The Enigmatic Q Hamirani on Turnarounds, AI, and the CPO Grind

“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

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The Enigmatic Q Hamirani on Turnarounds, AI, and the CPO Grind

HR Heretics

Jan 04, 2024

Transcript

Q Hamirani, the Chief People Officer at Paper, joins Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church to discuss navigating the CPO seat under immense pressure, the real deal behind Airbnb's remote work policy, how design thinking helps solve people problems, and how the people function should not be left behind by the AI revolution. They also touch on great stories and tactical insights from Q's time as AirBnB s and his current CPO role at edtech company Paper (https://paper.co/).

Learn more about Q's AI community for people leaders: https://www.thepeoplegpt.com/

HR Heretics is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

SPONSORS: Lattice | Continuum

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KEEP UP WITH Q, NOLAN, + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Q: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamirani/

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00) Preview

(01:30) Q's wild background

(07:40) How the engineer in Q handled the rejection going into HR

(09:27) Having a business background

(11:37) Balancing the dynamics of design thinking and love for iteration

(13:07) Transitioning from Airbnb to Paper

(17:27) On avoiding burnout while building your team

(19:47) How Airbnb handled layoffs

(23:53) Sponsor - Lattice | Continuum

(25:37) The Digital Nomad program

(31:05) What would Q change in terms of handling comp given the circumstances of today's market?

(33:50) The future of work debate with AI

(36:38) Getting people back in the office and maintaining morale

(41:51) How do you react when things don't go your way?

(48:21) AI and the direction of People Ops and recruiting

(57:10) Q's favorite interview question

(58:10) Q's best hire and why

Discussion about this podcast

“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

After a decade+ of “blitz-scaling” companies, HR, talent, and People leaders now face an uncertain economy that has already seen big booms and busts. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact?

Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners – Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors.

This show is for those who are ready to ditch conventional wisdom and figure out from first principles what works for their culture, business model, and industry, with the goal of building a resilient and enduring company. You’ll come away with real guidance for seeing around corners, building enduring companies, and carving out an impactful career – plus a newly-honed bullshit detector.

Topics frequently touched on in this season include: building high performing cultures, compensation negotiation, performance reviews, company design, equity, M&As, recruiting the best talent, and how to manage your own psychology as a people leader.

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