Courtney Abraham
CHRO
Current Lighting
Episode 302
HR Redefined: Strategic Impact Meets Resourceful People Culture
Current chapter: Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built By PeopleFebruary 13, 2025 · 17:58
Thesis
“HR leaders must adopt a business-first mindset, focusing on measurable value creation and organizational impact, while simultaneously fostering a people-centric culture through active listening, robust feedback mechanisms, and creative, resourceful initiatives, particularly in resource-constrained environments.”
Show notes
Courtney Abraham managed a specialty chocolate store before she ever stepped into HR. She'll tell you that experience taught her more about operations, people motivation, and customer service than most HR textbooks — and that perspective has served her well as CHRO of a private equity-backed manufacturing company operating with real financial constraints.
At Current Lighting, Courtney leads HR with a P&L mindset that many in the function lack. "This is the job I never knew I wanted, and I absolutely love it" — but loving the work hasn't made her sentimental about resources. In a PE environment, HR has to earn every dollar. She's learned to be creative, leveraging networks and internal resources to build programs that would cost multiples of the actual investment if done through conventional channels. Her framework: understand what drives profitability, align HR to those drivers, and measure against impact metrics, not activity metrics.
One of her most effective tools is rigorous listening infrastructure — not casual engagement surveys, but intentional listening tours, internal communication channels, and a discipline of following through. She's clear that the listening is only the beginning. What distinguishes HR functions that build trust from those that erode it is what happens after the feedback is collected. Does the organization visibly act on it? Can employees draw a clear line from "I said this" to "something changed"? That loop — feedback to action to communication back — is what Courtney credits with the retention and engagement outcomes she's driven.
- HR with a private equity P&L lens — understanding what drives profitability and aligning people investments to those levers
- Creative resourcefulness in constrained environments — building high-impact programs without large budgets through network leverage and internal ingenuity
- Listening infrastructure that actually closes the loop — the discipline of acting on feedback and communicating what changed
- Measuring HR by impact, not activity — moving beyond participation metrics to outcomes that matter to business leaders
- Culture of service as competitive advantage — treating employees with the same intentionality you'd bring to your best customers
- Collaboration as a professional strategy — why celebrating others' successes builds the relationships that make you more effective
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What you'll take away
- 1HR leaders should adopt a business-first lens, understanding P&L and the drivers of profitability, to demonstrate the tangible value HR initiatives bring to the organization.
- 2In resource-constrained settings like private equity, HR must be highly creative, leveraging networks and internal resources to implement effective development, training, and recognition programs.
- 3Creating pathways for employee voice (surveys, listening tours, internal comms) is critical, but the subsequent rigorous analysis, sharing, and actionable response to that feedback is paramount.
- 4Measure the success of HR initiatives by aligning them with business priorities, focusing on impact metrics like participation, retention, ENPS, and clear ROI where possible.
- 5Foster a culture of collective success by actively lifting others up and celebrating peers' wins, recognizing that shared achievement benefits everyone.
What most organizations get wrong
- •"The last thing I personally want to do is policy policing or payroll corrections, but foundations crumble when you don't have rules." - Pushes back on the often administrative perception of HR, yet acknowledges the fundamental necessity of foundational HR functions.
- •"Many people initiatives may seem like a good idea, but it's what impact they will have on the organization." - Emphasizes a results-driven, business-centric approach to HR, questioning 'feel-good' initiatives that lack measurable business impact.
In Courtney's words
“this is the job I never knew I wanted, and I absolutely love.”
Highlights the unexpected fulfillment found in a strategic HR leadership role after a career transition.
“Many people initiatives may seem like a good idea, but it's what impact they will have on the organization.”
Stresses the importance of a business-first mindset for HR, prioritizing initiatives with measurable organizational impact.
“The best thing you can do is listen to employees and invite their voices.”
Underscores the foundational principle of employee empowerment through active listening and open communication channels.
“We dissect and analyze the information, you know, 6 ways to Sunday... And then by team, we create almost like tiger teams to go in and say, hey, this is what your business unit said. What's important to you?”
Illustrates a thorough and collaborative approach to processing and acting upon employee survey feedback.
“I wish someone told me this early in my career. There's so much success to go around, like so much success. So how do you lift others up in a way that allows you to win, right?”
Offers a powerful piece of career advice, advocating for collaborative success and celebrating others' achievements.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Lack of budget for HR initiatives (development, training, recognition) in turnaround or private equity environments.
- •Difficulty demonstrating the tangible ROI and business impact of HR initiatives to skeptical business leaders.
- •Overcoming the traditional perception of HR as primarily 'policy policing' or administrative, rather than a strategic business partner.
- •Inefficient internal communication processes leading to lost productivity (e.g., excessive emails instead of direct conversations).
- •Retaining key talent and preventing employees from 'jumping to the competitor' if not engaged or developed.
In this episode
Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built by People
Dave Schultz shares a little bit more about his career journey
Your Career Pathway
How do you balance focus on value creation with ensuring HR initiatives remain people-centric
How to Balance Value-Driven HR Initiatives
Being a business person first and an HR leader second has shaped your mindset
As a Business Person First and an HR Leader Second
Best thing you can do is listen to employees and invite their voices
Give Employees a Voice in Your Company
We are in the throes of getting feedback from our employee survey
What Do You Do With Feedback From Your Employee Survey?
In a PE environment, there's often not a budget for people development
What unique challenges and opportunities have employers faced in implementing HR strategies in
Courtney: How do you measure success of employee empowerment initiatives
How Do You Measure Employee Empowerment Initiatives?
Courtney, any parting advice you'd like to share with our audience
Courtney On The Built by People Podcast
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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