SummaryHow do you build a people strategy for a high-trust, high-stakes environment where your “customers” are caregivers? Colette Brown, Chief Human Resources Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital, shares how her team centers HR on mission, fixes pay with data, and uses practical AI to return time to human moments. With strong alignment from CEO Carol Gomes, Colette led a compensation overhaul grounded in market reviews and role prioritization—driving vacancy down from 18% to 3%, turnover from 22% to 7%, and engagement from the 7th to the 55th percentile. She unpacks how Stony Brook avoids the “poof, you’re a leader” trap with hands-on manager development, a prescriptive 90-day onboarding and buddy program, and a culture of gratitude—right down to a dedicated Resilience Room. Colette also details where AI already works in healthcare HR and clinical workflows: policy analysis, job descriptions, tone checks, and ambient scribes that improve listening while preserving human review. She closes with hiring for values and aptitude (teach the rest) and a coaching approach that targets behaviors—not attitudes—so leaders build performance and dignity at the same time.Timestamps[00:45] – Guest intro and the reality of “caring for the caregivers”[03:45] – Centering HR on mission: linking engagement to patient experience[07:10] – Compensation overhaul: market reviews, prioritization, and leadership alignment[10:10] – Results from pay investments: vacancy, turnover, and engagement turnarounds[12:33] – From star clinician to capable manager: building real leadership development[14:52] – Culture that sticks: 90-day onboarding, gratitude, and the Resilience Room[17:25] – Practical AI: policy analysis, job descriptions, and ambient scribes with human review[25:21] – Coach behaviors, not attitudes: “pinpointing” to drive changeTakeaways- Anchor HR decisions to mission and patient experience to sustain alignment and energy.- Fix pay first: run market reviews, prioritize high-impact roles, and secure CEO/CFO sponsorship.- Replace “poof, you’re a leader” with structured, hands-on manager training and clear expectations.- Design culture into the first 90 days—buddy programs, frequent check-ins, and visible recognition.- Use AI to shed tedium (policy comparisons, JDs, tone checks) and adopt ambient scribes to improve listening—always with human validation.- Hire for values, curiosity, and aptitude; teach the rest. Coach on observed behaviors, not attitudes, to improve performance with dignity.SponsorWisq introduces Harper, the world's first AI HR generalist designed to act like a virtual HR generalist for every employee. No more waiting on emails or digging through policies—Harper gives your team instant answers to HR questions, helps them navigate benefits and policies, and even routes more complex cases to the right person.By handling the repetitive requests, Harper frees up your HR team to focus on strategy and people, while ensuring employees always feel supported. It’s a smarter, more consistent way to deliver HR services at scale.See Harper in action at https://www.wisq.com/ (00:45) - Guest intro and the reality of caring for the caregivers (03:45) - Centering HR on mission: linking engagement to patient experience (07:10) - Compensation overhaul: market reviews, prioritization, and leadership alignment (10:10) - Results from pay investments: vacancy, turnover, and engagement turnarounds (12:33) - From star clinician to capable manager: building real leadership development (14:52) - Culture that sticks: 90-day onboarding, gratitude, and the Resilience Room (17:25) - Practical AI: policy analysis, job descriptions, and ambient scribes with human review (25:21) - Coach behaviors: building performance and dignity at the same time