The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

135 - Rivian CPO on scaling culture from 9 to 15,000 employees & changing the face of factory workers: Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, Rivian)

Oct 9, 2023

Helen Russell, Chief People Officer at Rivian, discusses scaling culture, changing the face of manufacturing employees, and improving decision-making. Topics include her career journey, onboarding process, capturing essence of Rivian's early days, involving frontline employees in IPO, and spotting leaders for growth.

01:19:30

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Episode guests

Helen Russell

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Quick takeaways

Rivian prioritizes culture in scaling, redefining manufacturing employee experience with respect and inclusivity.

Helen Russell highlights seizing career opportunities, upskilling, and navigating non-linear career paths.

Effective communication bridges traditional business divides, fostering collaboration between manufacturing and software development at Rivian.

Deep dives

Empowering HR Leaders with Development Programs

Investing in HR development programs like the People Leader Accelerator has shown significant benefits for individuals like Q. Hammerani and Caitlin Cam, who attribute their career advancements to such initiatives. These programs offer ongoing mentorship, access to an alumni network, and guidance tailored for venture-backed founder-led HR leaders.

RAPID Framework

00:33

Introduction

4min

Journey from Teaching to HR Leadership

9min

Journey to Rivian, Brand Appreciation, and Career Reflections

3min

Importance of Selecting the Right Leaders for a Positive Work Culture

13min

Building and Sustaining a Positive Company Culture

14min

Reflecting on Personal Experience and Challenges in Manufacturing during COVID

2min

Navigating Employee Equality and Communication Challenges at Rivian

10min

Navigating Growth and Decision-Making in a Scaling Company

17min

Reflections on Career Advice, Time in Career Journey, and Future of Remote Work

4min

10.

Reflections on Values and Gratitude with Guest

3min

Helen Russell, Chief People Officer at Rivian, joined us on The Modern People Leader.

We talked about scaling the culture as they’ve grown to 15k employees in the last few years, how Rivian is changing the face of what it looks like to be a manufacturing employee, and how they improved decision making throughout the company.

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This episode was brought to you by People Leader Accelerator. Learn more here.

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(3:22) Good news stories

(9:30) Helen’s career journey to becoming Chief People Officer at Rivian: Sonos, Atlassian, Rivian

(16:38) How she’s approached picking the right role

(19:57) Her hypothesis on why there’s a shortage of people leaders right now

(23:43) Why we should be jealous that she gets to work at Rivian

(27:10) Capturing the essence and scaling what it felt like to work at Rivian in the early days

(31:00) Their quarterly recharge conversations

(34:04) Measuring culture at Rivian

(37:40) The onboarding process at Rivian