Molly Sands is Head of Teamwork Lab at Atlassian, where she helps distill what makes teams great, the practices, tools, exercises, behaviors and rituals that great teams tick. Built on first person research, delivered by Molly and team from the Teamwork Lab. Results are published regularly via a number channels including the State of Teams report.

I was able to grab some time with Molly in Anaheim at the Atlassian Team ‘25 show, and surface a wellspring of insight from the latest State of Teams, Personal Productivity, and so much more.

Please join me in welcoming Molly Sands to the Work 20XX podcast

Atlassian’s always done things a bit differently. Born in Sydney, scaling from profit not venture, replacing email with JIRA, and building one of the earliest distributed-first cultures.

Thank you Molly

Editor's Note:

Recorded 2025-Apr-09, Anaheim Convention Center. My first solo onsite recording with some new gear. Missing my rock star production team.

Special shout out to Rob Castaneda and Team ServiceRocket for sharing their booth to enable this recording.

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Transcipt and Show Notes - Click Here

Andrew Boyagi just completed a multi time zone, multi country, multi week development project with no meetings. Not one. No kick off meetings, no status meetings, zero. And no one even notices until it was pointed out after the fact.

Sure, Andrew still kicked off the project. Of course everyone kept informed. Yes, objectives and priorities were aligned and corrected over time. But without meetings. Just messages, posting, videos, and perhaps a call, using Loom, Confluence, and Slack.

As Atlassian’s Global Head of DevOps Evangelism, Andrew’s all about experience to drive better software, faster. He’s constantly thinking about removing friction, innovative use of tools and processes, and focusing on the high leverage activities that deliver. Andrew’s mission is to eliminate friction, toil, and distractions so people can focus on delivering the best work of their lives.

I had a chance to sit down with Andrew in Anaheim at Atlassian Team ‘25 and dig into the latest findings from Atlassian’s ‘System of Work.’ Andrew’s also an advocate of leveraging AI to help increase developer productivity, but perhaps not in the ways you might expect.

Please join me in welcoming Andrew to the Work 20XX podcast

Thank you Andrew

Editor's Note:
Recorded 2025-Apr-09, Anaheim Convention Center. My first solo onsite recording with some new gear. The audio is not great, but the content is well worth the effort. Missing my rock star production team.

Special shout out to Rob Castaneda and Team ServiceRocket for sharing their booth to enable this recording.

YouTube - Click Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a18HhhdVRoo&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt

Transcript and Show Notes - Click Here

Charles Corley traveled to Singapore via Hong Kong to start a new chapter over thirty years ago. He stepped off a night train into a bustling world heretofore only seen on a big screen at the cinema. Charles is not afraid of change, he embraces the new.

As Director of Development at M Moser and Associates, Charles and their global teams are leveraging 3D modeling, virtual reality, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to bring workplaces to life, not only as a ‘show’ deliverable, but as the centerpiece for the entire design process, start to finish. Sitting in Singapore, with visibility on project around the world, Charles has a unique vantage to learn about what works, and why.

Even more intriguing, Charles has used ChatGPT every day since it was launched in November 2022. Every day. Looking for ideas on how to get started with AI. Already started, but not sure how to get more value at work. You will love, Love, LOVE this episode and Charles’ AI discovery and current state. Kudos to Moira Moser for making the investment in all at the organization having access to the entire suite of AI tools.

Please join me in welcoming Charles Corley to the Work 20XX podcast

Charles also reminds us how far we’ve come from ‘Sick Building Syndrome’ to a focus on wellness, sustainability, and creating an environment for people to do their best work. Engagement and Adaptability are key words.

Editor's note: There was some unexpected maintenance happening in an adjoining unit in Singapore, so you might hear some banging and sawing and drilling here and there, but I assure you, everyone is ok, and the redo looks smashing.

Thank you Charles.

YouTube - Click Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkNGFqywW7g&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt

Transcript and Show Notes

Connie Noonan Hadley, Founder and Chief Scientist at the Institute for Life at Work, has been exploring team effectiveness since our paths first crossed in Philadelphia thirty years ago.

