Recruitment & HR

AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a new kind of labor. Yet most organizations are still approaching generative AI like software procurement.I have created an AI Labor Playbook to help organizations succeed with AI. In most high-performing organizations, every team feels under-resourced. The backlog always outpaces the headcount, and internal investment decisions often turn into zero-sum battles. But a new paradigm is emerging: with generative AI, organizations can now tap into scalable, on-demand AI labor. Instead of waiting weeks for another team to prioritize their request, a marketing analyst can generate a dashboard, a team lead can optimize SEO content, and a product manager can do deep analysis of customer feedback—all within minutes. This shift doesn’t just ease pressure; it unlocks the ability for individuals to prototype, experiment, and execute without waiting for permission, budget, or another team’s capacity.But here’s the catch: AI labor doesn’t manage itself. It’s fast, flexible, and powerful—but only when people know how to lead it. That means identifying the right opportunities, crafting useful prompts, and supervising the results with care. The biggest bottleneck isn’t the AI—it’s the fact that most people were never trained to work this way. We didn’t grow up collaborating with systems that can simulate a customer persona, generate code, or produce market analysis in natural language. Directing AI labor is a new skill—part communication, part systems thinking—and building that skill across your organization is essential if you want to scale the value of AI beyond a few power users or tools.I’m sharing this new guide that reframes how organizations should think about AI adoption. It discusses the concept of "AI as labor"—and lays out a model for building an internal AI labor market, empowering your people to lead AI work, and avoiding the costly traps of vendor lock-in and fragmented tools.

"The language of #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion might change, but impactful work will not." This was the hopeful refrain of many as anti-DEI backlash and political attacks ramped up against this critical work. But as the months drew on, I wasn't seeing any compelling new language. Leaders were watching and waiting, hoping that a new framework would organically emerge that could protect our impact while being more defensible against political attacks. So I started creating that framework myself. The FAIR Framework, standing for Fairness, Access, Inclusion, and Representation, officially launches today in a new feature article for the Harvard Business Review. I wanted to create something that could build on the best of effective DEI work, discard the performative noise, and be firmly comprehensible and defensible by any leader. And after countless hours of research, it boiled down to 4 tenets: 🎯 Outcomes-Based, focused on measurable results rather than flimsy signals of commitment. 🌐 Systems-Focused, using change management to shift workplace systems, rather than surface-level awareness. 🔗 Coalition-Driven, seeking to engage the collective rather than delegating the burden of blame or change onto cliques. 🌱 Win-Win, communicating the benefits of healthier organizations for everyone, rejecting zero-sum framing. FAIR work looks like challenging discrimination in pay, hiring, and promotions, and ensuring that workplace systems set everyone up to succeed. FAIR work looks like removing barriers to participation, using universal design principles to build for all, and including users in every design process. FAIR work looks like creating a workplace culture that recognizes people's differences and ensures a high standard of respect, value, and safety for all. FAIR work looks like participatory decision-making, transparent communications, and strong track records of promises kept and trust maintained. I designed FAIR to be something any leader and practitioner can use—so long as your work meets the core tenets. If I'm being frank, however, a good deal of work calling itself "DEI" does not pass the test. The feel-good trainings with no impact measurement, the never-ending coaching services trying to "fix" the individual but never the systems holding them back, the blame-and-shame strategies that trade a moment of vindication for months of backlash; if we are to survive this moment, we cannot take this kind of "DEI" work with us. I put this framework out into the world with a healthy dose of pride and anxiety. It is far from perfect. It will certainly evolve as practitioners iterate and improve on it. But I truly believe that this is exactly the kind of rigorous, defensible framework leaders need right now to weather this storm and emerge with their impact intact. I hope you find it useful as you seek to do the same. A free gift link is in the comments—please share if it resonates.

