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Advice I’d Give My Younger Self as an HR and Business Leader


Question for my network: Looking back, what is one leadership lesson you wish you had learned earlier in your careerIf I had the opportunity to speak to my younger self starting out in HR and business leadership, I wouldn’t offer quick wins or playbooks. I’d share lessons shaped by years of building organizations, partnering with leaders, and learning—often the hard way—what truly creates impact.


These are the reflections I would pass on.


1. Learn the Business Before You Try to Influence It


HR becomes truly strategic only when it deeply understands how value is created. Before suggesting change, learn the business model, the customer, the numbers, and the pressures leaders carry.

Credibility is earned when HR solutions are rooted in business reality—not just best practices.


2. Trust Is Your Strongest Currency


Policies may guide behavior, but trust enables progress. Strong relationships—with leaders, managers, and teams—create space for honest conversations and meaningful change.

Influence grows when people know you listen, understand, and act with fairness.


3. Focus on Outcomes, Not Activity


Early in the journey, it’s easy to equate effort with impact. With experience comes clarity: real value lies not in how much HR does, but in what actually changes.

Some of the most powerful contributions are invisible—preventing issues, coaching leaders, and enabling better decisions before problems surface.


4. Leadership Is a Series of Judgement Calls


Leadership is rarely about perfect answers. It’s about making thoughtful decisions with incomplete information, standing by them with integrity, and learning when to course-correct.

Judgement improves with reflection, humility, and the courage to own outcomes.


5. Culture Is Built in Everyday Choices


Culture isn’t created in vision decks or townhalls. It shows up in how leaders behave when no one is watching—how feedback is given, how mistakes are handled, how consistently values are lived.

Pay close attention to everyday decisions. They shape the organization more than any statement ever will.


6. Develop People, Not Just Systems


Systems bring consistency, but people create momentum. The true measure of leadership lies in the leaders developed, the confidence built, and the growth enabled over time.

Your legacy will be defined by the people who grew because you invested in them.


7. Stay Curious, Grounded, and Human


Business environments evolve. HR roles expand. Expectations rise. What must remain constant is curiosity, empathy, and respect for people.

Leadership is not about having all the answers—it’s about asking better questions and staying deeply human while doing so.


Leadership Nugget


The longer you lead, the clearer it becomes: sustainable business performance is always built on thoughtful leadership and intentional people decisions. HR’s real power lies in connecting the two—consistently and credibly.



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