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Black History Month Series – In Conversation with Stephanie Clergé

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HR Spotlight Interview

Stephanie Clergé

Black History Month Interview Series

In Conversation with Stephanie Clergé

For our latest Black History Month feature, HR Spotlight sat down with Stephanie Clergé, the VP of People Development at Kolbe Corp. Stephanie’s journey to the C-Suite was anything but linear; she began her career as an engineer in high-tech manufacturing.Today, she leverages that operational background to bridge the gap between human instincts and artificial intelligence. We spoke with her about leading AI adoption from a people-first perspective, the power of curiosity, and why understanding the “unwritten rules” of business is vital for career growth.

HR Spotlight: Thank you for joining us, Stephanie. Please share with our readers your experience in HR, what you currently do for work, and any passion projects you’re involved in.

Stephanie Clergé:

I currently serve as Vice President of People Development at Kolbe Corp, where I oversee our organizational culture, employee training, and performance. In addition to leading our internal people and learning strategy, I also work directly with client organizations around the world by training and consulting with leaders and supporting our global network of independent consultants who do similar work across industries and geographies.

My path into HR has been anything but traditional. I began my career as an engineer in high-tech manufacturing and later moved into senior program management roles focused on scaling new technologies. One of those assignments included leading the hiring, onboarding, and training of more than 700 employees in a single year. At the time, our business unit intentionally built its own people and talent team outside of traditional HR because leaders believed it was critical to deeply understand the operational realities of the business.

For much of my early career, I was doing HR work without carrying the HR title, and I will admit that I once viewed HR as a bit of a dirty word. That experience shaped how I approach people development today. I stay deeply grounded in business needs, operational realities, and measurable outcomes.

Later, I formally moved into HR and served as a program manager for a large-scale cultural transformation initiative across a global organization of more than 100,000 employees. While it was energizing to work closely with senior leadership, I also became very aware of how difficult it is to create meaningful and lasting culture change without clarity and alignment.

After running my own coaching and consulting practice, I joined Kolbe nearly ten years ago. What I love most about my current role is the ability to combine internal HR leadership with external consulting. I work with organizations of many sizes and industries while also building and shaping culture inside our own company.

My primary passion today sits at the intersection of human instincts and artificial intelligence. With a background in engineering and human-machine interaction, I am actively helping drive both internal AI adoption and the integration of AI into our external products and services. As organizations move into increasingly AI-infused workplaces, I believe this is an essential responsibility for HR leaders so that technology strengthens, rather than diminishes, human potential.

HR Spotlight: What HR problem are you most excited to be working on right now?

Stephanie Clergé:

The HR challenge I am most excited about right now is helping organizations move beyond access to AI and into real, human adoption of it.

For many years, we talked about a digital divide as a lack of access to technology. In most organizations today, that is no longer the real problem. Employees and leaders already have access to AI tools. The barrier is much more human, including lack of interest, fear, distrust, uncertainty about skills, and anxiety about what these technologies might mean for their future.

At Kolbe, I have been focused on building practical, people-centered approaches to AI adoption that go beyond traditional change management. Clear communication and executive buy-in are no longer enough. Unlike past technology shifts, such as when new tools only existed inside a factory or workplace, employees now encounter AI constantly in their personal lives. Their emotions, assumptions, experiences, and concerns come into the workplace with them.

To address this, I created an internal AI working group made up of representatives from every department. We share emerging AI use cases and news, and each member is responsible for implementing a small and practical AI project within their own function. I intentionally began with a coalition of the willing, with the longer-term goal of developing internal champions who can help engage others and better understand what may be preventing broader adoption.

The deeper challenge I am working on is helping employees understand how AI can enhance not only their productivity, but also their long-term value as contributors. Leaders are focused on performance, efficiency, and business results. Employees are often quietly asking very different questions. Will I be replaced? Can I learn fast enough? Will new roles truly exist for me?

My work now focuses on finding the right motivation and a sustainable pace for both groups. I use surveys, in-person sessions, and one-on-one conversations to understand what employees actually want, what they need, and what they will naturally engage with. This is where Kolbe’s instinctive strengths framework is especially valuable, because it helps us design AI adoption strategies that align with how people are naturally wired to take action.

HR Spotlight: What skill has been most important to your growth in HR so far?

Stephanie Clergé:

The most important skill in my growth, both in HR and in leadership more broadly, has been curiosity.

My decision to leave a large corporate environment and look for work where I could make a meaningful difference at scale began with curiosity, even if it did not feel that way at first. It started with frustration. I found myself spending a great deal of time mentoring colleagues and feeling discouraged when people did not act on my advice. In a conversation with a trusted colleague, she suggested that what I really needed was not more mentoring, but a coaching approach. That single comment led me to pursue a coaching certification, and it fundamentally changed how I work with people.

Becoming a coach taught me how to use curiosity differently. Instead of assuming I had the right answers, I learned to ask better questions, listen more deeply, and test what I was hearing across different people, teams, and environments. That shift from problem-solving for others to learning with them has shaped how I lead, how I partner with executives, and how I support employees navigating complex change.

I have also learned that curiosity needs to be directed inward. The more clearly we understand our own instincts, reactions, and assumptions, the better equipped we are to navigate challenges such as remote and hybrid work, division in the workplace, and the rapid pace of technological change, including AI.

