Britt Provost

▶0:00HostWelcome to the Built by People podcast, where we share the stories and insights of the world's top HR leaders. Join us as we dive deep into the minds of HR executives, uncovering their strategies, challenges, and triumphs in shaping today's workforce. I'm excited to welcome Britt to the Built by People podcast. Britt, thank you so much for joining us. And as a starting question, I always love to ask if you could share a little bit more about your career journey.

▶0:48GuestFor sure. Nice to be here. Thank you so much for the invitation. Obviously, you know, we all start in different places. And it's funny because as I came out of university, I really started in nonprofit, and I think one of the things that I learned in that space was how to be scrappy. I think when you're in the HR field, being scrappy and being creative and being practical makes a lot of sense. So I think that's been the hallmark of the roles that I've taken on throughout my career. I've been a head of HR for at least 4 times now, and so that's been an exciting journey. The latest is at a company called Site Improve, and that company was founded in Denmark about 21 years ago. It's focused on accessibility in the web.

▶1:26HostCan you tell us about a time when you helped an individual or a team discover their purpose within an organization and what impact that had on their performance and satisfaction?

▶1:36GuestYeah, look, purpose is super important to humans. We've got to have a reason for what we're doing. And I think one of the challenges that happens in the workplace is things don't always go the way we expect them to go. And so a lot of the conversations— I'm kind of thinking about this question— a lot of the conversations I've had with people are, turning over a brand new leaf to get back to that purpose, understanding sometimes things aren't going to go the way you want them to go. And so how do you get back? I think for so long we've been conditioned to be told, hey, you can't fail. Failure is actually a magnificent and fabulous part of the experience, especially if you're supported, especially if you have a space where you have leaders that understand that things don't always go the way they need to go. So that idea of turning over a brand new leaf, thinking about what you're going to do to start over, or get recentered in what you're doing, I think gets people back to purpose in a really good way.

▶2:24HostBrooke, could you share how you implemented the concept of the squiggly career in your organization, and what were some tangible outcomes from embracing nonlinear career paths?

▶2:35GuestYeah, I got to give a little credit to Helen Tepper and Sarah Ellis, who actually wrote the book. This is one of my favorite resources for people to think about their journey. Because it isn't linear and people are having kids and taking time away from the office. And I think time away from the office has become much more understood and supported, particularly post-COVID. So this idea that you're not going to go straight up a ladder, and maybe you don't even want to. I think a lot of people are also making decisions now about the traditional path of leading teams may not be for them. They may be much more comfortable in the idea of being an individual contributor. And I also think the aspect of fractional and part-time and contract work also really lends itself to this thought of a nonlinear career. So the book is a great resource to think about it in a different sort of way. It's been a great place to start conversations with people, I think is the most important part of that journey in the career.

▶3:28HostBritt, can you tell us about a case where building strong workplace relationships led to significant positive changes in team dynamics or outcomes?

▶3:37GuestYeah, let's see. I'm going to actually talk about leaving an organization or being prepared when you're the leader to either leave the organization or leave your role. I think the biggest legacy that we have as leaders and folks that are recognizing the dynamics of the team is knowing when there should be an opportunity created for somebody to step into a bigger role. And sometimes you're the blocker of that role. So I've been in a couple situations, particularly in my career, where it was time for me to exit stage left to give somebody the opportunity to do the a bigger job. And I think that's a really important part of the conversations we need to have with folks. Well, sometimes you want to go do that other thing. It goes back to the conversation we just had about the squiggly career. It's not always linear. And so that ability to sometimes say, hey, look, you are fabulous, you are ready to be my successor, I'm going to go over there, you do this, has been a really important part of what I've tried to do from a professional perspective.

▶4:32HostBritt, how have you utilized actionable advice or effective approaches in HR to foster career progression and personal growth within your team?

▶4:41GuestYeah, feedback is a really important part of that conversation, being really honest with people about where they're at. And also, I think we recognize that progression within a career may not always be progression within a company. So being able to have honest and open conversations have established that sense of trust, with people that are on your team or in your organization to say, hey, this is potentially the right next step for you, and it may not even be here. I think when you create that open space and have that ability to have straight-up dialogue and being honest with each other, knowing it's coming from a place of care, means that you're going to have a relationship that transcends just the organization you're in at that moment. Sometimes people need to move. Sometimes they need to do different things. And sometimes you need to move too.

▶5:25HostBritt, what parting advice would you like to share with our community?

▶5:28GuestI was actually thinking about this in terms of perspective. It's about getting really curious, and getting really curious is about asking really good questions. That's the other book that I would put out there on my little screen is asking about beautiful questions. This idea of curiosity and looking at things in a different way and being open to asking questions, I think, is such an important part of the HR work that we do every day, but also career in general. It also makes me a better photographer. And I think having those hobbies and thinking about how to see the world in a different way is really important. And it brings me back to Ferris Bueller, who famously said, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it. I think that speaks to curiosity for me. And it's a life rule. So.

▶6:14HostBrit, thank you so much for joining us today on the Built by People podcast. It was a pleasure to have you involved.

▶6:20GuestThank you so much. Appreciate it.