Alex Salas
Assistant Chief People Officer
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
Episode 179
Unlock HR Leadership: Why Community & Diverse Views are Your Growth Engine
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleMay 22, 2025 · 8:32
Thesis
“Active participation in HR communities and a continuous pursuit of diverse perspectives are essential for HR leaders to foster personal and professional growth, enabling them to build robust teams and navigate complex roles effectively across various industries.”
Show notes
Alex Salas runs HR for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — and simultaneously serves as President of New York City SHRM, one of the largest local HR chapters in the country. His secret to managing both without burning out is refreshingly unglamorous: strong people around him, a lot of planning, and a lot of coffee.
What makes this conversation interesting isn't the logistics of dual leadership — it's what Alex has learned from exposure to leadership styles and HR practices that no single employer could have shown him. When you're embedded inside one organization, leadership looks one way. Step into a community of hundreds of HR leaders across industries and you realize there are as many valid models of leadership as there are organizations. That expansion of perspective, Alex argues, is one of the most underrated growth levers available to HR professionals — and most never take it because they're waiting for their organization to send them to something rather than investing in their own development.
He also pushes back on the idea that HR professionals need deep industry-specific experience to move between sectors. The laws, the regulations, the fundamental challenge of working with people — those travel. Alex has done it across finance, luxury retail, nonprofit, and government, and the through-line has always been the same.
- Balancing executive and association leadership — how Alex structures his time and team to manage a senior HR role alongside running NYC SHRM
- What HR associations actually give you — diverse leadership exposure and peer learning you simply can't get inside a single employer
- How to get involved in SHRM chapters — practical first steps for professionals who want more than passive membership
- Industry-agnostic HR — why core HR principles transfer across finance, government, nonprofit, and retail without needing to "start over"
- Professional networking in the digital era — why local chapter presence and online voice are both required, not optional
- Leaning in vs. showing up — Alex's challenge to professionals who attend but don't engage
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What you'll take away
- 1Actively engaging with HR associations like SHRM significantly broadens one's perspective on leadership and HR practices beyond a single employer, fostering personal growth.
- 2Building a strong, invested team is crucial for effectively balancing multiple demanding roles and achieving collective goals, as 'it takes a village'.
- 3Effective professional networking in today's environment requires a dual approach: active participation in local chapters for in-person connections and cultivating a strong online presence for visibility.
- 4HR professionals can successfully transition between diverse industries because core HR principles, laws, and the focus on 'dealing with people' remain consistent across sectors.
- 5To maximize impact and growth, it's vital to 'lean in' and be present in all endeavors, not just show up, putting in effort to get more back from community involvement and development.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Alex challenges the conventional wisdom that HR professionals *must* have industry-specific experience, asserting that fundamental HR principles (laws, regulations, people management) are universal across diverse industries.
In Alex's words
“I think it's important as you progress throughout your career, whether it's at your jobs or whether it's in an HR community or local chapter, it's important to have good people around you. When you have a strong team, when you invest in your team, when you invest in your people, you are going to create a lot of things because we have a saying in New York City that it takes a village.”
This quote emphasizes the critical role of team investment and collaborative effort for HR leaders managing complex responsibilities.
“When you start aligning yourself with an— on the other HR community, when you're aligning yourself with the local chapter, what you're doing is you're expanding that view, right? So if in my instance, I saw leadership at my employer as one way, but then when I got to New York City SHRM, I saw different types of leaderships.”
This highlights how HR associations provide invaluable diverse perspectives on leadership, essential for individual growth.
“I think with human resources, that really doesn't apply as much in the sense that we all follow the same laws. We all follow the same regulations and we're all dealing with people.”
This statement offers a contrarian perspective on industry-specific HR experience, focusing on the universality of HR challenges and legal frameworks.
“I think besides what we covered already with the New York City SHRM and getting together with your local chapter, I think having an online presence is crucial as well, especially in today's day and age... you need an online voice, right?”
This quote underscores the modern necessity of a strong online professional presence to complement traditional networking for career advancement.
“I would just say for all of those that are listening, just get involved, right? I think for me, it's all about leaning in. It's about being present, right? So it's not just about showing up, but it's about leaning into whatever you want to do.”
This provides powerful parting advice, advocating for active and committed participation in all aspects of professional development and community engagement.
The problems this episode addresses
- •HR professionals often face a limited perspective on leadership and best practices if their experience is confined to a single organizational culture, hindering broader professional development.
- •Balancing demanding dual leadership roles, such as Assistant CPO and President of a major HR association, requires extensive planning and a highly invested, supportive team to prevent burnout and ensure high performance.
- •The challenge of effective professional networking in today's environment, where both traditional in-person engagement and a strategic online presence are crucial for career growth and visibility.
- •The misconception that HR professionals require deep, industry-specific experience can limit their career mobility and prevent them from exploring opportunities across diverse sectors.
- •Employees are significantly concerned about covering monthly expenses, indicating a widespread need for employers to implement solutions that support financial well-being (e.g., Previ's private pricing network).
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave Miller is the president of New York City SHRM and assistant chief people officer
A Question for the President of New York City SHRM
Being actively involved in HR associations has had a tremendous impact on my growth
ShRM and the role of HR associations in your career
Alex, for HR professionals who are considering getting involved in SHRM chapter
Interested in becoming a SHRM member? Here you go!
Alex, how has your experience in government HR leadership differ from private sector experiences
How government HR leadership differs from private sector experience
Alex says having an online presence is crucial for professional networking in today's environment
How to Network Better in Today's Environment
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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