Welcome to a brand new episode of Voice Activated: Tuning Employee Insights At Work. Our host Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of TalentMap, is joined by Ken Finneran about why intentional listening is the most underestimated leadership skill in an AI-accelerated world. Ken shares tactical frameworks, such as the 90-second rule, demonstrating how curiosity-driven leadership, people-centered AI transformation, and unlocking employee voice can enhance trust, performance, and organizational impact.

What You’ll Learn:

How to reframe "soft skills" as "power skills" that directly drive profitability, people retention, and productivity metrics.
The 90-second rule for accelerated decision-making: Give employees 90 seconds of undivided attention without distractions.
Why ego and internal narrative are the biggest barriers to effective listening.
How to shift from directive to curiosity-based questions that unlock insight instead of compliance.
The three-part framework for successful AI transformation: Technology alone fails; you need technical implementation, process redesign, AND people/change management.
How AI is fundamentally reinventing the HR function, from one-time annual surveys to real-time engagement tracking embedded in actual work.
The counterintuitive truth about speed in high-growth environments: Slowing down to listen now prevents costly rework later
How to adopt mass personalization in learning and development, using AI to customize training examples to individual interests.
The one habit that transforms leadership during change:

Ken Finneran is a Global HR Executive and Talent Partner at Brightstar AI with 15+ years of experience transforming high-velocity organizations, including eMed and Kaseya. He specializes in organizational development, change management, and AI-driven talent strategy. Renowned for championing a shift from answer-focused to curiosity-led leadership, Ken helps companies bridge technology, process, and people, equipping organizations to thrive through complex, AI-enabled transformation.

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Highlights and YouTube Chapters:

[00:00] Intro
[00:33] Welcome to Voice Activated
[00:03:14] Reframe "Soft Skills" as "Power Skills" to Drive Business Metrics
[00:06:18] Bridge Strategy and Frontline Insight Through Leader Coaches
[00:09:39] Build Trust Through Consistent Human Action and Coaching Culture
[00:13:26] Replace Directive Questions with Curiosity-Based Questions
[00:16:51] Overcome Ego and Internal Narrative to Listen With Intent
[00:21:20] AI Implementation Requires Technology, Process, and People Alignment
[00:27:57] HR's Opportunity to Reinvent Work Through AI Transformation
[00:35:30] Real-Time Engagement Intelligence and Mass Personalization Examples
[00:39:50] Prioritize Listening Over Speed to Accelerate Performance
[00:43:33] The 90-Second Rule: Undivided Attention Accelerates Decisions
[00:46:52] Shift From Answer Mode to Curiosity and Inquiry Mode
[00:47:30] Key Takeaways: Listen, Lead, and Transform

Quotes:

"The real power in leadership isn't around knowing the answers. It's really around learning how to ask better questions and really listen with intent and purpose to the people you're asking those questions of."
"The best way that I know of how to bridge the gap between strategy and frontline insights is by training, teaching, and encouraging leaders within the organization to become leader coaches."
"Trust is built over time through repeated observance of human actions. So leaders just need to remember to be human first."
"Slowing down to listen now prevents you from slowing down later to fix and rework what you missed earlier."

Episode Resources:

Ken Finneran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-finneran/
Brightstar.ai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightstarai/
Sean Fitzpatrick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-j-fitzpatrick/?originalSubdomain=ca
TalentMap Website: https://talentmap.com/

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