Not everyone needs to pursue a formal coaching credential. Adopting a curious, coaching-oriented mindset is one of the most practical and powerful tools I know for managing teams, partnering with senior leaders, and navigating relationships outside of work.

HR Spotlight: What advice would you give to young Black women in HR or entering the HR profession?

Stephanie Clergé:

This is a difficult question to answer in today’s environment, because my early career was shaped by organizational values and systems that do not always exist in the same way anymore.

I began my career in an organization that emphasized results, quality, customer focus, and personal ownership of employability. There was a strong expectation that employees would not only do their jobs well, but also help co-create a great place to work. That environment gave me the freedom to focus on my role while also taking on additional projects and leadership opportunities.

I was also fortunate to have entered the company as an intern before becoming a full-time employee, which meant I learned many of the unwritten rules early. I learned how things really worked, how decisions were made, and how credibility was built. Not everyone had access to that same head start, and I became intentional about mentoring others and helping them understand the parts of organizational life that often take years to learn.

For many employees, especially those who are not naturally included in informal networks, social gatherings, or relationship-building spaces outside of work, access to those unwritten rules and informal learning matters even more.

My advice to young Black women in HR is to be proactive about building trusted relationships at work. Find a mentor, a peer partner, or a small circle of colleagues you can learn with and from. Look for people who are willing to share how influence, performance, and advancement really operate in your organization.

Earlier in my career, formal employee resource groups and affinity communities created powerful spaces for learning, belonging, and shared insight. In environments where those structures are limited or inconsistent today, it becomes even more important to intentionally create your own support system. Find people who can help you navigate both the visible and invisible sides of your career.

You do not have to navigate this work alone, and you should not have to guess your way into influence.

HR Spotlight: What do you want people to understand about Black women in HR that often gets missed?

Stephanie Clergé:

What often gets missed about Black women in HR is the depth and breadth of our business leadership.

For a long time, I was reluctant to even label myself as an HR professional because of the perception that HR was less strategic, less rigorous, or simply a support function rather than a true business partner. I also observed that Black women in HR leadership were frequently concentrated, or visibly recognized, only in diversity and inclusion roles rather than across the full spectrum of organizational strategy, operations, and leadership.

At a recent conference, the CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management described what CEOs most want from HR leaders as three things: competence, being a trusted confidant, and courage. That framework captures what I believe Black women in HR bring every day.

We are deeply competent in the people and business space. We build trust across organizations and are often the leaders others turn to when situations are complex, sensitive, or high-stakes. We bring courage, especially when it comes to raising issues that are uncomfortable, systemic, or easy to ignore.

Unfortunately, Black women in HR are sometimes pigeonholed. Advocacy for employees can be misread as being driven by emotion rather than professional judgment. Our leadership presence can be filtered through stereotypes instead of being recognized as strategic influence and organizational stewardship.

The reality is that Black women in HR are not only culture carriers or champions of inclusion. We are business leaders who help organizations navigate risk, performance, talent, and change. When that full contribution is recognized, organizations are better positioned to make smarter, more human, and more sustainable decisions.

As the VP of People Development at Kolbe Corp., Stephanie Clergé is positioned at the forefront of the human performance and assessment industries, playing a key role in how Kolbe continues to empower more lives through the power of instinctive strengths. She is responsible for many of the innovative, high-quality training programs that Kolbe Corp provides for leaders, teams and individuals, as well as the development of many new Kolbe products and solutions. Prior to joining Kolbe Corp, she created her own strengths-based coaching and training practice, partnering with organizations pioneering in the art of talent development. She also held a variety of operational leadership roles during a nearly 15-year career at Intel Corporation.

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2025 in Review: Leaders on the HR Bets That Paid Off

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2025 in Review: Leaders on the HR Bets That Paid Off

Ever wondered why some HR strategies spark immediate loyalty while others fizzle despite good intentions? 

In 2025’s volatile talent market, leaders uncovered that blending empathy with structure—through revamped recognition, flexible scheduling, and personalized growth paths—didn’t just stem turnover; it fueled innovation and cohesion in ways that metrics alone couldn’t predict. 

These triumphs weren’t born from grand overhauls but from attuned decisions that listened to unspoken needs.

HR Spotlight assembled reflections from CEOs, VPs, and directors who championed transformative moments: from AI-assisted workflows slashing creation time to quarterly one-on-ones fostering trust, and hybrid models blending global talent with local heart. 

Their narratives spotlight efforts like rigorous QA expansions, transparent pay scales, and community-driven mentoring that elevated teams from fragmented to formidable. 

Curious how promoting from within or normalizing feedback could redefine your dynamics? 

These compelling accounts demonstrate that the most potent wins prioritize authenticity and adaptability. 

Explore the blueprints for resilient cultures on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

Matthew Reeves
CEO & Co-founder, Together Software

Last year we built our own mentoring platform.

Over 200 people joined, and our internal management promotions jumped to 85% from the usual 45%.

This was huge when we were scaling fast and needed new leaders.

If your company is growing, making peer mentoring a real priority just works.

Mentoring Platform Hits 85% Promotions

Aliya Maseelall
Director, Gillette Children’s

The Dream Accomplice Program at Gillette Children’s in St. Paul, Minn., was the hospital’s biggest HR win of 2025.

Created through the Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline Grant, the program gives current employees a pathway into critical care nursing – an occupation in high demand across Minnesota.

