Let’s be honest, most CHRO groups out there are bad. They are expensive, filled with vendor pitches, and loaded with “fluff” resources that are outdated by the time they are published. That’s why I put together Future of Work Leaders. A CHRO group for people leaders who are moving beyond traditional HR to focus on the future of work and employee experience. No pitches, no selling, no fluff.
The community is focused on discussions, candid Q&A sessions, and sharing of resources and insights. Members include Lego, Novartis, PwC, Saks Global, and dozens of others. I’m just in the process of planning our annual in-person forum which will be at the end of March. if you want to learn more and request an invite go to Future of Work Leaders or email me directly Jacob[at]thefutureorganization[dot]com.
Ever feel like being a leader today is like trying to build a plane while flying it? Technology is moving faster than ever, and many people leaders feel stuck between chasing productivity and keeping things human. There is a constant worry that AI might make leadership feel cold or automated.
If we look at the actual workplace context, most managers today are buried under a mountain of paperwork and small tasks. Instead of coaching their teams or thinking about the future, they spend hours every week on administrative chores. This “managerial tax” hurts the employee experience and stops a company from reaching its big goals.
In my latest episode of Future Ready Leadership, Emily Field, the Chief People Officer at LPL Financial, joins us to discuss how to fix this. We focused on redefining the role of the manager, using AI to build a future-ready organization, and the new rules for leading in an AI-integrated workplace.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
AI is the Power Assist, Not the Pilot
AI is often seen as a threat to jobs, but the most future-ready leaders think of AI as a “power assist” or a way to get a “first draft”. Emily Field highlights that it can handle the basic work, but it cannot replace human judgment. While AI is fast, it lacks the specific context needed to understand a company’s values.
If a leader stops at what the AI provides, they miss the opportunity to add real value to the organization. The true goal is to use the time saved by AI to focus on critical thinking and solve specific problems. As Field notes, AI should power leaders, not make them lazy. It is meant to be a partner, not a crutch.
Manage the “People P&L” with Financial Rigor
People strategy shouldn’t be a guessing game. Leading organizations are now using a “People P&L”—a dashboard that tracks performance and leadership metrics with the same seriousness as financial data. This is not about tracking every possible data point just because technology allows it; in fact, Emily warns that looking at too many metrics can make it impossible to know what to do about them. Data is only useful if it helps a leader make a better decision.
Emily notes that if a metric doesn’t lead to a different decision or a change in behavior, it is merely “interesting” and potentially a waste of time. The ultimate goal of this “People P&L” is to provide insights that allow leaders to apply their human judgment to drive better outcomes for the organization.
The 50/50 Performance Rule
Results matter, but how people reach those results is just as important. At LPL Financial, Emily shares they use a rule that splits performance reviews 50/50 between “the what” and “the how”.
“The what” covers business goals and outcomes, while “the how” focuses on values and behaviors. This system is designed so that people who hit their numbers but use office politics or backstab others do not get rewarded.
By looking at both results and values, Emily helps raise the bar for everyone in the company. It creates a culture where being “strong” means doing great work the right way.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Shift from Admin to “Align, Empower, Reinforce”
Most managers spend about a full day every week on administrative tasks like time reports. Emily views this as a waste of leadership talent and is moving LPL Financial toward a new rule: automate or delete the busy work. This allows leaders to focus on three core tasks: aligning the team on goals, empowering them to execute, and reinforcing progress through feedback.
- Align: Leaders sit with their teams to set goals. They define what success looks like and what is in scope for the project.
- Empower: Leaders remove obstacles. They give team members the rights to make decisions. This often means reimagining business processes that cause friction.
- Reinforce: This step focuses on feedback loops. It includes celebrating wins and using “retrospectives” to see what can be done better. This turns the team into a continuous improvement engine.
Every team functions better when the leader is free to help people grow rather than clicking through spreadsheets.
Focus on Upskilling Over Reskilling
True “re-skilling” means teaching someone an entirely new job from scratch. This is a rarely successful corporate endeavor. Instead, leaders should focus on “upskilling.” This means building on the skills an employee already has.
This is called “skill adjacency.” At LPL Financial, about 35% of workers switch jobs within the company every year. By making career pathing open to everyone, employees can move to new roles naturally as the business changes.
Conclusion
The role of the CHRO is moving beyond traditional HR. To stay ahead, people leaders must transition into the role of a “Chief Future of Work Officer”. This shift isn’t just about adding new software; it is about building a “People Leader Operating System” that balances high-tech tools with human judgment.
The future of work is not a battle between humans and robots. It is a partnership where technology amplifies humanity. The most successful leaders will be those who use data to make better decisions, not those who let the data make the decisions for them.
Is your organization’s leadership “operating system” built to help people thrive, or is it just tracking data that doesn’t drive action?
If you want to look deeper into the new rules for people leaders in an AI-integrated world, make sure to check out my full conversation with Emily Field here:
Organizations around the world have lost their way. It’s time to get back to basics and focus on what really drives people and performance. This is why I’m so very excited to share that after 2 years of research and writing, my new book The 8 Laws of Employee Experience: How to Build a Future-Ready Organization is finally available. Grab a copy at 8exlaws.com
