Georgie Speakman
0:06 Hello and welcome back to another episode of Unfiltered. (0:11) I am your host Georgie Speakman. (0:13) And this week's guest is a revered, best-selling co-author of mine, Daria Rudnik. (0:21) Daria is a team architect and executive leadership coach and a former chief people officer with (0:28) Deloitte. (0:29) She brings over 15 years of international experience in tech and telecom, to name a few spaces. (0:37) She's lived in over three different countries and is currently based in Israel today, which (0:42) is very exciting to me. (0:45) I've visited Israel personally and absolutely love the country and has worked with clients (0:49) over six different continents. (0:52) Daria has helped advise leaders and organizations, Navigator, and this part I love, Global Financial (0:58) Crisis, war, and the COVID-19 pandemic and much more. (1:04) So I want to welcome you to the show, Daria. (1:07) I'm really excited to dive into your chapter today and just learn more about you and (1:11) share your entire journey and sort of experience with the audience. (1:15) So how are you?
Daria Rudnik 
(1:17) Well, thank you, Georgie. (1:18) It's great being here. (1:19) Thanks for inviting me. (1:20) I'm very excited about having this conversation with you. (1:23) Just a little remark. (1:24) I studied my career in Deloitte and then moved to chief people officer mostly to (1:28) tech and telecom companies. (1:29) Deloitte is an amazing company, unfortunately. (1:32) I'd love to be chief people officer there, but it is.
Georgie Speakman
(1:35) But you're you mean you're working with your own AI company today, aren't you? (1:40) Yeah, that's yeah, which is really, really exciting. (1:43) Exciting. So you what I find fascinating because, you know, we see so many, you know, (1:50) crazy narratives all over the news. (1:54) You've relocated. (1:56) You've immigrated from Russia over to Israel. (1:59) That's two very powerful, poignant countries with a lot of controversy (2:05) surrounding them at this time. (2:08) You were born and raised in Russia. (2:10) Tell us a little bit about what this transition has been like and how this (2:14) has impacted your career and your footprint in technology and all the (2:19) rest, because the likes of tech, you know, just a little context. (2:24) I've read Dan Senya's Startup Nation, the book Startup Nation. (2:29) I don't know if you're familiar with it. (2:31) And that that really exposed me many over over 10 years ago, closer to 15 (2:37) years ago now, actually, and was actually 15 years ago to the startup world. (2:43) Technology world of Israel still have not visited Russia. (2:46) But talk to us a little bit about all of that journey and how it's impacted (2:51) you and your career.
Daria Rudnik
(2:52) Oh, thanks. (2:54) You know, that was kind of a break up. (2:55) So I kind of didn't hear the whole question.
Georgie Speakman
(2:57) OK, I was just it did break up a little bit. (3:00) And I was like, God, I hope that's not me, you. (3:02) I don't know. We can only rely on it to some extent. (3:08) I was just saying, I'm so fascinated by your journey. (3:11) You've lived in two very powerful countries and nations being Russia (3:15) and Israel. And obviously we see all over the news, like, you know, so much (3:19) controversy surrounding these countries. (3:21) And it seems a little bit scary for I'm sure a lot of people on the global stage (3:25) that are not familiar with a living in or having anything to do with the (3:29) likes of a Russia or an Israel. (3:32) I've as I shared with you already spent time, I spent a month in Israel (3:35) back in 2011, around 11, 11, 11, funnily enough. (3:39) And I had read Dan Senya's Startup Capital, Startup Nation, the book, (3:43) and and was I had the privilege of actually meeting some of the (3:47) technology leads out of the book on a berry and some others. (3:53) So I was curious to hear and learn more about how your journey (3:57) from Russia to Israel has been like, how has it impacted and influenced (4:01) your career? You know, the differences in technological sort of landscape (4:06) ecosystems, footprints and all that kind of stuff.
