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HR Mixtape

HR Mixtape

By: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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Summary
 HR Mixtape is a weekly human resources and business leadership podcast for HR professionals, people leaders, and executives navigating the real work of managing people. Episodes cover human resources strategy, HR compliance, workplace culture, leadership development, employee experience, payroll and HR technology, and the future of work. Whether you work in HR, talent management, people operations, or business leadership, HR Mixtape offers practical insights, expert conversations, and real-world perspectives to help you lead with confidence in today’s evolving workplace.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Bring Your “A” Game: How Leaders Protect Their Judgment Under Pressure

    Bring Your “A” Game: How Leaders Protect Their Judgment Under Pressure
    Nov 3 2026
    Most leaders who lose their edge still work hard. They log 60-hour weeks and sit through back-to-back meetings, and somewhere in there the judgment their job depends on starts wearing down. Jared Quoyeser, co-founder and managing partner of the Louisiana Impact Fund, spent more than 20 years at Intel and is chair of Louisiana's largest private employer. His book, The Flow Multiplier, lays out the system he built after two decades of making calls where a bad one cost real money. In this episode, he covers: How to find your own deep-work hours (his run from 4 to 11 a.m.) and tell your team exactly when and how you're reachable Why HR gets further with executives by pitching peak performance, and why the wellness pitch gets waved off What the "above the line" split means as AI takes over the messy middle of work, and why HR has to connect senior judgment to entry-level hires Timestamps [00:01:20] Why Jared calls himself a builder, not a babysitter, and how that thread runs from Intel to private equity [00:03:23] The flow multiplier idea: high performers have plenty of discipline, and their work habits wear down their thinking [00:06:23] Up at 4 a.m. and guarding 7 to 11 a.m. for critical strategy calls, plus how to find a window that fits you [00:08:48] Shari's no-meeting Fridays and why she had to start blocking them three months out [00:10:05] Why Jared dropped Friday afternoon meetings after shortchanging his one-on-ones 60 to 70 hours into the week [00:11:31] Getting your boss on board: start the conversation, then come back with qualitative and quantitative results [00:13:23] How HR should raise slipping decision quality with executives: lead with peak performance and skip the wellness framing [00:15:55] The badge of honor of 16 back-to-back meetings a day, and the daily 1A, 1B, 1C priority list that replaces it [00:21:28] Above-the-line and below-the-line leaders, and the careers built on "the biggest sand pile in the sandbox" [00:24:07] HR as the connective tissue between senior leaders, middle managers, and entry-level employees working with AI Guest Bio: Jared Quoyeser is a private equity leader, operator, and builder who has spent more than two decades leading in high-pressure environments where decisions carry real consequences. He is Co-Founder of the Louisiana Impact Fund, an operator-led lower-middle-market private equity platform, and Chair of Louisiana's largest private employer. He is the author of The Flow Multiplier (Entrepreneur Press, 2026), which introduces the PEAK Performance Framework — a structured system for how senior leaders sustain focus, judgment, and decision quality when the stakes are highest. Jared's central observation, formed across two decades of operating at scale: high-performing leaders do not fall short because they lack discipline. They struggle when the way they work degrades their ability to think clearly, focus, and make decisions. The Flow Multiplier is the system he built to solve that problem — and the system he now applies across LIF, its portfolio companies, and the LIF CxO Leadership Program. Brought to You by Paylocity: Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: flow multiplier, peak performance, decision quality, deep work, leadership burnout, executive productivity, no-meeting Fridays, priority setting, OKRs, Andy Grove, AI in the workforce, above-the-line leaders, entry-level talent development, knowledge transfer, HR strategy, private equity leadership, focus time, calendar management
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    28 mins
  • Saddle Your Own Horse: Leading with Conviction Instead of Fear

