Leading with Humanity: Repair, Rupture, and Resilience in Organizations with Amy Bouque

Ever wondered how high-performing teams are really built from the inside out? In this episode, Dr. Bobbi Wegner sits down with Amy Bouque, Chief People Officer at Kelly Services, to unpack the real power of vulnerability, trust, and authentic connection at work. Amy reveals the surprising leadership practices that transformed a legacy company’s culture from the ground up. Don’t miss these actionable insights for creating teams where people actually thrive.

Amy Bouque is the Chief People Officer at Kelly Services, where she champions a purpose-driven, human-centered approach to workplace culture. With over 30 years of HR experience spanning labor relations, transformation, and leadership development, Amy is known for fostering connection, belonging, and psychological safety within organizations. She is also an HR Venture Advisor with SemperVirens Venture Capital and is passionate about operationalizing practices that help both individuals and teams truly thrive.

Below are the key takeaways from this episode:

• Positive Policy Shifts: Amy Bouque emphasizes rewriting HR policies to assume positive intent and trust, moving away from rigid, rule-based systems.
• Vulnerability as Strength: Leaders can foster high-performing teams by practicing self-awareness and vulnerability—not by oversharing, but by modeling openness and curiosity.
• Making “Thriving People” Actionable: At Kelly Services, “thriving people” is a core business priority, turned into concrete goals and everyday leadership behaviors.
• Connection Fuels Team Cohesion: Rituals like starting meetings with personal check-ins help build trust, psychological safety, and strong team cohesion.
• Compassionate Leadership During Change: Amy advocates handling layoffs and tough transitions with humanity and transparency, ensuring ongoing support and “repair” for remaining team members.

Todays guest, Amy Bouque, can be found online at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybouque/

Your host, Dr. Bobbi Wegner, can be found online at:

Groops: https://www.joingroops.com/

Harvard Extension School Faculty Spotlight: https://youtu.be/zwLai-lu-pk?si=GpKNhtxVvTrS3-pu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbiwegner/