In this episode we talk about the ripple effects of microaggressions, forgotten voices, and how one Fortune 50 company accidentally created a leadership vacuum by cutting its campus recruiting program. William Tincup and Ryan Leary sit down with Heather Jerrehian from ServiceNow and Yaz Dalal from Joveo at the Fama booth at HR Tech to unpack how culture is built or broken in the small moments.
Key Takeaways
Microaggressions in meetings may seem small, but they erode confidence fast
Speaking over someone or repeating their idea louder is a form of cultural rot
Leaders must amplify marginalized voices — it only takes one to set the tone
Heather shares how ServiceNow's "People Pact" empowers peer-level accountability
Yaz recounts a Fortune 50 company that cut campus hiring for two years during a recession
That one cost-cutting move created a 12-year leadership void in their most strategic groups
Culture is what you reward and what you punish — and what you allow
The middle managers you ignore are actually the keepers of your company’s DNA
Psychological safety and inclusion must be modeled from the top
Pulling ideas from quiet voices can completely change product strategy
Small moments like asking for input or crediting ideas shape long-term engagement
Companies must think long-term about talent pipelines and internal mobility
This limited series is brought to you by FAMA, Modern Candidate Screening. Talent teams use FAMA to improve candidate quality, create safe and inclusive workplaces and place the right leadership for their organizations.
You can subscribe and listen to the #9to5Nightmares podcast here https://fama.io/podcasts or here
Chapters
00:00 Live at the Fama booth with ServiceNow and Jovio
01:00 Microaggressions in meetings and the cost of silence
03:00 The power of amplification and leadership modeling
05:00 How a quiet comment changed Dirt Devil’s product strategy
07:00 Building culture through consistent behavior and accountability
09:00 Why structure and tone in meetings matter
10:00 The “People Pact” at ServiceNow
11:00 How cutting campus hiring caused a 12-year talent gap
12:30 Why middle managers matter more than we think
13:00 What Heather and Yaz hope to take from HR Tech
Guest Info
Heather Jerrehian, VP of Product Management & Employee Workflows at ServiceNow
Website: https://www.servicenow.com
Yaz Dalal, Chief Growth Officer at Jovio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yazdalal
Website: https://www.jovio.com
Connect with us
William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup
Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary
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