The Modern People Leader

Watch our recent episode with Sandra Schwarzer, Board & Talent Insights leader at Index Ventures. We talked about Index Ventures’ experience helping founders “scale through chaos”, how much time founders spend on HR-related tasks, their framework for running executive searches, and how investors evaluate founders’ view on talent. If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ⬇️

🚨 Key Framework for Successful Exec Searches 🚨 When it comes to hiring execs, most founders don’t spend enough time on one crucial step: setting up the search right from the start. I recently joined Daniel Huerta and Stephen Huerta for the The Modern People Leader podcast to talk through this and Index's latest book Scaling Through Chaos. Things to bear in mind with exec searches: 1️⃣  Define Priorities Early: Before jumping into the search, figure out the must-haves and nice-to-haves. And get your team involved early. 2️⃣  Choose the Right Partner: A great search partner should not only be able to tell your story in the market but also be willing to give you tough feedback when needed. True partnership = accountability. 3️⃣  Think Creatively: Don’t focus solely on hiring the person who checks all the boxes today. Look for the candidates who can grow into the role and lead you into the future. 4️⃣  The Hiring Doesn’t Stop When They Sign: onboarding is just the beginning. It takes a year or more for a new exec to fully hit their stride, so it’s crucial to keep supporting them beyond day one. Check out the podcast link in the comments to the full episode! #ExecutiveSearch #Founders #Leadership #HRLeadership #Hiring #Scaling #PeopleOps

HR Leaders - are y'all fed up with the same old / tired performance review process that nobody likes? At our recent MPL Live - Austin event, the general consensus was "YES!" which brought me back to this gem from The Modern People Leader. Jessica (Jess) Johannson, Chief Human Resources Officer at Canada Goose, shared some tips with us on how to identify (and keep) your top talent. Jess explained how the "power law" principle shows that only 10-20% of employees drive the majority of an organization's success. However, traditional performance reviews often fail to properly recognize these critical contributors. Instead, Jess and Canada Goose use organizational network analysis (ONA). ONA asks all employees to fill out a survey with questions like “Who at your organization do you go to for help and advice?” or “Who do you believe is making an outstanding impact?” The results were game-changing. When Jess compared the previous year’s performance ratings with the ONA results, there were many deltas - key contributors only getting “meets expectations” from managers. With traditional reviews, these stars might have eventually left. With ONA, Canada Goose could give them proper recognition and career development opportunities. As Jess said, it’s hugely rewarding to finally give appreciation where appreciation is due. What are some other tips you have? I'm obsessed with this topic rn so let me know your thoughts. _____ 💡 Get insights like this, and connect, with amazing HR leaders in our community at our upcoming MPL Live - Miami event on December 10. Registration link and discount code in the comments below.👇🏽 #HR #CHRO #Peopleleader #chiefpeopleofficer #podcast #hrpodcast #performancereviews #talent

It's not just about having the best idea or technical skills. Investors at Index Ventures are laser-focused on how founders view and value talent—and how they learn and adapt as they scale their businesses. Sandra Schwarzer, from Index Ventures, broke it down for us on The Modern People Leader: 1️⃣ Do they attract the best talent? How founders recognize excellence and surround themselves with the right people is a key indicator for success. 2️⃣ Can they solve talent challenges? Investors look for founders who don’t just focus on product, but also on building strong teams to support growth. Link to Sandra’s full episode in the comments. #Founders #TalentStrategy #PeopleOps #Scaling #HRLeadership #TechStartups #HiringStrategy

Founders: did you know you should be spending about 50% of your time on HR-related tasks?  Most don’t even realize it until they look at the data. Sandra Schwarzer, who works closely with Index Ventures' founders, shared that across the lifecycle of a company—from the early stages where you’re hiring and building at the same time, to later stages where it’s all about scaling through others—HR and people-related tasks consistently demand half of a founder’s time. What’s even more fascinating? Many founders have come back to say they shifted their schedules after seeing this data, spending more time on people-related work, and the results have been significant. It’s clear: getting the right people on board and managing them effectively isn’t just a side task—it’s the task. 🛠 Link in the comments for the full episode with Sandra on The Modern People Leader. #Founders #Leadership #HRLeadership #Startups #Scaling #PeopleOps

Listen to our recent episode from MPL Live Austin with David Hanrahan, Chief People Officer at Flare & Jessica Z., Author of Built for People. We talked about how performance management is stuck in the past, the idea of team-based assessments, how to run a data-driven performance calibration, and the evolving role of compensation in driving performance. If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ⬇️

