Inside Microsoft HR's Skills Strategy: A Lesson In Innovation & Investment

The Josh Bersin Company

Building A Skills-Based Organization: The Exciting But Sober Reality

35:24

Let’s talk about adulting— actual adulting. Not just paying bills or keeping a houseplant alive, but the kind that involves emotional maturity, healthy boundaries, and conscious self-leadership. Because let’s be honest, most of us weren’t taught how to be fully functioning adults… and it shows. Joining us is Michelle Chalfant , licensed therapist turned holistic life coach, creator of The Adult Chair® model, and author of the new book The Adult Chair: Get Unstuck, Claim Your Power, and Transform Your Life . With millions reached through her podcast, coaching programs, and retreats, she’s here to walk us through the five pillars of being a healthy, grounded adult. Here’s the truth: being an adult isn’t about checking boxes or pretending you’re fine. It’s about owning your truth. Feeling your feelings. Practicing compassion without letting yourself off the hook. It’s about setting firm boundaries—with no need for justification—and recognizing that your triggers are not flaws, they’re clues. None of us were handed a guidebook for how to grow up emotionally. We inherited patterns from people who were figuring it out as they went. But what Michelle shares today is empowering: it’s never too late to unlearn what no longer serves you and become the adult you were meant to be. Whether you’re starting this work or knee-deep in your personal development era, this episode will meet you where you are—and help you move forward with clarity, self-trust, and strength. Connect with Michelle: Website: https://theadultchair.com/ Book: https://theadultchair.com/book IG: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant/?hl=en FB: https://www.facebook.com/@TheMichelleChalfant/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/michellechalfant Related Podcast Episodes: How To Build Emotionally Mature Leaders with Dr. Christie Smith | 272 Boundaries vs. Ultimatums with Jan & Jillian Yuhas | 297 Gentleness: Cultivating Compassion for Yourself and Others with Courtney Carver | 282 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

about a year ago 20:30

M4A•Episode home

In this podcast I discuss Microsoft’s exciting new internal skills strategy, with a focus on Viva Skills, the role of the Microsoft Copilot, and how Microsoft is “inventing new products for HR” as Customer Zero. Customer Zero is Microsoft’s way of “eating their own dogfood” and making sure their new products are well designed before the hit the streets.

Video version of podcast: https://youtu.be/6VuOYUBT2KA

Takeaways

Microsoft is a role model for HR, with an innovative and experimental approach.
They are leveraging the Microsoft Graph to gather skills and HR data for better decision-making.
Viva Skills and Eightfold are being used to build a skills infrastructure and provide personalized recommendations.
Microsoft is integrating AI agents like Galileo into the Microsoft Copilot, showcasing the importance of AI in HR.
Companies need to develop their own AI strategies to stay competitive in the evolving HR technology landscape.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Microsoft and their HR Function 02:06 Building a Skills-Based Employee Experience 05:34 Challenges of Skills Platforms in HR Technology 10:38 Integrating AI Agents into Tools and Systems 15:36 The Significance of AI Technologies in HR Redesign

Additional Information:

Enterprise Talent Intelligence Arrives, Disrupting The HR Tech Market

Here Come The Copilots!

330 episodes

#Tech #Business #Josh Bersin #MBA #HR Tech

Inside Microsoft HR's Skills Strategy: A Lesson In Innovation & Investment

The Josh Bersin Company

26 subscribers

published about a year ago

M4A•Episode home

Video version of podcast: https://youtu.be/6VuOYUBT2KA

Takeaways

Microsoft is a role model for HR, with an innovative and experimental approach.
They are leveraging the Microsoft Graph to gather skills and HR data for better decision-making.
Viva Skills and Eightfold are being used to build a skills infrastructure and provide personalized recommendations.
Microsoft is integrating AI agents like Galileo into the Microsoft Copilot, showcasing the importance of AI in HR.
Companies need to develop their own AI strategies to stay competitive in the evolving HR technology landscape.

Additional Information:

Building A Skills-Based Organization: The Exciting But Sober Reality

Enterprise Talent Intelligence Arrives, Disrupting The HR Tech Market

Here Come The Copilots!

330 episodes

#Tech #Business #Josh Bersin #MBA #HR Tech

All episodes

1
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5 days ago18:43

18:43

New research shows a level of pessimism we haven’t seen in a long time. While there are many reasons for this (politics, climate, economy, AI fears), we all need to do something about it. In this podcast I share the research and give you five important steps you can take to avoid, reduce, and eliminate pessimism at work. (Optimism, certainty, growth, citizenship, and empathy.) This framework will give you sound information for your own life at work, your role as a leader, and your investments in leadership development and management coaching. I also talk about our research on Trust, and the role trust plays in employee optimism. I also discuss “The Unquenchable Power of The Human Spirit,” an idea I discuss in Irresistible , which will help you move into an optimistic view of life, work, and business. Takeaways The rise of pessimism is a significant trend in the workforce. (64% on average) Realistic optimism is possible in any situation. We can reduce uncertainty through sound leadership. It’s ok to accept things that you cannot change. Citizenship as a company and individual creates positive energy. Growth and development is fuel for positive thinking and engagement. Health, sleep, exercise, nature, and relationships are your personal fuel. Why optimism is central to HR’s role and our job. Research on Pessimism and Employee Engagement MeQuilibrium State of Workforce, Summer 2025 U.S. Employee Engagement Sinks to 10-Year Low (Gallup) Citizenship At Work: Dealing With Politics Inside and Outside The Company (podcast) Corporate Citizenship Redefined: Trust, Inclusion, and Responsibility…