Rather than hiring externally, which the grant allowed, Gillette chose to invest in internal, non-licensed staff who already understand the patients we care for – children with complex needs, rare diseases and disabilities.

The grant covers on-the-job training and staff coaching through the nursing application process.

Gillette also provides tuition support.

At the end of nursing school and training, the graduates are guaranteed a critical care nursing role at Gillette.

The benefits are twofold: The program strengthens Gillette’s workforce and deepens expertise for a unique patient population.

Piloted in 2024, it supported two employees in 2025 and drew three times as many applications as the pilot year.

Internal Pathway Fills Critical Roles

Julie Lindgren
Marketing & Sales, Whitman Associates

Being named one of the top 3 staffing agencies by Three Best Rated for the 6th year in a row is a significant achievement for us.

This year, we’re especially proud of our outstanding Google review rating and the growth of our events division.
Three Best Rated’s rigorous 50-point inspection, which includes feedback from over 225 client and temp reviews, has recognized us as one of the best staffing agencies in Washington, D.C.

Top Agency Rating Drives Client Trust

Laurie Fainer
Transformation Coach, Dynamic Alchemy Advisors

My biggest HR win in 2025 was helping a client reframe fear as data. 

During a major transformation, leaders saw hesitation as pushback. 

By coaching them to slow down, pause, and listen, we uncovered that fear was pointing to the real issues – gaps in trust, worries about risk, and cracks in the culture. 

Once leaders stopped dismissing fear and started treating it as feedback, they could act with clarity instead of defensiveness. 

We built simple check‑ins that turned fear into dashboard input, highlighting where the team needed clarity or support. 

In 2026, I’m scaling this approach – helping more executives spot patterns in fear that sharpen strategy. 

The win wasn’t about eliminating fear; it was about turning it into a resource that fuels courage and alignment. 

Fear as Data Fuels Courageous Change

Delia Mendoza
President & Owner, Delia Mendoza Communications

In 2025, Coinme HR’s biggest win was demonstrating the strategic value of HR by turning employee and leadership feedback into meaningful organizational improvements.
We acted on survey insights by fully revamping our rewards and recognition program, ensuring every employee can give and receive recognition in ways that feel personally meaningful.

We also equipped managers with simplified tools and training to strengthen day-to-day appreciation and team engagement.

In response to employee feedback around meeting overload, HR championed “Deep Work Wednesdays” and redesigned our monthly all-hands structure, reducing the meeting time from two hours to one.

This change resulted in increased engagement and focus during the meeting and more efficient company-wide communication.

Additionally, HR responded to our business operations feedback and led the transition of our U.S. and global workforce to Rippling, streamlining HR operations, strengthening compliance, improving manager visibility for a dispersed team and delivering an estimated ~$400K+ in annual savings.

Feedback Turns Into Actionable Wins

B. Jaye Burchfiel
Vice President, MyComputerCareer

In 2025, our biggest HR win was transforming the way HR supports the organization through data, automation, and AI-driven insights. 

We strengthened our people-analytics foundation by standardizing retention and turnover reporting, and provided leaders clearer, faster visibility into workforce trends. 

We also began leveraging AI tools, including ADP Assist and internal automation pilots, to reduce manual work, support quicker decision-making, and improve the employee experience. 

These efforts allowed our small but mighty HR team to operate with greater speed and accuracy and help position the organization for a more consistent, technology-enabled HR model in 2026. 

The result is a smarter, more proactive HR function to support 400+ employees at MyCC.

AI Analytics Streamlines Workforce Decisions

Stephanie Manzelli
Chief People Officer, Employ Inc

One of our biggest achievements in 2025 was unifying revenue enablement, customer enablement, product readiness, and learning and development (L&D) under a single operating framework. 

For the first time, we had a shared understanding of the skills our organization needed, a scalable intake model, and consistent standards for training, onboarding, and change management. 

The turning point was establishing clear governance: HR owns the structure, standards, and quality; business leaders own priorities and deliverables. 

Once we aligned on that model, duplication went down, time-to-ramp improved, and learning paths became directly tied to business goals. 

It was the first year where talent development truly matched the pace and expectations of a high-growth company.

Unified Enablement Matches Growth Pace

Ace Zhuo
Business Development Director, TradingFXVPS

The greatest HR achievement we marked in 2025 was creating a globally unified workforce that excelled in coordination despite spanning multiple time zones.

This accomplishment stemmed from prioritizing customized communication strategies designed for the high-pressure requirements of the trading sector.

By introducing flexible scheduling methods and focused employee development initiatives, we ensured that each team member felt both valued and aligned with our organization’s vision.

Incorporating dynamic feedback systems significantly improved teamwork, allowing swift adaptations to the rapid pace of fintech.

This strategy not only elevated efficiency but also enhanced staff satisfaction, cultivating a culture of confidence and creativity within TradingFXVPS.

Custom Comms Unites Global Team

Ally Ipsen
VP of Marketing, PerformanceX

Our biggest HR win in 2025 was boosting employee performance scores by 28% across teams while cutting low-performer turnover in half. 

The key decision was moving from annual reviews to real-time performance coaching using data that actually matters: project contributions, peer feedback patterns, and skill gaps. 

We gave managers a simple dashboard through PerformanceX.ai that flagged when someone was struggling or disengaged so that they could act early with targeted support like mentorship pairings or skill training. 

