HR Superstars Breaking the Mold & Making Bold Moves in 2026 With Crystal Boysen
If HR wants to evolve, doing things the same way year after year won't cut it.
Change requires bold, new strategies.
In this episode of HR Superstars, Karina Young is joined by Crystal Boysen, Chief People Officer at Sprout Social, to challenge traditional HR thinking around risk, planning, and employee value.
Crystal discusses why fear-based policies and over-engineered processes create friction instead of trust. She also shares how HR leaders can design systems that help people move faster, with more clarity and confidence. She explains why strategy often fails, not because the plan is wrong, but because organizations never change how work actually gets done.
This episode calls on HR leaders to let go of a risk-averse mindset and embrace a more adaptive, people-first approach.
Join us as we discuss: (00:00) Meet HR Superstar: Crystal Boysen (06:08) Creating an environment where teams feel safe enough to learn (11:06) A different approach to planning cycles (15:39) Why strategy is not a fixed plan (20:08) What today's employees expect beyond pay and benefits (38:10) Crystal's bold move for 2026
Resources:
For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or tune in on our website. Original podcast track produced by Entheo.
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Hear Karina's thoughts on elevating your HR career by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinayoung11/
Download 15Five's Employee Engagement Playbook:
For more on maximizing employee performance, engagement, and retention, click here: https://www.15five.com/demo?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2-Podcast-Ads&utm_content=Schedule-a-demo Crystal Boysen's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalmboysen/