Laszlo Bock on Becoming a Courageous, Data-Driven HR Leader
On this episode of Redefining Work, I’m joined by Laszlo Bock, co-founder of the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Academy, former people operations leader at Google and one of the most influential voices in HR. Laszlo’s groundbreaking approach to values-based leadership, scaling culture and data-driven HR has shaped how organizations worldwide think about people operations.
From his days pioneering people analytics to mentoring the next generation of HR leaders, Laszlo brings fresh, actionable insights that will inspire you to think differently about the future of work.
Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned professional, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on courage, culture, and the evolving role of HR.
You can also listen to/share the episode directly from any of these channels: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Music
Find the Courage to Lead With Your Values
In today’s complex business environment, HR leaders are often asked to navigate competing priorities and polarized debates. Laszlo dives into what it means to show up as a values-driven leader, even when it’s challenging.
“You have to decide whether your values are things that really matter to you, and you’re going to protect the people in your organization or fight for them, or not,” he says. But Laszlo emphasizes that courage doesn’t mean fighting every battle — it’s about picking the moments that matter most.
To help leaders make these decisions, Laszlo highlights a practical framework some companies use: mapping issues based on their importance to employees and business outcomes. By prioritizing clarity and alignment, HR can lead with purpose while avoiding unnecessary noise. His message is clear: know what you stand for and use that as your anchor in uncertain times.
Scale Culture Without Compromising What You Stand For
As organizations grow, maintaining a cohesive and meaningful culture becomes one of the most complex challenges for HR leaders. Drawing on his time at Google, Laszlo shares how the company scaled its values-driven culture across global teams. And the size of the workforce, he says, isn’t the biggest challenge when it comes to maintaining culture. No matter how large your workforce is, it’s leadership that makes all the difference.
“Your constraining factor when it comes to keeping a great culture is having leaders who have … a clear set of values and ability to articulate — and the courage to do so,” he explains. Google’s culture was strong enough to transcend local differences — whether in Tokyo or Barcelona, employees still felt like they were part of the same company.
Laszlo’s advice for scaling culture? Focus on clarity and consistency. Leaders who model core values ensure those values are reinforced in every decision and interaction. If you have a clearly defined North Star, he suggests, your culture can evolve without losing its heart.
Lean on Data to Turn Insights Into Action
Laszlo transformed the field of HR by introducing scientific rigor to processes like hiring, performance management and organizational design. This approach, which started with the creation of Google’s People Analytics team, is now a benchmark for HR functions worldwide. That’s elevated HR as a function, and given HR leaders more opportunities to do great work.
“The advice I would have to people in the field is, the way you amass power — and power is important because it lets you do good — the way you amass power and influence in these jobs is you have to have data and science on your side,” Laszlo says. “And data and science is just another word for the truth.”
For example, Google’s research showed that four structured interviews are optimal for predicting candidate success, and that 1.5-2 days working from home per week promotes employee happiness and productivity. “Think about what analyses you can do, what experiments you can do, that then give you the authority to lead from the heart and be courageous and do the right things for your people,” Laszlo says.
Laszlo challenges HR leaders to embrace experimentation as a tool for progress. By testing, measuring, and iterating, you can improve your processes and make more confident decisions that drive organizational success.
In this episode, Laszlo shows us that transformative leadership starts with courage, thrives on clarity, and scales through data and values. Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, Laszlo’s insights offer a powerful roadmap for building better workplaces and leading with purpose in an ever-changing world.
People in This Episode
Laszlo Bock: LinkedIn
Resources
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