After spending three decades in the aerospace industry, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial it is for different sectors to learn from each other. We no longer can afford to stay stuck in our own bubbles. Take the aerospace industry, for example. They’ve been looking at how car manufacturers automate their factories to improve their own processes. And those racing teams? Their ability to prototype quickly and develop at a breakneck pace is something we can all learn from to speed up our product development. It’s all about breaking down those silos and embracing new ideas from wherever we can find them. When I was leading the Scorpion Jet program, our rapid development – less than two years to develop a new aircraft – caught the attention of a company known for razors and electric shavers. They reached out to us, intrigued by our ability to iterate so quickly, telling me "you developed a new jet faster than we can develop new razors..." They wanted to learn how we managed to streamline our processes. It was quite an unexpected and fascinating experience that underscored the value of looking beyond one’s own industry can lead to significant improvements and efficiencies, even in fields as seemingly unrelated as aerospace and consumer electronics. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s more important than ever for industries to break out of their silos and look to other sectors for fresh ideas and processes. This kind of cross-industry learning not only fosters innovation but also helps stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. For instance, the aerospace industry has been taking cues from car manufacturers to improve factory automation. And the automotive companies are adopting aerospace processes for systems engineering. Meanwhile, both sectors are picking up tips from tech giants like Apple and Google to boost their electronics and software development. And at Siemens, we partner with racing teams. Why? Because their knack for rapid prototyping and fast-paced development is something we can all learn from to speed up our product development cycles. This cross-pollination of ideas is crucial as industries evolve and integrate more advanced technologies. By exploring best practices from other industries, companies can find innovative new ways to improve their processes and products. After all, how can someone think outside the box, if they are only looking in the box? If you are interested in learning more, I suggest checking out this article by my colleagues Todd Tuthill and Nand Kochhar where they take a closer look at how cross-industry learning are key to developing advanced air mobility solutions. https://lnkd.in/dK3U6pJf

Louder for the people at the back 🎤 Many organisations today seem to have shifted from being institutions that develop great talent to those that primarily seek ready-made talent. This trend overlooks the immense value of individuals who, despite lacking experience, possess a great attitude, commitment, and a team-oriented mindset. These qualities often outweigh the drawbacks of hiring experienced individuals with a fixed and toxic mindset. The best organisations attract talent with their best years ahead of them, focusing on potential rather than past achievements. Let’s be clear this is more about mindset and willingness to learn and unlearn as apposed to age. To realise the incredible potential return, organisations must commit to creating an environment where continuous development is possible. This requires a multi-faceted approach: 1. Robust Training Programmes: Employers should invest in comprehensive training programmes that equip employees with the necessary skills for their roles. This includes on-the-job training, mentorship programmes, online courses, and workshops. 2. Redefining Hiring Criteria: Organisations should revise their hiring criteria to focus more on candidates’ potential and willingness to learn rather than solely on prior experience or formal qualifications. Behavioural interviews, aptitude tests, and probationary periods can help assess a candidate's ability to learn and adapt. 3. Partnerships with Educational Institutions: Companies can collaborate with educational institutions to design curricula that align with industry needs. Apprenticeship programmes, internships, and cooperative education can bridge the gap between academic learning and practical job skills. 4. Lifelong Learning Culture: Encouraging a culture of lifelong learning within organisations is crucial. Employers should provide ongoing education opportunities and support for professional development. This includes continuous skills assessment and access to resources for upskilling and reskilling. 5. Inclusive Recruitment Practices: Employers should implement inclusive recruitment practices that remove biases and barriers. Blind recruitment, diversity quotas, and targeted outreach programmes can help ensure that diverse candidates are given a fair chance. By implementing these measures, organisations can develop a workforce that is adaptable, innovative, and resilient, ensuring sustainable success and growth.

It shouldn’t be dangerous to speak your mind in any meeting or in any conversation at work. But employers know that it is dangerous, and that’s why they send out confidential employee engagement surveys. 68% of respondents to my poll on LinkedIn last week said that these surveys are not really confidential. If you know it is not safe for employees to speak their minds at work, that’s what you should focus on – solving that problem! It’s like there is a wall of goo between you and your employees, toxic goo, and rather than get rid of the wall of toxic goo you simply send a little paper airplane over the goo wall and tell employees to read what you wrote on the paper airplane, write something on it yourself and find a safe way to get the paper airplane back to you. That is both foolish and unethical. If you know it is not safe to speak your mind at work and you just send out a survey instead of tackling the real issue, you have failed at leadership.

