WORK
I've spent about half of my career working for companies in the Distribution space, and most of my career in frontline companies.
As I look ahead to 2025, my commitment to changing the narrative around Human Resources in Distribution and frontline companies is stronger than ever.
What do I mean by changing the narrative?
When I speak with CEOs in these companies, I almost always hear "my HR Manager/Director/Leader isn't strategic enough."
When I speak with HR leaders in this space, I almost always hear "my CEO/manager doesn't value Human Resources."
There's a huge disconnect here.
Some of the work I do with my clients helps to bridge that gap. A lot of my speaking work focuses on bridging that gap.
But once you acknowledge the gap, where do you start to close it?
Here's some quick, actionable advice for CEOs: Establish regular, open communication channels with your HR leader and involve them in strategic planning and decision-making processes.
Seems so simple, yet so often missed. Start today.
Here's some quick, actionable advice for HR leaders: Develop a deep understanding of your company's business operations and financial metrics, then take that knowledge and use it to demonstrate how HR initiatives directly impact business outcomes and drive organizational success.
This may seem like "yeah, yeah we know this." And you may. But not everyone does. You cannot effectively lead an HR department if you do not understand the company's business. Start today.
COMMUNITY
2025 will see me going back to my roots in a lot of ways.
My "HR Transformation" Paper-First to People-First" project I announced on LinkedIn recently. I'll launch the podcast in January, and my keynote has been around for years, but is undergoing a big change. The book and course will come later.
Why is this under community?
I'm aiming this project squarely at those who feel stuck. Overwhelmed. Maybe who grew up in a company but did not have the support or budget to continue to learn. For those who haven't yet found their voice. For the compliance-driven leaders, like the person I was, who really want to transform.
This project will take a lot of different shapes, but will be a chance for someone to learn from the 25 things that helped shape me as a leader today.
I'm excited to share more with you.
And a hard turn here - what would you like to see in the newsletter in 2025? Share it with me below!
COFFEE
This weekend Dave and I took an impromptu trip to visit his family in upstate NY. We hadn't seen them in far too long, and this visit was long overdue.
It was also a chance to stay in Saratoga Springs, home to Saratoga Arms, one of our favorite inns in the northeast.
Just before we left to drive home Sunday morning, we stopped at the famous-ish Mrs. London's, to pick up some things to take home, and for coffee. Here's another newsletter-exclusive coffee pic!
Have a great rest of your week! And Happy New Year again!
I'll be back in your inbox in 2025 with more Work. Community. Coffee.
My Partner Spotlight
TEXTIO
I've shared quite a bit about my partnership with Textio (and there will be more in January!)
But I'm not sure I shared the origin of the company.
And I couldn't write it any better than they could - so here's an origin story excerpt from their website.
"It’s 2014. A linguistics expert is showing the world the shitty, biased feedback women get at work. A technologist is ready to build another industry-changing software platform. Textio is born. For over a decade, Textio has improved workplaces with simple, joyful, powerful products. AI has been the power source from the beginning, purposefully built for your work in the places it can make a difference."
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