1
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6 days ago23:01

23:01

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11 days ago20:49

20:49

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13 days ago19:47

19:47

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1
How WPP, The World's Leading Ad Agency, Is Transforming Itself With AI 40:47

15 days ago40:47

40:47

This is a fascinating conversation with Josh Newman , the Global Head of People Strategy & Experience, at WPP . WPP, the world’s leading advertising agency, has around 100,000 employees and a fascinating agency-specific organization around the world. Josh explains the business and operating model for WPP, and how it became an $8.1 Billion market cap business. Over the last year WPP’s board wanted to look at the workforce and find ways to improve productivity (“the Workforce Intelligence Project”). Josh explains how WPP took this sprawling, high-performance company and developed an enterprise-wide “work-design”, using its own AI and help from a new vendor Reejig, to understand what everyone was doing. This effort enabled WPP to radically simplify its job families and prepare the jobs and roles for the company’s new AI platform, WPP Open. (As you’ll hear, WPP went from 60,000 job titles to fewer than 600 as the company streamlines operations for its new AI platform WPP Open.) This is work simplification at massive scale. This kind of work is now essential to every company as we look for ways to embrace AI. And as you’ll hear, the WPP Workforce Intelligence project has helped people find new jobs, advance their careers, and better pinpoint HR investments in the right place. The end result will be a company with higher growth, profitability, innovation, and client service. If you’re a business leader, HR professional, consultant, or CEO you should listen to this discussion. Josh describes precisely how they accomplished this transformation and explains how AI is “preparing WPP for AI.” Chapters 00:00 Introduction to WPP and Its Role in the Future of Work 05:36 Workforce Intelligence and Job Redesign Project 10:23 Leveraging AI for Job Architecture and Efficiency 15:05 Mapping Roles and Tasks for Enhanced Productivity 20:18 The Concept of M-Shaped Workers 25:11 Validating New Job Structures and Roles 30:19 Business-Driven Workforce Intelligence and Its Impact 35:06 Future-Proofing Organizations Through Continuous Learning Additional Information The Rise of the Superworker: Designing You Company for AI The End of HR As We Know It? AI Is Starting To Change Everything. Galileo Learn: The AI Professional Development Academy for Leaders…

1
Why AI Is A Job Creator, Not A Job Destroyer 11:02

17 days ago11:02

11:02

Recent comments from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei claims that we’ll have a “white collar bloodbath” in jobs and 50% of jobs are going away, leading to 20% unemployment. I believe this is completely incorrect, and in this podcast I explain why. Tech leaders may have a distorted perspective because so much of their energies go into pure software development – there’s a much bigger positive effect happening. (The Superworker effect.) Background Why Entry Level Jobs Are Not Going Away The Rise Of The Superworker Axios story…

1
Cornerstone Galaxy. How To Think About Your Enterprise Learning Platform. 11:59

19 days ago11:59

11:59

This week I discuss Cornerstone Galaxy , the new, integrated version of Cornerstone, which includes Skyhive, Edcast, Grovo, Tailspin, and other technologies built in. As you’ll hear, Cornerstone is the largest enterprise learning platform company in the world and they’re getting very aggressive with bundling, pricing, and features. At the same time I discuss the role of other competitors such as Docebo, Oracle, Workday, SAP, and the role of Sana and Galileo Learn (our new offering). There’s lots more to discuss, please call us if you’d like help with your LMS | enterprise learning strategy and I urge to read our Revolution in Corporate Learning comprehensive study on how AI can totally reinvent your corporate learning, enablement, and skills strategy. Additional Information The Revolution in Corporate Learning (research report) Galileo Learn – A Revolutionary Approach To Corporate Learning…

1
Tanuj Kapilashrami, Chief Strategy Officer at Standard Chartered 35:20

24 days ago35:20

35:20

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1
Introducing Galileo Learn™, A Bold New Platform for Corporate Learning 13:47

27 days ago13:47

13:47

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1
Digital Twins, The Curiosity Cycle, And Radical Changes In Corporate Learning 20:21

5 weeks ago20:21

20:21

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1
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5 weeks ago19:18

19:18

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1
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6 weeks ago15:28

15:28

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1
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6 weeks ago6:24

6:24

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1
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7 weeks ago25:33

25:33

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1
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7 weeks ago19:20