Daria Rudnik
(4:10) Thanks. I mean, I moved from Russia three years, two or three years ago, (4:16) but I was actually was born in the Soviet Union. (4:19) I'm that old. So I kind of remember that time. (4:26) I remember that time. (4:28) I remember the huge shift from how it was in the Soviet Union (4:33) to kind of be more democratic culture and country. (4:36) And then kind of, again, slowing down into the opposite direction again. (4:43) So those major shifts in a huge country (4:51) and my hopes of kind of the countries going, we're going global, (4:55) we're going interconnected with other countries. (4:58) I went, I visited the US and it was amazing. (5:00) And I kind of oh, I was so inspired by everything like that. (5:03) And then it kind of turned in a different direction. (5:05) And what I realized for myself is what I can do (5:12) is helping people feel good at work and produce something good. (5:16) And I'm really proud about so many companies in Russia (5:20) who embrace the idea of self-managed steel organizations, (5:26) where companies are driven by mission, (5:29) where they create an atmosphere and culture where people can thrive (5:34) and kind of work and produce amazing results for their customers, (5:37) focusing on human to human connections. (5:39) There was a huge kind of a decent movement there (5:45) with lots of companies embracing that approach. (5:47) And with that, we thought we'll do what we can do (5:52) despite everything that's going on globally. (5:55) And now I think it's even more important (5:57) with the cataclysm and wars and conflicts (6:00) happening and popping up everywhere. (6:02) Well, what we can do is we can help each other feel good (6:07) and do what we can do best and thrive, (6:10) no matter what's going on out there.
Georgie Speakman
(6:13) Yes, come back to the basics of humanity, love and compassion. (6:18) And you, funnily enough, speak a lot about that. (6:21) Well, more so about EQ in the environment (6:24) of artificial intelligence there. (6:27) So I love that you have that perspective (6:29) because I think we're all just going haywire (6:32) and off the wall. (6:33) But if we actually just come back to some of our basic human truths (6:36) of having love and compassion for ourselves (6:38) and in turn, one another that we can probably actually quite easily (6:42) get through any of these like sort of hardships and adversities (6:46) that a lot of places, spaces, people, cultures, countries (6:49) and nationalities are experiencing to in most instances, (6:56) obviously with war, which is an area you've worked in, (6:59) which is so fascinating to me. (7:01) And I want to dive into a bit more of that. (7:04) Obviously, in some instances, (7:05) it's obviously proven to be very challenging. (7:07) So I'm curious to understand (7:10) because there's been offshore teams (7:12) and a lot of groups have used, (7:13) whether it's out of Russia or the Ukraine. (7:16) And then when I visited Israel, for example, (7:18) I met a lot of technology leads and teams (7:20) that had their own businesses, (7:23) like staffing businesses and all that kind of stuff. (7:26) What would you sort of, (7:28) what's the take in perspective on the tech and AI (7:31) sort of ecosystems and the differences (7:34) between the likes of Russia and Israel? (7:37) Is one country, do you feel ahead of the other? (7:41) Are they on a similar path or journey, (7:44) all that kind of stuff? (7:45) Do they have a different like, you know, (7:46) styles of thinking or ways of operating, et cetera? (7:49) I'm very curious to hear your thoughts.
Daria Rudnik
(7:52) Well, that's an interesting question. (7:55) I don't think you have a direct answer. (7:57) So I kind of, what I see is not as much of technology, (8:00) but kind of big organizational culture (8:03) and how they're shifting and developing. (8:05) And from, and they're absolutely different. (8:08) I mean, the different culturally, (8:10) like culture, Israeli culture is very direct, very open. (8:14) You can, people say what they think. (8:16) They can be kind of harsh. (8:18) In Russia, there's a hierarchy. (8:20) People also say, what do you think? (8:22) But I'll like top down more than bottom up. (8:27) But again, in terms of how the cultures are built, (8:32) what I see is again, in Israel, (8:36) it's a lot about producing results, it's about speed. (8:39) It's a lot about speed. (8:41) Show me the results, show me the money right now, (8:43) give me this. (8:44) And I guess that's the reason we have so many startups (8:48) acquired by multinational grade companies (8:51) because they can show great results. (8:55) But that comes at a cost (8:56) because people can't show constantly great results. (8:59) They're very now, they're tired. (9:01) And there was a lot of like turnover people, (9:04) living companies, starting their own consultancy, (9:07) freelancing, then coming back to companies (9:09) and kind of people going back and forth. (9:12) Where in Russia you have, (9:14) it's now it's moving towards huge corporations, (9:18) less of a small, smaller medium sized businesses. (9:21) It's kind of more going into the huge corporations at that. (9:26) However, they try to speed up (9:28) and how many like digital transformation projects they have, (9:33) they still huge, very hard to move companies. (9:38) But in terms of technology and banking, (9:41) they managed to create to achieve some very great. (9:44) I love Russian banking. (9:46) I mean, I love it. (9:47) I think it's the best in the world.
