The 2024 MPL Awards

Watch our most recent episode where we gave out awards for four different categories:

1. The CEO Whisperer
2. The Best Hang
3. The Data Hero
4. The Innovator

If you don't have time to check it out, read the highlights below. ??

?? The CEO Whisperer

Stephen’s pick: Hannah Yardley, Chief People & Culture Officer at Achievers.

Hannah nailed it with her decision-making framework for big people decisions.

She broke it down into three buckets:

1. CEO-driven decisions.
2. Joint CEO-CHRO decisions.
3. SLT-wide collaborations.

Honestly, it’s such a simple but powerful way to make sure everyone stays aligned and on the same page.

Daniel's pick: Brandon Sammut, Chief People Officer at Zapier.

Brandon’s been on the show a couple of times, and every time, we learn something new from him about how he syncs up with his CEO.

Here’s what stuck with us:

? Discovery as a foundation. He kicks things off by asking the deep stuff, like, “What’s keeping you up at night?”

? 360 transparency. Before he even started at Zapier, he and Wade (Zapier’s CEO) swapped raw feedback in a “readme” exercise. No filters, no fluff. It set the tone for their partnership from day one.

Looking back, what we've learned from Brandon is that these kinds of relationships aren’t just about working with a CEO—they’re about choosing the right CEO in the first place.

?? The Best Hang

This was such a fun one to pick. We each chose a guest we felt we could’ve talked to for hours.

Daniel's pick: Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer, Workweek.

Hebba is one of those people you just want to hang out with.

Honestly, we don’t even remember everything we talked about during her episode—it just felt like such a vibe.

We spent time on completely random but amazing topics, like her favorite snacks (she’s very protective of them, by the way), and at one point, it almost felt like she was interviewing us.

We could’ve easily turned that one-hour chat into three.

Stephen’s pick: Brené Brown

Having Brené on the show was a dream come true. She’s been on our “dream guest” list since day one.

There were so many moments from that conversation we’ll never forget:

• Her reflection: “There’s who I am in real life and then the avatar of me—the stories the public makes up to either justify liking or hating me. Neither avatar is accurate."
• Her honesty. She didn’t shy away from sharing her real thoughts, even when they surprised us.
• And of course, her unforgettable quote: “Every day is leg day.”

Stephen says he can’t do squats now without thinking of Brené. ??

?? The Data Hero

Data doesn’t just tell a story—it shapes decisions.

For this award, we wanted to spotlight the guests who brought the most compelling insights and blew our minds with their research.

Daniel's pick: Annie Dean, VP of Team Anywhere at Atlassian.

Annie brought the goods. Seriously, her episode was like a masterclass in how to pair experiments with actionable insights. Atlassian’s Team Anywhere Lab is constantly running experiments on how to work smarter, and the results were incredible.

Here are just a couple of examples:

In-person connection: They figured out that team connection increases 37% after in-person gatherings, but drops off after 4-5 months. The solution? Regular off-sites every few months to keep that bond strong.

Calendar redesign: They noticed employees were drowning in back-to-back 30-minute meetings, so they ran two experiments.

• Group A: Dedicated 30% of their calendar to focused work and open collaboration.
• Group B: Had daily 1-on-1s with their manager to focus on one top priority.Across both groups, productivity jumped 31%, and meeting time dropped 13%.

But the real winner? Group B, where ruthless prioritization made the biggest impact.

Stephen’s pick: Nick Bloom

Nick is the remote work data guy. We’ve been chasing him to join the show for years, and in 2024, it finally happened. He didn’t disappoint.

What’s amazing about Nick is how he contextualizes his research. He doesn’t just drop stats—he explains the story behind them. Here’s what stood out:

• Before COVID, only 5% of workdays in North America were remote. At the pandemic’s peak, that shot up to 60%. Today, it’s settled around 25%—still 5X pre-pandemic levels. That’s 40 years of growth in just two years. Insane.
• Return-to-office? Nick showed how data from swipe cards and cell phones told a very different story from what the headlines were screaming. The reality? Fewer people are going back than most think, and the data shows how complex and nuanced this shift really is.

Nick’s balanced perspective and ability to simplify such a massive topic make him Stephen's pick for Data Hero.

??? Early bird tickets almost gone for MPL Live Boston

We’ve already sold 1/4 of the available tickets—and we’re still two months out. So, by that math, this email should get us halfway to sold out.

Oh, and we’ve locked in two amazing panelists for the live podcast (shout out to Katie Burke for the recs):

• Carmel Galvin (Chief People Officer, Klaviyo)
• Linda Aiello (Chief People & Culture Officer, DraftKings)

They’re pumped to join us and meet everyone who comes out.

We’re also doing a speed networking session—60 minutes to meet as many "People people" as possible. If you can remember the most superpowers from the people you meet, it’ll definitely come in handy (you'll find out why at the event).

If you’re in Boston and still reading this, just go ahead and grab your ticket. [Here’s the link.]

?? The Innovator

Every now and then, we have a guest who totally blows our minds, and we can’t stop talking about them for months.

Daniel's pick: David Hanrahan, Chief People Officer at Flare.

David Hanrahan’s built different. Whether he’s rethinking performance management or shaking up how we look at comp, he always brings a fresh perspective.

One of his standout contributions? Team performance reviews.

He first piloted this concept at Eventbrite, then refined it at Flare.

The idea is simple: What if performance management isn’t about individuals but about teams?

David shared how they approached measuring team performance and redefined what “high-performance” means.

When you’ve got thought leaders like Steve Cadigan calling David “the future of HR,” you know he’s earned this title.

Stephen’s pick: Melanie Rosenwasser, Chief People Officer at Dropbox.

While David pushed the envelope on rethinking HR concepts, Melanie wowed us with her operational innovation.

Melanie and her team at Dropbox tackled the challenges of a virtual-first working model with precision and creativity. Here’s what stood out:

• Async-first workflows: Building a culture where asynchronous communication is the default.
• In-person strategy: Defining when and how teams should meet IRL to maximize impact.
• Measuring success: Melanie didn’t just talk about what they were doing—she shared how they were tracking and evaluating the results.

The level of detail she brought was matched by very few.

Go listen to the full episode: YouTube | Spotify | Apple

See you next week!

P.S. If you like MPL, help us grow the show by giving us a 5 star rating on Apple or Spotify. ?????