Welcome to the Transformational Leadership Podcast, where senior leaders share real-world experiences building high-performance organizations in complex, high-pressure environments.

In this episode, host Jeff Harnois is joined by Richard Finger, Vice President of Human Resources at Broadmead Inc. Richard brings deep experience from leading large-scale HR transformations, including his work at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he played a critical role during the years leading up to the loss of patent protection for Plavix — the company’s flagship pharmaceutical product at the time.

The conversation explores how organizations prepare for major inflection points, including large-scale restructuring, business spin-offs, and reinvention at global scale. Richard shares lessons from leading workforce transformation across tens of thousands of employees, navigating uncertainty, and aligning people strategy with long-term business outcomes.

This episode offers a candid look at leadership during disruption, the role of HR in enterprise transformation, and what it takes to guide organizations through change while maintaining performance, culture, and trust.

00:00 – Welcome to the Transformational Leadership Podcast 00:27 – Podcast mission and focus on real leadership stories 00:42 – Introduction of host Jeff Harnois 01:15 – Introducing Richard Finger and his leadership background 01:53 – Setting the context: Bristol-Myers Squibb and Plavix 02:34 – The market impact of patent expiration 03:15 – Scale and complexity of a global organization 04:12 – Preparing for transformation years in advance 06:08 – Workforce implications of large-scale change 09:42 – Leading HR transformation in complex environments 13:55 – Spin-offs, restructuring, and organizational redesign 18:30 – Leadership lessons from enterprise transformation 23:44 – Balancing execution, culture, and performance 28:16 – The evolving role of HR as a strategic function 33:05 – Applying transformation lessons across industries 38:12 – Final reflections on leadership and change

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How do you transform HR in a 9,000-employee, multi-billion dollar healthcare organization while reducing turnover by 11% and increasing engagement by 24%? Billy Parsons, a transformational CHRO with 65+ M&A integrations under his belt, shares the playbook.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Billy Parsons

02:24 - The Challenge: 9,000 Employees, 725 Locations

03:26 - Current State: Built for Call Centers, Not Clinical Enterprise

05:25 - Deep Evidence-Based Review: Finding the Hotspots

06:15 - Resistance: The "Second Job" Problem

08:34 - Cultural Friction Post-M&A

11:11 - Structural Barriers: Google to Microsoft Transition

13:18 - Managing Change Fatigue with 135-Question Survey

15:13 - The "Dirty Dozen": Frontline Manager Advisory Group

19:12 - Employee Experience Council: 30 Frontline Voices

21:23 - Decentralizing HR: From Black Hole to Business Partners

24:21 - Manager Enablement vs. Care Provider Empowerment

27:30 - Foundational Changes: 900 Job Titles to Less Than Half

29:12 - On-Demand Pay System: 50% of Completed Work Every Friday

30:43 - Results: 11% Turnover Reduction in Year One

31:12 - 24% Engagement Increase in One Year

32:17 - Organizational Upskilling: First Large-Scale L&D Program

34:45 - Position Management System for Better Forecasting

35:16 - Recognition Platform: The Game Changer

38:11 - Points System: Patients & Doctors Worth 5X More

39:35 - Results: From 100 to 2,000+ Recognitions in Month One

41:15 - Creating Unified Company Culture Across Regions

42:35 - Gamification: Regional Competition & Pride Building

44:20 - Advice for HR Professionals: Jump In, Even If You're Not "Ready"

46:12 - Best Advice Not Taken: Join Organizations That Appreciate You

Transformation Results:

📉 11% reduction in turnover (Year 1)

📈 24% increase in engagement (Year 1)

🎯 10,000+ recognitions in first quarter (vs. 100/month baseline)

👥 1,500 patient recognitions in first 90 days

💰 Improved Net Promoter Scores despite starting at saturation

🏗️ 900 job titles reduced to 450

💵 On-demand pay system serving hourly workforce

#HRTransformation #HealthcareHR #ChangeManagement #EmployeeEngagement #McKinsey #RecognitionPlatform #TurnoverReduction #OrganizationalEffectiveness #CHRO #PeopleOperations #EmployeeExperience #CultureTransformation

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#TransformationalLeadership #HRLeadership #OrganizationalChange #ExecutiveLeadership

In this episode of Transformational Leadership, host Jeff Haar Noyes is joined by Jennifer Kozel, Founder and CEO of The Guevarra Group, for a powerful conversation on leadership, blind spots, and human-centered transformation.

Jennifer shares her unconventional yet deeply impactful approach to executive development — including the use of equine-assisted learning to surface leadership blind spots in ways traditional workshops never could. Through vivid real-world stories, she explains how awareness, presence, and relationship-building can unlock transformation at both the individual and organizational level.

The episode also dives into Jennifer’s experience addressing complex employee relations challenges, where shifting perspective — not policy — created lasting change. From navigating conflict with empathy to leading large-scale HR transformation inside a 100-year-old, high-growth organization, Jennifer offers a grounded and deeply human perspective on what it truly means to lead.

This conversation is essential for leaders navigating change, culture, and growth — especially those willing to look inward first.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Transformational Leadership

00:28 – Introducing Jennifer Kozel

01:32 – Why experiential learning matters in leadership

02:04 – Using horses in executive development

03:05 – A real-world equine leadership story

04:12 – Leadership blind spots revealed

05:11 – Frustration, control, and awareness

06:24 – The “blind spot” moment

07:13 – Applying insights back at work

08:20 – Transforming how leaders assign work

09:13 – Experiential learning vs classroom learning

09:46 – Managing difficult employees

10:50 – When conflict escalates

12:06 – Leadership stress and physical toll

13:15 – A transformative personal experience

14:24 – Shifting perspective and energy

15:00 – Rebuilding trust through curiosity

16:11 – Seeing employees as people

17:37 – Leadership transformation starts within

18:29 – Ripple effects across teams

19:34 – Psychometrics and human behavior

20:55 – “When the student is ready…”

22:08 – Expanding leadership capacity

23:36 – Unlocking hidden potential

24:26 – Transforming HR in a 100-year-old company

26:13 – Building HR foundations from scratch

27:19 – Culture, recognition, and growth

28:12 – Leader development as retention strategy

29:41 – Overcoming resistance to HR

32:37 – Trust, credibility, and relationships

35:23 – Vision, alignment, and execution

38:03 – Coaching as a catalyst

39:51 – Best advice Jennifer ignored

41:10 – Self-care and leadership sustainability

42:27 – From Navy service to HR leadership

44:18 – Advice for the next generation

46:03 – Talking to yourself kindly

47:00 – How to connect with Jennifer

48:13 – Final thoughts & closing

🎧 CALL TO ACTION

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