gavin Johnston | Amin Palizban | Stephen Huerta

56 min
Feb 19

13 - Structure doesn’t kill culture - bad structure does

Ryan-Mae McAvoy, VP of People Ops at Blackthorn, joins Gavin Johnston to share how she thinks about performance when a company is scaling fast, staying remote, and trying to keep trust intact. We get into what managers actually need when “vibes” stop working - why Blackthorn treats bi-weekly 1:1s as non-negotiable, how to add guardrails without creating red tape, and why clarity beats ratings when you want fairness and real accountability. In the Flow of Work exists to help HR leaders build performance systems that managers can run and cultures people want to stay in. This episode was brought to you by Topicflow — the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. --- This episode was brought to you by Topicflow — the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. --- Connect with the hosts and guest on LinkedIn: Gavin Johnston | Amin Palizban | Ryan-Mae McAvoy

1h 1m
Feb 12

12 - The Simple System That Makes Managers Consistent

Natania Mathany, VP of People at A Thinking Ape, shares how they build great managers in a remote team without drowning everyone in process. We talk about the leadership gap that shows up when strong ICs get promoted, and how ATA built a clear manager baseline that still leaves room for personal style. Natania breaks down their non-negotiable bi-weekly 1:1s, how they shipped manager training in modules (before it was perfect), and the feedback loops they use to keep improving it through surveys, skip levels, and manager roundtables. --- In the Flow of Work exists to help HR leaders build better performance systems and stronger cultures. This episode was brought to you by Topicflow — the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. ---Connect with the hosts and guest: Gavin Johnston | Amin Palizban | Natania Mathany

39 min
Feb 4

11 - How Ravelin runs performance without ratings

Kyrie Burgoine is the Director of People Ops at Ravelin, and she’s spent the last few years building performance practices that fit how their teams actually work - especially in a company with high tenure and a lot of trust. In this episode, Kyrie walks through how Ravelin handles performance without formal ratings or rigid frameworks. We get into what it looks like when each department runs things a little differently, how she helps first-time managers get comfortable giving tougher feedback, and why underperformance can stick around longer than anyone wants in a “too nice” culture. We also touch on how AI is starting to show up in learning and growth. --- This episode was brought to you by Topicflow - the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. Connect with the hosts and guest:Gavin Johnston | Amin Palizban | Kyrie Burgoine

36 min
Jan 22

10 - Why Annual Reviews Don't Work for Humans

Stephanie Tate is the Chief People Officer at Ccube and founder of InnerCONNECTED. She brings a rare mix of HR leadership, neuroscience, and real operating experience in high-growth tech. In this episode, we unpack why annual performance reviews fall apart: our memories are biased, the data already exists in tools like Slack, GitHub, and Jira, and most “performance issues” are really leadership and system failures. Stephanie also shares why 12-week cycles reduce cognitive load, tighten alignment, and make development more collaborative. Because better performance systems should help people do their best work - and build healthier cultures while they do it. --- This episode was brought to you by Topicflow — the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. --- Connect with the hosts and guest on LinkedIn: Gavin Johnston | Amin Palizban | Stephanie Tate

43 min
Jan 14

9 - HRBP to VP: Leading Performance in Technical Teams

In this episode, Gavin sits down with Heidi Germain, VP, People at Endor Labs, a fast-growing, engineering-heavy startup, to unpack what really changes when you move from HR business partner into the VP seat. They dig into the complexity of being both peer and advisor on the exec team, how to avoid giving “cheap feedback” to high performers, and why simple internal job descriptions and consistent templates beat overbuilt frameworks. You’ll also hear how Heidi thinks about stay interviews, one-on-ones, and documenting feedback without turning every meeting into a legal artifact. If you are building performance systems in a technical org or stepping into a bigger role, this conversation will give you practical ways to make reviews lighter and ongoing performance conversations stronger. Book Recommendation: The Tao of Coaching [click here for Amazon link] — This episode was brought to you by Topicflow — the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. — Connect with the hosts and guest on LinkedIn: Gavin Johnston | Amin Palizban | Heidi Germain

40 min
12/17/2025

8 - You Can’t Review Your Way Out of Change

Jennifer Shewan, VP of People at Wonolo, joins the show to unpack what performance management really looks like before, during, and after moments of major change. With years of experience navigating reorgs, growth, and hard decisions, Jennifer brings a grounded, human perspective on leading through uncertainty. In this episode, we explore why transparency matters more than perfection, how managers carry the real weight of change, and what signals leaders should watch for when performance starts to drift. Jennifer also shares practical guidance on feedback, manager preparation, and rebuilding trust after disruption. At its core, this conversation is about helping HR leaders design performance systems that support people, not just processes, in the flow of real work. --- This episode was brought to you by Topicflow - the team building the next generation of agentic performance management. --- Connect with the hosts and the guest on LinkedIn: Gavin Johnston | Amin Palizban | Jennifer Shewan

46 min

Where managers and people leaders explore what it takes to lead well in modern teams. AI-powered, manager-led, and grounded in the flow of work. Real stories, tough lessons, and practical ideas for setting expectations, giving feedback, and keeping performance on track.

Creator

In The Flow of Work
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

15
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© In The Flow of Work
Show Website

In the Flow of Work