Georgie Speakman
(9:49) Wow, wow.
Daria Rudnik
(9:50) You can say you can send money to another person with a click.
Georgie Speakman
(9:54) Right, right, right. (9:55) It's all those cultural nuances (9:57) that I personally find to be incredibly fascinating. (10:03) I just, I love learning about, (10:05) I think having that curiosity is great (10:08) because it leads to interesting conversations (10:10) when you ask certain questions. (10:13) But you're in Israel now (10:15) and just outside of Tel Aviv. (10:18) How is the climate there to your knowledge and experience?
Daria Rudnik
(10:25) Well, when you go to Tel Aviv and different meetups, (10:29) it's life. (10:30) I mean, again, like I said, people, (10:32) what actually struck me the most is when I see people (10:36) and they just say, hey, I quit my job, (10:38) I started my new startup. (10:39) What? (10:40) Like a startup, it's a huge thing. (10:43) It's heavy. (10:43) You need to have, I don't know, a team. (10:45) You need to have money. (10:47) You need to have an amazing idea that will pay off. (10:50) Amazing marketing strategy. (10:52) Amazing marketing. (10:52) And people just, they just do stuff and it's incredible. (10:56) And they fail and it's also great. (11:00) And no one is afraid of failing. (11:02) And failing is not something, a bad thing. (11:04) It's a learning opportunity. (11:06) I mean, that's just so incredible. (11:09) That's, yeah.
Georgie Speakman
(11:10) I love that. (11:12) I love hearing about, you know, that sort of journey. (11:17) I myself have worked with many, many startups now (11:19) and can relate to the success, (11:21) but very much the failure as well, (11:22) whether it's been in or outside of my control. (11:25) But I love that about that hunger and drive. (11:29) But I'm also curious from a cultural standpoint. (11:32) So my question was more around like, (11:35) how does it feel with all the controversy (11:37) surrounding Israel at this time (11:40) to be based in that country? (11:43) I mean, maybe it's way more inflated on the news (11:45) and with what we see, (11:47) but you know, Israel has been like under fire (11:51) through the media, but also in real life. (11:53) So I'm just curious, (11:55) because you've worked within war. (11:56) And again, I want to get to that and say, (11:57) how does it feel to culturally be there (12:00) right now from that perspective?
Daria Rudnik
(12:05) When these things happen, (12:07) people are very united. (12:10) And however scary to say, I mean, used to that. (12:15) Like, whenever the sirens go off, (12:16) people go in the shelter, (12:17) then come out and go to work (12:18) and go drink coffee and chat and walk the dog (12:21) and live their normal life until the next alert comes. (12:26) There's a huge faith in people, Israel. (12:31) And the truth that we're standing for. (12:35) And being united, being together is a strength. (12:40) It's an incredible strength.
Georgie Speakman
(12:41) I love that. (12:42) I mean, I have never seen such a powerful sense of community (12:48) in traveling to another country than I have in Israel. (12:52) Yeah, it's mind blowing. (12:55) And I think we can all learn something from Israel. (12:57) I mean, we can learn something from every country, (13:01) culture and nationality, (13:02) but there are some very powerful attributes (13:05) that come from Israel, obviously. (13:10) So you mentioned that you've worked in environments (13:13) such as war or the COVID-19, et cetera, the pandemic. (13:18) What are you referring to when you spoke like, (13:22) yeah, expressing your bio that you've worked (13:24) in these places and spaces or environments? (13:26) What does that mean?
Daria Rudnik
(13:31) Well, I think many of us like throughout our corporate careers (13:34) been through financial crisis and COVID obviously. (13:41) What I mean, I was lucky enough to kind of lead (13:43) some of the transformational projects (13:44) to actually help companies survive and be stable (13:48) in these kinds of environments, (13:50) whether it's a cultural transformation project (13:53) with a bank when it was financial crisis. (13:56) I know it was personal crisis for the bank (13:59) and then financial crisis, it was not a lucky bank. (14:03) But kind of we've built on corporate values (14:08) and that helped the bank go through this hard times (14:11) because people became united with the values. (14:14) And that's when I saw how culture (14:17) and really living the values through behavior (14:21) and how we show not just like pictures on the wall (14:24) but how people behave, how that is powerful (14:27) in helping them organizations to go through crisis. (14:31) We haven't lost a single person.
Georgie Speakman
(14:34) Oh, wow.
Daria Rudnik
(14:36) Any small bank, but still, I mean, people can just go out (14:39) but no one left and no one left. (14:42) And people stayed, people said united, (14:44) they were inspired to go through that challenge together. (14:48) And with the COVID again, it's a huge transformation, (14:51) how to transform the whole organization (14:52) from business as usual to business. (14:56) I don't know how, like something is remote, (14:59) something is not remote. (15:00) What about the process? (15:01) What about the structure? (15:02) How we onboard new people? (15:03) How we communicate the news? (15:05) How we make sure everyone is on board? (15:07) How we keep this culture? (15:09) Like it was a rapid and very hard shift (15:15) and helping the organization go through the shift. (15:18) It was very interesting. (15:22) It's an opportunity for me.
Georgie Speakman
(15:24) Was there much turnover in that time and that instance?
Daria Rudnik 
(15:30) It was not a problem of turnover (15:31) because people didn't know where to go. (15:34) People wanted to stay. (15:35) It was kind of a disconnect. (15:37) So we didn't want to lose people behind the screens (15:40) so that they sitting in homes alone (15:43) without any connections with their peers and managers. (15:46) So we were focusing on that part. (15:49) And I mean, it's hard to measure that (15:51) because there's no kind of metrics. (15:53) We didn't have that metrics. (15:55) But from what we see (15:57) and from what the experienced people share with us (16:00) is that at the beginning it was hard. (16:02) But then eventually people learned how to work together (16:04) and they started communicating and the feeling of, (16:07) okay, I'm having a great dream of parties together. (16:10) When everybody came back to the office, (16:13) I mean, it became hybrid pretty naturally.
Georgie Speakman
(16:16) Well, maybe the likes of Hollywood (16:19) could learn a thing or two (16:21) from these sort of times and environments (16:24) because whenever there's sort of an upheaval (16:27) there's always like a mass exodus (16:28) and a mass turnover of these major (16:30) entertainment driven organizations. (16:32) But we can obviously learn something (16:35) from these other countries (16:36) even despite the environments of war (16:39) and financial crises and pandemics (16:42) that there's still organizations (16:45) given those environments (16:49) that they can still remain stable, (16:51) which is incredible. (16:53) We're gonna dive into your chapter. (16:55) Your chapter is three critical skills (16:57) teams need in the AI era right here. (17:02) So guys, again, this is the AI revolution (17:05) thriving within civilizations. (17:07) Next big disruption, we'll leave links in bio. (17:11) Very smart chapter. (17:13) I can relate to this a lot. (17:16) My personal backgrounds in management (17:17) consulting on the people side. (17:18) So I've done a lot of strategic HR, (17:21) executive search, recruitment, (17:22) all that kind of stuff historically (17:24) in the earlier days of my career. (17:26) And so I really resonated with your chapter (17:28) in more ways and one (17:29) and really appreciated your perspective (17:30) and thought it was very practical. (17:33) You quoted George Westman here. (17:36) The ability to envision and drive change (17:38) is just as important as the ability (17:40) to work with technology. (17:42) But if you don't have both, (17:43) you can't succeed in this world. (17:45) And it's funny, (17:46) because there's some parallels between our chapters. (17:48) I speak a lot to EQ (17:49) or like eradicating sort of fear (17:52) in the age of AI. (17:53) And you speak very much about it (17:55) from how AI is changing the way teams work, (17:59) leaning into emotional, (18:02) like, well, EQ in the work environment, (18:05) all that kind of stuff. (18:06) Share a little bit about your chapter. (18:08) Give us an overview as to why you chose (18:10) to write this chapter (18:11) and the direction trajectory (18:13) for obvious reasons. (18:14) It's obviously your field of work (18:15) and reliable there (18:17) for just the specific knowledge (18:18) and wisdom in which you share.
Daria Rudnik
(18:21) Thanks. (18:23) Well, I started thinking about (18:24) how AI influence people. (18:28) Well, when AI started to influence people (18:30) and when everyone was starting to talk about (18:32) how ethical AI is (18:33) and how will they take out jobs or not. (18:36) And I can't, (18:37) by looking at how people interact with AI, (18:39) myself included, (18:40) I've noticed that is (18:42) when we rely on AI too much, (18:45) kind of asking too many questions (18:46) without critically thinking (18:48) and evaluating the output, (18:50) my brain stops working. (18:52) And I'm like, okay, that happens to me. (18:54) That might happen to someone else. (18:55) And I started looking around (18:56) what happens with other people. (18:59) And there were some teams that, (19:01) and one of the team, (19:02) I'm sure I share an example in the chapter, (19:04) is an amazing team. (19:09) They're using AI to help them in their work (19:13) and the customer success team. (19:14) They kind of analyze the customer conversations (19:18) and AI analyzes, generates insights, (19:22) put it in the CRAM. (19:24) And what happens is that people lose (19:26) this tension connection with customers. (19:28) What they used to do themselves (19:30) kind of thinking through the conversation, (19:32) analyzing the insights, (19:34) getting information (19:36) from those conversations, (19:37) from those transcripts, (19:39) AI is now doing that. (19:40) And although insights are very smart (19:42) and good and reliable, (19:44) people don't feel them (19:47) and they're not engaged (19:48) and they become kind of disengaged (19:50) and they're losing the traction, (19:52) they're losing in performance, (19:54) they're forgetting things. (19:56) I also saw an example. (19:58) There was a manager who started using AI (20:00) to support in her personal development as a leader. (20:03) And that's great. (20:04) That's an amazing opportunity. (20:06) And what she did, (20:07) she kind of uploaded her situation in the AI, (20:10) applied some frameworks, (20:12) had a conversation, (20:14) AI gave her an amazing plan on what to do. (20:18) She looked at the plan, (20:19) felt satisfied and did nothing (20:22) because she had that satisfaction (20:24) as if her work was completed, (20:27) as if she had that dopamine hit (20:32) and didn't move forward with that. (20:36) And that's natural (20:37) because that's how our brain works. (20:38) Okay, we get some result, (20:40) we come down and we move forward. (20:43) So what I write about is how important this team (20:48) to critically evaluate together as a team (20:51) because together we can support each other, (20:53) we cannot, (20:54) we can keep our brains working, (20:57) asking questions, (20:58) critically thinking. (20:59) And so what I say about it (21:00) is having this learning mindset, (21:03) always be curious about, (21:04) is it right? (21:04) Is it the right angle? (21:05) Is it the right data? (21:06) Is it the right insight? (21:08) How can we make it better? (21:10) Learning how to collaborate, (21:12) like having this human AI collaboration, (21:14) what is done by AI, (21:15) what is done by humans, (21:16) how we analyze inputs, (21:18) how we critically evaluate the outputs, (21:21) what kind of discussions are we having (21:23) based on what AI has given us, (21:25) what kind of discussions are we having (21:26) before giving something to AI. (21:30) And then like empathy and emotional intelligence, (21:36) because there are some conversations (21:37) and there are some tasks that AI can do, (21:40) but having this human to human connection, (21:43) AI cannot do, (21:44) we need to do it ourselves. (21:46) So these are the three critical skills.
Georgie Speakman
 (21:49) Yeah, and I could not agree more. (21:51) You've really hit the nail on the head (21:53) with all of this. (21:55) And it's crazy to me how in startups, (21:58) I have experienced pretty much (21:59) in just about all of them, (22:01) maybe by one, I don't know, (22:04) but pretty much all of them, (22:05) particularly where there's robust technology involved (22:08) that there is typically a massive disconnect (22:12) between engineering and development (22:14) through to product marketing (22:16) or product management, product marketing, (22:19) through to sort of the main marketing (22:21) or traditional marketing (22:22) through to strategic business development, (22:24) business development and or sales. (22:26) And that whole, you know, journey internally, (22:30) the interdepartmental breakdown (22:33) because of this lack of exactly what you're discussing. (22:37) I do remember studying in college, (22:39) one of my early stage subjects was human communication. (22:41) And I absolutely crushed that subject. (22:44) I'm not saying I'm some expert communicator, (22:46) but I absolutely cannot stress enough (22:50) how important communication is (22:52) just as you have in your chapter (22:54) and in the work that you do. (22:56) And it's really funny to me (22:57) how artificial intelligence (22:59) is actually forcing human beings (23:01) to level up in these already critical places and spaces (23:05) such as basic human communication, (23:09) team consideration, team work. (23:12) And it's just, it's really fascinating to me (23:15) how AI is actually calling us (23:19) to really remain steadfast (23:21) towards being improved communicators (23:24) and all that kind of stuff. (23:25) So I love that you're speaking to this. (23:29) You also touch on how it's like impacting the way we think (23:33) and how we've been disrupted historically (23:35) by the likes of social media (23:37) sort of probably dumbing us down a little bit. (23:40) And if we're not careful, (23:41) we're not thinking critically enough for ourselves. (23:44) You put in some of these practical steps (23:46) and I think one of the ones was like the key skill, (23:50) number three, that resonated the most with me, (23:54) but you've got key skill number one (23:56) as cultivating an adaptive learning mindset, (24:00) absolutely critical. (24:02) Key skill two is redefining collaboration in the AI era. (24:07) And then number three (24:08) is obviously strengthening emotional intelligence. (24:12) Where there's disconnects (24:13) between the left brain type humans (24:15) that are typical sort of, (24:17) they might be almost on the spectrum, (24:19) engineering, development happy to be in the code (24:23) where EQ absolutely does not come naturally to them. (24:28) How do you encourage these people, CTOs (24:32) and others alike to develop these skillsets (24:35) if it's literally just not within their personalities? (24:39) What's your advice?
