Building a New World of Work with Cadigan Talent Ventures Talent Hacker & Advisor Steve Cadigan

In this episode of Redefining HR, I’m joined by Cadigan Talent Ventures talent hacker and advisor Steve Cadigan. Steve and I sit down to talk about his book, “Workquake,” his experience scaling LinkedIn from 400 to 4,000 employees and everything about building a new world of work. 

It was exciting to have Steve on this episode because so much has changed in the last two years in the world of work. For Steve, it has been an exciting time, as he’s been able to help many leaders and organizations build better talent strategies and enable them to create a better workplace.

From being an operator within the workforce to now being on the outside looking in, Steve has a unique perspective to help companies genuinely maximize their opportunities. I’m thrilled to have Steve join me for this episode to talk about the new world of work.

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Introducing the New World of Work

As an operator, advisor, author and speaker, Steve has worn many hats and has had many lenses into the evolution of work itself. In the past, implementing change at a workplace required some time. But what has changed in the past couple of years, Steve shares, is the pace of work, change and adoption of new technology. 

“I think most companies that I’m working with, and that I used to work with, are really designed for a much slower pace of work,” he says. “Production cycles would take years from design and development and production and testing to shipping. Now, in some cases, there’s so many businesses that take a few hours from someone’s brain to the website.”

The challenge, Steve adds, is that many companies are built on older models of work, which were designed for a slower pace of change and organizations with less turnover. 

The second thing that has changed is the rise of social media platforms, where employees are serving as PR drivers for companies. Steve explains, “That’s a different relationship that you have now with your staff.” Everything happening — from how leaders manage their teams to what they are saying — can be transmitted worldwide, adding a degree of difficulty for leaders.

To Build, You Have to Listen

Building a new world of work isn’t something that can be done overnight or by just one person. When your organization is ready to change, it’s essential that leaders listen to the employees who will be most affected. 

If you want to attract talent and retain existing talent while building something new, your employees are already telling you what they want to see. They want “freedom, autonomy and independence.” And the last couple of years have shown that employees have no problem making sure that their demands are heard. If they aren’t heard, they won’t think twice about leaving.

Things like remote or hybrid work are no longer a perk but rather a necessary component of employment. The pandemic forced this new way of work, but now it’s here to stay. The challenge is that remote work wasn’t a mainstream work structure, and even when some companies would offer it, it was inconsistent. Now, in a world where almost everyone is looking for remote opportunities, the structure is still something that leaders are trying to navigate.

“No one’s figured it out yet. Now, you want to be the benchmark, and that’s uncomfortable,” he explains. Steve shares that companies are in an era of experimentation that is likely to evolve into the norm.

Endless Possibilities Await

In his book, Steve lays a great foundation about all the things that are changing and what’s possible for the future. He’s had conversations with CEOs, CHROs, CPOs and other business leaders on the front lines of building a new world of work, and they have him excited for what‘s to come. 

Steve shared that he is especially intrigued by “the greater personalization of work and the greater recognition that we have about each other.” Moreover, every organization’s culture has changed, and there’s no stopping that. The goal is instead to seek out “cultural competitive advantage.”

“Everyone’s looking at the world differently,” he says, whether it’s.family, friends or work. “This is not an easy time, but I think where we’re headed towards is a really cool place.”

People in This Episode

• Steve Cadigan: LinkedIn, Twitter, “Workquake” book