Maxim Williams
Vice President of Global Culture and Belonging
Autodesk
Episode 45
Unlock Peak Performance: Culture's Strategic Edge in an AI-Driven World
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleSeptember 25, 2025 · 18:40
Thesis
“A well-defined and intentionally evolved company culture, underpinned by clear values, continuous learning, and an embrace of failure, is essential for driving organizational performance, innovation, and ultimately, a better world.”
Show notes
In this episode of the Built by People Podcast, Maxim Williams, the Vice President of Global Culture and Belonging at Autodesk, shares his extensive career journey and insights on leadership, culture, and the importance of learning from failures. He discusses the recent cultural transformation at Autodesk, the challenges faced in a volatile world, and the significance of upskilling in AI. Maxim emphasizes the need for curiosity and community building in the workplace, and he reflects on the legacy he hopes to leave as an HR leader.
Key Takeaways
- Maxim's career spans various industries, including tech and healthcare.
- He emphasizes the importance of culture in organizations.
- Failure can be a powerful teacher and should be embraced.
- Cultural transformation requires collaboration and input from all levels.
- Simplicity in values can lead to better employee engagement.
- Curiosity and continuous learning are essential for effective leadership.
- Building community is crucial in a hybrid work environment.
- Maxim believes in leaving a legacy of service and support.
- Understanding the business is critical for HR leaders.
- A global mindset is necessary for navigating modern challenges.
Chapters
00:00 Maxim's Career Journey
02:57 Defining Moments in Leadership
06:33 Embracing Failure and Learning
08:31 Cultural Transformation at Autodesk
10:29 Navigating Challenges in a Volatile World
12:44 Upskilling in AI and Building Community
14:58 Legacy and Values in HR Leadership
17:18 Advice for the HR Community
What you'll take away
- 1Embrace failure as a profound teacher, extracting wisdom to enrich future endeavors and avoid repeating mistakes.
- 2Cultivate a continuous 'learning and curiosity mode' as a fundamental leadership trait, especially in navigating rapid technological shifts like AI and global volatility.
- 3View company culture as a strategic asset; its intentional evolution, distilled into clear values, can significantly impact talent attraction, performance, and innovation.
- 4HR leaders must deepen their business acumen, understanding global contexts and how HR initiatives directly contribute to overall business objectives.
- 5Prioritize intentional community building, utilizing both virtual and in-person opportunities to foster connections and a sense of belonging in hybrid work environments.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Maxim advocates for openly discussing and learning from failures, contrasting with the common aversion to acknowledging setbacks, stating, 'Failure is the greatest teacher if you're willing to actually learn from it and be humbled by it.'
- •He suggests moving beyond the overused term 'innovation' to 'ingenious,' which implies actively imagining possibilities, testing, and being comfortable with failure as the true fuel for creative breakthroughs.
In Maxim's words
“Failure is the greatest teacher if you're willing to actually learn from it and be humbled by it.”
This quote highlights his perspective on learning from setbacks, which he identified as a career-defining moment.
“Previous versions of our articulation had great words in it, but a lot of words, right? It almost had like a buffet style in terms of culture, whereas this is like, no, these are the 6 things that matter most.”
This emphasizes the importance of clarity and focus in defining company values for greater impact and memorability.
“You shouldn't have to say these things out loud. You should through our behaviors really demonstrate these things.”
This stresses that company values should be lived and experienced through actions rather than merely stated, linking culture to customer perception.
“If I'm not learning, I'm not leading, right? Learning is the new leading in my point of view.”
This emphasizes the critical role of continuous curiosity and upskilling for modern HR leaders, especially amidst rapid change.
“We spend a lot of time at work. Most of us spend more time at work than we do with our families. And so if I have a hand in making that experience better for Autodeskers, for employees, for anybody on my team, I will feel like I've done a good job.”
This reveals his personal motivation as an HR leader to improve the daily work experience for others.
“And I think through that work, I'm hoping that it outlasts me, you know, so I move on from Autodesk, but the work remains and people still feel moved by it to do their best their life's best work.”
This shows his long-term vision and desire for a lasting impact on company culture beyond his tenure.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations struggle to define clear, actionable values, often presenting a 'buffet style' culture that lacks focus and memorability for employees.
- •Leaders find it challenging to maintain effective leadership and servant leadership principles amidst constant global volatility and ambiguity.
- •DEI initiatives face increased volatility and uncertainty, requiring innovative, globally-minded approaches to foster belonging.
- •Hybrid work environments make replicating the spontaneous, in-person community building challenging, necessitating intentional strategies for connection.
- •The rapid pace of technological change (e.g., AI) creates an ongoing need for leaders and teams to constantly upskill and adapt.
- •HR leaders often need to improve their ability to connect their expertise directly to business outcomes and demonstrate tangible impact on customer experience.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Max Maxim is the Vice President of Global Culture and Belonging at Autodesk
Top Executives on Their Career Journey
I was hoping you could tell us about a career-defining moment
Top Executives: Career
Max says failure is the greatest teacher if you're willing to learn from it
The Importance of Failure at Autodesk
Autodesk launched a values refresh in April; early indicators are positive
Autodesk's Values Refresh
Maxim: The constant pace at which things are changing is a challenge
The Challenge of Leading in an Uncertain World
Maxim shares his process for upskilling in AI and also building community
Autodesk CEO on Upskilling in AI & Building Community
Maxim Chan: I joined Autodesk because of its mission
WSJD Live: The Legacy of Autodesk HR
Maxim recommends getting to know the business as much as possible
Maxim's last words
Maxim, thank you so much for joining us on the Built by People podcast
Built by People Podcast
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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