Why are so many HR leaders experiencing “what just happened?” moments at work - and what does it really take to respond to authoritarian leadership with courage instead of fear?

That’s the question Kristen Kavanaugh, Leadership Strategist, former Head of DEI and Talent Management at Tesla, explores in this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast.

In this episode, host David Green sits down with Kristen to unpack what happens when fear quietly becomes the operating system inside organisations, why authoritarian leadership styles are becoming increasingly normalised, and how HR leaders can reclaim their agency in environments shaped by power, pressure, and public leadership behaviour.

Tune in and learn:

• Why fear-based leadership creates short-term gains but long-term damage
• Why HR leaders often underestimate the agency they actually have
• How Kristen’s Agency Loop framework helps leaders navigate tension, misalignment, and difficult decisions
• What courageous leadership looks like as AI reshapes roles, skills, and power at work
• Why HR has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape a more humane future of work This episode is sponsored by Worklytics.

Worklytics helps leaders understand how work actually happens with data-driven insights into collaboration, productivity and AI adoption.

By analysing real work patterns - from meetings to tool usage - they empower teams to work =

Learn more at worklytics.co/ai

Link to resources:

• Courage over Fear: Harness the Power of Agency to Lead in Uncertain Times

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do organisations keep repeating the same mistakes when it comes to hybrid work - and are they now doing the same with AI?

That’s the question Brian Elliott, one of the most respected voices on the future of work, explores in this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast.

In this episode, host David Green sits down with Brian to unpack why the hybrid and return-to-office debate continues to create tension between leaders and employees, despite years of data and experience, and the striking parallels between how organisations handled hybrid work and how many are now approaching AI adoption.

Tune in and learn:

• Why the hybrid and return-to-office debate continues to divide leaders and employees
• What the evidence says about making hybrid work effective for both people and the business
• The similarities between hybrid work decisions and today’s AI adoption challenges
• How AI is changing entry-level roles and long-term talent pipelines
• The biggest barriers organisations face when trying to change long-established ways of working
• Why leadership behaviour ultimately determines whether change sticks

This episode is sponsored by Worklytics.

Worklytics helps leaders understand how work actually happens with data-driven insights into collaboration, productivity and AI adoption.

By analysing real work patterns - from meetings to tool usage - they empower teams to work =

Learn more at worklytics.co/ai

Link to resources:

• Five leadership lessons for "tough" CEOs
• The burnout age
• The job market and AI

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we begin a new year, it’s natural to reflect on what’s changed - and what’s quietly no longer fit for purpose.

AI investment is accelerating at pace, and autonomous and semi-autonomous agents are moving from experimentation to everyday work. And yet, many organisations are still operating with leadership models, workforce structures, and planning assumptions designed for a world where humans were the only actors in the system.

In this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, David Green is joined by Sandra Durth, Partner at McKinsey & Company, to explore what happens when work is no longer just human-to-human, but human-to-agent - and what that means for the future of organisations.

Drawing on McKinsey’s latest research, Sandra shares her perspective on:

• How AI-human symbiosis is reshaping the very definition of work
• Why traditional hierarchies and leadership models are starting to break down
• What “agentic leadership” really looks like in practice
• The implications for performance, management capability, and strategic workforce planning
• The biggest opportunities - and the biggest risks - HR leaders need to be paying attention to right now

Links to research:

The agentic organization: Contours of the next paradigm for the AI era

Six shifts to build the agentic organization of the future

Rethink management and talent for agentic AI

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.