A conversation with Sharon Pollard on the emotions behind AI adoption, the changing role of HR, and why successful workplace transformation depends on psychological safety, experimentation, and human judgment.
Host: Adam Kleckner (Head of Strategy at LinkTech), Devon Walker (Head of Recruiting at LinkTech)
Summary:
Sharon Pollard originally planned to become a psychotherapist. A series of corporate roles led her to organizational psychology and a different calling: understanding what helps people thrive at work. Now a VP of People at CloudZero, she is putting that perspective into practice with AI—including learning GitHub and creating customized HR tools. Sharon shares how teams can experiment with confidence, connect projects to business priorities, and address the fear and comparison that technology alone cannot resolve.
Main Topics:
The path from clinical psychology to people leadership
Balancing empathy, business understanding, and operational discipline in HR
How AI is changing roles and encouraging collaboration across departments
Why human judgment becomes more important as AI produces more work
An HR leader learning GitHub and creating tools tailored to her organization
Psychological safety as a foundation for experimentation
The confidence, insecurity, and comparison behind AI adoption
CloudZero’s Thursday Builds and learning through shared examples
Connecting AI projects to business needs, security, and governance
Intriguing Quotes:
“Anyone that says they have it all figured out, I call BS.”
“That human judgment piece is more important than ever in every single position.”
“You need a space where you feel empowered to experiment.”
“There's a lot of education before doing.”
“When you use AI, it needs to come with intent.”
“Don't pretend you know. This is hard.”
Key Moments:
[01:38] Sharon’s career shift: finding a way to combine her interest in psychology with meaningful work inside organizations.
[04:37] The intersection of machines and people: AI is changing how teams collaborate and opening up work beyond traditional role boundaries.
[07:58] Her approach to HR: empathy and operational rigor both matter, alongside respect, security, and business partnership.
[13:04] Why faster output demands stronger judgment—and how Sharon taught herself GitHub to create tools for her organization.
[15:57] A practical example: an internally developed performance app tailored to how employees work, learn, and interact with managers.
[18:17] Experimentation needs safety. People are more willing to try, learn, and fail when they do not feel judged or threatened.
[24:03] Thursday Builds: a weekly, 30-minute showcase where employees share AI projects tied to their business priorities.
[24:59] A recruiting example: a Claude skill connected to Ashby helps the team assess pipelines and surface potentially relevant candidates across roles.
[28:00] Start with intent: identify the work taking up time and ask how AI could improve quality and progress toward a real goal.
[30:59] Responsible experimentation requires partnership with IT and security, organized resources, and ongoing review.
[35:14] What leaders should stop pretending to know: how to guide resilient teams through AI transformation without asking for help.
[36:26] What never appears on Sharon’s resume: childhood moves, language barriers, and adversity that shaped her patience and empathy.
Concepts: Organizational psychology; psychological safety; human judgment; change management; AI governance; collaboration across departments
Connect with Sharon Pollard:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-pollard-77818a53/
Connect with The Human Advantage Podcast: