AI Without Leaving People Behind with Valerie Capers Workman

What does it take to scale technology without leaving your people behind? Bill Banham sits down with Valerie Capers Workman - CHRO at Empower Pharmacy and author of Quantum Progression - to unpack the real playbook for building an AI-enabled workforce that is faster, fairer, and future-ready.

Valerie makes a clear case: human AI collaboration works when employees know exactly what to use and why it matters. Vague tool choices and unspoken fears, says Valerie, stall adoption and deepen inequity. She lays out how HR can design mandatory learning that raises the floor, surfaces slow adopters, and creates a shared language around safety, compliance, and culture. From regulated pharma to fast-moving tech, the goal is the same—pair people and systems so trust, speed, and quality rise together.

We also challenge conventional views of the CHRO role. Valerie argues the seat is now a tech role, not at the expense of empathy, but in service of scalable systems and competitive advantage. She explains how to partner with CIOs, teach search firms to screen for AI-capable executives, and rewrite job descriptions around AI fluency. When headcount requests come in, the first questions become: what can AI do, what can’t it do, and how do we decide that mix responsibly? Her lessons from hypergrowth translate into today’s AI-first workforce planning.

On careers, Valerie champions “quantum leaps” over ladders. Identify your core strengths—communication, analytics, strategy, people—and apply them across domains, using AI to compress the time it takes to learn industry context. She spotlights two urgent skills for leaders: data fluency and prompt engineering. Build comfort with the metrics your C-suite needs, and craft rich prompts that turn AI into a true thinking partner. Use multiple models—Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok—to triangulate insights and raise decision quality.

Ready to lead with clarity instead of fear? Follow along for practical tactics, candid stories, and a roadmap to make your team—and your career—10x more resilient. If this conversation helped you think differently, subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review so others can find the show.

Follow and connect with Valerie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerieworkman/

Transcript

Welcome And Today’s Big Question

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's most downloaded and shared podcasts designed for HR pros, talent execs, tech enthusiasts, and business leaders. For hundreds more episodes and what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media, and visit hrgazette.com.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Welcome to another episode of the HR Chat Show. Hello, listeners. This is your host today, Bill Bannham. And in this episode, we're going to explore one of the biggest questions facing leaders in pretty much every industry right now. And that's how do you scale technology without leaving your people behind? And my amazing, fantastic, awesome guest today is the super famous Valerie Capers Workman, Chief Human Resources Officer over at Empower Pharmacy and author of Quantum Progression, the Quantum Leap Edition, a practical playbook for thriving in the age of AI. In this conversation, we're going to dig into what AI-empowered workforce strategy looks like inside a pharmaceutical manufacturing organization and other types of organizations, how CHROs can balance speed, safety, compliance, and culture, and the real career superpowers that professionals need to future-proof their work. Valerie, how are you doing? Welcome to the show for the first time.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

Oh, thank you so much for having me. It sounds like a cool, cool rundown. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_02 1:28

So let's get into it then. Firstly, in terms of human AI collaboration and what good looks like, you're known for frameworks around human AI collaboration, of course. In your view, what are the signs an organization is doing human AI collaboration well? And what are the warning signs that it's being implemented in a way that will maybe backfire?

SPEAKER_03 1:52

Yeah, if it's if it's being done well, the employees understand why they need to use it and what they should be using. Like those are the key two questions. What and why? Uh if they know those the answer to those two questions, you're up you're off to the races in the right way. If the organization, if the people don't understand why do I need this and why should I, or if I use it, will I be replaced? Um, or if there's some kind of fear or trepidation, or there's you know chaos in what tools should we be using, you're doing it wrong.

Preventing Inequity In AI Rollouts

SPEAKER_02 2:23

In terms of the idea that no one gets left behind as a leadership standard, you you you've been clear that AI transformation must include the whole workforce. What are the biggest risks of AI widening inequality and inequity inside organizations? And what are some practical ways that CRHROs can maybe help prevent that?

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Yeah, and I'm such a fan of AI because it has the potential to be such a great equalizer. You know, the access to information is available to everyone, so everyone can level up their skills. The counterpart to that though is if everyone isn't given the opportunity to learn, if people aren't given the opportunity to share how afraid they are of new technology. And Pete, there's a lot of fear out there. If people aren't given the opportunity to express their concerns about will it replace me, um, will the value of all this expertise that I've gained be uh unimportant right now, there's gonna be a reluctance to learn, there's gonna be a reluctance to adopt and adapt, while there will be some who are speeding ahead. And so the irony of AI is it has the potential to create more inequity. Um so we have to be, as HR professionals, we have to be hyper-focused on ensuring that uh we identify those slow adopters, we I we understand and sleuth out where there's reluctance, where people are afraid. Uh and so mandatory programs are essential because it gives uh no one no one can hide um through the you know the volunteer approach, and it ensures that everybody you know rolls in the same direction and at the same speed and gets there at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

Thanks for listening to this episode of the HR Chat Podcast. If you enjoy the audio content we produce, you'll love our articles on the HR Gazette. Learn more at hrgazette.com. And now back to the show.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

Uh let's talk about the chrome role in in the era of AI. Uh, you've worked with leaders on designing C-suite roles for the AI era. So increasingly now we're we're we're seeing roles like chief AI officer or chief transformation officer. As AI accelerates, Valerie, how do you think that the CHRO role itself needs to evolve over the next few years to stay essential and influential? Or indeed, will we see the title of CHRO continually being replaced by new titles that reflect the impact of AI?

SPEAKER_03 5:02

Love that question. I, you know, we thought that COVID was going to be the time of you know the greatest upheaval and the greatest transformation in CHRO. I think we ain't seen nothing yet. Uh uh the the advent of AI means number one, we have to have it as a superpower, as a super skill. So the the employee in the company who has to be most skilled in AI is not the chief technology officer, it's not the CIO, it's the CHRO. Because the entire company is going to rise or fall by our ability to embed AI-powered systems and processes everywhere and throughout. So, number one, we, you know, we're we're we're tech we're tech roles now. That's that's the number one thing we have to accept. We have to make our peace with the CHR role is now a tech role. I think I love the fact that we are sort of going back to chief human resources. I prefer that over chief people officer because I think it's really critical that we understand that while AI is important, the human aspect of what we do has to be top of mind. So I hope we keep that title. And it's interesting as we lead the recruiting for the C-suite, you know, we need to understand how to create the job descriptions, how to work with the search firms. We are now, you know, in my role, we're teaching search firms how to use AI in their recruiting process and how to search for AI capable executives because that's what we're looking for. So the entire role has changed, but essentially it's it's another tech role in the company.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

I interviewed lots of people on this uh show who um would suggest that the key role of an HR leader is um is around mentoring, supporting, um, being a people person as opposed to the tech side of things. Maybe, maybe they've adopted job titles such as people director um um instead. What what what's your take on that? Are you saying no, the reality is if you want to be a great senior HR leader, you've got to be tech savvy. You can't you can't just do the fluffy stuff.

SPEAKER_03 7:07

I I I I take the counterposition, it is not about the being a people leader. I think that's for the vice presidents. Um I think the the VPs on your organization have to be hyper-focused on the people side, um, the EQ side, the empathy side of the work that is mission critical. But at the CHR role, in that chair, the entire company, the C-suite, the CEOs, the CFOs, they are looking to us to ensure that the systems and the processes and the tools are scalable and that uh we are competitive and that we can um you know keep peace with and and move ahead of our competitors. And the only way to do that is to be tech forward. So, yes, of course, this you know, human resources is about empathy and compassion and you know caring. But I would say that that's what your your your front five needs to be. I love sports analogies. Your front five needs to have that, your top VPs need to have that. The first uh mission critical uh skill set for a CHRO in the future of work is tech forward.

Beyond “People Person” To Scalable Systems

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Okay, there we go. Pretty definitive, ladies and gentlemen. Uh let's talk about scaling the workforce without breaking the system. Well, that sounds good. We pick up all the good stuff here. Uh you you helped scale Tesla from 50,000 to over 100,000 employees. Wow. Um what what what lessons from hypergrowth are most transferable to empower as it scales manufacturing quality and talent needs at the same time?

