Once Upon a Career: Navigating Work & Leadership Through Fables with Pat Wadors, Chief Human Resources Officer at Intuitive
02/18/25 • 47 min
This episode features an interview with Pat Wadors, Chief Human Resources Officer at Intuitive, where she leads a global organization responsible for all aspects of the company’s employee experience. Prior to joining Intuitive, Pat was the Chief People Officer at UKG and Procore Technologies. She also held multiple leadership roles at ServiceNow, LinkedIn, and Yahoo!
In this episode, Miriam sits down with Pat to discuss her book Unlock Your Leadership Story, the evolution of DEI in the workplace, and the importance of storytelling for fostering connection among employees.
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“ Words may change, but the intent of creating a high-performing, healthy company that can do their thing, be it a service, a product development, innovate, requires diversity of thought. You look at the past and say, ‘If I hire from this school or from this industry, chances of failure of that candidate are reduced.’ But are you hiring the best? Maybe not. You're de-risking, you're not optimizing. If you slow your neurological roll, if you look at exactly what you need in the future, not just for today, you can create a healthier company.” – Pat Wadors
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Episode Timestamps:
*(03:55): Getting to know Pat
*(06:31): Pat discusses her book Unlock Your Leadership Story
*(19:42): Pat breaks down personal scorecards
*(24:12): The evolution of DEI in the workplace
*(28:59): The importance of storytelling in creating connection
*(35:56): A lesson Pat learned in her career
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Links:
Order Pat’s Book Unlock Your Leadership Story
This episode features an interview with Pat Wadors, Chief Human Resources Officer at Intuitive, where she leads a global organization responsible for all aspects of the company’s employee experience. Prior to joining Intuitive, Pat was the Chief People Officer at UKG and Procore Technologies. She also held multiple leadership roles at ServiceNow, LinkedIn, and Yahoo!
In this episode, Miriam sits down with Pat to discuss her book Unlock Your Leadership Story, the evolution of DEI in the workplace, and the importance of storytelling for fostering connection among employees.
-------------------
“ Words may change, but the intent of creating a high-performing, healthy company that can do their thing, be it a service, a product development, innovate, requires diversity of thought. You look at the past and say, ‘If I hire from this school or from this industry, chances of failure of that candidate are reduced.’ But are you hiring the best? Maybe not. You're de-risking, you're not optimizing. If you slow your neurological roll, if you look at exactly what you need in the future, not just for today, you can create a healthier company.” – Pat Wadors
-------------------
Episode Timestamps:
*(03:55): Getting to know Pat
*(06:31): Pat discusses her book Unlock Your Leadership Story
*(19:42): Pat breaks down personal scorecards
*(24:12): The evolution of DEI in the workplace
*(28:59): The importance of storytelling in creating connection
*(35:56): A lesson Pat learned in her career
-------------------
Links:
Order Pat’s Book Unlock Your Leadership Story
Previous Episode
The Secret Sauce of High Engagement with Keri-Lynn Pajer, VP of HR Business Partnerships & Change Initiatives at Agero
This episode features an interview with Keri-Lynn Pajer, Vice President of HR Business Partnerships and Change Initiatives at Agero. Keri-Lynn is a Strategy and Planning Executive with expertise in aligning organizational needs to the delivery of complex business solutions and expanded capabilities. At Agero, she previously served as the Senior Director of Internal Communications and Change Initiatives, and was the Director of Transformation Strategy at Staples.
In this episode, Miriam and Keri-Lynn discuss the importance of listening to employees, the balancing act of integrating AI while maintaining human connections, and the continuous effort to maintain a culture of trust and engagement.
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“ I think the secret sauce is the employee. It's ensuring that you have a really structured, intentional employee listening program. What we like to say here is that we don't ever ask a question that we don't plan on or don't have the ability to make changes to. It's this one small act of change. Understanding what the employee needs and wants and really taking that information and trying to take one small step forward every time you hear something. Communication is a huge part of that.” – Keri-Lynn Pajer
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Episode Timestamps:
*(03:07): Getting to know Keri-Lynn
*(07:00): Defining and enhancing employee engagement
*(09:06): The secret sauce to high engagement
*(16:57): Building connectivity and trust
*(27:26): Adapting to hybrid and remote work
*(35:35): The role of AI in connectivity
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Links:
Connect with Keri-Lynn on LinkedIn
Next Episode
EX through a Marketing Lens: Elevating Brand Stories & Employee Experiences with Matt Rivera & Gary Sevounts
This episode features an interview with Matt Rivera, Chief Marketing Officer at Day & Zimmermann and Gary Sevounts, Chief Marketing Officer at Simpplr. Matt has worked for Day & Zimmermann for 34 years, from payroll administrator to the first person in the marketing department. He leads a diverse team of marketers and communications professionals who contribute to a cohesive, professional and high-performing marketing organization. Gary is a veteran CMO with a track record of building high-growth demand and revenue engines, effective marketing teams, differentiated brands, and establishing categories. Previously, he was CMO at Malwarebytes, Socure, and Equifax’s Identity and Fraud Division.
In this episode, Miriam, Matt, and Gary explore the connection between customer experience and employee experience, the importance of authenticity and transparency in storytelling, and leveraging AI to enhance communication and measurement.
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“ With the automation that we have today for the employee experience, you can do that and then transfer it right over into the external marketing. You're tweaking the message. But it's the same types of messaging. It's the same campaigns. We're looking at the same analytics. All of those things really start connecting a lot. I think, in a lot of cases, the employee experience and what you're doing there, if you're doing it right, it's authentic, can really drive some of the marketing stuff too.” – Matt Rivera
“ Brand starts internally. It starts with a mission and starts with the employees believing in why. Why did we start the company? Why are we doing what we're doing all day long? Why are we passionate about it? In the companies that I worked with and I dealt with, when there is that connection and it's genuine, employees become ambassadors. In the companies where that connection doesn't exist, people don't believe it and it’s just words, then it can take a negative turn really quickly.” – Gary Sevounts
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Episode Timestamps:
*(02:51): Matt and Gary’s career journeys
*(07:01): Getting to know Matt and Gary
*(08:41): Exploring the connection between CX and EX
*(12:56): The art of great storytelling
*(24:15): Marketing strategies for Internal Communications
*(35:36): Leveraging technology for employee engagement
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Links:
Learn more about Day & Zimmermann
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