After roles at General Mills and McKinsey & Company, she dedicated herself to academia to further her research on leadership and the universal desire to love one's job. It turns out that strong social connections and support systems at work significantly enhance job satisfaction and reduce burnout. However, many workplaces lack these crucial components.

Consequently, Connie has focused her efforts to provide organizations with solutions that enhance workplace team cohesion and output. She advocates for intentional steps to reduce loneliness and increase psychological safety.

Connie has authored and co-authored numerous research papers, articles, book chapters and podcasts on these topics. Her contributions include a recent Harvard Business Review cover story titled ‘We’re Still Lonely at Work,’ co-authored with Sarah L. Wright.

Please join me in welcoming Connie Noonan Hadley to the Work 20XX podcast.

The effective adoption of new methods and technologies is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving world. The frequency and impact of external shocks seem to be escalating, with constant challenges since at least March 2020.

Proactive measures to reduce loneliness and increase psychological safety within teams can build resilience, enhance innovation, and strengthen team cohesion. These steps are also effective in reducing burnout and attrition.

Connie and I delve into the research to explore the actions leaders can take to improve performance in these essential areas. Connie is focused on solutions.

YouTube - Click Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgJltXj7vqg&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt

Transcript and Show Notes - Click Here
https://www.work20xx.com/episode/connie-noonan-hadley-loneliness-psychological-safety-team-effectiveness-ai-work-20xx-ep33

Chet Kapoor, Chairman and CEO of Datastax, is all in on GenAI, aka Generative Artificial Intelligence. When ChatGPT burst into public consciousness in November 2022, Chet pivoted his team and the company to seize a leadership position in the fifth major technology wave of his 30+ year technology career.

Data at scale, vectorizing databases, and an open-source ethos are just a few ingredients necessary to enable developers to build and deliver the next revolution of GenAI native, and GenAI infused applications. This opportunity goes beyond merely saving money and increasing efficiency by a few points; to fundamentally reinventing processes, business models, and daily life assisted by human-like agents specifically designed around the context of our individual preferences, productivity, and priorities.

Please join me in welcoming Chet Kapoor to the Work 20XX podcast.

From RAG to LLMs, SLMs to hallucinations, and the exponential curves that will provide each of us with our own personal agents running locally, tuned to various processes, GenAI apps promise to change everything. From managing personal email to the marketing department, to our personal social calendars, these technologies will be based on the context and relevance of what matters most to each of us. The implications are broad and Chet and I discussed a number of important topics, from regulation and governance, developer tools, to the ramifications of 24/7 speech access to a supercomputer running apps tailored to our preferences. Exciting, scary, brave new world? Yes, yes, and yes.

What can we learn from the four most recent technology epochs (client-server, web, mobile, cloud), and what makes this GenAI chapter so unique?

Join me in this conversation with someone who has lived through prior transformations and has strong opinions on how this next chapter will unfold. Chet’s eyes still sparkle, the data-centric, open-source excitement burns as brightly as when he first picked up *The Little Kingdom: The Private Story of Apple Computer* by Michael Moritz in 1984, knowing then that he had to be part of this technology-powered transformation.

YouTube - Click Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcvLOREN5IE&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt&ab_channel=TurntheLenswithJeffFrick

Transcript and Show Notes - Click Here

https://www.work20xx.com/episode/chet-kapoor-genai-my-agent-human-like-reinvention-work-20xx-ep32

Julie Whelan and the CBRE research team delivered the updated 2024 edition of the US Office Occupier Sentiment Survey. This marks the third consecutive year we’ve had Julie on to share the findings and some of the insights behind the numbers.

For the first time since Covid, according to Julie, the survey feels somewhat ‘normal,’ reflecting a significant shift in sentiment regarding organizations ‘shedding’ space. While the past few years focused on downsizing and adapting to hybrid work models, companies are now reaching a "steady state" where office space utilization is stabilizing, and some organizations are even considering expanding their space.

Please join me in welcoming Julie Whelan back to Work 20XX.

We covered a range of topics, including the difference between measuring efficiency vs. effectiveness. We reviewed the latest on technology investments, from video conferencing and space scheduling to occupancy sensors and more. We also explored some innovative ways companies are using flexible and shared spaces to accommodate peak days when most employees are in the office, while still maintaining ‘vibrancy’ on days with fewer people present.

