🗣 Being an HR leader is hard AF.

👋🏽 Hey, we are back at the mid-week office party (one that you enjoy, right?!). LOL.

Today, I’m lacing up my Nike Air Max 1s and releasing the ‘extended time off’ brain fog. Last week’s peach cobbler and excessive carbs had me in a dream state if I’m being all the way real. Now that I’ve reset my passwords a time or two, it’s back to business and more Yo. You’re on Mute.

This is where authenticity meets accessibility. With that comes networking + knowledge + a person who gives a f**k. A continuous pattern that I’m noticing is that we all want to thrive in the workplace, but as the People people, we are also enabling everyone else to unlock their best. It’s challenging and it’s already Q4. We are TIRED AF!

When you see your HR/People Ops person this week, let them know “I see you and your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. I am rootin’ for your rest this quarter.” Watch them light up.

⛽️ Fueling creativity + community + connections ⛽️

🗣 Special Sound Off: I was able to join the Leader Lens Podcast this week with Jacob Espinoza! The conversation led us to the intersection of ‘when keeping it real goes RIGHT’. We kept it 💯 about being leaders, getting to know yourself, and development (even through disruption). Stay tuned to catch the convo.

If this email was forwarded to you, tap in and join the cool collective.

🎯 In the spirit of Jacob’s work around leadership, this newsletter will jump head first into the art of influence + gems from the recent Leader Lens bootcamp. Let’s go!

Leadership is all about influence.

Irregardless of your title, being influential to gain traction or create some type of change is not an easy task. It takes a specific level of effort and motivations can vary.

Influence is a fundamental element of success in our modern business landscape, and TBH it is critical. As a HR/People Operations professional at a startup, understanding the significance of influence and knowing how to cultivate it is essential for driving positive outcomes.

🤔 But how do we get people to actually listen?

A few key hacks that we learned within the Leader Lens bootcamp were:

• Make it simple; complex is confusing.

• Sometimes you have to start with compliance (read: risk mitigation) to gain buy-in + commitment. (also read: what will f*ck up if we don’t do this)

• People want to win. Showing success can create buy-in.

• Trust + Listen. Make deposits before you make withdrawals.

In business (and our life overall), we don’t only aim to influence others. I believe that we also want to inspire and empower through decisions + actions.

👉🏽 Influence plays a crucial role in achieving organizational goals, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation.

👉🏽 Influential individuals are more effective leaders, negotiators, and problem solvers, which directly impacts business (and IRL personal) success.

Change is inevitable.

While change fatigue is real and our brains are not meant to function at an optimized capacity with excessive change - the reality is that it exists all around us. We have to consistently build trust, enhance our credibility, broaden our sphere of influence, create a common ground, and do so with empathy. WHEW.

✋🏽 Influence is really the ability to create change. Trust is the foundation of influence.

What is a formula for change?

• (D*V) + FS > R

  Dissatisfaction * Vision + a clear First Step has to be greater than resistance. #leadermath powered by Leader Lens

One way to think about the task at hand is to gain buy-in by understanding the pain points. This could be a ‘Where’s Waldo’ search, but the pain points will guide your approach. Find them.

✋🏽 Master the art of communication, including active listening, articulating ideas clearly, and tailoring messages to your audience.

There are a couple of areas to avoid when getting into your ‘influence’ bag to gain buy-in and drive change:

🚩 Not reading the room. Understand your audience.

🚩 Poor timing. Work hack + example - never ask Accounting/Finance to do anything at month-end close. How dare us!

🚩 Failing to listen. Active listening is an art and a superpower.

🚩 Inadequate preparation + planning.

Conflict isn’t always bad.

During the bootcamp session, Leader Lens described leadership as a perspective, not a position. This is to shift your mindset in how we show up to create solutions for our teams, peers, and ourselves. As we preach time and time again - effective communication is at the core.

As we find the need to use influence in our leadership styles, there will be instances where you encounter some tough conversations. As my ‘HR Fairy Godmuva’ and friend Hebba would say - you cannot be conflict-averse to work in HR. She is VERY correct. That is literally our day-to-day.

We all need the right ingredients when the recipe is conflict. We also need to lean in through a feedback loop (not a feedback sandwich ICK).

The SAO model is a great place to start and serves up a tool for structured, clear, impactful feedback. The key is to actually give feedback on a consistent + constant basis.

👉🏽 Situation: What was happening?

👉🏽 Action: What was the specific action?

👉🏽 Outcome: What was the impact of the action?

The 3 Ws of influence.

I’m always a fan of frameworks that help us think outside of the box and embrace our inner salesperson. We can simplify how we weave through the threads of influence by asking ourselves three questions.

1. Who are you selling to? Focus on your audience and what would be of value to them.

2. What are they buying? This may not be exactly the same as what you’re selling above. Bridge a gap. Think perception versus intention.

3. Why is your ‘customer’ buying? This could be a good time to connect on a personal level.

🗣 Build in a way to illuminate the ‘WHY’ that inspires action. Storytelling is another superpower.

Don’t be afraid to seek out advocates who can speak in any rooms that you may not be in. An advocate/ally goes a long way. Coaching is another option that builds up confidence, and supports the avenues in which you connect the dots to influence others.

time to sound off.

Influence is not limited to managers; anyone can cultivate it for personal and professional growth. Employees at all levels can use influence to drive change, gain support for initiatives, and foster a collaborative work environment.

It is truly a skill set that is for everyone, and overall leadership is not just focused on managers. What can we do to support from the People function? Great question. WE can continue coaching, giving feedback to all levels of teams, and support the organizational culture.

Check out a few leadership guiding principles from the Leader Lens founder, Jacob Espinoza.

💫 Influence happens one person at a time.

💫 Start with a story.

💫 Don’t sweat the small stuff.

💫 Be the people connector.

💫 Make goals public. Speak up!

💫 Smile. Say Hi. Keep in touch.

⚡️QUICKSTRIKE HR + OUT OF THE BOX NEWS

The HR/People Operations landscape is evolving. As the HR World Turns 🌎 could be its own show. Check out some of the happenings below.

• If you’re in need of a Safe Space HR community, tap in and join us here.

• The amazing Anessa Fike is starting the Revolution of Work. Literally. Stay connected and don’t miss out!

• A new federal reporting requirement? Read about it here.

👟 ONE TO ROCK, ONE TO STOCK

Some HR people may like pilates and shopping trips to Ulta. You could say my thing is sneakers + streetwear. If you enjoy sneaker culture - this section is for you.

• CNK Daily got up close and personal with ‘The Ladies of’ Premium Goods. A longstanding sneaker boutique founded by Jennifer Ford. H-town!

• Kick Confessions 👟 Joe Freshgoods is back with a New Balance collection. TAKE ALL MY MONEY!

🗣 LET’S COME OFF MUTE + CONNECT

Supporting the small biz/brand owner is important to me. Each newsletter, I’ll introduce you to some talented people in my network and beyond.

• Linkup HTX is throwing an amazing event in Houston and has a call to action for volunteers. Tap in and be a part of a real networking community.

• Foundation First is a Black-owned business that creates beautiful websites, logos, and branding services. Before they pivot in the new year, they are taking on a small roster of December clients. Tap in and don’t miss out.

🎧 A SONG I DIDN’T SKIP ON MY PLAYLIST TODAY

The mid-week party needed a dance song. Sean Paul had us tearing up the dance floor in the early 2000s. If you know, you know. 🎉

Have you started your planning for your personal (not work) Q1/Q2 or are you taking a break? Whichever you decide, I’m rooting for you and always open to be a listening ear.

How can I support you or amplify your work? Reply back and let me know!

Stay tuned for more POPs point of views + how it’s going in the startup space + more on why I’ve been loving sneakers since free lunch.