About this episode

The episode discusses leadership lessons from Bristol Myers Squibb, focusing on the importance of transparency and inclusivity in a changing environment.

What does it take to lead well when nothing is predictable anymore? According to Amanda Poole, Chief People Officer at Bristol Myers Squibb, and Vincent Garufi, VP of HR Innovation, Strategy and Operations at BMS, the answer isn't having a playbook. It's transparency, authenticity, and knowing how to make room for every voice in the room, even the quiet ones. In this episode of A Podcast About Leadership, AIIR CEO Dr. Jonathan Kirschner sits down with Amanda and Vinnie, two senior HR leaders at Bristol Myers Squibb, a 34,000-person company whose mission is transforming patients' lives through science, to talk about what it really takes to lead through change. Amanda shares the story behind Valuably Quiet , a grassroots initiative that started in BMS's research organization to help introverts and quiet contributors show up and add value on their own terms. She's an introvert herself leading a massive global function, and she talks about how that shaped the way BMS now defines high performance. Vinnie brings his own journey from selling power tools to leading HR innovation, and explains why he thinks of himself as a business leader first and an HR leader second. Amanda and Vinnie…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Jonathan Kirschner

Guests: Amanda Poole, Vincent Garufi

Topics covered

• leadership
• transparency
• authenticity
• HR innovation
• introversion
• organizational culture

Keywords

• leadership
• Bristol Myers Squibb
• Valuably Quiet
• HR strategy
• change management
• introverts
• organizational change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bristol Myers Squibb

More episodes of A Podcast About Leadership

• The Hidden Skill Every Executive Ignores with Ken Roberts and Jamie Ramsden · July 30, 2026 · 1h 13m
• The Hard Call: If You Love Your People, Can You Let Them Go? Leadership Lessons with Jamie Ramsden · July 14, 2026 · 20 min
• From Have-To to Want-To: What 50+ Years of Leadership Looks Like with Peter Arthur Smith · June 18, 2026 · 1h 11m
• TOPGUN Leadership: Lessons from Naval Aviation's Elite · June 4, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Bricks, Culture & The Building Blocks of Leadership with Brickworks' Steve Bell & Jamie Ramsden · May 21, 2026 · 1h 8m
• When Culture Is the Strategy: Lessons from Elite Leaders in HR · May 5, 2026 · 1h 4m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the A Podcast About Leadership podcast page.