With New York’s Local Law 97 coming into play, we discussed the role of sustainability, net-zero goals, office conversions, and the capital markets adjustments that will reset a number of properties that no longer meet today’s standards.

These topics and more make for another highly engaging conversation with Julie, who has her finger on the pulse of the office market from a national perspective.

YouTube - Click Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2khvxe9CcQY&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt&ab_channel=TurntheLenswithJeffFrick

Transcript and Show Notes - Click Here
https://www.work20xx.com/episode/julie-whelan-v3-sentiment-shift-location-vibrancy-work-20xx-ep31

Evan Benway, a musician and the child of musicians, has been immersed in the creation and study of music since his earliest days. Through his deep appreciation for the evocative power and joy of sound, Evan understands how profoundly music can affect mood and emotions. However, in his professional journey, he discovered a stark contrast: sound is often considered a major distraction in traditional knowledge worker environments, especially in open floor plans filled with sound-reflecting materials like concrete and glass. Even in the most cutting-edge offices, unmanaged noise—particularly from people talking—can overwhelm other positive design elements. Evan experienced this firsthand and was struck by how unproductive such environments could be due to a poorly managed soundscape.

Traditional methods of sound management—absorbing, blocking, and covering, known as the ABCs of acoustics—are increasingly inadequate in modern office designs where sound sensitivity is high, and conventional solutions like carpets and acoustic tiles are less practical.

There had to be a better way.

Join me in welcoming Evan Benway to Work 20XX.

Evan founded Moodsonic to transform sound from a negative element into a positive force that enhances productivity, mood, and well-being. Moodsonic uses science-backed, biophilic sounds to create contextually relevant, dynamically generated soundscapes (with no loops) for built environments. Starting with offices and expanding into healthcare and educational markets, Moodsonic's approach brings the power of nature-inspired sound into these spaces.

Evan and his team are pioneering the use of dynamic soundscapes to improve people's experiences in built environments, leveraging the deep-seated biological impact of sound on attention, health, productivity, and well-being. At the same time, they carefully design these soundscapes to avoid the many pitfalls that poorly designed audio environments can bring.

In this episode of Work 20XX, we dive into the details, science, methods, and results of creating intentional soundscape designs that work in harmony with visual and other design elements to create better workplace experiences.

YouTube - Click Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OqytQDMf80&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt&index=1

Eposide page with transcript and show notes - Click Here
https://www.work20xx.com/episode/evan-benway-dynamic-sound-positive-well-being-work-20xx-ep30

Tony Jamous started Oyster in January 2020 to use the power of software to address the disequilibrium between the tens of millions of un-filled knowledge worker jobs in the West, with the Billion plus new knowledge workers coming on line in the next 10 years in the developing world.

Connecting the supply to demand, without making people leave their home countries. Making hiring global as easy as hiring local. Bringing amazing job opportunities to people around the world, while making it easy for employers and employees, regardless of their location in the world. A Professional Employment Organization (PEO) on a planetary scale, delivering hundreds of millions of dollars of direct investment to in the form of wages and taxes, to workers in over 180 countries around the world.

Please join me in welcoming Tony Jamous to Work 20XX

After a series of successful startups, including going public and acquisition, Tony found himself financially successful, but felt there was still something missing. Tony took a year to heal himself, to get better, to get healthier. He wanted to create a new organization, hyper diverse, and hyper distributed, using the latest technology to enable people to hire talent from anywhere in the world, and that talent to perform their jobs without having to leave their home communities and move..

Tony describes his leadership style as ‘Sustainable Leadership,’ a human-centric approach, taking care of self first, and your people, which results in a stronger organization, increased engagement, and 100% remote organization of about 600 people living in 70 countries.

In this episode, we dive into the opportunity, the logistics, and the management philosophy Tony is using to create a very unique culture to address one of the largest market miss matches of the next several decades. I am absolutely thrilled to share Tony’s story with you.

YouTube - Click Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8eUlGJVCd4&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt

Episode page with transcript and show notes - Click Here
https://www.work20xx.com/episode/tony-jamous-global-talent-sustainable-unreactive-work-20xx-ep29