How Top People Leaders Pick the Right Tools
The Talent Tango
Startups can’t afford to waste time—or budget—on the wrong tools. In this episode, Amir sits down with June Lee, Global Head of People and Culture at Twelve Labs, to unpack how to choose the right people and culture tools at the right stage. From evaluating platforms to navigating AI hype, June shares battle-tested strategies for building scalable, high-impact systems that grow with your company. Key Takeaways • The best tools don’t always come from the loudest vendors—June explains why a listening-first approach trumps cold pitches. • Buying software is only step one. Success...
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Hiring Fast Without Lowering the Bar
The Talent Tango
How do you scale fast without lowering the hiring bar? In this episode, Mallory Plank, Head of Talent Acquisition at Guidewheel, joins The Talent Tango to break down how she navigates the constant push and pull between quality and speed. With a background in both agency and in-house recruiting, Mallory brings a clear, operator-level view of stakeholder alignment, prioritization, and TA strategy—especially in scrappy, fast-paced startup environments. Key Takeaways: TA leaders must shift from service center to strategic partner. That means aligning hiring plans to business outcomes—and...
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Why People Teams Need Product Rigor
The Talent Tango
What happens when you treat employee experience like a product? Neervi Shah Patel, Chief People Officer at Faire, joins the show to share how her team brings the same level of operational rigor and customer obsession to PeopleOps that product teams bring to user experience. From leveraging data to embracing transparency, Neervi breaks down how to build scalable, fair, and high-performing orgs—without losing the human side. If you lead people, run HR, or are scaling a team at a startup, this episode will shift how you think about the function. Key Takeaways – Think like a product team:...
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AI Won’t Replace HR — But It’ll Shrink Your Team
The Talent Tango
What does it really look like to run the entire People function solo — and still operate at a strategic level? In this episode, Anisha Thomas, Head of People at Inscribe, shares what it takes to be a team of one at a fast-paced AI startup. From managing headcount planning without over-hiring to leaning on tech to avoid burnout, she offers a refreshingly honest look at how she keeps her footing in the chaos. If you’ve ever worn “all the hats,” this one’s for you. 🔑 Key Takeaways Leadership Without a Team Anisha reflects on how returning to IC work after leading a team has...
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How Great Leaders Rebuild Broken Trust
The Talent Tango
In this episode of The Talent Tango, Amir sits down with Ashley Utz, Chief People Officer at Happy Money, to explore the complex task of rebuilding trust within organizations—especially during periods of change like layoffs, restructuring, or leadership transitions. Ashley offers a nuanced perspective on the differences between personal and organizational trust, shares frameworks like Covey’s “Speed of Trust” model, and emphasizes the critical role of middle managers in trust-building. With timely insights and practical strategies, this conversation is a must-listen for HR and talent...
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Why Talent Acquisition Needs a Project Manager’s Mindset
The Talent Tango
In this episode, Amir sits down with Greg Russell, VP of Talent Acquisition at CoverGenius, to unpack why talent acquisition should be treated like project management. They explore how applying frameworks like the project management triangle (scope, cost, time) can elevate recruiting conversations, drive better alignment, and ultimately improve hiring outcomes. From setting expectations with hiring managers to negotiating trade-offs, this episode reframes TA as a strategic, structured discipline—not just a reactive function. 🧠Key Takeaways: TA is not just sales—it’s strategic...
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Redefining the Employee-Employer Contract
The Talent Tango
In this episode, Amir sits down with Suzanne McGovern, Chief People Officer and HR veteran, to explore how the employee-employer relationship has fundamentally changed. From the aftermath of COVID-19 and rise of remote work to shifting generational expectations and the role of company culture, they dig into what leaders need to do to build trust, adapt to new work models, and attract talent in a post-pandemic world. 🔑 Key Takeaways: The contract has changed: COVID-19 was a major inflection point, permanently altering what employees expect from work—especially around flexibility,...
