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Leaders today are under pressure from two directions at once. On one side, employees expect clarity, belonging, and fairness in how organizations operate. On the other, generative and agentic AI are reshaping how work gets done at a pace most companies can’t keep up with.
Hybrid policies, return-to-office debates, and the constant swirl of political and social issues only make leadership more complex. The challenge is no longer just “managing culture” or “adopting new tools.” It’s navigating both at the same time.
In our conversation, Paulo Pisano, CHRO of Booking Holdings, made it clear that culture isn’t posters on the wall or a list of perks — it’s how you get things done. That simple shift reframes the leadership role of CHROs. Here’s why.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Culture Is How You Get Things Done
Many organizations talk about culture in abstract terms (values, mission, purpose). But for Paulo, that definition is a thing of the past. He gives us a view of culture on a brand new lens, defining it as how you get things done. It’s not about slogans on the wall, but the everyday behaviors employees adopt because they believe that’s what’s accepted, rewarded, or required to belong.
Culture shows up in the choices people make when no one is watching — how they collaborate, make decisions, and solve problems. And as Paulo highlights, every company has a culture whether they design it or not. The real question for CHROs is whether they are being intentional in shaping it so that it aligns with the organization’s purpose and strategy, or whether they’re leaving it to form by default.
Why Clarity About Culture Beats Compromising For It
As CHRO, being clear about your culture and intentional in reinforcing it is what will separate your company from the rest. However, many companies get stuck trying to please everyone when it comes to defining the very fabric of their culture. Without that clarity, employees and candidates can’t know whether they truly fit, and culture drifts into confusion.
For Paulo, clarity must be paired with intentionality: embedding those values into hiring, performance management, and everyday leadership practices. This combination gives employees a consistent standard to align with and creates the trust that comes from knowing exactly what the organization stands for — no compromises, no mixed messages.
That level of transparency lets people decide whether the culture matches their expectations, and it prevents painful course corrections later.
Updating the Software of Culture
One of the hardest truths for CHROs is that culture can’t stay static as an organization grows. The informal, fast-moving norms that work in a startup often become liabilities in a global enterprise. Paulo describes this shift as “updating the software” of culture — refreshing the way people work together so it matches the complexity of the business. That means adding governance, decision rights, and processes that may feel unfamiliar but are necessary to scale.
The key is explaining why the change is happening and connecting it to the company’s evolution, rather than leaving employees to guess. As Paulo notes from his experience at Booking Holdings, not everyone will stay for every stage of the journey, and that’s natural. The CHRO’s role is to guide the transition with clarity and honesty, so people understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how they can thrive in the new environment.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Where AI Meets Culture
AI is becoming a powerful test of people leadership. For CHROs, the real challenge with AI isn’t just selecting the right tools, but creating the culture that determines how those tools are used. Paulo describes how Booking Holdings’ long-standing DNA of experimentation and A/B testing has made it easier for employees to engage with generative AI, from HR support to customer-facing pilots.
For people leaders, it’s now clear that adoption depends on culture. A workforce that’s encouraged to be curious, to try small tests, and to learn without the pressure of immediate ROI will be far better equipped to integrate AI responsibly and at scale. Technology will keep evolving at a breakneck pace; the differentiator will be whether CHROs shape a culture that’s open enough to evolve with it.
Leadership Strategies in Practice
The themes from this conversation point to a clear set of priorities for today’s HR leaders:
- Define culture as how work gets done — focus on the daily behaviors and decisions, not perks or posters.
- Balance belonging with alignment — inclusivity matters, but people also need clarity on what it takes to thrive in your environment.
- Communicate with clarity and honesty — even when expectations are uncomfortable, transparency builds more trust than compromise.
- Update the “software” of culture — as organizations grow, evolve norms, governance, and processes to match new levels of complexity.
- Encourage AI experimentation within culture — curiosity, small tests, and evidence-based learning help organizations adopt technology responsibly.
For CHROs, the through line is intentionality: culture will form whether you shape it or not. The leaders who define it deliberately and evolve it consistently will be the ones who guide their organizations through growth, disruption, and technological change with trust intact.
To hear Paulo Pisano’s full perspective on leading 24,000 employees at Booking Holdings, listen to the latest episode of Future Ready Leadership.