Most people get Reference Checks wrong! Here's how to get them right 👉🏻 Throughout my journey, I've had to make 1000s of hires and often struggled with evaluation through the standard interviewing processes. I read somewhere that ~60% senior hires go wrong even after the most meticulous processes so I wondered how to improve the odds. 🤔 What I discovered is that there's no substitute for spending time with the candidates and conducting ‘unnamed’ ref checks through your own network. But what I also learnt is that not every ref check is the same and you can end up with very different outcomes depending on how it’s done. So, through reading and experience, I came with the best practices that I christened with the acronym "PEARL", and here it is for the FIRST time🔥 P - Promise Reciprocity Busy professionals don't dole out intel freely. So, you must offer to return the favor – something as simple as “If ever you need my help for a ref check or otherwise, I'd be happy to help". A senior leader will immediately see its value & perhaps become more ‘available’ on the call. E - Ensure Confidentiality This is critical, especially in India. Candor is not part of our culture, so assure the referrer that you understand the sensitivity of this call and will keep it 100% confidential. Also that you'd expect the same if they ever choose to call you for a reference. If you still sense some hesitancy, maybe throw an ‘offer’ of a good-faith NDA. Don’t worry, nobody ever takes it up but it makes them less guarded. A - Ask questions that force specificity (close-ended & open-ended) Broad questions like – "How was their work ethic?" “Does she work hard?” - are a complete waste of time. You need to ask 2nd order questions that make it comfortable for the referrer to answer without feeling like they're maligning the candidate. For eg - “How do you think we can help the candidate grow?" is better than "Can you tell me about their weaknesses?” R - Retrieve critical insights Actively listen and probe for specifics. Did the candidate consistently meet deadlines? Why or why not? How did they handle pressure? Did they run towards solving problems or look for directions to carry out? These details paint a picture beyond the resume. L - Learn rehire potential And finally, the golden question – "Are you willing to re-hire or work with the candidate again? Why or why not?" Regardless of what the referrer may have said up to this point, most senior folks will have a hard-time giving you a false or misleading response to this one. This is the true gauge of the candidate’s potential and one I put a lot of weight in. To conclude, thank the referrer for their time, assure confidentiality again and commit to a quid pro quo. This leaves the door open for other ref checks you might wish to do in the future 😏 So, there you have it - A PEARL from my collection🙌🏻 Do comment with something that’s worked for you that I may have missed :) #hiring #startups #leadership

As technology underpins nearly every aspect of business today, basic cybersecurity knowledge is an essential skill for all IT professionals. Understanding core security concepts allows IT teams to effectively safeguard their organizations. Being well-versed in core concepts is crucial for identifying and mitigating risks that could severely impact organizations. Key areas IT professionals should grasp: - Phishing - Recognizing phishing scams can prevent costly data breaches that damage reputations. - Ransomware - Knowledge of ransomware tactics ensures business continuity and protects against financial losses. - Denial-of-Service (DoS) - Understanding DoS attacks helps maintain service availability, critical for customer trust. - Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) - MitM attack awareness safeguards confidential communications vital for internal and client interactions. - SQL Injection - Expertise in preventing SQL injection protects database integrity, often the backbone of digital infrastructure. - Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) - For web developers, awareness of XSS threats is essential for application integrity and trust. - Zero-Day Exploits - Knowing potential zero-day exploits encourages proactive security and constant vigilance. - DNS Spoofing - Grasping DNS spoofing risks prevents misdirection leading to data theft and unauthorized access. As IT professionals, we have a responsibility to understand and mitigate these top cyber risks to safeguard our digital ecosystem. Ongoing education in this crucial discipline is key to our success. Have I overlooked anything? Please share your thoughts—your insights are priceless to me.

Why rely solely on surveys when you can uncover the true state of DEI through concrete metrics? This is a question that echoes in my mind each time I embark on a new journey with a client. Surveys can provide valuable opinions, but they often fall short of capturing real facts and the nuanced realities of individuals within an organization. 🔎 Here are 6 key DEI metrics that truly matter: 📍 Attrition Rates: Take a closer look at why employees are leaving, especially among different groups. This will help you understand if there are specific challenges or issues that need to be addressed to improve retention. 📍 Leadership Pipeline Diversity: Evaluate the diversity within your leadership team. Are there opportunities for underrepresented individuals to rise into leadership roles? Are they equally represented on all levels of leadership? 📍 Promotion and Advancement Rates: Assess if all employees, regardless of background, are getting equal opportunities to advance in their careers. By monitoring promotion and advancement rates, you can identify any biases and work towards creating a level playing field. 📍 Pay Equity: Ensure that everyone is paid fairly and equally for their work. Address any discrepancies in pay based on not only gender, but also race, age, ethnicity or other intersectional factors. 📍 Hiring Pipeline Diversity: Examine the diversity of candidates in your hiring process. Are you attracting a wide range of talent from different backgrounds? Tracking this metric helps you gauge the effectiveness of your recruitment efforts in creating a diverse workforce. 📍 Employee Engagement by Demographic: Measure the level of engagement and satisfaction among employees from various groups. Are there any disparities in engagement levels? Run the crossings of identity diversity and organizational one. By focusing on these 6 concrete metrics, you can gain real insights into your organization's DEI progress based on actionable data that drives progress. ________________________________________ Are you looking for more HR tips and DEI content like this?  📨 Join my free DEI Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dtgdB6XX