The hard part was getting leaders to have more frequent, honest conversations instead of waiting for year-end reviews. 

But once employees saw we were investing in their growth and not just tracking numbers, engagement jumped 41%. 

High performers stayed because they felt seen, and struggling employees improved or self-selected out faster. 

We turned performance management from a dreaded annual chore into an ongoing development tool that people actually value.

Real-Time Coaching Boosts Scores 28%

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

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The Winning Move: What Drove Success in People Operations in 2025?

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The Winning Move: What Drove Success in People Operations in 2025?

What if the HR victory that reshaped your 2025 wasn’t a sweeping overhaul, but a targeted tweak that reignited passion and productivity? 

As talent wars intensified, leaders discovered that elevating teams often hinged on listening deeper, recognizing smarter, and empowering bolder—turning everyday decisions into catalysts for loyalty and innovation. 

These weren’t accidental breakthroughs; they were intentional bets on human connection over hierarchy.

HR Spotlight convened founders, CEOs, and directors to reflect on their pinnacle moments: from zero-turnover miracles via personalized KPIs to morale-boosting shoutouts and flexible hours slashing burnout. 

Their accounts spotlight efforts like cross-department pairings, rigorous training, and culture-fit hires that didn’t just fill roles—they fostered belonging. 

Curious how promoting from within or gamified chats could transform your dynamics? 

These vivid narratives reveal that the most enduring wins stem from valuing voices and adaptability. 

Ready to inspire your own shift? 

Uncover the strategies fueling thriving cultures on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

Carmen Jordan Fernandez
Academic Director, The Spanish Council of Singapore

Growing my quality assurance team from three to eight people was the best move I made all year.

We overhauled training to be more rigorous and collaborative, which made a real difference for student certification pass rates.

It was tough finding people who knew their language stuff and were also sharp analysts, but it was worth it.

Partner institutions saw a 35% jump in DELE certifications.

My advice is to hire specialists who not only know the subject, but are willing to question the way things are done.

Carmen Jordan Fernandez
Academic Director, The Spanish Council of Singapore

FEATURED

Internal Promotions Ignite Team Motivation
This year we promoted five people from our sales team into management roles.

We debated hiring from the outside, but eventually decided to promote from within. That was the right call.

We kept people who already knew our clients and our processes, and you could feel the whole team’s motivation improve. It might not work for everyone, but for us, it made all the difference.

QA Expansion Boosts Certification 35%

Tom Terronez
CEO, Medix Dental IT

This year we promoted five people from our sales team into management roles.

We debated hiring from the outside, but eventually decided to promote from within. That was the right call.

We kept people who already knew our clients and our processes, and you could feel the whole team’s motivation improve. It might not work for everyone, but for us, it made all the difference.

Internal Promotions Ignite Team Motivation

Amy Mosset
CEO, Interactive Counselling

Going remote in 2025 changed everything for us.

Suddenly we could hire the best therapists anywhere, not just the ones who lived nearby.

That meant more clients could actually get help when they needed it.

Our team got their work-life balance back too.

Honestly, I think letting people work from anywhere is what finally stopped the turnover.

People are sticking around now.

Remote Work Ends Turnover Crisis

Ryan Dosenberry
CEO, Crushing REI

This year we did one thing that actually worked: pairing new salespeople with our senior reps.

The new folks got up to speed way faster and stuck around longer.

In real estate, having someone show you the ropes makes all the difference.

If you’re building a team, just try pairing people up.

It’s a simple move that makes a real impact on how well everyone does and how they work together.

Pairings Accelerate Sales Ramp-Up

Daniel Kroytor
CEO, TailoredPay

The biggest win for me was the fact we had no turnover in 2025. It’s due to two things.

First, we carefully selected the best people for the role in terms of experience and culture fit.

The second thing was choosing the right kind of bonuses to encourage everyone to do their best.

We didn’t just use a common goal for all roles (e.g. MRR, new customers), but every person has a unique, personalized KPI that they can realistically hit and get a good bonus every month.

Personalized KPIs Deliver Zero Turnover

Selene Luk
Customer Care manager, Spanish Cultural Association of Hong Kong

I noticed some new hires were struggling to find their place, so I started pairing them with veterans from other departments.

We just set up regular coffee chats and skill-sharing sessions.

It wasn’t anything formal, but suddenly people were talking across teams.

Morale went up, and our clients even commented on how much more coordinated we were.

It just made the whole company feel more connected.

Cross-Team Chats Connect Company

Graham Bennett
COO, Bennett Awards

We noticed our sales team at Bennett Awards was losing steam, so I started a simple monthly award to publicly call out individual wins.

That small change led to eight internal promotions and a 25% jump in team morale.

As COO, it confirmed what I suspected: regular recognition keeps people motivated and loyal.

My advice if you try this? Just ask your team directly how they like to be acknowledged.

Monthly Awards Spike Morale 25%

Richard Brown
Owner, Essential Living Support, LLC

The biggest HR win in 2025 was better consistency and compliance in daily documentation and incident reporting.

We achieved this by adopting standardized checklists and structured forms and reinforcing immediate documentation after medication passes and appointment notes.

Standard Checklists Ensure Compliance Consistency

Phoebe Mendez
Marketing Manager, Morse Code Translator

We let people choose how many hours they work each week.

In 2025, the biggest change we made was to stop working conventional hours.

