Edan Haddock - Total Talent 🇦🇺

In this episode, Edan Haddock unpacks Design Thinking through the Double Diamond model and why Talent Acquisition needs to stop jumping straight to hiring… and start designing better outcomes. Most TA teams are solving the wrong problem, just very efficiently. A role gets opened, a brief gets taken, and the machine kicks off without ever really understanding what’s broken underneath. This episode flips that. Edan walks through how to apply the Double Diamond in real hiring scenarios - from un...

In this episode, Edan Haddock calls out one of Talent’s biggest blind spots - EVP. For years, organisations have invested heavily in crafting the perfect Employer Value Proposition. But in a world where truth is decentralised, candidates no longer rely on what companies say… they rely on what employees share. So what happens when you don’t control the narrative anymore? Edan unpacks the shift from polished messaging to real-world reputation - exploring why EVP is losing relevance, how candida...

In this episode, Edan Haddock challenges one of the biggest assumptions in Talent Acquisition. What if hiring isn’t a process to optimise… but a product to build? Most Talent teams are still operating like service desks. Taking briefs, filling roles, and measuring speed all while calling it strategy. But in a world shaped by AI, shifting candidate expectations, and constant organisational change, that model is starting to break. Edan explores what it really means to apply product thinking to ...

The End of CoEs and the Rise of Total Talent In this episode, Edan Haddock takes on one of HR’s most established models… the Centre of Excellence. As technology accelerates and AI begins to take on more of the work traditionally owned by HR, Edan explores what this means for the structure of People functions. From the slow decline of HR Operations, to the identity crisis facing People Partnering, and the quiet disappearance of standalone OD… nothing is off limits. The big question: if those p...

In this episode, Edan Haddock explores a difficult but necessary conversation for HR and Talent teams: bias inside our own profession. HR spends a lot of time helping leaders understand bias in hiring, promotion and performance decisions. But the deeper question is rarely asked. What bias exists inside HR itself? Edan explores the different types of bias that appear in Talent Acquisition and People teams, including affinity bias, confirmation bias and the subtle ways “culture fit” can influen...

In this episode, Edan pulls apart the engagement survey playbook and asks a tough question: is it driving performance, or just collecting complaints? As engagement increasingly moves into Talent functions, Edan explains why this shift matters and why Talent teams are uniquely positioned to turn engagement from a reactive survey into a predictive, strategic lever. He dives into the structural flaws of traditional models - fragmented action plans, unclear impact, weak data integration - and cha...

In this episode of the Total Talent Podcast, host Edan Haddock dives into the future of Talent in Australia and why our HR industry is leading the global transformation. From the electric energy of ATC at Fed Square to the reflective strategic depth of Ashton Media’s HR Retreat at Cape Schanck, Edan explores how homegrown events are shaping a new era in workforce design. He takes listeners behind the scenes of augmented Talent teams where Humans and AI agents (including his digital colle...

Edan Haddock dives deep into the messy reality of boundaries in modern Talent work. From 24/7 LinkedIn messages to global-time-zone burnout, he calls out the culture of constant availability - and offers raw, practical ways to protect your energy, your creativity, and your career. A sharp, honest, rock-and-roll reminder that doing meaningful work starts with respecting your own limits. Join the Edan Haddock - Total Talent community (formerly Rubberband)

In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan takes a sledgehammer to one of the most toxic myths in Talent Acquisition: that leaders in 2025 must “do more with less.” Instead, he flips the script — showing how the future of TA is about working smarter, not harder. Edan dives deep into the productivity revolution, exploring how AI agents, smarter HRIS platforms, and integrated talent ecosystems are rewriting the playbook. He unpacks why “strategy-only” leaders are at risk as data autom...

In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan dives deep into a simple but powerful framework for building a Talent Acquisition and People Experience strategy: Partner → Inform → Transform. Drawing on a recent Movember Strategy Day as a live case study, Edan shows how his team built trust (Partner), used insights and storytelling (Inform), and created bold, practical change (Transform)—all in just one day. Expect post-its, moustache props, bold ideas, and a roadmap any TA/People team c...

Host Edan Haddock unpacks how Talent Acquisition teams can step into the driver’s seat of succession planning. Edan breaks succession planning into two sides of the coin: The Person – using the 6-Box Talent Grid to assess performance and potential, and identify who’s ready now and who’s still developing.The Role – using the Role Criticality vs Vacancy Risk matrix to understand which positions pose the biggest business risk if left unfilled.Listeners will walk away with a practical blueprint t...

In this episode of Edan Haddock - Total Talent, host Edan Haddock breaks down Favikon’s Top 20 HR Influencers in Australia for 2025. Discover the leaders shaping the future of work — from employer branding specialists and global HR executives to disruptors and community builders. Edan unpacks Favikon’s ranking methodology, spotlights each influencer’s role and impact, and explores big themes like the rise of employer brand, authenticity in leadership, mental health advocacy, and the powe...

In this debut episode, Edan Haddock unpacks why he handed the Rubberband podcast back to the community and why unbiased, self-managed groups are so vital in HR and Talent. He introduces Edan Haddock - Total Talent—a raw, no-sponsors, no-guests podcast sharing unfiltered insights from inside the world of in-house talent. Expect straight talk on what’s really happening in recruitment and talent management, and why the industry needs more authentic voices from real leaders. Join the Edan Haddoc...