WORK

When I started writing this newsletter I had to decide who my audience would be.

I got my start speaking to HR audiences, and I'm a career-long HR leader, so that seemed obvious.

And yet, most of my speaking now is to distribution, manufacturing and industrial industry CEOs and senior leaders. (And my clients are all in frontline spaces.)

So I decided I didn't have to decide. That work is work. Things that HR professionals focus on (mainly, people) should also be the things that CEOs and senior leaders focus on. (Also, there are a ton of great HR newsletters out there - see the next session for more!)

My newsletter if very much me - where I can share things I've learned, things I'm doing, and things that may help you.

And with that, I wanted to share some tips on how we can bridge the often large divide between HR pros and CEOs. Whenever I speak to industry groups, I talk about the view of HR as an administrative back-office function is outdated (though it is still very prevalent in many of the industries I speak to.) The HR of today is first of all, often a People Team, and we are now coaches, consultants and guides.

Still stuck? Here are four things that can help.

Start with shared accountability for people outcomes. Too often, HR owns "people stuff" while the CEO focuses on "business stuff" - but they're the same thing. When both leaders jointly own key metrics and outcomes, it fundamentally shifts the dynamic from HR reporting to HR strategizing.

Create regular, structured partnership conversations. Beyond the usual 1:1s that are hopefully happening, build in monthly strategic conversations focused on your people as competitive advantage. What leadership capabilities do you need for next year's goals? Where are your biggest company risks? How do talent decisions connect to business strategy? Make it forward-looking, not reactive.

Invest in understanding each other. The best HR leaders understand P&Ls, market dynamics, and operational realities. The best CEOs understand that people decisions are some of their most impactful business decisions.

Make difficult conversations routine. There will always be (at some point) underperforming executives, the opportunity to navigate organizational change or making tough talent calls. Practice having these conversations together. The easy stuff is great. But your relationship gets stronger when you're aligned on the hard stuff.

Want to chat more about the CEO-HR relationship? Book time with me here!

Book time with me here!

COMMUNITY

If you are a CEO, don't skip this section!

Here are some of my favorite HR-focused newsletters, and I wish many of you would read them.

Hebba Youssef's "I Hate it Here" - I think this hits my inbox three times a week and I usually dive right in! A fun mix of really practical advice, partnerships with vendors you need to know, and Hebba's beautiful brain. It's very much her - if you know her (she's fantastic), reading the newsletter is like talking to her IRL.

Subscribe to "I Hate it Here"

T. Tara Turk-Haynes' "The Way We Work - Tales from the Office." - I absolutely adore Tara, and how she deftly weaves together her HR experience, theatre and acting/writing experience into a storytelling format is unique and special. I can't wait for the next issue to arrive.

Subscribe to "The Way We Work"

Here are a few more of my favorites - the newsletters below are also created with Kit (the platform I use for my newsletter!)

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I hope you find a newsletter or two you like. I read all of these newsletters regularly, and the creators are all amazing!

On to coffee. But first, a random pic from our trip to Waitsfield, VT this weekend - pumpkins are out, it's time for the unofficial fall in New England!

Connect with me on LinkedIn here!

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COFFEE

My drink of choice is espresso - always iced, splash of cream.

HOWEVER, when we visit my husband's family in upstate NY, there are always a few trips to Stewarts for their iced coffee. I drank it for years and couldn't figure out why it was SOOOO good, until eventually I found out it's loaded with sugar! Still delicious. I'm not sure why I thought it was unsweetened.

Anyway, this is one of my earlier coffee pics, from nine years ago.

We hit up Stewarts whenever we travel near one, much like Wawa when we travel south (similarly sweetened iced coffee, similarly delicious!)

What's your go-to road trip coffee place? (Yes, Starbucks is always there, but I'm looking for places I may not know about!)

Have a great week ahead!

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YOUR QUESTIONS

I get asked frequently about why I started my own business. I didn't hate my job. I had a great team. Coworkers I liked. A terrific CEO, and I worked for a great company.

Why would I give up so much to go out on my own with all of the uncertainty?

That future plan, decided in 2020, became a present reality in late 2023 when I made the decision to leave. Someday became right now.

So, why? Desire met opportunity and courage.

I wanted to be on my own to have flexibility, yes, but also to have a greater impact. To travel more. Spend more time with family. And to help other frontline businesses thrive through better people strategies. That was all the desire. The opportunity was a small project I could have done while working, that I turned into a fractional gig. The courage was deciding to give up all that I had for - who knew? And take a giant chance on myself, my experience, my skills and my ability to grow and build something for me and the incredible people I work with. So I left, and telling my CEO was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do at work. He was surprised - but also not surprised. And was - and is to this day - nothing but supportive.

I was lucky. I still am. But I also work really hard. Not long hours - it's my business so I can decide - but I work hard, do great work, and have a terrific, supportive network. I'm betting on me, every day. And to borrow the title of Laurie Ruettimann's great book, I'm "Betting on You" too. If you are interested in starting your own business, there's never a perfect time - so you might as well start now!

Want to chat more about your HR challenges? Want to submit a question that's on your mind? Click the button below!

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Questions and Feedback

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Until next time....... thanks for reading!

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Tracie

My Partner Spotlight High performing teams start with better reviews. WorkStory makes the review process easy - and while maybe not fun, much more human - through using AI. I'm thrilled to continue to partner with WorkStory! Click on their logo to find out more, and watch my LinkedIn for more information on our upcoming webinar, where I'll be sharing the virtual stage with founder Matt Meadows, and my good friend Michelle Strasburger! ​

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