🎢 Onboarding UX Playbook (+ Decision Trees). Practical techniques for better onboarding UX, design patterns, kits and Figma templates — on mobile and desktop. 🚫 Users often skip tutorials/walkthroughs entirely. 🚫 Never block the UI with full-page onboarding modals. 🚫 Avoid long multi-step tutorials with 5+ steps. ✅ Ask customers what goals they are trying to achieve. ✅ Allow users to hide walkthroughs and restore them later. ✅ Focus on bringing users to first success moments fast. ✅ Structure your onboarding suggestions in bite-sized chunks. ✅ Explain features when users slow down or make mistakes. ✅ Show features when users lose time with repetitive tasks. ✅ Prevent failure with an early warning system for new users. ✅ Collapsible checklists work well for onboarding. ✅ Personalized onboarding works even better. ✅ Design sets of filters, templates and empty states. ✅ Show starter kits based on user’s profile and interests. ✅ Consider short video guides and email drip campaigns. Good onboarding can’t be generic. It has to be relevant and valuable. Define your user segments first. Design a set of presets to help them get to success moments faster. Think of the questions you need to ask to customize their experience. Think about filters and presets they might need. Onboarding tutorials often appear once and get instantly dismissed, nowhere to be found again. Allow users to find them when they need it. Bring them up when users slow down or make mistakes. And test the discoverability of your features continuously. If a feature is obvious, you might not need to explain it at all. And if it isn’t, perhaps onboarding won’t solve this problem either. Useful resources: How to Choose Onboarding Methods and Components, by NewsKit 👍 Methods: https://lnkd.in/eWn5FPWA Decision Tree: https://lnkd.in/e8TmMDFf Design Patterns: https://lnkd.in/ed7HjzkW Onboarding UX Playbook, by Eleana Gkogka https://lnkd.in/edcDfMFG Complete Onboarding UX Guide (free eBook), by Intercom https://lnkd.in/eAxT6ZM4 User Onboarding Best Practices, by Taras Bakusevych https://lnkd.in/eRwr2tEc Guide to Onboarding, by Phil Byrne https://lnkd.in/esEavgw7 How Spotify Organizes Onboarding in Figma, by Barton Smith, Cliona O'Sullivan https://lnkd.in/ei434tqq Mobile Onboarding Wireframe Flows (Figma template) https://lnkd.in/ekhzWFJz UX Onboarding Patterns, by Eve Weinberg https://lnkd.in/e7_M4kDv #ux #design

Which cities have the most “Talent Alpha” within the USA? I would suggest thinking about the topic of evolving your geographic talent philosophy under the lens of five dimensions. 1: 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿. Where are the pay differentials most beneficially pronounced from your HQ location? 2: 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. Which regions have the most talent density? 3: 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿. Talent density is perhaps correlated with talent density…but not always. I cannot think of a consistent and reliable way to measure talent caliber at scale. Can you? 4: 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲. Which regions are “up and coming” and worth latching onto before they get super hot? 5: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀. Perhaps you have a secret hiring weapon in a location based on your existing team? Or a GTM rationale for a new hub? Etc. 3, 4, and especially 5 are difficult to concretely measure on a graph. But 1 and 2 are more straightforward and readily available from Pave’s dataset. Let’s take a look. ______________ 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝘀. 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆: Cost: In the attached chart, the “USA-All” region acts as the “100%” basis for all pay differentials. Talent Density: We used the number of full-time employees in Pave’s dataset broken down by each metro as the best proxy for talent density, but it's worth noting that some regions tend to specialize in certain job families. ______________ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: 1️⃣ “𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮”. The upper left quadrant perhaps has the most “talent alpha” in that it shows regions which are lower in cost of labor and higher in talent density. Some of the cities that stand out include Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Dallas. 2️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗨𝗦𝗔 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘃𝘀. 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼. The chart highlights how there are tradeoffs to consider between the two approaches. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿. Sometimes SF and NYC are thought of as essentially the same in terms of cost of labor. This analysis based on the latest Pave data cut from April 2025 suggests that SF cost of labor extends even beyond that of NYC. _____________ 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: ✅ Evolving your talent strategy can be daunting given how open-ended it may feel. I would recommend that you start with a simple and concrete analysis similar to the one in the attached image. And then use the findings to inform your decision alongside the other less easily measured dimensions. ✅ As a quick side, I strongly recommend that you run a market pricing exercise for your equity targets in parallel with your cash ranges, as the two comp types often have diverging pay differentials by region. Hint: the USA Tier 1 → Tier 2 and Tier 3 discounts tend to be larger for equity comp than they are for cash comp. #pave #compensation #geo #strategy