Data Storytelling for People Teams with Serena Huang, PhD
Release Date: 02/21/2025
How HR Can Lead AI Implementation with CHRO Einav Lavi
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Show Notes & Key Takeaways Show Notes EnterpriseDB CHRO Einav Lavi shares how she transformed from finance instructor to business-focused HR leader by speaking the language of executives—revenue, costs, and ROI. She details challenging a COVID-era 20% layoff mandate with data-driven alternatives that saved nearly $1M, leading company-wide AI implementation, and positioning HR as "builders of the business" rather than policy enforcers. The conversation covers earning executive credibility through commercial fluency, courage to challenge leadership decisions, and viewing HR as a...
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Career Control with Virta Health CPO Dr. Lucia Guillory
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Show Notes Lucia shares her unconventional career philosophy: choose companies over jobs. With experience at Yahoo, Patreon, and six years at Virta, she argues that job titles, managers, and compensation frequently change, but company mission remains stable. The conversation explores Virta's unique hiring challenge of needing 20-50 healthcare coaches and providers within weeks due to unpredictable patient enrollment. Their solution: a 4,500-person talent community (4x their workforce) maintained through regular communication, cohort-based hiring, and radical transparency to enable rapid...
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Evaluating the C-Suite with CHRO & Advisor Gianna Driver
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Gianna Driver, a seasoned Chief People Officer shares her stance on eliminating cover letters and resumes, the mutual evaluation process during job searches, and the critical questions candidates should ask to assess company culture. Gianna emphasizes the importance of in-person interactions and offers valuable advice for job seekers navigating a challenging market. Takeaways Should we eliminate cover letters and resumes? Job searches are a mutual evaluation process. Asking the right questions to gauge company culture. Tuning in to subtle cues during interviews. Knowing your worth...
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Owkin Global Talent Director Helen Burns
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Helen Burns, the Global Talent Director at Owkin, about her unique journey in talent acquisition. Helen shares her transition from freelance consulting to an in-house role, the importance of long-term talent strategies, and the challenges of building a talent team in a rapidly changing industry. They discuss the significance of employer value propositions, company culture, and navigating imposter syndrome in career growth. Helen emphasizes the need for clarity in attracting talent and the importance of being open to learning and adapting in a new environment. The Global Talent Scout role...
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Open Role Triage with Gynger Head of Talent Jonathan Graber
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Summary In this episode, Rob interviews Jonathan Graber, the head of talent at Gynger, discussing his journey from agency recruiting to in-house talent acquisition. They explore the challenges and rewards of transitioning roles, the importance of setting deadlines in hiring, and the diverse responsibilities that come with working in a startup environment. Jonathan shares insights on managing priorities, the significance of people operations, and how to navigate the complexities of talent acquisition in a fast-paced setting. Takeaways The 10 80 10 rule illustrates how people respond to...
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Betting On Yourself with Metropolis CPO John-Paul Sukkar
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JP, Chief People Officer at Metropolis, emphasizes the need to reframe the return to office narrative, highlighting the irreplaceable value of human connection and collaboration that cannot be replicated through remote work alone. He shares insights on fostering a culture of access and the responsibilities that come with managing a large workforce post-acquisition. In this conversation, John-Paul Sukkar discusses the challenges and strategies involved in integrating a large organization after a significant acquisition. He emphasizes the importance of cultural shifts, change management, and the...
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Endless Insight via Succession Planning with Elizabeth Egan
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Elizabeth explains how succession planning reveals far-reaching insights about the state of talent in an organization. As Director of Talent Management and Organizational Development at Cerence AI, Elizabeth has prioritized generating individual development plans (IDPs) for all employees. Elizabeth emphasizes that employees should take ownership of their careers and seek out opportunities for growth, while companies must create supportive environments to retain top talent. The conversation highlights the need for open communication, feedback mechanisms, and the role of managers in...
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Detecting Interview Cheaters with Mike Mroczka
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Mike Mroczka is an interview coach, author, software engineer, and consultant specializing in helping hiring organizations eliminate cheating in their interview processes. Mike shares the challenges posed by AI tools in coding interviews, the distinction between using resources and cheating, and the necessity of evaluating candidates' foundational knowledge. Mike shares insights on how organizations can design interviews to deter cheating and the tools available for monitoring candidates. The discussion concludes with a hopeful outlook on the future of technology in hiring, emphasizing the...
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AI-Proof Your Interviews with Replicate's Lia Economos
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Lia Economos discusses the evolution of interview processes, particularly in the context of integrating AI tools and adapting to the changing landscape of technical interviews. She emphasizes the importance of structured interviews as companies grow and the need to design interview questions that challenge candidates beyond the capabilities of AI. The discussion also touches on the ethical implications of over-employment and the necessity for candidates to network effectively during their job search. Key Points From This Episode: A brief overview of her background and what...
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Leadership & Career Growth with Pernod Ricard Chief People Officer Lani Montoya
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In today’s fast-paced world where candidates are always looking for the next opportunity, it’s rare to find someone dedicated to growing within one organization. As today’s guest Lani Montoya demonstrates, internal growth may be the best way to develop exceptional people leaders. Lani is the Chief People Officer at Pernod Ricard, the world leader in premium international wines and spirits, and she begins by explaining her path to joining the company and why she chose to grow in it instead of seeking opportunities elsewhere. We discuss how to rise above workplace complacency, the value...
info_outlineToday's guest, Dr. Serena Huang, champions the crucial role of data experts in people teams, showing how people analytics can lead to smarter talent decisions. A globally recognized speaker and innovator, Dr. Huang has a unique background as a data executive at Fortune 100 companies and a Chief Data Officer in the startup world. Her work goes beyond numbers, using data to create healthier, more productive workplaces. A Wiley author and sought-after lecturer at top MBA programs, she’s passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders with data-driven insights. In this episode, Dr. Huang discusses her journey into the people side of business, why data experts are vital to talent teams, and how people analytics can transform decision-making. She also dives into the data behind remote work trends, pawternity, and the inspiration for her book; sharing valuable insights on the art of data storytelling in talent leadership.
Key Points From This Episode:
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Winning the fight with talent leadership: the importance of installing data experts on the people team.
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She unpacks the value of people analytics and how it generates valuable information.
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How she works with CHROs to define their actual problem.
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Data storytelling with people data: what makes it different.
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The verdict (and her opinion) on pawternity.
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We look at the current data on remote work and the push for office returns: making decisions based on informed data (from your people!)
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How Dr. Huang decided to write her book and what topic she wanted to focus on.
Quotes:
“What holds people back is the data quality. You can have great dashboards but when the underlying data is not trustworthy, no one is going to do anything with the data.” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:10:27]
“Having autonomy, having the agency to decide where, how, and what you work on [is what matters] as humans. [And] I think that’s why remote work was so successful during COVID, for a short while, [and] that shocked everyone.” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:21:38]
“For validation, I also found that people are much happier on Fridays. No matter where you are, no matter where you’re working, [on] Fridays, everyone’s mood is better!” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:27:58]
“I think we are just starting on this AI journey and what AI can do. So much is yet to be seen!” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:33:51]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
The Inclusion Equation: Leveraging Data & AI For Organizational Diversity and Well-being