Directionally Correct, A People Analytics Podcast

• #153 - Cole Napper - Ask Me Anything AMA Episode with Special Guest Host Chayce Kowalski

  Check out this episode of the #1 people analytics podcast with special guest & host, Cole Napper, with an AMA Episode along with guest host, Chayce Kowalski! In this ask-me-anything style session, Cole and Chayce dive into audience-driven questions covering the realities of modern people analytics, the evolution of careers in the field, and how practitioners should think about AI, leadership, and delivering impact across the business. Cole kicks things off by sharing why this episode format matters and how the show’s cadence has shifted to maintain passion and energy for the work. He also reveals why some stories about HR, employers, and internal analytics wins can’t always make it onto the podcast—sometimes NDAs and job security come first. From there, Chayce takes over and asks fan-submitted questions from LinkedIn. Cole discusses the unpredictable relationship between data effort and business impact—sometimes a napkin sketch drives more progress than months of analysis. He describes this as a powerful lesson for every early-career analyst. The conversation moves through themes around career growth, influence, and surviving the biggest hurdle in analytics work: the ongoing struggle to build data fluency in HR teams. Cole shares candid insights about being “over” the same old barriers to business adoption and why HR’s evolution is overdue. Listeners also get personal glimpses into Cole’s shift from studying emotions to focusing more on labor economics and the broader world of talent intelligence, workforce planning, and behavioral science—all still rooted in understanding people, but through a fresh lens. One highlight: Cole reveals he is building a People Analytics Data Academy, designed around three pillars—strategy, leadership, and analytics—to better prepare both HR professionals and data practitioners to thrive in a generative-AI world. Cole also opens up about the realities behind running a successful podcast: ghosting from potential guests, selecting only truly compelling voices, and the sponsorship dynamics that determine who can join the show—even when many vendor-side practitioners have fascinating stories to tell. Throughout, the AMA hits both fun and meaningful territory—from zombie-apocalypse hypotheticals about emotional vulnerability to the deep purpose-finding journey of someone who has spent nearly two decades helping organizations make smarter people decisions. If you enjoy honest conversations about the real future of people analytics, AI in HR, and building a career that truly influences the business—this one’s for you. If you like this episode, you’d also love exploring prior episodes—visit colenapper.com for the full archive and show links.

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• #152 - Joey Price - The Power of HR & Does Active Listening Matter Right Now?

  Check out this episode of the #1 people analytics podcast with special guest, Joey Price, CEO of Jumpstart HR & Industry Analyst at Aspect43! In this wide-ranging and insightful conversation, Joey and Cole dive deep into the evolving world of HR technology, the impact of AI on HR teams, and how HR professionals can build meaningful, future-proof careers. Joey shares the backstory behind his new book The Power of HR, written to elevate the modern HR professional’s confidence, strategy, and leadership capabilities. He discusses how the book has been received, the challenges of writing it while running a business and being a parent, and the growing community of HR authors and leaders who support each other’s work. Joey opens up about his unconventional path into HR—from playing and managing in a band to discovering the strategic side of business and eventually becoming an industry analyst. He explains how understanding creativity, discipline, and team dynamics in music shaped his views on leadership and employee experience. He also talks about Jumpstart HR’s acquisition of Aspect43 and why buyer sentiment research is becoming essential in HR technology as organizations navigate rapid digital transformation. A major thread throughout the episode is the disruptive force of AI. Joey shares research showing that 40% of HR teams have no clear plan for AI integration, even as CEOs and CFOs increasingly influence HR technology buying decisions. He breaks down how AI is reshaping people analytics, workforce planning, and talent intelligence—and why HR must shift from focusing only on soft skills to developing stronger technological and strategic expertise. Cole and Joey also explore the tension employees are feeling as white-collar workers face uncertainty, shifting expectations, and rapid changes created by new tools. The conversation turns to geopolitics, global labor trends, and what HR leaders should expect in 2026—from employer-driven labor markets to major advances in HR tech product roadmaps. Joey shares emerging insights on compliance technology, wellness tools, and the evolving expectations of employees across industries. He also introduces his new project, Joey’s HR Lounge, a podcast and community designed to generate more honest dialogue and strengthen the collective intelligence of HR professionals. In Cole’s Corner, the two dig into research on birth order, workplace behavior, societal trust, and how technology—especially generative AI—is influencing communication, decision-making, and accuracy. They grapple with recent studies showing AI doesn’t simply hallucinate, it bluffs, and discuss how reinforcement learning and user behavior reinforce this pattern. The episode ends with Joey’s personal mission: helping more people become excited about Monday than Friday, and the real meaning of making an impact in HR through trust, strategic clarity, and thoughtful leadership. If you like this episode, you’d also love exploring prior episodes—visit colenapper.com for the full archive and show links.