As long as the results were the same, we let each team choose their own schedule that worked for them.

Some teams switched to four-day work weeks.

Some people liked split shifts better.

People who needed long blocks of concentrate now received them without feeling bad or out of place.

The hardest part was believing that others wouldn’t take advantage of it.

It worked better than we thought it would after we made our expectations clear.

Productivity didn’t go down.

People stopped complaining about burnout quickly.

We stopped keeping count of hours and started looking at results.

The adjustment didn’t cost much, but it rapidly boosted morale and kept people around.

Flexible Hours Banish Burnout Complaints

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

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Winning the Competition for Talent in 2026: Senior Leadership Recruiting in a Tight Market

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February 05, 2026

Winning the Competition for Talent in 2026: Senior Leadership Recruiting in a Tight Market

By Eric Walczykowski, CEO, Bespoke Partners

As we move into 2026, one truth is undeniable: leadership talent is the single most important determinant of company success.

Strategy, culture, resources, and technology all matter. But leaders translate strategy into execution, culture into performance, resources into results, and technology into productivity gains.

In a business environment defined by constant and accelerating change, the quality of leadership teams increasingly separates market leaders from everyone else.

This reality is colliding with intensifying competition for top talent that will only increase in 2026 and beyond. Across industries, organizations are finding that strong leaders are harder to identify, harder to attract, and harder to retain than ever before.

We face the tightest market in recent memory for experienced leadership talent.

  • Leadership Talent as the Ultimate Growth Lever

My firm recruits C-suite and VP-level executives for private equity portfolio companies, a context where the impact of leadership on results is unmistakable.

Private equity firms have explicit value creation goals and unwavering focus on execution for their portfolio companies. It becomes immediately clear when leaders are not delivering, and how quickly that failure ripples through company performance.

In 2026, leadership capability matters even more because the margin for error has narrowed. Markets shift faster, customer expectations evolve constantly, and competitive advantages erode quickly. The companies that win are those led by individuals who can adapt in real time, lead distributed teams, and make complex trade-offs under pressure.

Leadership talent is no longer a “nice to have” at the top. It is the core ingredient of success.

  • Why the Leadership Market Is Tightening

Several forces are converging to make the leadership talent market more competitive than at any point in recent memory.

First, demand for leaders has outpaced supply. Digital innovation and broad access to capital have made it dramatically easier to start and scale companies. Census data shows that there are almost 30% more companies in the United States than there were 30 years ago … and each one is competing for leadership talent.

Second, the bar for leadership has risen significantly. Functional expertise alone is no longer enough. Boards and CEOs are seeking leaders with emotional intelligence, change management capabilities, experience leading hybrid and global teams, and the ability to harness AI to transform operations. Competition for leaders who possess this full skillset is intense.

Third, talent mobility has increased. Remote and hybrid work have expanded geographic reach for both candidates and employers. While this creates opportunity, it also means top leaders are fielding more options than ever before.

Finally, demographic shifts are accelerating the squeeze. The last of the Baby Boomers will reach retirement age in the coming years, vacating a large number of leadership roles. Organizations without strong internal succession pipelines are in direct competition for seasoned executives in the talent market.

  • Recruiting Best Practices for 2026 and Beyond: AI and Out-of-the-Box Thinking

Among our clients, three recruiting strategies are proving especially effective in securing top leadership talent.

  1. AI-augmented recruiting

AI excels at making sense of large volumes of data. Every leadership search we run begins with an AI-powered talent market mapping tool that provides a comprehensive view of candidates. For example, our software and SaaS index includes nearly 700,000 leaders who have helped grow software companies in the U.S.

Traditional recruiting relying on personal networks and rolodexes typically uncovers no more than 20% of available talent. Starting with a comprehensive market view gives clients visibility into all viable options, including non-obvious candidates who may be an excellent fit.

  1. Broaden the pool

It is tempting to pursue “unicorn” candidates, the leaders who have done the exact same job, in the same company size and market, with the same strategy. But demand for unicorns far exceeds supply.

Our most successful searches widen the aperture. Step-up candidates, leaders who have excelled in slightly more junior roles, can perform just as well as sitting executives when supported appropriately.

Candidates from adjacent markets bring transferable skills and fresh perspectives. Leaders from smaller companies often bring grit, adaptability, and a roll-up-your-sleeves mindset. Broadening the talent pool mitigates market tightness and frequently uncovers true diamonds in the rough.

  1. Treat recruiting like the mission-critical process it is

As HR leaders know, a sense of urgency in leader hiring is not always shared across hiring teams. The companies with the best recruiting outcomes are those that secure full commitment from all stakeholders to move with speed and precision.

Clear communication, timely interviews, coordinated assessments, and rapid feedback are essential. Organizations that execute hiring this way gain a decisive advantage in landing the best talent. Plus the recruiting process itself sends a powerful signal to candidates about how the company operates.

Taken together, these approaches can significantly improve outcomes in an increasingly tight leadership market and help companies win the battle for talent in 2026.

About the Author

Eric Walczykowski is passionate about building high-performing teams that value doing their best, working together, overcoming adversity and learning.

As a proven growth executive, Eric has served as CEO, President, Board Member, Investor and Advisor for technology companies that achieved over $4.5B in successful exits.
Eric brings to Bespoke Partners significant professional services experience from Deloitte and Andersen, as well as the high-growth client executive perspective for private equity-backed technology companies.

