Optimizing Executive Leadership During Unprecedented Times
BY Christopher O'Keeffe April 28, 2025Companies are moving away from sink-or-swim onboarding for new CEOs and turning to strategic coaching with clear, measurable returns. As businesses face unprecedented challenges, from supply chain disruptions to talent shortages, providing support to bolster strong executive leadership has never been more critical. Leaving many organizations to find that traditional approaches to developing senior leaders are insufficient for today's complex business landscape.Leaders examined this shift through a compelling case study during a From Day One webinar about “Optimizing Executive Leadership During Unprecedented Times.” Sandra Davis, chair and founder of MDA Leadership, a 43-year-old firm specializing in executive development, shared insights into mentoring Holly Cooper, the recent CEO of Altumint, a public safety solutions provider. The firm brought in MDA during a critical growth phase for Cooper, helping accelerate her effectiveness as she integrated into her CEO role. Aldon Severson, MDA's director of client development, moderated the compelling discussion, highlighting how executive coaching has evolved from a remedial intervention to a strategic investment that accelerates leadership performance.The Three-Phase ApproachMDA Leadership’s coaching framework consists of three phases: awaken, align, and accelerate. The approach begins by establishing a relationship and building chemistry to understand both the leader and the organizational context. “The whole awakened phase was both about learning about Holly and about others' expectations” said Davis. This initial discovery process helps executives quickly understand what others need from them without relying on trial and error.In the “align” phase, the executive crafts specific goals based on business objectives and stakeholder feedback. The final “accelerate” phase focuses on execution and measuring results. This structured approach distinguishes professional coaching from casual mentoring, providing accountability and measurable outcomes that justify investment.Assessment as a Strategic ToolWhen Cooper stepped into the CEO role after serving as COO, she faced the challenge of building the right executive team to support rapid growth. MDA’s understanding in leadership assessment became central to her hiring strategy. “The individuals we brought in, after going through an assessment, were much higher-qualified candidates for the positions we were looking for than those we hired without any type of assessment,” Cooper said. She noted that middle managers hired without such assessments had significantly higher turnover rates, with most leaving within 12 months.Holly Cooper spoke with Sandra Davis and Aldon Severson of MDA Leadership (photo by From Day One)According to Davis, MDA’s candidate assessments are increasingly sophisticated, customized to specific roles rather than using a dated one-size-fits-all approach. Beyond hiring, Cooper also used assessments to evaluate existing talent, particularly longtime employees who had grown with the company since its founding.Navigating Board RelationshipsOne of the most challenging aspects for new CEOs is managing relationships with the board of directors. This dynamic requires different skills than executives typically develop on their way up the corporate ladder.Executives accustomed to having a single boss often find the transition to reporting to a full board, with diverse perspectives to be jarring. Cooper described this as one of her biggest unexpected challenges: “Having a board full of different people, personalities and their needs, is one of the biggest challenges…what are they going to ask for next and will I even get this thing done before they ask for the next piece?”Davis advises resilience in these moments, “Some of it’s about standing firm in what you know to be true and is needed for the organization. You and your team know the most about what’s needed to make this happen successfully.”Speed vs. DevelopmentTransparency around leadership development creates a culture focused on growth and positive change. Cooper emphasized the importance of being open about the coaching process: “Here was the key about being an open executive, letting my team know that I wanted the coaching to be the best version of myself for them so that I could serve them in the appropriate manner.”While fostering development takes time, business realities demand that executives get up to speed quickly. This creates tension between development and immediate performance demonstrating why executive coaching has become increasingly valuable.“Don’t forget about speed,” Davis advised. “Often people might take six months to figure things out. I think in many cases, we don’t have that luxury because who you have around you and who you surround yourself with, and their capabilities and trust and confidence have a whole lot to do with how well you perform.” Providing structured support accelerates a CEO’s understanding while delivering tangible results.As organizations continue to navigate complex challenges, executive coaching has evolved from a professional perk to an essential component of leadership strategy. Not only improving executive performance but also creating more resilient organizations capable of real time adaptation to an ever-changing business landscape. “Five years ago, it used to be ‘we don’t have time for anybody to develop. Let’s just find a really good person and put them in place,’” Davis said. “That’s really changed quite a bit now. There’s far more emphasis on the leadership development side and having the power of that behind a successful business.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, MDA Leadership, for sponsoring this webinar. Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.(Photo by jacoblund/iStock)
The Future of Work: AI, Skills, & What Leaders Need to Know