    Saddle Your Own Horse: Leading with Conviction Instead of Fear
    Oct 27 2026
    Plenty of managers think leadership means carrying everything. They answer every question and fix every problem, then wonder why nobody on the team grows. Zach Arend, founder and leadership coach at Create Purpose, is a two-time state champion saddle bronc rider who spent nine years rising to VP of sales at a $300 million logistics company. Then he got demoted at 34, and that demotion is where his coaching philosophy started. In this episode, he breaks down: How carrying 20 direct reports for four years made Zach a "good soldier" instead of a leader, and why too much ownership strips it from your team What the LIFT practice (listen, identify, focus, transform) looks like for a middle manager caught between the team and the executive suite Why "are you running away from something, or toward something?" is the question to ask before you quit a job that isn't working Timestamps [00:02:23] Zach's rodeo coach tells an 11-year-old to saddle his own horse, then walks away [00:04:39] Getting demoted from VP of sales at a $300 million logistics company at age 34 [00:05:19] A new boss hears about Zach's 20 direct reports and tells him a good soldier isn't the same as a leader [00:06:09] How too much ownership takes the weight of responsibility away from your people [00:08:32] The fearful rider, the rogue cowboy, and why Zach coaches leaders to become the horseman [00:12:12] The LIFT practice, built from a rodeo lesson about lifting on the rein of a 1,200-pound bronc [00:14:23] A billion-dollar CEO admits nobody in leadership knows what they're doing, and why that's what growth feels like [00:17:46] The question that stopped Zach from quitting: are you running away from something, or toward something? [00:22:08] Why true servant leadership means letting people work through their own discomfort [00:24:19] Zach's first step for anyone stuck as a good soldier: a journal and a Friday afternoon at a coffee shop Guest Bio Zach's journey from the rodeo arena to the boardroom is packed with grit, growth, and the kind of no BS leadership wisdom we all need more of. He’s spent the last 20 years helping entrepreneurs, executives, and sales pros "Saddle Their Own Horse" a modern leadership mindset built on clarity, confidence, and purpose. If you’re ready for fresh ideas, real connection, and the kind of energy that’ll fuel your next big move, you’re going to love Zach! Brought to You by Paylocity Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: saddle your own horse, good soldier, empowered leadership, servant leadership, fear-based leadership, extreme ownership, delegation, middle management, LIFT practice, imposter syndrome, demotion, career change, executive coaching, leadership coaching, journaling for leaders, manager development, employee ownership, rodeo leadership lessons
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    27 mins
  • Pizza Won't Save You: Daily Leader Habits That Keep People From Quitting

    Pizza Won't Save You: Daily Leader Habits That Keep People From Quitting
    Oct 20 2026
    Most companies know turnover is expensive. Plenty of them still answer it with a pizza party on Friday and call that culture. Dr. Sharon Grossman, Retention Strategist at Turnkey Retention Solutions, spent years as a psychologist coaching people out of burnout before she turned to the problem companies would pay to fix. She wrote Don't Buy Their Lunch, Buy Their Loyalty and has taken the idea to the TEDx stage. In this episode, she breaks down: Why one-off perks and three-day retreats fade, and what a daily "slow drip" of leader behavior does in their place How her HABIT system (huddle, appreciation, barometer, improvement, and tracking) fits into 10 to 15 minutes at the start of every shift What happens when you plug salary and turnover rate into a simple cost formula, and why the result wakes leadership teams up Timestamps [00:02:40] Why companies wouldn't pay for burnout prevention but will pay to stop turnover [00:03:59] The pizza party problem: one-off perks that get mistaken for culture [00:05:11] Why a three-day leadership retreat fades unless people apply what they learned within 24 hours [00:09:05] Promoting top performers into management with no training, and the turnover it causes above and below them [00:12:20] The daily huddle: 10 to 15 minutes at the start of each shift, mostly spent on people [00:13:22] The anonymous smiley-face mood check that leaders say they value most [00:15:28] Asking "what do you need in order to do an even better job?" and coming back the next day with an answer [00:17:02] HABIT spelled out: huddle, appreciation, barometer, improvement, and tracking as one daily system [00:21:40] The workshop formula that turns your turnover rate into a dollar figure leadership can't ignore [00:24:30] Why AI will probably double managers' workloads instead of freeing up their time Guest Bio: Sharon Grossman, PhD, is a psychologist and industry expert dedicated to solving the employee retention crisis. With over 20 years of experience and a Doctorate from Fordham University, Dr. Grossman moves beyond surface-level perks—a philosophy captured in her book, Don’t Buy Their Lunch, Buy Their Loyalty and shared on the global TEDx stage. She specializes in translating complex psychological research into high-impact strategies that stabilize workforces and sharpen leadership decision-making. From the stage, Dr. Grossman empowers organizations to transform their culture before disengagement turns into attrition, ensuring that top talent doesn't just stay, but thrives. Brought to You by Paylocity: Paylocity is the fastest growing unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Paylocity brings your people, processes, and data together in one place so HR leaders can spend less time managing systems and more time doing the work that actually moves their organizations forward. Learn more at paylocity.com Keywords: employee retention, turnover cost, employee engagement, disengagement, leadership habits, daily huddles, employee recognition, peer recognition, manager training, new manager development, burnout, workplace culture, culture consistency, pulse surveys, HABIT system, performance habit system, Sharon Grossman, Don't Buy Their Lunch Buy Their Loyalty, AI and workload, HR Mixtape
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    27 mins
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