In episode 217, Coffey talks with HRSouthwest Conference keynote speaker Steve Cadigan about the evolving nature of work.

They discuss ongoing remote work debates; the evolution from hiring for skills to hiring for learning ability; the need for experimentation in remote team management; AI's role in skills analysis and internal talent mapping; building learning ecosystems between companies and educational institutions; the importance of knowing employee capabilities outside of their role-specific tasks; and HR's evolving role as facilitators of organizational awareness and AI governance.

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About our Guest:

Steve Cadigan is a highly sought-after talent advisor to leaders and organizations across the globe. As Founder of his own Silicon Valley-based firm, Cadigan Talent Ventures, Steve advises a wide range of innovative organizations that include Google, Cisco, Intel, and The Royal Bank of Scotland, Manchester United Football Club, The Country Music Association and the BBC. He is also regularly retained by some leading VC (Venture Capital) and Consulting firms such as Andreesen Horowitz, McKinsey & Company, Deloitte, and Greylock Partners for his counsel on a wide range of talent topics.

Since 2021 Steve has been recognized every year as a top 100 thought leader in the world of Talent and People.

Steve speaks at conferences and teaches in major universities around the world. His work in helping shape the culture at LinkedIn led Stanford University to build a graduate-level class around this ground-breaking work. Steve is frequently asked to appear on global TV and is a frequent guest on Bloomberg West, CBS, and CNBC.

Throughout his career, the teams, cultures, and organizations he has led and helped build have been recognized as exceptional, “world-class” performers by the Wall Street Journal and Fortune Magazine.

Before launching his firm, Steve worked as an HR executive for over 25 years at a wide range of companies and industries including ESPRIT, Fireman’s Fund Insurance, Cisco Systems, PMC-Sierra, Electronic Arts and capped by serving as the first CHRO for LinkedIn from 2009 through 2012, taking the company from a private firm of 400 employees, through an IPO and helping set it up to be the powerhouse that it has become today. In 2021 Steve received the high honor of being invited by both The University of San Francisco and Stanford University to deliver their commencement speeches.

Today Steve serves on the Board of Directors to three companies and also sits on the Advisory Board of several other progressive organizations. His passion is helping leaders and companies build compelling talent strategies.

In August of 2021 Steve published a ground-breaking book on the Future of Work titled Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working.

Even before its official release it realized #1 on the Amazon list of Hot New Releases. In the summer of 2025 Steve launched a new podcast series called Workquake Weekly.

Over his career, Steve has lived in Singapore, Canada, and the United States. He has interviewed, hired, coached and mentored thousands of employees and leaders within a wide range of industries and geographies. This is what sets Steve apart from others who speak about the future of work. Steve has lived deep inside the world of work as an employee AND as an employer. His experiences and achievements give him a unique and authoritative point of view, essential to all discussions about the future of work.

Today Steve lives in California with his family. He is the father of four boys and the stepdad to two girls. When he is not speaking, teaching, or writing, you can find Steve coaching basketball, playing tennis, body surfing, driving his kids everywhere, or cheering them on at their activities.

Steve graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in History and received a Master’s Degree in HR & Organization Development from the University of San Francisco.

Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working : https://a.co/d/3uORSF4

Workquake Weekly Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/workquake-weekly/id1815731966

Steve Cadigan can be reached at https://stevecadigan.com.

About Mike Coffey:

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher. In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies. Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association. Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year. Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee. Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.

Learning Objectives:

1. Shift hiring strategies from evaluating what candidates already know to assessing their capacity to learn new skills quickly, as the shelf life of current competencies continues to shrink.

2. Develop comprehensive internal talent mapping systems that identify employees' transferable skills and potential for different roles within the organization, similar to how companies track customer data.

3. Create experimental approaches to remote work management rather than rigid policies, to determine what productivity and culture practices work best for specific team dynamics.