Eric earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Business from Fresno State University.

If you wish to showcase your experience and expertise, participate in industry-leading discussions, and add visibility and impact to your personal brand and business, get in touch with the Techronicler team to feature in our fast-growing publication. 

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Decisions That Changed Everything: HR Leaders Reflect on 2025

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The Hardest Lessons: What 2025 Taught Us About People Strategy

What if the HR triumph that redefined your year wasn’t a flashy initiative, but a quiet pivot that unlocked loyalty, productivity, and passion in unexpected ways? 

In 2025, as teams navigated hybrid fatigue and talent churn, leaders found that empowering growth through fair pay, personalized learning, and inclusive recognition didn’t just retain staff—it ignited innovation and cohesion. 

These weren’t random strokes of luck; they stemmed from deliberate choices to listen deeper and act bolder.

HR Spotlight convened CEOs, founders, and directors to reflect on their standout moments: from zero-turnover miracles via year-round contracts to morale surges through weekly shoutouts and cross-border hires. 

Their narratives highlight efforts like rigorous QA expansions, hybrid models blending remote talent with in-office heart, and automated workflows freeing teams for strategy. 

Curious how promoting from within or normalizing feedback loops could transform your dynamics? 

These vivid accounts prove that the most enduring wins prioritize people over process. 

Discover the blueprints fueling thriving cultures on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

Mayank Sahu
Chairman, Explore Mayank

The biggest HR win I registered in 2025 was reducing team burnout while improving overall productivity and retention, a rare combination, but absolutely achievable with the right approach.

The key decision behind this win was moving away from hours worked as a performance metric and shifting fully to outcome-based accountability.

Instead of tracking time, we focused on clearly defined deliverables, realistic timelines, and ownership at an individual level.

This change immediately improved trust.

Employees felt treated like professionals, not monitored resources.

Managers stopped micromanaging and started mentoring.

Productivity went up not because people worked longer hours, but because they worked with clarity and purpose.

Another important effort was documenting processes and expectations clearly.

Every role had a simple, written success framework of what “good work” looks like, how it’s measured, and how growth happens.

This reduced confusion, onboarding time, and internal friction.

We also normalized short, honest feedback loops.

Monthly one-on-ones replaced yearly appraisals.

Small problems were fixed early, and good work was acknowledged in real time.

It sounds simple, but consistency made the difference.

The result was lower attrition, faster hiring alignment, and a team that stayed engaged without being pushed to exhaustion.

The biggest lesson from 2025? People don’t resist hard work; they resist unclear goals and invisible growth paths.

Outcome Focus Ends Burnout Cycle

Rafael Sarim Oezdemir
Head of Growth, EZContacts

Our biggest HR win in 2025 was improving employee retention amid rapid growth.

The key effort driving this was an overhaul of feedback and recognition programs to be more frequent, specific, and actionable.

With a clearer sense of direction and by celebrating achievements in real time, engagement increased, turnover decreased, and the team became more cohesive and motivated.

Frequent Feedback Boosts Retention Fast

Brandon Caputo
Owner, Honeycomb Heating & Cooling

Our biggest HR win in 2025 was registering the lowest technician turnover rate we’ve ever had at Honeycomb Air.

In the HVAC industry, keeping skilled, certified techs is a constant battle, and when people walk out the door, it crushes morale and hurts customer service.

We managed to keep almost our entire team intact, which is huge for ensuring consistent, high-quality service across San Antonio, especially during our busiest seasons.

The decision that drove this win wasn’t a massive bonus structure; it was the commitment to building a predictable work schedule and paying for career development.

We standardized shifts and improved our dispatching software, which allowed our technicians to finally rely on getting home on time for their families.

We realized that people will accept higher stress during peak season, but they won’t accept chaotic uncertainty year-round.

Providing reliability in their personal schedule was non-negotiable.

The secondary effort was making advanced training mandatory and paid.

We don’t ask our techs to pay for their own certifications or travel time.

When they’re training on a new heat pump system or an efficiency standard, they are clocked in and paid.

This effort signals to the team that we are investing in their long-term career, not just treating them like replaceable labor.

That respect and belief in their professional growth is what truly locks down commitment and loyalty.

Predictable Schedules Lock Loyalty In

Aditya Nagpal
Founder & CEO, Wisemonk

Our most significant HR achievement in 2025 was minimizing early stage turnover by enhancing our expectations management in the initial 60 days.

We discovered that many problems that arose later in the employee lifecycle originated from misunderstandings that began on the first day.

Roles appeared well-defined on paper, yet new employees frequently understood their responsibilities differently when faced with actual client situations.

The initiative that led to this victory was a transition from conventional onboarding to what we referred to as “context onboarding.”

Rather than guiding employees through policies and tools, we guided them through real scenarios they would encounter in their initial month: managing a pressing payroll deadline, understanding compliance intricacies, or interacting with a global client unaware of Indian employment regulations.

Managers recorded the unspoken aspects of the role, the critical pressure points, and the choices that distinguish good results from exceptional ones.

This adjustment accomplished two things.

It provided new team members with a practical understanding of the tasks, and it assisted managers in defining what success truly entails.

The outcome was a 28 percent reduction in initial turnover and significantly improved confidence among new employees by the fourth week.

The victory was important as it enhanced both performance and spirit.

