Christy Harris
Chief Human Resources Officer
CCC Solutions
Episode 371
Beyond HR: How Authenticity & Commercial Mindset Drive Real Business Impact
Current chapter: Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built By PeopleDecember 19, 2024 · 9:53
Thesis
“Authenticity, vulnerability, and a commercial mindset are crucial for HR leaders to establish credibility, effectively align with business strategy, and drive significant organizational impact.”
Show notes
Trust isn't built on good intentions—it's built on the gap between what you say and what you do. Christy Harris, CHRO at CCC Solutions, spent 21 years at Allstate learning what it looks like when that gap narrows, and what it costs when it widens. That calibration is now the foundation of how she leads.
Her conversation goes beyond the standard HR credibility playbook. Harris argues that authenticity and vulnerability are strategic, not soft—when you admit what you don't know, people give you grace, and that grace creates a reinforcing cycle where honest leadership becomes sustainable. She applied this directly at CCC Solutions: arriving to find no strategic anchor for HR, her first move was to become the head of corporate strategy's best friend. HR strategy built without knowing the business strategy isn't strategy—it's programming.
Her most nuanced point is about selectivity: not every HR discipline needs to be strategic. Spreading strategic attention equally across all areas doesn't maximize value creation—it dilutes it. Her formula for the CHRO who wants to drive commercial impact: learn agility, develop curiosity about the business and its people, and earn your seat by understanding the P&L before anyone asks you to.
- Why vulnerability is a strategic asset—and the reinforcing cycle it creates with organizational grace
- The credibility gap: the distance between what you say and what you do—and how to close it with C-suite peers
- Anchoring HR to business strategy: the immediate action Christy took when she arrived to find HR disconnected from the company's direction
- Strategic selectivity in HR: why attempting to be strategic across every discipline actually reduces impact
- The commercial mindset: curiosity about the business, learning agility, and thinking from a P&L perspective as the path to HR influence
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What you'll take away
- 1Embrace authenticity and vulnerability as a leader; it fosters grace from others and is essential for personal growth.
- 2Build credibility with C-level peers by consistently aligning your words with your actions and actively investing in strong relationships.
- 3Proactively integrate HR with business strategy by understanding organizational goals and thinking from a commercial mindset.
- 4Selectively apply strategic focus: you cannot and should not be strategic across every HR discipline, but rather where it drives the most value.
- 5Cultivate curiosity and learning agility, particularly about the business and its people, to elevate HR's strategic influence.
What most organizations get wrong
- •You don't need to, and shouldn't, be strategic across every HR discipline, as it may not drive additional value creation.
In Christy's words
“I think authentic and vulnerable really sort of starts with being who you are, you know, as a, as a person.”
This highlights the foundational aspect of self-awareness for true authenticity and vulnerability in leadership.
“What I have found though is that when you are vulnerable people give you a lot of grace, and that actually encourages you to be vulnerable again.”
This quote identifies the positive reinforcement mechanism that encourages continued vulnerability in the workplace.
“I mean, there is one of the things that creates credibility, but also, you know, trust is the gap between what you say and what you do.”
This provides a concise and impactful definition of trust and credibility, emphasizing consistency in actions and words.
“And I basically said to him, you, you and I are gonna be best friends because in order to build a talent strategy, in order for me to build the HR functional strategy, I need to understand what the business strategy is.”
This illustrates a proactive and collaborative approach to embedding HR strategy directly within the overarching business strategy.
“Because obviously you can't be, or nor should you be strategic across every discipline. One, you probably can't afford it, but two, it probably doesn't actually drive any more value creation.”
This offers a pragmatic perspective on HR strategy, advising against over-diluting efforts and focusing on high-impact areas.
“A, demonstrate learning agility. Two, these are two factors that I think if you're curious about the business, if you're curious about individuals, and you think from a commercial mindset, all of those I think are recipes to making sure that you align HR with the business.”
This summarizes key attributes for HR leaders to effectively align their function with business objectives and drive greater impact.
The problems this episode addresses
- •HR initiatives often lack strategic anchorage, making it difficult to evaluate and justify their contribution to overall culture or business goals.
- •HR leaders struggle to establish credibility with C-level peers due to a perceived gap between what HR promises and delivers.
- •Fear of vulnerability prevents leaders from seeking critical feedback, hindering their personal and professional growth.
- •Organizations may not recognize the full potential of HR to drive commercial value, limiting HR's impact and opportunities.
- •HR leaders need to understand the motivators and goals of their C-level peers to effectively serve as thought partners and problem-solvers.
In this episode
Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built by People
Christy Harris leads HR and employee communications for CCC
Christy Harris on Built By People
Part of our conversation today centers around vulnerability and authenticity in the workplace
Vulnerability and authenticity in the Workplace
HR leaders can take measures to establish credibility among C-level peers
Establishing Clarity in the Workplace
How are you tying HR to the business strategy from a commercial perspective
How HR is Being Integrated with the Business Strategy
As HR leader, what are you doing to grow and take risks within your organization
As an HR Leader, Can You Take Risk?
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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