Lessons From Hypergrowth To AI Fluency

SPEAKER_03 8:42

Yeah, the dynamics at Tesla were so different at the time, and I'll you know touch on that for a few minutes. You know, I I joined Tesla in 2018. Um I was head of compliance, basically the chief compliance officer, and then I was promoted through a famous um I we don't have time to get into it right now, but I became CHRO in December 2019, which is four months before COVID. And so uh I went from almost an IC role to leading 700 people, the entire uh HR workforce. And then what we didn't know immediately, what no one in HR knew immediately, but what we all began to understand, all the mag 7s and all the big companies began to understand is growth did not slow down, hiring did not slow down, in fact, it sped up, and the the competition to get talent sped up, so it was an interesting dynamic at the time. Now we're facing an equally disruptive force, but the dynamics are different. Now with AI, the competition is how do we ensure that we are hiring folks who are AI fluent? AI fluent is a new term that we are truly adopting. And how do we ensure that we are we're careful when we add new roles to ensure that we're doing the right mix between what can AI do and what can people do? It's a really different way to do workforce planning and workforce strategy. It's a different way to think about how to scale your workforce. Every conversation you will have in CHRO, you'll have to be asked two questions. Are you adding new headcount? What can AI do? What can't AI do? And how are you deciding that mix? And that is our new reality. And so scaling without understanding all the tools that the company needs, and that's the tech tools, that's the IT tools, that's the HR tools. That's why I'm saying CH roles have to be experts in tech because you have to understand all of the top tools that the company should be using. So you can help your C level determine their workforce strategies, do their workforce planning. It's very different right now. So scale is all about people and tech at the same time, side by side.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Let's now talk about uh career quantum leaps versus incremental growth. Um, before we hit record today, I asked you that question you probably get asked loads of times. Um, yeah, were you actually a fan of that amazing 1990s sci-fi show? Um, because in my opinion, it was the greatest, greatest ever. Um your book encourages people to make quantum leaps, not incremental moves. For someone in a stable role, maybe a mid-career HR leader or operations matter uh manager. What does a quantum leap look like in practice without without them having to take reckless risks?

Career Quantum Leaps Over Ladders

SPEAKER_03 11:30

Yeah, yeah, I I love that. I think I I love that question, reckless risks, because I think to the to the untrained eye, all leaps are reckless. All risk is reckless. Um to the outside observer. But I would say the most important thing, you know, right, I I I I had never been constrained by um wanting to move in a latter process. I talk a lot about that in my book. I I moved from company to company, role to role, and I was never concerned with did I have the job skills or the the you know what the what the what the job description said. Really quick example when I was national manager of HR policies and procedures at KPMG, the role I went after was vice president of compliance at Wyndham Hotel Group. I didn't know anything about hotels, nothing about heads and beds, nothing about ROI, um, nothing about room rates, zero. But when I read that job description, I could see that they were looking for someone who understood process improvement and who understood how to lead a people team. And so when I went after that role and I did my cover letter and I did my pitch, I focused solely on that and not on what the job description said. And I reported to the CFO and he said, and we had an hour-long interview, um, hotels didn't come up once. Now, fast forward to the age of AI, because you can learn so much from AI and you can get so much domain information, subject matter information from AI tools, we really need to focus on your excellence. And I talk a lot about this in the book. When you focus on the things you're good at, your core, understanding the core of your skill sets. Are you a great communicator? Are you awesome with numbers? You know, are you excellent in strategy? Are you great with people? Those are all role agnostic. And so the the time to be concerned about moving step by step, you know, I'm a coordinator, then I should go for a manager, senior manager, those times are over. When you feel that you have done all you can and should do in a certain role, be it one year or two years, you look at your next opportunity. Do I need to gain a skill? Do I need to learn something different? If I'm in marketing right now, should I get something in HR? We need to really, you know, remove the constraints of moving step by step and think holistically. And what I really focus on in the book is what's your end goal? My end goal is I wanted to be in the C-suite. So that's that's all I knew. I didn't know what C-suite role it was, but I wanted to be in the C-suite. And so I gathered skill sets based on that objective. And I went forward in my career, backwards in my career, sideways in my career, collecting skills. And I was never concerned with whether I was moving up from the optics um level by level. And now in the age of AI, it's even easier to do that, and we need to focus on that because at the end of the day, you've got to be, you know, career focused and job agnostic. Particular jobs no longer matter, you have to focus on your career.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Love that. Okay, so you knew where you wanted to get to and and and you went for it. You you didn't um recoil when you thought, okay, well, I don't, I don't, I'm not an expert in hospitality. Um, but you know, that I know my core set ski skill set is here. However, to help you overcome any concerns, fears, in your experience, did did you have mentors around you, people that you could go to and say, you know what, I'm looking at this role. I I realize I don't tick every box, but I I I know that I can, you know, that the core of that job description, I can I can I can absolutely do that. So, you know, can you help me fill the gaps around that? What what what's been your experience as as you've climbed the career ladder?

