I litigated employment claims on the defense side for over a decade before joining an HR consulting firm and leading its compliance function for over a thousand companies.  It was an easy transition and I was happy to proactively partner with employers to strategically prevent problems before they became administrative charges or judicial complaints.  This partnership organically evolved beyond just preventing claims; we worked to attract and retain talent through systems improvements,  leadership coaching and employee development programs.  We increased engagement and efficiency, and it was way more fun than arguing with opposing counsel. 

As I was helping an organization with its DEI strategy launch, I read Creativity, Inc. to glean examples for the keynote.  Pixar's origin story piqued my interest in the tech sector's innovative climate.  So when I had the chance, I joined a  start-up and saw the power of Agile HR and the freedom to fail fast and iterate.  The curiosity and collaboration was energizing, and I drew inspiration from the gifted people I collaborated with every day. 

Looking back across my career, I also saw the power of ineffective HR and how recurring problems compound when a company fails to invest in systems that effectively collect/manage data, communicate information,  and reward/compensate  employees.  When these problems repeat or are ignored, the inevitable noise that reverberates through a company only gets louder and more distracting as it scales.  The experience to identify and then influence stakeholders to focus on fixing these critical system gaps/failures while competing priorities/distractions surface is imperative.  

Leveraging the power of progressive and effective HR (getting the basics right and reducing the noise) inspired me to support more companies on a fractional, on-demand basis.   I always look forward to making the case to stakeholders no matter how many times it takes because I believe in the cause.   We share a purpose -- building a workplace community where teams value integrity, creativity, and each other -- my magnum opus.  We can make the workplace great, enhance our employees' well-being and have fun while we are doing it.   Word.