Diane Sanford
Chief People Officer
Unleashed Brands
Episode 142
Trust & Purpose: Architecting High-Performing Cultures for a New Generation
Current chapter: This podcast is presented by Previ. Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern among employees
Built By PeopleJune 18, 2025 · 9:09
Thesis
“Fostering a foundation of trust and clarity is paramount for creating best-in-class workplace cultures that enable employees, particularly younger generations, to thrive and connect their work to a larger purpose, while strategically leveraging technology to enhance human connection.”
Show notes
Millennials and Gen Z, Diane Sanford observes, are asking the workplace to do something it was never originally designed to do — provide community, meaning, and a sense of belonging. They're expecting what previous generations got from their neighborhoods, their churches, their civic organizations. Whether you find this inspiring or exhausting, it's the reality. And Diane, CPO at Unleashed Brands, has built her entire people strategy around meeting that expectation with intention rather than resentment.
Her framework starts at the foundation: trust. Not as a culture-deck aspiration, but as an operational prerequisite. Without it, everything downstream — engagement programs, development initiatives, flexibility policies — sits on unstable ground. At Unleashed Brands, she pairs that foundation with a relentless emphasis on clarity: clear expectations, clear career paths, clear connection between an employee's daily work and the organization's larger mission. It's the work that most organizations claim to do and few actually do well.
Her take on AI is grounded and forward-leaning without being breathless: technology's highest value in HR isn't automation for its own sake, but creating space for more and better human connection. Freed from administrative overhead, HR leaders can do the thing that matters most — actually understanding their people. And her meditation on mentorship is personal: "Use your influence to help others rise." It's the kind of simple, portable wisdom that tends to show up in careers that actually mean something.
- Trust and clarity as cultural foundations — why these two elements determine everything else downstream
- Meeting the Gen Z and millennial expectation of purpose — connecting daily work to the organization's mission
- Personalized development for a new generation — stretch goals, mentorship, and career paths that earn loyalty
- AI as a tool for human connection — automating the administrative to amplify the relational
- Mentorship and influence as leadership responsibilities — what it means to use your position to help others rise
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What you'll take away
- 1Establish trust and clarity as non-negotiable foundational elements for a resilient and thriving workplace culture.
- 2Develop personalized career paths, mentorship programs, and stretch goals to meet the high growth and impact expectations of millennials and Gen Z.
- 3Connect employees' daily tasks to the organization's overarching mission to foster an emotional connection, thereby increasing engagement and retention.
- 4Utilize AI to automate administrative HR tasks, freeing up HR professionals to focus more deeply on human connection, culture building, and employee understanding.
- 5Adopt a mentorship approach that prioritizes listening, honest feedback, and empowering individuals to unlock their potential and confidence.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Traditional 'work-life balance' is a misnomer; instead, leaders should provide a framework for employees to align their time with their personal priorities.
- •AI will not replace humans in HR; rather, it offers the opportunity to create more space for genuine human connection by automating routine tasks.
In Diane's words
“The foundational element in the workplace to me is trust. And so I think that's the piece of the culture where you have to start.”
This quote highlights trust as the absolute prerequisite for building any successful workplace culture.
“Millennials and Gen Z are looking for growth and impact and a sense of belonging. So they're looking to the workplace place to give them things that they historically got from their social groups or their community. And they expect that from day one.”
This defines the unique and demanding expectations younger generations bring to the workplace, impacting retention strategies.
“AI is absolutely reshaping how we work. I don't think it replaces the human being, though. I think the real opportunity for HR or people in my job is to use technology to create more space for connection.”
This offers a forward-thinking, human-centric perspective on integrating AI into HR, emphasizing connection over replacement.
“My belief around mentoring and the role that I play is I'm there to listen, I'm there to give honest feedback, and I'm there to help people find what they're responsible for so that they can reach their potential and be their best selves.”
This provides a clear, actionable philosophy for effective and empowering mentorship.
“Don't wait for someone to hand you the perfect opportunity. Build your skills. Create value where you are and surround yourself with people who challenge and support you. And if you are in a leadership role, I would say use your influence to create space for other people. Help someone else rise.”
This powerful advice encourages proactive career development and highlights the importance of leaders empowering others.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Struggling to meet the high expectations of growth, impact, and belonging from millennials and Gen Z, leading to retention challenges.
- •Difficulty in shifting from generic training programs to personalized development tracks that truly resonate with individual career aspirations.
- •The challenge of integrating new technologies like AI without dehumanizing the employee experience or losing vital human connection.
- •Establishing and maintaining foundational trust and clarity across an organization, particularly when leadership communication is perceived as misaligned.
- •Developing flexible frameworks for work-life integration that move beyond the traditional, often unrealistic, concept of 'work-life balance'.
In this episode
This podcast is presented by Previ. Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern among employees
Built by People
As Chief People Officer of Unleashed Brands, you focus on helping employees thrive
Top Executives: The Workplace Experience
Building best-in-class workplace cultures requires trust and clarity
What Makes a Best-in-Class Workplace Culture?
Diane: The pandemic reshaped workplace priorities at Unleashed Brands
Employee Development Programs evolve to meet the demands of Millennials and Gen
With AI and other technological advancements, what challenges do HR leaders face
Human Connectivity in an AI World
Diane, what parting advice would you like to share with our community
A message from Diane Lockhart
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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