BY Christopher O'Keeffe April 24, 2025As artificial intelligence transforms the workplace, a common concern is emerging among businesses: What skills will define employee success in an AI-driven future? With many companies still unsure how to fully leverage AI, a sense of FOMO, or fear of missing out, is setting in, says Tigran Sloyan CEO of CodeSignal.Sloyan spoke about innovation happening at CodeSignal, an AI focused technical assessment and skills development platform, during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s Silicon Valley conference. “AI is not just a buzz and not just a hype,” Sloyan said. “I strongly believe that AI is one of those transformative technologies, similar to what personal computers did, similar to what the Internet did.”CodeSignal has positioned itself at the intersection of AI advancement and workforce development offering solutions to a world reveling in a technological revolution. The company's platform enables organizations to evaluate current capabilities and build the skills needed for an everchanging AI-integrated workplace.Three Tiers of AI CompetencyRather than pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach to AI skills, Sloyan advocates for understanding the three distinct categories of AI competency that allow for successful integration of its tools.The first and most broadly applicable is simple AI literacy: understanding what AI can do and how to use it in daily work. “This requires pretty much no technical skill or competency,” Sloyan said.The second tier involves integrating AI into existing systems by connecting APIs and implementing new tools to existing operations. While more technical, these skills don’t require deep AI expertise.Only the third category, building and training AI models, demands specialized technical knowledge. Sloyan highlights that many companies often make a strategic error by over emphasizing the importance of this category. With many organizations spending disproportionate resources competing for a small pool of talent rather than focusing on widespread AI literacy, “Hiring AI engineers in today’s market is close to impossible,” Sloyan said. “Upskilling is really the only way to close that skills gap.”From Managing People to Managing AIThe human touch remains essential, especially within leadership roles that will evolve as AI becomes increasingly prevalent in the workplace. Sloyan rejects the notion held by many, that management skills would become obsolete in an AI centric workplace. Instead arguing that directing AI systems will demand many of the same skills needed to lead teams of employees.Sloyan spoke with Brenna Lenoir, SVP of CodeSignal, during the thought leadership spotlight“As a great manager, you bring intelligent people onto your team, you become more effective and you can accomplish more together,” he said. “If you have 50 AI agents working for you, you essentially become a manager of those AIs, but you still need what makes great managers great, which is understanding what the job is.”This perspective challenges the notion that AI will simply replace human work. Instead, Sloyan envisions a future where human expertise becomes even more valuable when amplified through directed AI agents.“Only managers that understand how to do the job themselves, even if they’re not going to have to do it themselves, can know how to ask the right questions, how to ask the right probing questions, as well as evaluate what they got back,” he said.The Future of Technical SkillsRethinking traditional approaches to technical roles with the lens of an AI competent workforce opens unprecedented possibilities for rapid growth within any given company. Sloyan says that AI will transform rather than eliminate the value of technical skills, creating accessibility to capabilities once reserved for specialists. “Three years ago, knowing how to write a simple SQL query would not produce much value,” he said, referring to a database programming language. “Today, if you understand just a little bit about writing a simple query, you can ask AI the right questions and get data within minutes that used to take a highly proficient engineer an hour to produce.”This dynamic creates what Sloyan calls an “exponential increase” in the value of technical knowledge; company-wide modest competence with AI tools can dramatically enhance productivity.For business leaders navigating this workforce transformation, the message is clear: rather than focusing on building expensive learning models or exclusively competing for scarce AI engineering talent, prioritize building a foundation of AI literacy across your organization. In the AI economy, companies with a focus on understanding the technology broadly may prove more valuable than those with a singular or hyper specific approach. Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, CodeSignal, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.
The New Era of Workplace Giving: Meeting Donors Where They Are
BY Christopher O'Keeffe April 21, 2025While 94% of major corporations offer charitable giving programs, only about one in five employees participate in them. The lack of employee engagement programs often leaves corporations without a seamless solution for integrating charitable acts into daily workplace activitiesThis “generosity gap,” as philanthropy experts call it, represents billions in potential charitable dollars left on the table. This reveals a fundamental disconnect between corporate giving structures and employee expectations in today’s socially conscious global landscape.“Today’s workforce expects technology experiences to mirror what they encounter in their personal lives," said Sam Caplan, VP of social impact at Submittable during a From Day One webinar. “When a company’s giving program feels disconnected from their values, or when it’s just hard to navigate or engage with, we know that they’re much less likely to participate.” Submittable solves the long-standing problem of revolutionizing outdated technology and approaches that treat charitable giving as a separate, often cumbersome activity rather than a seamless extension of everyday work life, says Caplan.“When we force donors into unfamiliar paradigms, and then we kind of scratch our heads afterwards to say, why are we struggling with engagement? It’s because we’re forcing them to do things outside of their normal flow of life,” said Chris Battles, principal product manager at Submittable.New workplace giving technologies are making charitable contributions as simple as tapping a phone or clicking a button. Submittable’s platform lets employees accumulate donation funds through recognition programs, wellness challenges, or personal contributions, then easily direct those funds to causes they care about, all without leaving their workflow, the speakers shared. This especially matters in cases where timeliness matters, like during natural disasters, says Madison Silver, senior product marketer at Submittable.Small Acts of Generosity Build Company CultureThe business case for modernizing these programs extends beyond philanthropy. Companies report that well-designed giving programs boost employee satisfaction and retention, particularly among younger workers who increasingly expect employers to provide platforms that support personal social impact goals. In a global economy where talent acquisition remains challenging, the competitive advantage of charitable modernization becomes paramount to bottom line success.Industry leaders emphasize several key principles for successful program modernization. First, personalize the experience by offering flexible giving options that align with employees’ values and lifestyles. Next, remove friction by making giving as easy as buying coffee or sending money to a friend. Then, integrate giving with existing programs, connecting it to rewards, recognition, and other HR initiatives. Enable giving in the moment by providing tools that allow employees to contribute whenever they’re inspired. Finally, celebrate small contributions, recognizing that even modest donations can have a meaningful impact.“We’re turning everyday moments into opportunities for impact, and in doing so, we’re not just recognizing employees, we’re empowering them to become philanthropists,” Caplan said.As the boundaries between work and personal life continue to blur, particularly in hybrid work environments, companies that successfully integrate giving opportunities into the daily experience of employees are finding that generosity doesn’t need to be taught, it simply needs to be enabled.The most innovative organizations are shifting from treating charitable giving as a separate initiative to embedding it into the everyday work experience. This transformation aims to close the long-standing generosity gap that has challenged corporate philanthropy leaders for years.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Submittable, for sponsoring this webinar.Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.(Photo by Ruslana Chub/iStock)
Prioritizing Benefits That Drive Impact for Your Employees: A Successful Case Study
BY Christopher O'Keeffe March 19, 2025As companies compete for talent with increasingly generous benefits packages, many are discovering a frustrating truth: robust offerings alone don’t guarantee employee satisfaction or utilization.“You can have millions of programs available to your employee population, but if they’re not educated, if they’re not aware, we’re not going to see any value,” said Preeti Nadendla, senior global benefits partner at Marqeta. Nadendla spoke during a From Day One webinar about “Prioritizing Benefits That Drive Impact for Your Employees: A Successful Case Study,” in conversation with Britt Barney, manager of customer success at Northstar.Nadendla’s perspective comes from navigating the complex landscape of global benefits at Marqeta, an Oakland, CA., based financial technology company that provides backend systems for payment card programs. With approximately 850 employees across the U.S., UK, Canada, and Poland, Marqeta exemplifies the challenges faced by growing international companies.When Nadendla joined Marqeta two years ago, she found herself in a scenario familiar to many benefits professionals: excellent offerings that went underutilized because employees simply didn’t understand them. "The sheer volume of benefits information was overwhelming," she recalled. “Employees weren’t utilizing them effectively and didn’t understand the value of what was being offered, which created a lot of frustration,” she said. As the sole benefits professional at the time, Nadendla methodically rebuilt the company’s approach from the ground up. She transformed vendor relationships from transactional to collaborative partnerships, establishing regular meetings and leveraging vendors to help educate employees. Britt Barney of Northstar spoke with Preeti Nadendla of Marqeta during the webinar (photo by From Day One)With open enrollment looming just months after her arrival, Nadendla orchestrated multiple virtual education sessions with partner vendors, created accessible FAQs, and ensured recorded sessions were available across global time zones. The results were immediate–employees began actively engaging with previously underutilized benefits, reducing confusion and frustration while increasing the return on the company's benefits investment.From Theory to Practice: Benefits Strategy in Real MarketsNadendla’s approach to measuring success goes beyond typical utilization metrics to focus on meaningful understanding within employee healthcare networks.“For me, it’s not just utilization but the actual engagement and frequency,” she said. "Working with a mental health benefits partner, we want to track the frequency of interactions. Are they doing only one coaching session, or is there an uptick in therapy sessions? Is it only a certain subset of employees using it and not the entire organization?”This nuanced approach to measurement extends to the company’s cross-border benefits strategy as well. While many companies struggle to provide equitable benefits across different regulatory environments, Nadendla has developed a philosophy where benefits should be “globally competitive but locally relevant.”Northstar, the financial wellness platform, provides personalized guidance to employees through dedicated advisors, helping them navigate their benefits options and broader financial decisions. As Barney of Northstar says, the platform focuses on building relationships. “In my 13 years of working in financial services, there isn’t a single question that doesn’t tie back to money. So from a benefits perspective, we'll talk about budgeting and saving for emergencies, paying down debt and having a family retirement, all of those types of things. But we’ll also talk about which health plan you should choose,” she said. Marqeta and Northstar put Nadendla’s principles to the test when addressing issues within the UK’s pension program. Rather than relying solely on consulting partners, Nadendla sought direct input from Northstar's UK-based financial advisor to understand the employee experience. “I wanted to connect with the advisor and understand, ‘This is what we’re thinking, these are the options available—as an employee, how does this impact me?’” she said.After implementing these changes, she organized an educational session with the advisor which drove significant engagement. The success of this approach informed the company’s recent expansion of financial wellness benefits to Canada, demonstrating how education-driven implementation can succeed across borders.Removing Barriers to Benefits UtilizationTo truly understand what employees need from their benefits packages, Nadendla implemented a more focused approach to gathering feedback.“I personally don’t like the fact that the benefit survey questions are part of a larger survey, and just have a few benefits questions,” she said. “I personally would do an entire benefits survey which is dedicated to benefits.”A more targeted feedback strategy extends to working directly with employee resource groups to understand specific challenges different populations face. The approach has revealed a critical insight: employees often hesitate to use financial wellness programs, such as Northstar, due to privacy concerns.Nadendla addresses this by emphasizing confidentiality in all financial communications. “This is our employees, one on one, conversations with their financial advisors. And we don’t have visibility into it. It’s confidential, and it’s 100% up to them on how much they want to share,” she said. This transparency has significantly increased utilization of financial wellness benefits, particularly among employees who were previously concerned about sharing personal financial information with their employer.Nadendla’s education-first approach proved particularly valuable when adding after-tax contributions to the company’s 401(k) plan offerings. Rather than simply announcing the new feature, they partnered with Northstar to host educational sessions that explained both the mechanics and the long-term financial implications. “We wanted employees to understand how the enhancement could help them, the pros and cons, why someone would do it and why someone wouldn’t,” she said. As Marqeta continues to evolve its benefits strategy, Nadendla remains committed to a holistic approach that addresses physical, mental, emotional, financial, and social well-being. Her focus on staged implementation allows for testing new benefits in specific locations before rolling them out more broadly. “We take a step back and tell our employee population, ‘This is something new we’re rolling out in one location. We’re going to test it and see how it works,’” she said.Nadendla’s education-first approach offers a valuable framework for ensuring these investments actually enrich employees' livelihoods. “Education is the key to a successful benefits program. That's just our philosophy,” she said. Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Northstar, for sponsoring this webinar. Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.(Photo by Prostock-Studio/iStock)
Attracting and Retaining Employees: Essential Tips for Leaders
BY Christopher O'Keeffe March 18, 2025Gone are the days when competitive compensation alone could secure top talent. As external pressures mount, Robert Foster, AVP of TA at Amtrak, has observed that candidates are prioritizing long-term security over pure compensation. He emphasized the need for transparency in hiring while highlighting that employees can enhance their value through continuous skill development. “I encourage people to control what they can control, which is their own work ethic, skill set, ability to stretch and reach across the aisle,” he said during an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s February virtual conference. Felix Mitchell, co-CEO of talent solutions business Instant Impact, highlighted the organizational responsibility that accompanies this shift. “We need to think about what we’re doing with learning and development, with re-skilling, and with career pathing, to make sure that we’re preparing our teams for a world where maybe we’re seeing a lot of restructuring and a lot of change,” said Mitchell. Amid the anxiety that comes with uncertainty, maintaining humanity throughout the recruitment process has become essential. Kim Stevens, senior TA manager at Employ, says the importance of clarity and communication while balancing the use of AI is crucial. A compassionate approach isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business, she says. “Uncertainty is, unfortunately, the norm in our space,” Stevens said. “What comes with that is that high anxiety from candidates who are applying, who are going through rigorous interviews. For me, it starts with really making sure that clarity and communication are top of mind.”Technology can help in the communication process as well, says Mitchell. Technology should enhance rather than replace human interaction during the recruitment process. “I absolutely love that framing of bringing that humanity back into the candidate experience,” Mitchell said. “The technology and all this cool AI... they’re only impactful where they can improve that candidate experience, and where they have really human impacts at the end of the day.”Reimagining Employer-Employee RelationshipsAttracting and retaining talent has also evolved, says David Bach, senior director of TA at LabCorp. “Attraction and retention comes down to redefining the model that worked in previous generations,” Bach said. “I saw a LinkedIn post the other day. It made me giggle. It said, 'My salary is just my employer’s subscription fee to me every month,’” he said. “It’s really kind of almost become that.”Journalist Alexis Hauk moderated the panel discussionBach suggested a more structured approach to these modern employment relationships, including “defined employment contracts with notice periods, long-term incentives for all employees, fair and transparent severance policies, and comprehensive benefits that meet modern needs.” This shift recognizes that while the pension-based employment model isn’t returning, organizations can create frameworks that provide both flexibility and security.Evolving Expectations Across GenerationsThe panel explored how different generations approach employment, with Shantra Laye, VP of campus recruiting at South State Bank, offering insights on Gen Z candidates.“Gen Z’s are looking for culture. They’re looking for purpose-driven organizations,” Laye said. “They’re asking questions about sustainability, community impact, and less about traditional benefits. They’re looking for flexibility and work-life balance.”While acknowledging these patterns, Mitchell cautioned against overemphasizing generational differences. “I think the difference between Gen Z and the rest of the workforce is overplayed,” he said, suggesting that broader workforce trends affect all generations, though they may be felt more acutely by younger workers.The thorny question of remote work continues to divide corporate America, with some executives pushing for full returns to office while others embrace hybrid or fully remote arrangements. “Having been remote for seven years, it’s harder to get noticed. You have to make a really concerted effort,” said Bach. However, he added, “I think it improved upon my mental health and my relationship with my family.”Bach suggested that companies uncomfortable with remote work often have more fundamental issues to address: “If an organization is uncomfortable with people working in a remote environment, it’s because they don’t have the right systems and processes set up to monitor productivity and employee performance. And if that’s the reason that you’re not allowing remote or hybrid work, fix your process.”Sometimes the solution isn’t to revert to old ways, and instead looking to fix a process. In an uncertain job market, the most valuable offering employers can provide isn’t permanence–it’s authenticity. Successful recruitment and retention today is about creating environments people “want to stay and where they feel valued,” said Stevens. In a world where uncertainty has become the norm, perhaps the most valuable offering isn't a promise of forever, but a commitment to honesty, growth, and mutual respect.Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.(Photo by BrianAJackson/iStock)
Empathy Isn't Programmable: Building a Human-Centric Workplace
BY Christopher O'Keeffe March 12, 2025When Rob Thompson, executive director at Birkman called up a hotel recently, he had a simple request for the concierge named Andrew: directions to self-parking. After following Andrew's instructions only to find the garage closed, Thompson then posed an unexpected question to the concierge, “Andrew, can you love someone more than you love yourself?”“That’s a uniquely human experience,” replied Andrew, confirming Thompson’s suspicions. He was speaking with an artificial intelligence agent so convincing that most callers wouldn’t be able to distinguish it from a human employee.In the rush to adopt artificial intelligence, companies are increasingly blurring the line between AI capability and human understanding. While AI tools demonstrate impressive abilities to analyze data and mimic human interaction, they fundamentally lack the experiential awareness that defines human emotion and feeling. “This is really the introduction of one of your new peers, someone that you may be working with day in and day out,” said Thompson during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s Houston conference. At Birkman, a company specializing in behavioral assessment tools used by Fortune 500 companies to improve team dynamics, Thompson has observed the rapid integration of AI across corporations. He spoke about how we got here, and what we can do to create a more human-centric environment.As AI use increases, Thompson says that leaders must counterbalance this technological revolution by doubling down on human-centered management approaches; a perspective gaining traction among workplace strategists navigating rapid AI transformation. “We have two choices. One is we have to embrace AI, that train has left the station. The other piece is improving the employee experience with AI,” he said. “As my mom used to tell me, ‘Robert, control what you can control.’”There are five key trends reshaping today's workplace: AI tools replacing human interactions; a surge in early retirements following the pandemic; significant workforce shrinkage amid declining birth rates; younger employees prioritizing purpose over paychecks; and companies recognizing that strong cultures drive financial results, says Thompson.This convergence of trends has companies racing to retain talent while balancing technological efficiency with human needs. His approach marks a sharp break from traditional management philosophies that treat employees as data points. “I cringe whenever a leader says to me, ‘We have 10,000 employees, we have to reduce our head count by 500 FTEs,’” he said, referring to full-time equivalents. “They are just a number on the page. That is how a lot of companies view employees,” he said. Birkman’s methodology, says Thompson, takes a holistic view, assessing workers across four dimensions—physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual. This "whole person" approach uncovers behavioral patterns, stress responses, and the conditions that enable employees to thrive. He pointed to his own team as an example of complementary behavioral styles working in harmony. One colleague shows care through attentive listening, another through casual banter, and a third by maintaining organizational alignment.Rob Thompson of Birkman International led the thought leadership spoltight titled, "Empowering Tomorrow: Building a Human-Centric Workplace"“World class organizations really slow down and focus on the investment before results. It takes time, money, and effort to really generate the results we’re looking for.” This investment begins with a sincere interest in employees as individuals. For busy executives, taking the time to understand their people might seem inefficient, but Mr. Thompson insists it's essential for building resilient organizations. He advises replacing perfunctory hallway greetings with more meaningful conversations.Thompson’s emphasis on meaningful workplace interactions echoes broader research on psychological safety in organizations. “The ability to speak up and speak your mind without fear of retribution is a huge driver in organizations,” he said. This environment, according to workplace experts, doesn’t just improve culture, it directly enhances organizational performance and financial outcomes.As AI capabilities expand, the most successful organizations may be those that strategically deploy technology while simultaneously deepening human connections. “As you’re building that culture, it’s getting to know the whole person at a different level that’s going to help your organization and your team succeed.” Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, Birkman, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media. (Photos by Annie Mulligan for From Day One)
Authenticity, Listening, and Trust: Building Authentic Workplace Culture
BY Christopher O'Keeffe March 03, 2025“Culture, real culture for any organization, is the beliefs, processes, and behaviors that are acceptable by [the] organization,” said Lauren D. Williams, SVP of organizational culture and change management at Sirius XM.Williams and other executive panelists shared insights on cultivating meaningful workplace environments that foster belonging and trust at From Day One’s Atlanta conference. The panel quickly identified authenticity as the cornerstone of effective company culture. Williams emphasized the importance of staying “true to your DNA as an organization and what you stand for, what you believe in, your values, in order to make sure that culture is actually something that's successful.”Building on this foundation, Yulia Denisova, VP of talent and development for Fanatics, says clear communication is key. “Being clear in communicating that to our workforce, so that we don’t have unrealized expectations is crucial, particularly when organizations have diverse needs.”Ingrid Emmons VP, head of diversity, equity and inclusion for Aveanna Healthcare says there’s no singular macro culture. “Culture exists on the micro level, on every team, no matter how big or small. Our ultimate goal is to build micro cultures that create this overarching macro culture,” she said. Jon Lowe, the chief people officer of DailyPay, a financial benefits company offering earned wage access, spoke on how culture differentiates within a company.”Culture exists agnostic of the leadership team,” he said “I think every organization has culture, and I think that we as leaders try to shape what that culture is, but I don't think we own it. We try to lead it.” His observation highlights the organic nature of culture that develops, regardless or in addition to formal initiatives.The Importance of Effective CommunicationLaura Sherbin, managing director of research and consulting at Seramount, a talent services firm, highlighted the importance of truly understanding how employees experience culture. “When you actually ask employees, they’ll say it’s completely different based on their team, based on their work group, based on their identity.” Knowing what matters also helps boost inclusion, something that’s “not an agenda, it's a business imperative,” said Sherbin.Listening is key, says Williams, of Sirius XM. “Listen to understand and don’t listen to [just] respond,” she said. “[Employees] want to feel like they belong. They want to feel included. They want to feel seen, valued, heard and understood.”Understanding the experience of frontline workers is also imperative. Emmons says the best way to do this is truly stepping in their shoes. “Spend time doing the work that they do. Until you have that experience, I don’t know how you can truly understand their lived experience,” she said.Ernie Suggs, race & culture reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, moderated the panelUnderstanding experience can help boost trust, which is critical. Trust forms the foundation for authentic connection. “The number one ingredient to a successful foundation is building this sense of trust. It’s all about allowing people to bring their best selves,” said Williams. At Sirius XM, she implemented their first volunteer day off, encouraging employees across 20 locations to give back to their communities, which helped foster relationships beyond daily work interactions.This initiative addresses what Emmons identified as a growing crisis in American workplaces. “What we know is that 12% of US adults say that they don't have a best friend, they don't have anyone to call from the emergency room. That is up from 3% in 2009," she said, citing the Surgeon General’s research about a loneliness epidemic.Even more troubling for employers, Emmons says that around 65% of U.S. workers tell us they experience no sense of community at work—a challenge that intensified during remote work but persists even in hybrid environments.Managing Cultural EvolutionAs organizations grow or undergo transformation, maintaining cultural alignment becomes challenging. Denisova shared Fanatics’ experience of evolving from a startup to a global enterprise serving “100+ million fans globally, in 180 countries,” while trying to preserve its entrepreneurial spirit.The company's solution was implementing “bold principles” throughout the employee lifecycle. “These are the principles that really tie us together, whether you’re a forklift operator in the distribution center or a software engineer in the Silicon Valley,” she said.Successful cultural evolution requires self-awareness, says Sherbin. “When you think of a merger or an acquisition, culture is often what sabotages that. The thing that happens before that, though, is a complete lack of self-awareness of what the cultures are.”Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.(Photos by Dustin Chambers for From Day One)
Do the Right Thing: Building an Environment of Trust So Employees Can Deliver Excellence
BY Christopher O'Keeffe February 27, 2025“What makes our homes different, better, and special? It’s really rooted in the people who build our homes—our employees and our trade partners. It’s the fact that we not only encourage, but we expect and we empower them to make sure that we are delivering homes that meet the needs of our consumers,” said Kevin Henry, EVP and chief people officer at PulteGroup.Henry spoke during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Atlanta conference, discussing the value of decentralized decision making based on trust. At PulteGroup, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, trust is more than a value—it is an operational strategy.And, by all accounts, it's working. As a company that will deliver over 30,000 new homes in 2024 alone, PulteGroup has found that operational excellence is best achieved by giving decision-making power to those closest to the customer, down to the customer interactions themselves.Rather than adhering to rigid, top-down policies, PulteGroup enables employees to respond to customer needs in real time. “The flooring that people want, the colors that people want, the landscaping they prefer—we’re not legislating that from our corporate office in Atlanta. We are seeding those decision rights to the people interacting with on a regular basis."For Henry, trust is not given blindly but cultivated through servant leadership. “Leaders should be other-centered, focused on supporting and advocating for other people so they can be successful. If they’re successful, then we’re successful.” This philosophy is deeply ingrained at PulteGroup and reinforced at all levels of leadership.He cited Harvard Business School’s service-profit chain model as a guiding principle: “If you take care of your folks, your folks take care of your customers, and your customers take care of you. And then you can invest resources back into taking care of your folks. It creates a virtuous flywheel that keeps the organization thriving,” he said.Trust also means allowing employees to take calculated risks. “If you don’t have a culture of appropriate risk-taking, then everyone is playing not to lose instead of playing to win. You will rarely experience breakthrough performance.”Kevin Henry, right, was interviewed by From Day One co-founder and editor in chief, Steve Koepp The company cultivates a supportive workplace where employees can grow and learn from mistakes with confidence. “Growing up, I played baseball. You can strike out six and a half times out of ten and you’re still going to Cooperstown,” says Henry, referring to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He continues the analogy: “There’s no expectation that you’re going to bat 1,000 because nobody’s going to get everything right all the time. But you have to have a cultural context that says when you strike out, you know, dust your knees off, get back into the batter’s box.”One of the most significant ways PulteGroup builds trust is by integrating diversity and inclusion into its overall leadership strategy rather than treating it as a separate function. “I have never had a chief diversity officer in any of the organizations, because I have never wanted anyone in any of the organizations that I’ve led to have the ability to abdicate their responsibility for culture.”Instead, the company focuses on "valuing differences"—a term that extends beyond traditional corporate definitions of diversity. “Differences in background, circumstances, and beliefs are what make a team stronger,” said Henry. “We’ve got the entire organization rallying around a need for us to value differences, because that’s how we are going to be the most respected home builder in America.”For PulteGroup, trust also means investing in employees’ careers. However, Henry articulates a paradigm shift from the traditional ladder advancement framework. “We’re very intentional about creating career paths, but I don't think about a career ladder, where it's just a vertical path of progression. I think about a career jungle gym,” he said, referring to the lateral movements that modern successful careers often take.But, while the company leads with empowerment, they also have a perceptive and reactive structure to help amplify the individual needs and ambitions of the employees. “We have well thought-out and developed human resources systems. We have a lot of things that people can do on their own. We can see the salmon that want to swim upstream, and who’s going to invest in their own development.” And, once they identify those self-driven employees? “Then we meet them where they are, and provide them with some intentional focus to help them actualize their career interests,” he said. Ultimately, PulteGroup’s success is rooted in its ability to cultivate trust at all levels—from leadership to employees to customers. “You can’t be the most respected home builder if we’re not the most respected employer, because there’s a law of reciprocity between those two things.”Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.(Photos by Dustin Chambers for From Day One)
Rising Health-Plan Costs and the Role of Centers of Excellence
BY Christopher O'Keeffe February 18, 2025Cancer treatments now account for the majority of employer healthcare costs, says Dana Baker, senior director at Mayo Clinic’s Complex Care Program. With the rise in high-cost claims and the growing prevalence of cancer treatments, Baker discussed how Mayo Clinic’s Centers of Excellence can help alleviate costs.Beyond rising drug costs, Baker highlighted the impact of high-cost claimants during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One's Chicago benefits conference. “Employers are experiencing a 50% increase in this, so when we talk about high-cost claimants,” or individuals whose healthcare costs reach over a million dollars annually. More companies are turning toward structured healthcare solutions. Each year, Business Group on Health conducts a major survey covering about 17 million insured lives. Based on the findings, these are the top three solutions for controlling health plan costs, says Baker. Baker notes, “50% of the employers shared that they would have a cancer solution by the end of this year, then another 26% are sharing that they’re implementing in 2026 and 2027.”The Three R’s: Right Diagnosis, Right Treatment, Done RightDana Baker of Mayo Clinic led the session Mayo Clinic’s Centers of Excellence (COEs) follow a strategic model to improve healthcare outcomes. “So when you look at what COEs do, we call them the three R's: right diagnosis, right treatment and done right."Here’s how it breaks down, says Baker. Simplifying access to high-quality care, even if that means literally moving the patient: Baker acknowledges that some may see covering travel as a significant expense. “When you look at the overall expense of covering travel for a patient, when they go through a program like this, they;re only there for three to five days,” Baker said. “It’s under $2,000 for a patient to travel, have a flight there, and have a hotel. So it's actually not as expensive as you think it would be”It’s important to focus on the right employees. “That’s really when you look to your partners on how they are identifying these individuals. Are they doing active outreach to patients that are having complex issues?”Lastly, Baker emphasizes the importance of simplifying the experience. “At Mayo, we’re all under one roof. And what makes that unique is, if anyone’s experienced care there, when you walk in, your labs, your imaging, your pathology, is all done on one campus.”A Real-World Case Study: Molly’s StoryTo illustrate the impact of COEs, Baker shared the case of a patient named Molly. “She was having persistent coughs. This is a case last year, and her local oncologist that treated her before diagnosing her was starting her on aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. However, her employer did offer a Centers of Excellence benefit with Mayo Clinic.”Mayo Clinic reevaluated Molly’s diagnosis and determined she didn’t have cancer—after she had already begun aggressive treatment. By ensuring diagnostic accuracy, COEs help employers avoid costly and unnecessary treatments. One key factor is having the frozen lab on the same floor as the surgical suites, allowing patients to remain under anesthesia while confirming clean margins. This approach reduces the risk of repeat surgeries or incomplete diagnoses, says Baker. “So Molly had an easy fix, antibiotics and a trip home, and she didn’t have cancer.”What Employers Should Look for in a COE ProgramBaker advised employers to carefully evaluate healthcare solutions. “As you look at the marketplace that's out there, it’s saturated with vendors.” Mayo differentiates itself by ensuring equal access to high-quality care.Mayo has been providing care for 160 years, compared to some centers that have only emerged in the past few years. Unlike others, Mayo also delivers the actual care. Cancer remains a top driver of employer healthcare costs. “It’s going to be the number one thing for a while. It used to rotate between cardiovascular health and cancer on the top ones, but now it’s truly riding up there as a top expense.”She emphasized the importance of data-backed healthcare solutions. “The proof is in the data on what the outcomes look like.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Mayo Clinic, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.
How to Evolve Your Benefits to Modernize, Reduce Costs, and Meet Changing Employee Needs
BY Christopher O'Keeffe February 17, 2025“ADT is a company that provides security systems and benefits are a form of security for our employees,” said Dan Pikelny, VP of HR at ADT on the immense benefit of good benefits. At From Day One’s Chicago benefits half-day conference, Pikelny spoke about the critical role benefits play in attracting, engaging, and retaining employees in today’s workforce.Pikelny emphasized that benefits manifest before the final offer is signed—they start with recruitment. “The first thing that happens is they have to become an employee. So you have to attract them. So when a company is interviewing an employee, an employee is deciding whether to join, they are giving up a lot of their time, a lot of their family, a lot of their talents, and they want something back,” he said. “They want to be compensated for that, but they also want a sense of security.” Leaders at ADT, a 150-year-old company, have focused on security for the entire duration of its existence so far. For employees, security isn’t just about break ins, but also “what happens if there’s an illness or retirement,” said Pikelny. However, ADT continues to evolve as an organization, and this evolution has required a new approach to human capital. “We’ve become a technology company, so the strategy of the company has literally changed, and as a result, the human capital strategy has changed,” Pikelny said. “The type of people that we need to attract and retain may be different from the types of people we had to attract and retain before.”Employee Listening and Engagement“Wellness programs are a good tool for engagement that a company can leverage,” Pikelny told moderator Karl Ahlrichs, HR leadership columnist and consultant. “It gives employees something to be part of that’s greater than them, as opposed to just the things that they produce—installed alarm systems, spreadsheets, code, PowerPoints or anything else.”ADT has developed a structured listening strategy to understand employee needs. “We use employee surveys at multiple points—after 60, 90, and 180 days of employment, during annual engagement surveys, and exit interviews. We even listen to what our candidates are saying during recruitment,” he shared. That is one input into a benefits strategy and “That’s how we identified the need for paid parental leave.”Journalist Karl Ahlrichs interviewed Dan Pikelny of ADT Experimenting and LearningIt’s important to try new things, says Pikelny, knowing that failure might be an outcome. One experiment involved linking 401(k) contributions to employee performance. “We made our 401(k) plan performance-based,” Pikelny said. “We very quickly heard loud and clear from our employees that they don’t want their retirements linked to performance. The following year, we changed it back.”The CFO’s Perspective on Benefits Spending“Benefits are an important part of the income statement,” Pikelny said. “But It’s difficult to measure things that don’t happen because you’ve got benefits, right? And so we need to communicate the value of the right benefits package to the CFO,” he advised. While indirect, to demonstrate the value of benefits, leaders at ADT are developing a turnover and flight risk model. “We’ve built a turnover model that identifies factors contributing to employee departures. Some of those factors are outside of benefits, like manager relationships, but some are tied to the Total Rewards strategy,” he said. “If we can connect work within our Total Rewards package to reduce attrition, that’s a metric leadership can appreciate.”Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.
How a Company’s Culture Shapes Each Team Member’s Experience
BY Christopher O'Keeffe January 03, 2025“He’ll be assessed like every other employee. He’ll have a performance review,” joked Zimmer Biomet’s SVP and CHRO Lori Winkler, during her recent fireside chat at From Day One’s Miami conference. She was referring to the company’s recent announcement of Arnold Schwarzenegger's new role as Chief Movement officer. “But I don’t want to deliver it to him,” said Winkler with a laugh. The role of a celebrity partner may be window dressing for some, but many of Winkler’s comments during the 20 minute discussion, about “How a Company's Culture Shapes Each Team Member’s Experience,” suggest that there is perhaps some deeply shared DNA between the company and their newest C-Suite hire, sharing a level of grit.Challenging the Return-to-Work MovementWith many business leaders pushing hard for return to office, Winkler articulated a different approach. “What we have enabled and continue to enable is a remote workforce,” said Winkler.“For the most part, we’ve said you can continue to work from home as long as you remain engaged. And we have very specific tactics for ensuring that. This has been a tremendous competitive advantage for us.”Winkler broke down some of those tactics, including engagement scoring surveys and site-specific engagement strategies, especially since the company is in 100 countries, globally. She was clear in aligning the efforts to a higher philosophical lens.“I think a culture transcends whether you’re physically together or not," said Winkler. Culture is connected to the clarity of the company’s mission, to alleviate pain and improve the quality of life for people all over the world, as well as its achievable vision, “to be the boldest med tech company in the world.”Lori Winkler, the SVP and Chief HR Officer of Zimmer Biomet, was interviewed by Dr. Paul Pavlou of the Miami Herbert Business School And then, and here is perhaps why Arnold might fit in there, Winkler dug in against companies pushing return to office. “If we looked at the data for these companies that have mandated a return to work, we would see, maybe not right away, attrition rates. And I think that’s happening now: Attrition rates are really rising, because folks have become very accustomed to what was ‘the new normal.’ It’s just the ‘normal’ now,” she said.AI and Innovative TechnologiesSession moderator Paul A. Pavlou, Dean of the Miami Herbert Business School at the University of Miami turned the topic to AI. “In this day and age, I have to ask about AI. There is no conversation without AI. How do you respond to the question from an HR perspective that AI is going to replace jobs?” he asked.Despite bringing the Terminator into the leadership suite, Winkler’s response suggests that Zimmer Biomet's approach to AI is more gradual and measured. “We have a great talent acquisition department that we just brought in house,” she said. “And I would say that we are not leveraging AI to look to its full potential yet, so we have not yet had to deal with that question.”The company instead is focused on safety and security concerns in regard to AI. “To be very frank, there’s more concern around security and confidentiality when it comes to AI. That’s more of the conversation that I hear in my organization.”Although much of the conversation focused on technology, Winkler made sure to tie things up with a human element. “I’ve come to learn this both really personally, but I try to bring it through to my professional life: stay true to who you are and lead from your heart,” she said. “Authenticity and being a human-based leader makes all the difference. So bring that caring and that love into the workspace, because it makes a huge difference, especially now.”Chris O’Keeffe is a freelance writer with experience across industries. As the founder and creative director of OK Creative: The Language Agency, he has led strategy and storytelling for organizations like MIT, Amazon, and Cirque du Soleil, bringing their stories to life through established and emerging media.