With more layoffs expected (under the guise of 'RTO mandates'), I thought this job search feedback from, the amazing, James Hudson was as relevant as ever. James shared that over his 20 years of experience - at a high level - the way jobs are filled hasn’t changed: ◾️ 50% of positions are filled by people who apply proactively ◾️ 30% come through employee referrals ◾️ 20% are filled by recruiters actively sourcing candidates. As a job seeker, he says it's crucial to engage in all these channels to enhance your visibility. Apply online. Leverage referrals. And lastly, don’t overlook the role of recruiters looking for talent. Tap into the 20% of roles filled by recruiters by making yourself more discoverable on LinkedIn. To get on the radar of recruiters at your dream companies, here’s what you need to do: ✅ Make sure your profile is comprehensive and updated ✅ Interact with your dream companies’ content and follow their pages to feed the algorithm and increase your discoverability ✅ Add up to 50 skills on your profile. Focus on specific, unique skills relevant to your profession. 40% of recruiters’ searches are now by skills and not just job title and location. ____ 💡 Get insights like this and connect with amazing HR leaders in our community at our upcoming MPL Live - Miami event in December. Registration link in the comments below 👇🏽 #HR #HRpodcast #hrcommunity #CHRO #ChiefPeopleOfficer #jobsearch #linkedinalgorithm

How to use the OODA loop for unlearning ⬇️ Unlearning isn’t easy—it’s hard work. Vanessa Monsequeira, VP of People at Gorilla, breaks it down with a simple truth: “It’s not like you have a plan to unlearn, and boom, it’s done.” Our brains don’t work that way. So, how do you tackle the unlearning process, especially when it’s ingrained in your habits and environment? For Vanessa, it’s all about awareness and intention. It's like breaking any habit—first, you recognize it, then you commit to changing it. Here’s a practical framework Vanessa uses: the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). This approach, borrowed from the military, is used in agile ways of working. When she steps into a new organization, she starts by making a list of observations. Then, she shares them with her team, orienting the group towards a shared understanding. From there, they decide and act on how to learn or unlearn together. It’s not just a solo journey—it’s a team process. Every Monday, she uses something called "Monday Mesh," where she sends out a Loom video to her team, sharing observations and updates. This keeps the unlearning process open, structured, and accountable. The takeaway? Unlearning isn’t just about ditching old habits; it’s about actively creating a new way forward. And using a tool like the OODA Loop can give you a solid framework to guide the process. ____ 🔔 Get more insights like this delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up for our weekly newsletter in the comments. #Unlearning #Leadership #PeopleOps #OODAloop #MPLPodcast

Compensation is tricky. You think you’re delivering good news—like a solid raise—and then boom, the person is demotivated. David Hanrahan, CPO at Flare, shared how this misalignment happens more often than you’d think. His solution? The Motivational Pie Chart. It’s a simple exercise: employees fill out a pie chart showing what motivates them—whether it’s money, work-life balance, career development, etc. Then they rate how well those motivators are being met. Red = not met. Green = fully met. The results? Always surprising. David’s learned that you can’t assume what drives someone. You might think a raise is going to land perfectly, but if they’re feeling stuck in their role and want career growth, money might not move the needle. The Motivational Pie Chart gives leaders insight into what really matters to their team, allowing for more tailored and meaningful rewards. The takeaway? Get curious before making assumptions. Find out what motivates your team before handing out rewards or feedback. Want to hear more? Link to our episode with David Hanrahan in the comments. #Leadership #Motivation #PeopleOps #MPLPodcast #HR

Performance management often feels like a guessing game—some teams are labeled as low-performing when they’re actually crushing it. David Hanrahan, CPO at Flare, has been rethinking the process by shifting the focus from individual reviews to team assessments. David’s approach? Think of it like an orchestra. You can have a few standout violinists, but if the orchestra isn’t working in sync, the music is off. Same with teams in a company—high-performing individuals don’t guarantee a high-performing team. At Flare, David introduced a new process where the executive team rates each other’s teams—are they helping us hit our goals or hindering them? The results? Surprising. Teams that weren’t flashy or well-known turned out to be top performers, while others with high visibility had gaps that needed addressing. The takeaway? Traditional performance management often misses the bigger picture. By assessing teams holistically—looking at talent, strategy, prioritization, and effectiveness—you can uncover insights that drive real improvements across the company. Check out the latest episode with David Hanrahan from MPL Live. #Leadership #TeamPerformance #PeopleOps #MPLPodcast #PerformanceManagement