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• #151 - Cara Christopher - HR Tech Voices Series Episode with Lightcast

  Cara Christopher, the Chief Marketing Officer at Lightcast, joins the Directionally Correct podcast for our latest HR Tech Voices episode of 2025. In this episode, we discuss how Lightcast is the labor market intelligence company providing the essential external data and context layer for strategic HR decisions and the data backbone for future AI applications! Book a demo today with Lightcast! Articles discussed: The Tree of Value Job Architecture is the Yellow Brick Road Beyond The Buzz: Developing the AI Skills Employers Actually Need Lightcast, formed from the merger of Emsi and Burning Glass, has spent over 25 years pioneering labor market intelligence by combining billions of global job postings, 1.2 billion career profiles, and government LMI sources into the world’s deepest external labor-market dataset. Serving enterprises, higher education, and public-sector clients worldwide, Lightcast delivers the outside-in perspective that internal HR data alone simply cannot provide. The discussion dives deep into why Lightcast matters now more than ever for HR and people analytics leaders. Cole explains how he moved from being famously “skills negative” to championing Lightcast’s universal skills taxonomy and occupational framework as the only truly objective, market-validated way to build credible skills strategies. Cara and Cole explore real-world use cases: understanding true supply and demand, compensation benchmarking, competitive intelligence through Gain & Drain analysis, curriculum alignment for universities, regional economic planning, and building agile job architecture that can evolve with AI-driven change. They unpack recent Lightcast research that cuts through the noise. “Beyond the Buzz” reveals that AI-related roles are not confined to tech (over half fall outside IT), AI skills already command a 28% salary premium (roughly $18,000/year), and disruption varies dramatically by occupation and career area. “The Tree of Value” unites the historically siloed fields of people analytics, strategic workforce planning, talent intelligence, and behavioral science under shared human-capital roots, showing how external data forms the connective tissue. “Job Architecture is the Yellow Brick Road” demonstrates how Lightcast data plus emerging skill agents enable dynamic, future-ready job families instead of static ones that break the moment the market shifts. Looking ahead, Cole and Cara agree that as AI proliferates, the winners will not be the companies that build yet another chatbot, but those who secure high-quality, curated data as the semantic layer powering every AI application in HR. Lightcast is deliberately positioning itself as that trusted data backbone (via APIs, data shares, classification engines, and soon Beacon, a 2026 workflow-driven visualization platform) rather than just another visualization tool on the pile. From Moscow, Idaho headquarters to global offices, sturgeon fishing on the Snake River to reigniting a D1 tennis career, the episode blends deep labor-market insight with personal chemistry, revealing why external labor market intelligence has finally moved from interesting to indispensable for forward-thinking HR leaders. If you like this episode, you’d also love exploring prior episodes—visit colenapper.com for the full archive and show links.

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• #150 - Cole and Scott - Reflecting on 150 Episodes, Wild Previous Guests, and Innovation

  Check out this episode of the #1 people analytics podcast with hosts, Cole Napper and Scott Hines where we talk about 150 episodes of the Directionally Correct podcast, reflecting on “colossal achievements,” sharing challenging behind-the-scenes stories like “rough” early episodes and technical woes, and discussing how we use the show for candid “hallway conversations” about people analytics, behavioral science, and the impacts of AI in the workplace! In this milestone episode, Cole and Scott take listeners on a nostalgic and hilarious trip down memory lane—from the early days of recording in closets to learning the hard way about audio setups, live shows, and caffeine-fueled conference chaos. They share personal reflections on what 150 episodes have taught them about curiosity, innovation, and why meaningful conversations about analytics and people always matter. The duo reminisces about standout guests and unforgettable moments: debates with Chris Castille, lively talks with Alexis Fink and Mark Efron, and their favorite insights from episodes with Mike Knott, JP Elliott, and even a few “too hot for air” live sessions. They also reflect on how the show evolved—from a scrappy side project into one of the most trusted spaces for authentic, unfiltered discussions about data, talent, and the human side of work. Beyond the laughs, the hosts dive into what keeps them going: the power of storytelling, humor, and curiosity. They discuss how behavioral science, people analytics, and workforce data can illuminate what drives performance, innovation, and connection at work. The conversation touches on themes like the psychology of innovation, the importance of experimentation in analytics, and how AI and automation are reshaping organizational life. True to form, Cole and Scott deliver their signature mix of wit and insight—musing about memorable SCOP conference stories, funny missteps, “trinket conversations,” and even the importance of psychological safety and simplicity in research. They explore how conversations that once started as casual hallway debates have grown into global dialogues influencing HR, AI, and data-driven decision-making. As the episode unfolds, they celebrate not just the show’s longevity but its deeper purpose—creating a space where professionals can laugh, learn, and challenge ideas about work, leadership, and analytics. Whether they’re joking about Waffle House, teasing each other about Star Trek tangents, or analyzing the Lindy effect of podcast longevity, it’s clear this milestone is about gratitude, growth, and community. If you like this episode, you’d also love exploring prior episodes—visit colenapper.com for the full archive and show links.

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• #149 - JP Elliott - The Future of HR is About Value & Do Middle Managers Even Matter?

  Check out this episode of the #1 people analytics podcast with special guest, JP Elliott, the Founder of Future of HR Consulting! In this insightful and fast-paced conversation, hosts Cole and Scott sit down with JP to discuss what the future of HR looks like in a world increasingly shaped by AI, analytics, and automation. JP, a former CHRO turned entrepreneur and host of the Future of HR Podcast, shares his personal journey from corporate executive to business owner, offering an inside look at what it takes to build programs that help elevate next-generation HR leaders. Throughout the episode, JP dives into how AI is transforming the workforce, why the idea of the “AI superworker” is more hype than reality, and what it truly means to create value in HR. He explains that while AI can automate certain tasks, it cannot replace creativity, critical judgment, or the human touch that drives real leadership. Drawing from his experience developing the NextGen HR Accelerator and advising Fortune 500 companies, JP outlines a new framework for HR leaders: innovate like a product manager, think like an investor, build brands like a marketer, and redesign work like an AI engineer. These mindsets, he argues, are what will define the next era of people and talent leadership. Cole and Scott explore with JP the evolving role of middle management in an AI-powered world. While some organizations are cutting layers of leadership in the name of efficiency, JP argues that middle managers remain essential translators between strategy and execution. Without them, companies risk losing alignment, communication, and the human relationships that hold organizations together. The group also debates whether employee engagement surveys are becoming obsolete, with JP predicting that real-time sentiment analysis and continuous listening platforms will soon take their place, creating a more dynamic, data-driven view of the workforce. The conversation takes a personal turn as JP shares his reflections on entrepreneurship, parenting, and what it means to find fulfillment in work. Running his own business, he admits, brings freedom and stress in equal measure—every win feels personal, and every mistake becomes a lesson. He emphasizes the importance of autonomy, agency, and executive presence as core leadership traits. Developing executive presence, he explains, takes years of practice and self-awareness: knowing who you are, controlling your emotions, and showing up with calm confidence. It’s about cultivating influence, not authority. JP credits his own growth to mentors, self-reflection, and a willingness to fail publicly—something he believes all future leaders must embrace. The trio also tackles some lighter topics: whether a hammock is a chair, how AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping creativity, and the challenge of staying authentic in a world obsessed with perfection. Beneath the humor, the conversation returns repeatedly to one theme—balance. As JP notes, technology can enhance productivity, but it cannot replace purpose. True growth comes from learning through mistakes, building relationships, and using data to empower—not dehumanize—the workplace. JP’s candor, humor, and vision for the future of HR make this episode a must-listen for anyone passionate about people analytics, leadership development, and the intersection of AI and human potential. He leaves listeners with an important message: the most powerful HR leaders of tomorrow will be those who blend analytics with empathy, strategy with storytelling, and data with a deep understanding of what makes people thrive. If you like this episode, you’d also love exploring prior episodes—visit colenapper.com for the full archive and show links.

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