Beth Ley
Sr. Director Global Rewards
Auctane
Episode 117
The 'Grass' Theory of Leadership: How HR Builds Unshakeable, Mission-Driven Teams
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJuly 8, 2025 · 13:01
Thesis
“HR leaders should prioritize meaningful work with mission-aligned companies and great people, while acting as a foundational support for their teams. Strategic, data-driven decision-making, coupled with humility and decisive action, is crucial for navigating challenges and maximizing impact within resource constraints.”
Show notes
Navigating HR Leadership with Beth on the Built by People PodcastIn this episode of the Built by People Podcast, the host interviews Beth, an HR professional with 17 years of experience. Beth shares her career journey from starting in Kentucky to taking on various roles in Austin, including at Wheatsville Food Co-op, Kendra Scott, and her current position at Auctane. She discusses the challenges of balancing data-driven decision-making with maintaining a human element, the importance of personal branding, and her evolving leadership style. Beth provides insights into making impactful changes within budget constraints and offers advice on meaningful work and thoughtful delegation. The episode closes with Beth emphasizing the value of aligning personal and company missions for a fulfilling career.
00:00 Introduction to the Built by People Podcast
00:14 Sponsor Message: Previ Network
00:38 Guest Introduction: Beth's Career Journey
02:18 Career Highlights and Growth at Kendra Scott
03:58 Transition to Tech and Current Role at Auctane
04:30 Balancing Data-Driven Decisions with Human Element
06:21 Elevating Personal Brand in HR08:06 Evolving Leadership Style
09:50 Maximizing Impact with Limited Resources
11:52 Final Advice for HR Professionals
12:55 Conclusion and Thank You
What you'll take away
- 1Delegate wisely by considering team members' strengths and providing adequate time and resources for growth, rather than simply passing off tasks.
- 2Cultivate a strong, authentic personal brand online to communicate your mission and values, which can pre-sell your leadership style to new team members.
- 3Adopt an 'inverted org chart' mentality, viewing yourself as the foundation (the 'grass') that supports and enables your team's growth and stability.
- 4Prioritize building strong relationships with finance leaders and leverage budgeting season to strategically plan and secure resources for HR initiatives, understanding that 'you build what you budget'.
- 5In times of chaos, gather information quickly and act decisively, while remaining humble enough to pivot and admit when a decision was wrong.
What most organizations get wrong
- •"What you do is never going to be as important as who you were when you were doing it." (Challenges the conventional focus on task accomplishment over character and team contribution.)
- •"Don't chase title and money. Like, those things, when you work hard and you're authentic, they come." (Contrasts with the typical career advice to directly pursue promotions and higher salaries.)
In Beth's words
“What you do is never going to be as important as who you were when you were doing it.”
This quote emphasizes the importance of character and team contribution over job duties.
“So many people during that time were paralyzed. I was like, I'm just going to gather as much information as I can and I'm going to act. And kind of that ability to think quick, act fast has really helped me throughout my career.”
This highlights the importance of decisive action and agility in crisis situations.
“I am creating a career so that I can be the grass. I'm the bottom. I am the foundation at which my team grows and has stability and has a healthy foundation.”
This powerful metaphor illustrates her philosophy of servant leadership and team enablement.
“You build what you budget, and having really great relationships with your finance leaders is incredibly important in HR.”
This quote stresses the strategic link between HR initiatives and financial planning.
“When you delegate to your team members, delegate wisely, delegate for their strengths, and delegate with time and resources. Giving someone something that's impossible to do in the amount of time that you have or with the resource constraints you have, that's not delegating for growth, that's passing the buck.”
This provides actionable advice on effective and supportive delegation for team growth.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Navigating rapid, data-driven yet human-centric HR decisions during times of extreme ambiguity and chaos (e.g., pandemic store closures).
- •Extending global programs (like wellness) to a diverse international workforce without increasing budget or negatively impacting existing employees.
- •The challenge of fostering meaningful team growth when delegation is poorly executed (i.e., 'passing the buck' without adequate resources or consideration for strengths).
- •HR leaders struggling to build an authentic personal brand that clearly communicates their values and leadership style to new hires.
- •The risk of HR initiatives being underfunded or unplanned due to a lack of strong relationships with finance and failing to 'budget what you build'.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
I'm in my 17th year as an HR professional
How an HR Professional Went From Startup to Octane
Beth says she faced a challenge balancing data-driven decision-making
The Challenge of Data-
Just like a company needs a clear mission and vision, we need people as people
Beth, Can You Elevate Your Personal Brand
Beth says her leadership style has evolved over her 17-year career
Beth Barton on Her Leadership Style
Beth uses total rewards to maximize impact with limited resources
Beyond Total Rewards: How to Maximize Impact in HR
Bets, what advice would you like to share with our community
Built by People: Advice for Happy Professionals
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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