Individuals acclimated more quickly, posed improved inquiries, and established trust with their groups sooner.

It strengthened our belief that clarity is among the most effective retention strategies a company can adopt.

Context Onboarding Cuts Early Turnover

Edward Cirstea
Founder, Fotoria

In 2025, our best decision was going hybrid. We hired great AI people from Prague and Lisbon, but the Berlin office stayed the heart of our collaboration.

We kept shipping new features and the team felt pumped.

For other startups, I’d recommend this setup.

It keeps everyone on their game.

Hybrid Model Fuels Feature Velocity

Daniel Hebert
Founder, Oleno by SalesMVP Lab Inc

Automating our marketing content workflow was our best move this year.

We started using Oleno’s pipeline and cut article creation time from six hours down to one.

That freed up our team for actual strategy and outreach instead of getting stuck in bottlenecks.

If manual tasks are eating your week, find a system that can handle more work, not just speed it up.

Automation Frees Strategy Time

André Disselkamp
Co-Founder & CEO, Insurancy

Our biggest win this year was letting our advisors learn new skills whenever they wanted, instead of just once a year.

We didn’t see people stop leaving right away.

But after about six months, the team was just different.

More into it, solving customer problems before they even asked.

If you manage people, letting them keep learning is what keeps them around and doing good work.

Anytime Learning Reignites Motivation

Paul Healey
Managing Director, Hire Fitness

Last year I focused on one thing: getting different kinds of people into our sales management roles across the UK and Ireland.

We paired new hires with mentors and just let them work. It made a huge difference.

Meetings got more interesting with new perspectives we hadn’t heard before.

My advice? Stop talking about initiatives and just talk to people.

Connect with them, listen, and be ready to learn something yourself.

Diverse Hires Enrich Team Perspectives

Yann Duschenay
Manager, Camping Les Saules

This year at Camping Les Saules, we moved our core seasonal staff to year-round contracts.

Not much happened at first, but by summer we had kept almost all our experienced people.

Check-ins got way faster and the team was actually helping each other out.

My advice? Try it with a small group first.

Having familiar faces around made all the difference for us.

Year-Round Contracts Keep Experience

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Individual Contributors:

Answer our latest queries and submit your unique insights:
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Submit your article:
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2025’s Breakthroughs: What Went Right in HR and Why

by

2025’s Breakthroughs: What Went Right in HR and Why

What if the HR breakthrough that elevated your year wasn’t a viral perk, but a grounded shift that fostered deeper trust, sharper alignment, and lasting motivation? 

In 2025’s demanding talent arena, leaders learned that blending data with humanity—through revamped coaching, flexible schedules, and authentic recognition—didn’t merely retain staff; it unlocked creativity and cohesion in profound ways. 

These victories emerged from attuned choices, proving that small, consistent actions often yield the most transformative results.

HR Spotlight brought together CEOs, directors, and officers to recount their pinnacle achievements: from zero-turnover feats via personalized KPIs to morale surges through cross-functional shoutouts, and global hiring engines built on scorecard precision. 

Their insights spotlight efforts like competency training, systems-change audits, and employee-led feedback loops that turned fragmented teams into unified forces. 

Intrigued by how promoting internal pathways or embracing AI insights could redefine your dynamics? 

These authentic narratives demonstrate that the strongest wins prioritize clarity and care. 

Discover the strategies reshaping workplaces on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

Jeff Ostermann
Chief People & Culture Officer, Sweetwater

Our biggest HR win in 2025 was accelerating a culture of growth and connection across Sweetwater. 

We better engage every part of HR – Learning and Development, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, and HR Business Partnership – around a shared goal: helping employees grow meaningful careers, not just hold jobs. 

In 2024 the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report noted that career development became a top driver of retention and engagement, and our experience proved that true. 

By aligning new, exciting tools, and learning opportunities like our Sweet360 Coaching Program and Amplify talent development framework with clear rewards and career paths, we created a more seamless and motivating employee journey. 

Each HR function played a part:  L&D built the resources, HRBPs guided development conversations, and Total Rewards enabled systems and reinforced progress through recognition and pay alignment. 

The result was a 38% increase in internal promotions, improved retention, and a stronger sense of unity, momentum, and purpose across the company.

Growth Culture Drives 38% Promotions

Hannah Yardley
Chief People & Culture Officer, Achievers

One of the biggest ROI wins this year at Achievers came from leaning into recognition to improve collaboration across teams.

In May, we launched our Ripple Effect Campaign, which is a way of encouraging employees to highlight how colleagues in other departments contributed to their success.

The goal was to break down silos, show the impact of cross-functional work, and bring our values to life. The result?

An 11% increase in cross-functional recognition and a noticeable improvement in how teams connect the dots between their work and business outcomes.

For me, total rewards are most effective when they make people feel seen, engaged, energized, and connected.

This year, recognition delivered exactly that, and the ROI followed.

Recognition Ripple Boosts Cross-Team Ties

Anat Keidar
Chief People Officer, DoorLoop

Our biggest HR win in 2025 was building a scalable, high-performing global hiring engine from the ground up.

We began by assembling a strong Talent Acquisition team and redefining how we hire—introducing scorecard-based evaluations, structured interview loops, rigorous interviewer training, and a shift to a fully in-house recruitment model.

This transformation allowed us to achieve something we hadn’t done before: hiring 100 exceptional people in one year, across multiple geographies and functions.

