One of my favorite corporate researchers is Steve Hunt. For years, we've had wonderful conversations about workforce psychology, HR technology, and how organizations can create better workplaces. When he left SAP in April 2024, I interviewed him about what was next. At the time, he was exploring his options and we chose to postpone publishing a story.

Now, two and a half years later, Steve is joining the faculty at New York University School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS). I wanted to understand his transition and what he's learned along the way. His observations about working in large organizations are particularly insightful.

What Steve Pivoted From

Steve has spent most of his career focused on integrating business strategy, workforce psychology, and HR technology. He has been fortunate to have enjoyed considerable autonomy in his roles, identifying problems worth solving and bringing people together to address them. The first half of his career was spent at small to midsize consulting and entrepreneurial technology companies, one of which was acquired by SAP in 2011. At SAP, his work in customer facing roles demonstrated business value and helped him navigate through multiple restructurings. While he enjoyed and is thankful for his experiences at SAP, in 2024 he decided it was not where he wanted to stay for reasons both pushing and pulling him to explore something new. Steve recognized that large organizations know what employees cost but often don't understand the value they create. Senior, highly compensated employees often become particularly vulnerable during restructurings since many companies do not have accurate performance data they can use to guide layoff decisions. So rather than wait for someone else to tell him to leave, he accepted a voluntary exit package and headed off to the next adventure. Although he didn’t know exactly what that next adventure would be.

His Transition: Exploring Possibilities

Steve wasn't ready to stop working. He loved his work, and developments in AI made his field even more interesting. Financially secure enough to not need a steady income, he could explore opportunities without accepting the first one offered.

He considered senior corporate talent management positions, advancing through several hiring processes. Despite experience advising hundreds of companies, he encountered a recurring obstacle for those roles: employers wanted strategic thinking but preferred candidates from conventional operational career paths. He also explored senior consulting positions. One promising opportunity disappeared when the firm faced significant downsizing related to federal spending changes. Consulting at that level also required extensive travel, something Steve wasn't eager to resume after millions of miles in the air.

All the while, he continued to do work focused on using technology to improve workforce performance. This included building a portfolio of fractional advisory relationships with growing technology companies addressing meaningful problems related to quality of hire, career development, and AI fluency. He also launched his Integrate or Die podcast and formed an advisory partnership with longtime colleague and now podcast co-host Dr. Alexis Fink. In addition, Steve continued to write, present and publish on topics related to work, technology, and psychology. As Steve puts it, “activity creates opportunity. You don’t have to be employed full-time to be doing interesting work.”

These activities were rewarding, but Steve missed the camaraderie and structure of an ongoing team. He wanted to be a builder and creator, not primarily a critic or reviewer, as he might have been in another role he considered – industry analyst.

His New Direction: NYU

A conversation with longtime colleague Anna Tavis led to a new opportunity when she mentioned an opening at NYU. Starting in January, 2027 Steve will be relocating to New York City to be Academic Director and Clinical Assistant Professor at the New York University School of Professional Studies. In everyday conversation, he's simply saying he's on the NYU faculty.

His responsibilities go well beyond teaching. He'll help evolve an established postgraduate program to reflect technology's growing influence on HR. The role brings together his research, professional relationships, and passion for building something new. Equally important, he'll again be part of a collaborative team.

The initial appointment is for three years with an option to extend. Steve and his wife are moving from Oregon to New York, leaving a comfortable life and longtime friends for a new adventure. They're excited!

Why make such a significant change? "Life is about growth, and growth is driven by change," Steve told me.

He's moving toward something, not escaping something. He's confident he can succeed, but doesn't know exactly how everything will unfold. That's part of the attraction.

Lessons Learned and Advice for Others

Perhaps the most important part of our conversation concerned organizational politics and risk taking.

Steve long believed that doing good work and helping others would naturally lead to recognition. He now appreciates the limitations of that approach, particularly in large organizations where career decisions may be made by people unfamiliar with your work. Looking back, Steve believes he could have benefited from more mentorship in organizational politics and upward influence. Understanding how power works can help people protect their ability to contribute. He recommends Jeffrey Pfeffer's book, Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don't.

Finally, don't confuse comfort and familiarity with fulfillment. Steve did not have to leave SAP. Having survived multiple downsizings in the past, he might have survived another round. He also did not have to relocate across the country to find work. He could have continued his advisory work and enjoyed a comfortable life in Oregon. Instead, he's choosing a new challenge with a lot of uncertainty. But as Steve’s brother told him, whatever happens in New York, it's hard to imagine looking back and thinking those years were wasted.

I think that's a wonderful way to approach redirecting. You don't have to know exactly where a new direction will lead. Sometimes the opportunity to keep learning, contributing, and growing is reason enough to take it.