HR Leaders

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Marcus Collins, Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Professor at University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business, to unpack why culture is the most powerful force shaping human behavior, inside and outside organizations.
Marcus explains why most companies misunderstand culture by reducing it to slogans, rituals, values, or “how we do things around here.” In reality, culture starts with how people think, what they believe, how they make meaning, and what behaviors those shared beliefs produce.
Most importantly, he reveals why the future of work will not be won by technology alone. It will be won by organizations that understand the culture of work, align the front stage and backstage of the business, and build environments where people are truly connected to the beliefs, behaviors, and conviction behind the work.

🎓 In this episode, Marcus discusses:
Why purpose is weaker than conviction
How beliefs shape behaviors inside organizations
Why culture is more than “how we do things around here”
Why the future of work will be cultural, not just technological
How companies accidentally confuse data with real human understanding

🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Arist
Meet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to Work in Progress with Chris and Keyanna, your weekly workplace news hit, but with less corporate waffle, more real talk, and the occasional “wait… are we allowed to say that?” moment.
All in under 10 minutes.
No jargon. No doom-mongering. No pretending everything is fine when clearly… it is not.

🧪 Episode 1: The AI Pressure Test
This week's big theme?
AI is testing every leader right now.
Not just your tech strategy.
Not just your HR roadmap.
Not just your shiny new tools.
It is testing whether your people actually know what to do with AI, whether HR is in the room where decisions are being made, and whether leaders can explain the value they bring when AI starts doing the admin faster, cheaper and with fewer coffee breaks.s.
Here's what we get into:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Kelly Costanza, Chief People Officer at CAVA, to unpack how one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands is turning culture, hospitality, and frontline careers into a real business advantage.
Kelly shares why culture cannot just be a word on a wall. At CAVA, culture is operationalized through values, competencies, recognition, career pathways, frontline listening, stock grants, mental health benefits, and leadership rituals that make the employee experience feel just as intentional as the guest experience.
Most importantly, Kelly explains how CAVA is building a place where people can have a career, not just a job, from hourly team members growing into general managers, to leaders staying connected to the restaurants through shoulder-to-shoulder service, town halls, and practical feedback from the frontline.

🎓 In this episode, Kelly discusses:
How CAVA turns culture into everyday operating practices
Why frontline careers are central to CAVA’s origin story and growth strategy
Why support center leaders work in restaurants every quarter to stay close to the frontline
How values like generosity first always show up in benefits, recognition, and guest experience
How CAVA is building career pathways through Flavor Your Future, stock grants, and leadership development

🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Arist
Meet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Anju Choudhary, Chief People Officer at Xoxoday, to unpack why burnout is not just a wellbeing problem, but a work design and change design problem.
Anju explains why organizations often treat burnout as an individual resilience issue, when the real problem is often the way teams are overloaded with unclear priorities, constant change, weak manager support, and poor recognition systems. She shares why leaders need to stop rewarding unsustainable hustle and start designing cultures where people can perform, grow, and recover without burning out.
Most importantly, Anju breaks down the practical ways HR leaders can reduce burnout, build trust, and create healthier performance cultures, from clearer feedback and better change management, to manager enablement, recognition, AI coaching, team playbooks, and reward strategies that actually connect to the lived employee experience.

🎓 In this episode, Anju discusses:
How unclear change creates cognitive overload for teams
Why burnout is a design issue, not just a resilience problem
Why leaders must stop rewarding unsustainable hustle behaviors
Why managers need better support for crucial conversations and change
How recognition and feedback shape the culture employees actually experience

🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Arist
Meet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Allwyn Dsilva, VP HR & Global Head of L&D, Future of Work & Business HR at Tata Communications, to unpack why the future of learning must be built around business outcomes, skills, internal mobility, and AI-enabled career growth.
Allwyn shares how Tata Communications moved beyond disconnected learning platforms and traditional course libraries to build a more connected ecosystem, linking skills, career aspirations, hiring, learning, coaching conversations, and AI-powered recommendations into one joined-up employee experience.
Most importantly, he explains why learning teams must stop leading with the beauty of their programs and start proving behavior change, business impact, and real outcomes. From AI literacy and dark network operations to internal hiring, AI interview practice, and skills-based career pathways, this episode shows what it looks like when L&D becomes a true business engine.

🎓 In this episode, Allwyn discusses:
How AI can help employees prepare for future roles and interviews
Why learning teams must prove behavior change before selling design
Why skills-based platforms are changing internal mobility and career growth
How Tata Communications is building AI literacy across different roles and levels

🙏 Thank you to our series partner, Arist
Meet the end-to-end AI agent for enablement that finds talent gaps, builds personalized interventions, and delivers learning directly in the flow of work → https://arist.com/resources/webinars/agent?utm_source=hr_leaders_podcast&utm_medium=sponsored&utm_campaign=hr_leaders_podcast_cr_june_2026
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.