Patsy Mangan joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about Scribd Flex, why flexibility only works when it is paired with clarity and accountability, and why Scribd needed the GRIT Performance framework.
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(10:00) The Pandemic, Distributed Hiring and the One-Way Door
(12:40) Creating Scribd Flex Instead of Choosing a Generic Remote or Hybrid Label
(19:05) Learning That Flexibility Alone Does Not Create Connection
(20:00) Designing Hub Days Around Concentration of Attendance
(22:50) Why Scribd Flex Needed the GRIT Performance System
(23:35) Visibility Does Not Equal Performance
(24:10) Why Clarity Drives Accountability in Flexible Work
(26:35) The Four GRIT Dimensions: Goal-Oriented, Results-Driven, Innovative and Team-Focused
(28:10) Giving Employees Ratings Across Each GRIT Dimension
(29:00) How Scribd Flex Gives Freedom and GRIT Gives Clarity
(34:15) Why Scribd Made Performance More Complex, Not Less
(36:05) Calibration, Manager Bias and Making GRIT Fair
(38:40) The Next Big Evolution: Becoming AI-Native
(40:05) Moving From AI Adoption to Workflow Redesign
(41:00) Rethinking Hiring, Career Journeys, Promotions and Performance Standards
(42:15) Hiring for Specialty, Not Just Capacity
(45:05) Connecting HR Tools to Where Employees Already Work
(45:50) Why HR May Need Software Engineers Inside the Function
(50:20) Why Human Judgment Becomes More Important as Output Gets Easier
(52:38) Career Advice: Learn the Rules, Then Rewrite Them
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Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
