How do you transform HR in a 9,000-employee, multi-billion dollar healthcare organization while reducing turnover by 11% and increasing engagement by 24%? Billy Parsons, a transformational CHRO with 65+ M&A integrations under his belt, shares the playbook.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Billy Parsons

02:24 - The Challenge: 9,000 Employees, 725 Locations

03:26 - Current State: Built for Call Centers, Not Clinical Enterprise

05:25 - Deep Evidence-Based Review: Finding the Hotspots

06:15 - Resistance: The "Second Job" Problem

08:34 - Cultural Friction Post-M&A

11:11 - Structural Barriers: Google to Microsoft Transition

13:18 - Managing Change Fatigue with 135-Question Survey

15:13 - The "Dirty Dozen": Frontline Manager Advisory Group

19:12 - Employee Experience Council: 30 Frontline Voices

21:23 - Decentralizing HR: From Black Hole to Business Partners

24:21 - Manager Enablement vs. Care Provider Empowerment

27:30 - Foundational Changes: 900 Job Titles to Less Than Half

29:12 - On-Demand Pay System: 50% of Completed Work Every Friday

30:43 - Results: 11% Turnover Reduction in Year One

31:12 - 24% Engagement Increase in One Year

32:17 - Organizational Upskilling: First Large-Scale L&D Program

34:45 - Position Management System for Better Forecasting

35:16 - Recognition Platform: The Game Changer

38:11 - Points System: Patients & Doctors Worth 5X More

39:35 - Results: From 100 to 2,000+ Recognitions in Month One

41:15 - Creating Unified Company Culture Across Regions

42:35 - Gamification: Regional Competition & Pride Building

44:20 - Advice for HR Professionals: Jump In, Even If You're Not "Ready"

46:12 - Best Advice Not Taken: Join Organizations That Appreciate You

Transformation Results:

📉 11% reduction in turnover (Year 1)

📈 24% increase in engagement (Year 1)

🎯 10,000+ recognitions in first quarter (vs. 100/month baseline)

👥 1,500 patient recognitions in first 90 days

💰 Improved Net Promoter Scores despite starting at saturation

🏗️ 900 job titles reduced to 450

💵 On-demand pay system serving hourly workforce

#HRTransformation #HealthcareHR #ChangeManagement #EmployeeEngagement #McKinsey #RecognitionPlatform #TurnoverReduction #OrganizationalEffectiveness #CHRO #PeopleOperations #EmployeeExperience #CultureTransformation

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In this episode of Transformational Leadership, host Jeff Haar Noyes is joined by Jennifer Kozel, Founder and CEO of The Guevarra Group, for a powerful conversation on leadership, blind spots, and human-centered transformation.

Jennifer shares her unconventional yet deeply impactful approach to executive development — including the use of equine-assisted learning to surface leadership blind spots in ways traditional workshops never could. Through vivid real-world stories, she explains how awareness, presence, and relationship-building can unlock transformation at both the individual and organizational level.

The episode also dives into Jennifer’s experience addressing complex employee relations challenges, where shifting perspective — not policy — created lasting change. From navigating conflict with empathy to leading large-scale HR transformation inside a 100-year-old, high-growth organization, Jennifer offers a grounded and deeply human perspective on what it truly means to lead.

This conversation is essential for leaders navigating change, culture, and growth — especially those willing to look inward first.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Transformational Leadership

00:28 – Introducing Jennifer Kozel

01:32 – Why experiential learning matters in leadership

02:04 – Using horses in executive development

03:05 – A real-world equine leadership story

04:12 – Leadership blind spots revealed

05:11 – Frustration, control, and awareness

06:24 – The “blind spot” moment

07:13 – Applying insights back at work

08:20 – Transforming how leaders assign work

09:13 – Experiential learning vs classroom learning

09:46 – Managing difficult employees

10:50 – When conflict escalates

12:06 – Leadership stress and physical toll

13:15 – A transformative personal experience

14:24 – Shifting perspective and energy

15:00 – Rebuilding trust through curiosity

16:11 – Seeing employees as people

17:37 – Leadership transformation starts within

18:29 – Ripple effects across teams

19:34 – Psychometrics and human behavior

20:55 – “When the student is ready…”

22:08 – Expanding leadership capacity

23:36 – Unlocking hidden potential

24:26 – Transforming HR in a 100-year-old company

26:13 – Building HR foundations from scratch

27:19 – Culture, recognition, and growth

28:12 – Leader development as retention strategy

29:41 – Overcoming resistance to HR

32:37 – Trust, credibility, and relationships

35:23 – Vision, alignment, and execution

38:03 – Coaching as a catalyst

39:51 – Best advice Jennifer ignored

41:10 – Self-care and leadership sustainability

42:27 – From Navy service to HR leadership

44:18 – Advice for the next generation

46:03 – Talking to yourself kindly

47:00 – How to connect with Jennifer

48:13 – Final thoughts & closing

🎧 CALL TO ACTION

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💬 Join the conversation in the comments below.

In this episode of Transformational Leadership, host Jeff Harnois sits down with Theresa Hilsen, Director of Leadership Enablement & Communications at Sony Interactive Entertainment — the company behind PlayStation.

Theresa has spent her career inside highly matrixed, technical organizations, acting as a trusted partner to senior executives through transformation, culture shifts, leadership development, and organizational change.

From enabling leaders to become “multipliers,” to aligning culture with lived values, to elevating technical teams beyond linear thinking — this episode goes deep into the realities of transformation inside complex environments.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Transformational Leadership

00:28 – No fluff: frameworks, stories, results

00:58 – Meet Theresa Hilsen, Director at PlayStation

01:27 – Transformation, technical leaders & failing fast

01:53 – Espoused vs. lived values

02:21 – Leadership enablement in a matrixed business

02:47 – Evolving from HR to embedded business partner

03:12 – Understanding what keeps leaders up at night

03:37 – Changing leadership behavior and culture

04:18 – Working inside highly technical environments

04:51 – The HR seat at the table & shifting the model

05:17 – Becoming a true partner to senior executives

05:45 – Leadership whisperer role explained

06:20 – Translating engineering thinking to people impact

07:00 – Humanizing transformation

07:35 – New leader sessions: structure & purpose

08:29 – What keeps the leader up at night?

09:34 – Giving teams a voice & building agreements

10:30 – Simplicity & alignment accelerate transformation

11:17 – Current state vs desired state

12:11 – Failing fast: are you rewarding it?

12:47 – Culture, reactions, and psychological safety

13:11 – Divergence between what we say and what we do

13:59 – Trust, alignment and accountability

14:46 – The coaching mirror

15:33 – Wins: alignment, pace & transformation success

16:23 – Organizational shifts and technology change

17:00 – Back row to front: pushing and cheering

17:59 – People-first leadership at Sony

18:29 – Working for leaders who believe in people

19:17 – Senior VP Paul Walsh and lived values

19:46 – Up-leveling technical leaders

20:14 – Beyond training: how to stretch teams

20:50 – Liz Wiseman’s multipliers & the rubber band

21:37 – Stretching beyond perceived limits

22:16 – The reality of what’s possible

22:43 – Psychology, energy & startups

23:05 – Leaders who think technically & humanizing it

24:24 – Navy SEAL mindset: seven more reps

25:16 – Career foundation & path to Sony

26:14 – Technical leaders + human perspective

27:02 – Best advice she didn’t take

27:50 – Impact is greater than making the boss look good

28:42 – Prioritizing business needs

29:22 – Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn

29:40 – Closing & invitation to subscribe

30:06 – Like, subscribe, review & share

🎧 CALL TO ACTION

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