In this episode, we unpack how trust, purpose, and people-first leadership power real culture change, and how AI can scale feedback, belonging, and performance without losing the human edge.

Gena Pirtle, founder of The People Equation and former global HR leader at Cisco, shares practical insights on redesigning HR, strengthening retention, and building cross-sector talent ecosystems for the future of work.

In this conversation, we explore:

• redefining strategic HR as a true business engine
• culture as lived behavior, not policy
• trust as the foundation for transformation
• AI’s role in continuous performance and feedback
• why human skills rise in value alongside automation
• scaling personalization with tools like Belonging Intelligence
• retention through safe experimentation and ERG-led pilots
• veteran talent pipelines and workforce ecosystems
• what leaders get wrong about culture and how to fix it
• current initiatives with Great Place to Work and 4Block

Connect with Gena Pirtle on LinkedIn or visit PeopleEquationConsulting.com to learn more.

Most leadership breakdowns are not failures of intelligence or strategy. They are emotional failures.

In this episode of the Leadership AI Podcast, Maggie Sass, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Product, Research, and Professional Services at TalentSmart EQ, explores how emotional intelligence functions as the operating system beneath strategy, coaching, and decision-making.

Together, we unpack what it really means to treat leadership as daily emotional behavior, especially in high-pressure environments like healthcare.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• why leadership is fundamentally emotional, not just technical
• how limbic “hijacks” happen under pressure and how to recover
• the four core EQ skills and how they build on each other
• delivering feedback that creates learning, not defensiveness
• building habits through tiny experiments and simple cues
• scaling EQ through assessments, onboarding, and certifications
• navigating generational differences around emotions at work
• a simple five-minute morning and evening practice to strengthen EQ

If you care about leadership performance that holds under pressure, this episode is for you.

Be sure to follow Maggie Sass, Ph.D. on LinkedIn for practical insights on emotional intelligence and organizational performance.

Do you want to discover the secret recipe to align company and employee needs and create a harmonious and profitable work environment?

Pull up a chair because today's guest, Paul ter Wal, author and president of the Virtual Speakers Association International, is here to share his transformational journey and insights on just that.

Whether you're a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a small start-up, Paul's principles are key to cultivating a culture of employee happiness and company profitability.

To connect with Paul ter Wal, visit:

Website: https://paulterwal.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulterwal/