While leaders of every industry will speak to the virtues of innovation, when asked to actually define it and point the way for others, most agree that would be a great idea. Fortunately, as one of the world’s largest employers, Google was built upon empowering innovation across a global talent base, which currently sits at about 180,000. We sit down with Google Culture and Innovation Evangelist, Anna Baird to talk about what really drives innovation at any scale—and why these very human traits are of even greater importance to unlock the full potential of the emerging AI and generative AI technologies.

If you think every problem is someone else’s fault, Michael Timms, principal of Avail Leadership, would be the last person to blame you—but he does have a few handy habits to pass on that might change your life, as well as those looking to you at work. Both on the page and from the stage, Michael has been helping evolve the leadership dialogue and business results alike with the wisdom within his latest book, How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability. We sit down with Michael to sort through why breaking up with blame is key to resolving daily dilemmas and bottom lines alike.

Despite greater strides towards gender equity in policy over the past 60 years, the gender gap remains to the detriment of organizations and female talent alike. Nowhere else is this gap more prevalent across all industries than with maternity leave and the years around it, which represent the number one off-ramp for organizations losing female talent. We sit down to talk about the motherhood penalty and finding ways to stem that loss with Jen Murtagh and Sonja Baikogli Foley, mothers on a mission and co-founders of Maturn—a Vancouver-based social venture committed to supporting mothers and organizations at the intersection of motherhood and leadership.

When it comes to dollars and sense, the bigger picture of total compensation has changed so much in the post-pandemic world that many leaders in tech are still in transition. We sit down with 3rd Quartile Inc. founder Steven Osiel to talk about the state of total comp in a pay-focused present and why some leaders are struggling to strategically steer compensation conversations beyond hardcore numbers alone.

Despite layoffs and hiring reductions—or perhaps because of them—many tech companies are gearing up their competitive offers, while taking a good look at how their employee stock ownership programs (ESOPs) might serve everyone better. We sit down with McKenzie Hunter, Senior Director of People & Culture with 7shifts, to talk about why ESOPs have become a hot topic and what to keep in mind when creating or retuning yours to optimum benefit.

For Tonie Minhas, Neuroinclusion Services Project Manager with Auticon Canada Ltd., there is a clear business case to be made for DEI, but it can become one that serves everyone when approached through the lens of inclusive design—wherein grudging accommodations become individualized opportunities to fully contribute. Bearing in mind the need for due diligence in addition to data, we sit down to quantify the larger organizational opportunity by exploring four KPIs that drive and define the success of not only DEI efforts these days, but business itself.

Group co-founder and GM Josh Nilson had his career choices laid out for him early on in a small, Northern BC town. ”They didn’t include becoming a game designer, a sought after speaker or winning countless gaming and business accolades”. Since climbing to the top of the game though—from an indie, gaming studio in 2011 to being acquired for $159 million in February 2021 and now trading on the TSX as part of the East Side Games Group (TSX:EAGR-T)—Josh has taken a deeper look at the challenges of the co-lonial workplace. We sit down with Josh to talk about what is holding Indigenous and underrepresented talent back—and what leaders need to be doing to bring those colo-nial barriers down and people to thrive.

Without a doubt, leaders’ perceptions of HR changed during the pandemic, as people issues flooded the forefront and HR rose to the occasion. Counted upon in countless ways throughout the chaos, the opportunity exists for HR to capitalize on their accomplishments, but is now the time? We sit down with the founder of Kickstart HR, Lewisa Anciano, a self-professed, passionate provocateur and veteran CHRO turned consultant, to talk about why HR’s role as a disruptor is so critical—as well as why being fired for doing the right thing is perfectly acceptable.