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Startups Don’t Scale Without Real Culture
The Talent Tango
In this episode, Brittany Blumenthal, VP of People at HiddenLayer, shares how early-stage startups can intentionally define and evolve their culture. She breaks down the challenges of working with strong founder imprints, the importance of documenting culture as a living contract, and how to build feedback loops that go both ways. If you're scaling a team and want culture to grow with it, this episode offers tactical insight and hard-earned lessons. 🔑 Key Takeaways: Culture Starts With the Founder’s Imprint Founders often shape company culture unintentionally. People leaders must help...
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The Employer Branding Strategy That Worked
The Talent Tango
In this episode of The Talent Tango, Amir sits down with Caitlin Kamm, Director of People Growth at Envoy, to unpack a real-world employer branding initiative tailored specifically for engineering talent. Caitlin walks through how her team developed a laser-focused EVP to support a return-to-office mandate—balancing culture, candidate persona, and business needs. From strategy to stakeholder alignment to creative execution, it’s a playbook for anyone in talent roles grappling with attracting high-caliber candidates in a hybrid world. 💡 Key Takeaways: Start with specificity: Crafting...
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Why Is Feedback So Awkward?
The Talent Tango
In this episode of The Talent Tango, Amir Bormand is joined by Heather Cassar to unpack the nuances of giving and receiving feedback in the workplace. From real-time feedback practices to performance reviews, Heather shares practical tips on how to build trust, motivate teams, and make feedback a natural part of company culture—without making it awkward. Whether you're in HR, a people leader, or a manager navigating hybrid teams, this episode offers a human-centered approach to feedback that boosts both trust and performance. 🔑 Key Takeaways: Feedback must be real-time, detailed, and...
info_outlineIn this episode, Amir sits down with Suzanne McGovern, Chief People Officer and HR veteran, to explore how the employee-employer relationship has fundamentally changed. From the aftermath of COVID-19 and rise of remote work to shifting generational expectations and the role of company culture, they dig into what leaders need to do to build trust, adapt to new work models, and attract talent in a post-pandemic world.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
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The contract has changed: COVID-19 was a major inflection point, permanently altering what employees expect from work—especially around flexibility, autonomy, and trust.
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Hybrid isn’t a mandate—it’s a design challenge: Simply calling people back to the office misses the point. Organizations must re-architect work to make in-person time intentional and meaningful.
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Purpose beats perks: Employees don’t stay for snacks and ping-pong tables—they want to be part of a mission, do meaningful work, and grow as individuals.
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Culture should attract and repel: Your values should be so real they naturally draw in the right people—and push away those who don’t align.
đź’¬ Standout Quote:
“When we transact, everyone loses. It's got to be more than a transaction. It has to be based on purpose or personal connection.”
⏱ Timestamped Highlights:
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00:24 – Intro: What this episode is about—employee-employer contract and trust post-COVID.
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01:00 – Suzanne’s Background: From IBM to Splunk to Ipsy—big to small org experience.
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02:10 – Defining the Contract: Goes beyond job descriptions—it's about trust and shared expectations.
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03:50 – COVID Changed Everything: Flexible work, layoffs, and remote expectations shifted the power balance.
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06:45 – Work Is Not About Snacks: Why people really come to work—and why “lazy remote workers” is a flawed narrative.
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09:00 – The Hybrid Conundrum: People want both flexibility and deep collaboration—how do we enable both?
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13:10 – The Trust Breakdown: Why both employers and employees are struggling to trust each other.
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16:25 – Reframing Return-to-Office: How empathy and mental health could have made RTO more productive.
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21:00 – Market Shift and Control: How layoffs and power shifts are reshaping employer behavior.
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24:00 – Gig Economy Impact: Employees now have alternatives—and they know it.
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27:30 – Making Work Appealing: Meeting different generations where they are with values, not just compensation.
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30:15 – Culture That Attracts and Repels: Values should be crystal clear—what you stand for and what you don’t.