Lean Mindset, Business Impact and the New Era of HR: Jeff Diana, former CPO of Calendly

In this episode, Nolan and Kelli discuss “happiness police” overkill with Jeff Diana, former Chief People Officer of Calendly and Atlassian.

They talk about the importance of being clear on who you are as a business to avoid massive swings and over-rotations in current HR programs. Jeff believes it’s driving shareholder value that creates employment and that HR pros need to think more like investors and shareholders with focus on business impact rather than focusing on employee satisfaction alone.

Jeff also offers advice on being OK with saying no to a job that doesn’t “light you up”… and testing the alignment with HR philosophies and execution of business outcomes with the ones that do! 

He also offers advice on building a strong relationship with the CEO and is it better to report to a CFO or CEO if you’re aiming for that number 1 CPO role?!

HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine.

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KEEP UP WITH JEFF, NOLAN, + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Jeff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-diana/

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:24) The HR Market Today

(02:37) The Shift in HR's Role

(04:44) Understanding the Market Shift

(05:05) Changes in HR's Role Amidst Economic and Cultural Shifts

(09:23) Over-rotations in HR Programs including DEI and Employee Expectations

(11.40) Sponsor: Attio CRM

(14:19) Understanding Why Businesses Want To Cut HR

(19:05) Embracing Business Model Changes as a Leader

(23:00) Thinking Like an Investor

(25:45) Employee-Employer Dynamics

(26:52) Expectation Misalignment

(29:24) Realigning Business Focus: Mission, Values, and HR Opportunities

(33:23) Due Diligence in Career Moves and Hiring

(36:51) Building Relationships With The CEO 

(45:43) Board Dynamics and CEO Feedback

(49:39) Wrap