Daria Rudnik 
(24:43) Everyone wants to be connected, everyone. (24:46) Like I am on some like tech chats with CTOs and engineers (24:51) and people talking, people talk about emotional stuff. (24:56) They just have different, (24:57) some of them have different way of expressing it. (24:59) Some people think that it's not appropriate. (25:03) It doesn't have to be sharing your personal feelings (25:08) or some like really personal things, (25:11) but starting every conversation on the, (25:15) about the social things like how you're doing, (25:17) how's the weather, how's your path, how are your kids? (25:20) Like getting to know people a little better, (25:23) getting to know people a little better, (25:23) that's a great start already. (25:25) And when you know them, you can like know them better (25:28) and you can, you know what to ask, what not to ask, (25:31) what kind of questions resonate with them, what not, (25:33) but like caring about other people (25:36) and being curious about other people (25:38) is everyone could do that.
Georgie Speakman
 (25:39) They literally are just not that way inclined. (25:42) So for example, one time I had an experience (25:44) working with a CEO who became a CEO by default, (25:50) they are very much a CTO by nature (25:53) and they could not communicate to save themselves. (25:56) We never consider it of any other team member, (26:00) never read emails, never, you know, (26:02) had to almost beg them to respond to slacks. (26:04) And this was a person that was supposed to be (26:06) not only leading the company, (26:07) but obviously leading all of the technological (26:10) and AI initiatives. (26:13) But to your point, yes, in theory, (26:15) that's what they should do. (26:16) They should have empathy, they should have curiosity, (26:18) they should have care. (26:19) But what again, like how it's just, (26:22) if they don't have it in them, (26:24) because I remember trying in that environment (26:26) really hard to encourage. (26:29) Here's, you know, like, for example, (26:31) I would say like to them, (26:33) here's why I would love it if you would respond to slacks. (26:38) It would make me feel more like, more valued. (26:43) It would, you know, increase efficiency (26:45) between us as a team, like I've tried to restate (26:48) all the different positives and benefits all the time (26:50) and hopefully in an effective way (26:52) without being condescending or whatever. (26:57) But it's, I don't know, (26:59) it's one thing I haven't solved yet (27:01) is how to get these left brain people to truly evolve. (27:04) Because I hear you, I 100% agree with you, (27:06) but I'm just wondering how, you know, (27:10) do they have to want to first off, (27:13) do they have to recognize their shortcomings (27:14) and then number two, (27:16) therefore have the motivation to change and evolve (27:19) in order to be aligned with the future trajectory, (27:23) which is we want everyone to be successful, (27:26) we want the company to be successful (27:27) and to achieve that maximum success here (27:30) is what has to happen. (27:32) I think it almost has to come from that part, (27:35) I don't know.