Mentors, Mindset, And Solving Problems

SPEAKER_03 14:58

Yeah, and what's interesting, I I I have a different answer that is unique. It was my mother in the way I was raised. I I was raised to believe that there was nothing that I couldn't do, nothing I couldn't accomplish. If I was seven years old and said I wanted to be, you know, an astrophysicist, you know, I'd get a book called Fun with Photons, you know, the next day. You know, there so I never ever felt I that I couldn't do something. So I think the most important thing, you not all not everyone has mentors, and sometimes you're the only one in your company who knows how great you are, and you might not have the resources at home, you might not have the friends or the team. The most important thing is understanding that who you are is most important, and you're only constrained by your own belief in yourself. I totally believe that. And so for me, I just always understood that at the end of the day, we're all you know equal human beings. No one's better than me. It doesn't matter what room I'm in. Although I did have a bit of imposter syndrome for a minute. Um, I talk about that in my book as well. But at the end of the day, it's understanding we all have fears. We all have concerns, we are all afraid, we are all, you know, the matter all the way up to the C-suite, you know, people are petrified. And so when you understand that, that everybody's afraid, it should make you less fearful to take a leap. The the key is understanding, you know, what fear or pain or concern is the job of the hiring manager looking to solve. That's what you need to focus on. And if you can solve those things, it usually doesn't matter, you know, how much specific um experience you have in that thing. It's can you solve that problem? That was true, you know, 10 years ago, and in the age of AI is still the same. Can you solve problems? Most important skill set.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

You make everything sound so straightforward.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

I thought a lot about this, Bill.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

This is why the math is buy your books, Valerie. This listen to the reason. Um, okay, two more questions for you before we wrap up. The the next one I think it'd be good maybe if we can um offer a couple of practical takeaways we like to leave on this show. So, in terms of the the Quantum Leap edition, you you introduced the Thrive framework with capabilities like prompt engineering, strategic thinking at scale, and data fluency. For HR and business leaders who are listening to this episode today, uh, as we look to wrap up, can you maybe leave uh leave them with um uh your your thoughts around which which of those capabilities is uh most urgently missing today and how how can we how how can we build them fast?

Urgent Skills: Data And Prompts

SPEAKER_03 17:36

For for an HR leader for themselves, the key skill you need is data fluency. It's the thing we least probably cared about coming up in our careers, the thing we usually relied on the CFO or the finance team to focus on. Right now, companies expect us to have data fluency. And so really truly make your peace. And don't think of it in terms of numbers or financials, but think of it in terms of what information do I need to have? And what information do I need to ensure that the C suite or the VPs that I'm supporting needs to have in order to make decisions? So you've got to make your peace with data. That's that that's number one. And for those of us who again came up, you know, wanting to work with people, thinking about emotions and caring and concerning about individuals, we've got to you know split that in half a little bit. Data fluency is key. The other thing is prompt engineering. I know people talk about prompt engineering a lot. People think they understand how to do it, they really don't. If your prompt isn't four or five paragraphs long, it's probably not gonna get you the answer or response that you need. So really becoming as you know, masterful, skillful in prompt engineering is really mission critical. So I think if you do those two things, make your peace with data, you you you you should be the one who is first with the data, and then second, understanding how to ask great questions of the four tools, and the four tools that I you know continue to talk about are you know, Claude, Chat, Gemini, and Grok. You need to use all four because they each four have different um capabilities. You do those two things, you're gonna put yourself to be you know 10x um in the next month.

SPEAKER_02 19:16

I fear my prompts are not long enough, given what you did.

SPEAKER_03 19:19

They're probably not. You probably get and you get lousy answers and then you get mad at the chat tool because you're like, what are you talking about? This is a terrible answer. And if the AI tool could answer, they say, Well, you gave me a terrible prompt.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

I don't know if you mentioned perplexity there, but I'm a big fan of perplexity as well.

SPEAKER_03 19:36

So I just throw that away into the perplexity is in my book, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

Valerie, before we before we wrap up for today, how can our listeners connect with you? Is that LinkedIn? Do you want to share your email address? I bet you're super cool on other on uh the other socials, such as Instagram. Um, and of course, how can folks get a copy of your book?

Connect With Valerie And Book Details

SPEAKER_03 19:53

Okay, well, talk about how to reach me. I'm Valerie Capers Workman everywhere. I'm on LinkedIn, I'm on Instagram, I'm on TikTok, I'm uh interestingly, I am uh Q progression on uh on uh X. So, but Valerie Capers Workman virtually everywhere. Um, and if you want to get the real business side of me, it's LinkedIn. If you want to get a little bit more, you know, nitty-gritty, you're you're gonna get me on Instagram. I get deeper. And then if you want the book, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, everywhere online where books are sold. It's called Quantum Reggression, uh, the Art and Science of Career Advancement in the Age of AI, the Quantum Leap Edition. Long title, it's the only book you're gonna need for 2026 in terms of your career. I promise you. I promise you.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

All right. Well, that just leaves me to say, Valerie, I'm gonna be bothering you to come back on the show again. Um awesome first time. Um, but for today, thank you very much for joining me on the show. Thanks for having me. Thank you, everybody. And listeners, as always, until next time, happy working.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show. If you enjoyed this episode, why not subscribe and listen to some of the hundreds of episodes published by HR Gazette? And remember, for what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media, and visit hrgazette.com.