Human-Centered Leadership: Blending Data & Empathy with Fadjanie Cadet

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Winning Season, host Jacqueline welcomes talent executive and inclusion strategist Fadjanie Cadet to discuss revolutionary approaches to performance management, talent development, and creating psychologically safe workplaces. Fadjanie shares insights from her career, including practical frameworks for identifying high-potential talent, building effective feedback cultures, and leading organizational change. The conversation covers common misconceptions about performance management, emerging trends in organizational development, and strategies for nurturing future leaders in volatile environments.

Guest Bio:

Fadjanie Cadet is a talent executive, inclusion and transformation strategist, certified organizational development and DEI leader known for blending heart and strategy to create workplaces that both feel good and perform optimally. A Top 100 Under 50 Emerging Leader, she has expertise in performance management, leadership development, and cultural transformation, with experience building systems and programs from scratch in her last three roles.

Notable Quotes:

• "Performance management is holistic. It's coaching, it's continuous feedback. It's not just ratings in the traditional sense."
• "Development drives performance. The two have to be connected."
• "People need to feel heard before they can be led."
• "High performance alone does not equate to high potential."
• "We need leaders who can't just perform today but can perform tomorrow regardless of what tomorrow looks like."
• "Make feedback normal. Weave feedback into everyday interactions."
• "If our people are walking away from performance reviews feeling defeated instead of motivated and with a plan, then our process has failed."

Resources Mentioned:

• Dr. William Kahn's research on drivers of employee engagement
• Textio's study on gender and racial bias in performance feedback
• "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell

Chapters

• 00:03: Introduction and welcome
• 02:26: Fadjanie's career journey in the HR and talent space
• 04:09: Common misconceptions about performance management
• 07:13: Exciting emerging trends in organizational development
• 09:31: Indicators of effective performance management processes
• 11:24: Aligning individual goals with organizational objectives
• 13:46: Identifying and nurturing high-potential talent
• 19:45: Strategies for getting people on board with organizational change
• 22:15: Establishing a healthy feedback culture
• 24:19: Common pitfalls to avoid in performance reviews
• 27:18: Key skills that shaped Fadjanie's success
• 29:44: Case study on improving diversity in leadership development
• 34:45: Rapid-fire questions with Fadjanie