Daria Rudnik
(27:37) I want to share an example of like two CEOs (27:39) that I worked with. (27:41) So the one didn't acknowledge (27:44) that there's something needs to change. (27:47) And he was saying that like, we have a great culture, (27:51) like I love the culture, (27:53) but then we kind of go like went deeper into details, (27:56) how do you know you have a great culture? (27:57) What are the signals you're seeing? (28:00) And then we just kind of like talked about the signals. (28:04) He said like, we have a great culture (28:06) because when I go into the corridors, I see happy people. (28:09) So when we went online, he didn't go to corridors, (28:12) he didn't see like, he didn't see happy people, (28:14) he didn't feel what kind of culture. (28:16) So we had to kind of understand (28:18) what would make a great culture for this person (28:22) and then kind of monitor those things, (28:25) like whether it's engagement during meetings, (28:27) how people speak up or maybe questionnaires (28:29) or maybe surveys or maybe something else, (28:32) like kind of understand what matters to them (28:35) or the CE4 who didn't want to give some budget (28:38) to some HR initiatives. (28:41) Okay, do you want to see those numbers increased? (28:43) Okay, do you see that this team that has like great manager, (28:47) they can perform better, they can sell better, (28:50) especially in customer like in sales, (28:51) they were like really, (28:54) they were teams that were performing better. (28:56) So kind of finding those numbers (28:58) that show the CE4 that, (29:01) okay, that might make sense. (29:04) Let's try that. (29:05) Speaking their language, which is hard (29:09) because sometimes they don't know what they're looking for, (29:12) kind of be curious and understand what matters to them.
Georgie Speakman 
(29:15) How their brand relates to things and yeah.
Daria Rudnik
(29:20) And then there was another CEO who realized (29:24) that he needs to do things, (29:26) but he was not, like you said, (29:27) he was not that kind of person. (29:29) And I just can't go out there (29:33) in front of the like 200 people and talk to them. (29:37) I can't, I cannot do that. (29:39) Okay, let's do it in smaller groups. (29:42) And so he did it in the smaller groups. (29:44) It took him more time, but he was very natural. (29:47) He was very organic. (29:48) He didn't have to kind of push himself (29:50) doing something that he can't (29:52) and it still had the same effect.
Georgie Speakman
(29:56) Yes. Love that. I think one thing that I I really enjoy about having a podcast is um I learn so much.(30:04) It's my form of education. It's my form of inspiration and aspiration and all the rest um on top of just love loving elevating the voices of other women who are brilliant like yourself and I've just already learned again so much through this conversation. (30:20) So, thank you so much um to my earlier sentiments.(30:25) I'm keeping these discussions slightly on the earlier side or short sorry shorter side.(30:30) Uh I could otherwise uh talk to you for hours about your field of work and obviously I would love to keep in touch.(30:37) Um we are now co-authors which is just brilliant. (30:40)Um what you've shared is so fascinating to me and I just wholly support you and all of your future endeavors and wishing you all the best in everything that you're um conducting and working on over there in Israel.(30:52) Um, so again guys, we want you to support and lean into the AI revolution best-selling book. (31:00) It was a bestseller in uh Germany, the US, Canada, and Australia.(31:05) Is that  correct? Am I missing a territory? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So again, Daria's chapter is three crit critical skills teams need in the AI era.(31:14) We all can learn a hell of a lot from Daria and her chapter. (31:19) So go and buy yourself a copy today. Daria, thank you so much for carving out time to to spend with me  today and to to speak with me. (31:27) And I really really appreciate you. And here's to the future of AI. Everybody, Daria's  links will be in the the the what am I saying? Information, the bio,  the podcast, the podcast post.(31:40) Um, of course, like, share, subscribe, comment. We'd love to hear from you. And Daria, did you have any final thoughts or anything that you would like to sort of share or wis wisdom that you wanted to  
impart today?

Daria Rudnik
(31:52)  Well, thank you, Georgie. First of all, it was it was a great conversation. (31:55) I loved your questions.Some questions I was not prepared for kind of they make me think and I love hearing questions.(32:01) No, I mean, I love hearing questions that make me think and okay, that's that's that was really interesting. I mean the main thing I 
want to say is that I I'm a I'm a big believer of teams and I believe that the era of heroic leadership is gone and and now it's time for empowered teams whether it's empowered by AI with the help or AI or emotional teams can create this incredible change in this like fastpaced environment.

Georgie Speakman

(32:28)  I intelligence but  agree. I agree. So here's to that. here's to more fruitful team collaboration um and elevating AI productively, you know, um with that beautiful EQ which we all need in every single business. So, thank you again, Daria, and we'll speak to you soon. Stay unfiltered, everybody.