Most notably, we filled four Full Stack Team Lead roles in a single quarter after hiring only one the year prior—demonstrating both process maturity and talent density gains.

More than a hiring achievement, this win strengthened our culture, improved candidate experience, and provided the organizational foundation we need for rapid yet healthy growth in 2026.

Global Hiring Engine Nets 100 Stars

Amir Husen
Associate, ICS Legal

In 2025, my most significant HR victory was delivering a connected, global remote onboarding and engagement program for new collaborators. 

And as my consulting practice grew internationally, I found that traditional onboarding techniques were insufficient for establishing trust and understanding within remote-first teams with diverse backgrounds.

The move that led to this victory was the decision to unite automation with human connection. 

I created a structured onboarding dashboard (milestones, FAQs, cultural notes) and booked a call time for personalized orientations and weekly check-ins during the first month. 

This helped shape new hires’ sense of direction and purpose.

I also created feedback loops for members to share how their onboarding was going, anonymously. 

This enabled me to fine-tune the entire workflow and resolve issues early. 

The payoff was faster integration and better morale, along with documented productivity gains.

Context Onboarding Builds Early Trust

William Fletcher
CEO, Car

Our Best HR Win Came From Letting People Shape Their Own Workday

Our biggest HR win in 2025 happened when we introduced microshifts on the support team at Car.

We were dealing with peak demand from garages and recovery operators, and the stress was showing response times slowed, and morale dipped a bit.

We gave people control of their schedules as long as they owned a full case from start to finish, no messy handoffs.

Within a few weeks, response time improved by 14% and we saw way fewer burnout-style sick days.

The team felt trusted instead of monitored, which changed the tone overnight. Anyway, the small decision made a big difference.

My takeaway: when people have a say in how they work, they usually give their best without being asked twice.

Microshifts Slash Response Time 14%

Scott
Co-Founder, Man of Many

Our biggest HR win in 2025 was implementing flexible hybrid work policies alongside a renewed focus on employee autonomy. 

This shift was data-led: we closely tracked productivity, engagement, and retention following the change, and saw not only a boost in staff satisfaction but also a marked improvement in creative outputs. 

The decisive factor was trusting our team to manage their own time and energy – it transformed our culture and directly delivered measurable business gains.

My credentials include being a CFA Charterholder and being named Publish Leader of the Year, and our publication, Man of Many, has won Website of the Year. 

We focus on team leadership and the evolving future of work as part of our content strategy, which keeps me plugged in to what delivers results in practice.

Hybrid Autonomy Sparks Creative Surge

Aziz Bekishov
CEO, DC Mobile Notary

My Strongest HR Win Of 2025:

I structured the year around work and more work, but with all; everyone in the mobile team has a nearer sense of leisure.

I instituted a simple check-in rhythm on work weeks, thus, nipping small issues in the bud before these could grow into big problems.

I took matters pertaining to strength into consideration for assigning priorities with the result that everyone received a sense of possession.

On the matter of document accuracy, I placed training in such a way that anybody down the line was excited over the increased level of trust.

I collaborated on implementation of scheduling tools to minimize confusions and overlaps, and our calendar remained firm.

Morale went through the roof: crusading morale sorts everybody’s energy into more smooth and more polished service than clients require.

Please feel free to inquire further, and thank you if you choose to have me ratchet good insights.

Check-Ins Nip Issues, Polish Service

Andrew Martin
Founder & Senior Resume Writer, Crisp Resumes

Crisp Resumes’ most meaningful HR achievement in 2025 was strengthening talent alignment for our clients through a more structured career clarity process introduced before any resume work began.

We realised that many job seekers weren’t held back by their documents alone, but by uncertainty about the roles that genuinely suited their skills and aspirations.

By adding a focused consultation to unpack each client’s strengths, ideal career direction, and capability gaps, we saw a clear shift in outcomes.

Clients reported higher interview success rates and felt more confident in the applications they were submitting.

This change reshaped our entire service model, reduced mismatched applications, improved job-search strategy, and helped clients secure roles that aligned with their long-term goals.

It quickly became one of the strongest contributors to client satisfaction throughout 2025.

Career Clarity Lifts Interview Wins

Rachel Shaw
Founder & President, Rachel Shaw, Inc.

The Systems-Change Win  

My biggest HR win in 2025 was helping dozens of employers shift from reactive, case-by-case ADA responses to sustainable, data-driven disability compliance programs. 

Through training over 5,000 HR professionals, auditing large employers, and building long-term and short-term accommodation models, we advanced a national movement toward more equitable, consistent, and accountable workplace practices. 

This work helped HR leaders reduce delays, improve documentation, and confidently manage complex medical and leave situations. 

The decision to expand program development offerings—and to empower HR practitioners through competency, curiosity, confidence, and courage—drove this success and strengthened workplace inclusivity on a national scale.

Fear as Data Fuels Equitable Change

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Individual Contributors:

Answer our latest queries and submit your unique insights:
https://bit.ly/SubmitBrandWorxInsight

Submit your article:
https://bit.ly/SubmitBrandWorxArticle

PR Representatives:

Answer the latest queries and submit insights for your client: https://bit.ly/BrandWorxInsightSubmissions

Submit an article for your client:
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Please direct any additional questions to: connect@brandworx.digital

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Discover the latest HR Tips and trends with our weekly newsletters!