Courtney Cherry Ellis
Head of People
Nativo
Episode 216
Scaling Talent Beyond Hiring: Intentional Design Fuels Exponential Growth
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleApril 25, 2025 · 18:12
Thesis
“Effective people scaling alongside business growth hinges on intentional organizational design, transparent communication of the 'why,' and fostering a coaching mindset to empower critical thinking and align individual impact with business outcomes.”
Show notes
Leadership Insights with Courtney Cherry Ellis: Scaling People and Business Together
In this episode of the Built by People Podcast, we welcome Courtney, who shares her journey from management consulting to becoming a key figure in the HR world.
Courtney discusses her unique approach to career changes and the importance of building trust and context within a team.
She explains how intentional organizational design and transparent communication are crucial for scaling people operations alongside business growth.
Courtney also highlights the significance of coaching and building business acumen within the HR leadership team.
Finally, she offers insights on designing programs that support both organizational and personal growth and emphasizes the importance of staying curious and asking questions to shape the future of work.
The episode is sponsored by Previ, which assists employees in saving on monthly expenses.
00:00 Introduction to the Built by People Podcast
00:14 Sponsor Message: Previ Network
00:38 Guest Introduction: Courtney's Career Journey
02:43 Transformational Experiences in HR
04:54 Scaling People Alongside Business Growth
09:23 Designing Programs for Organizational and Personal Growth
12:28 Linking Talent, Performance, and Rewards
13:48 Building Business Acumen in People Leadership
17:23 Parting Advice and Conclusion
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What you'll take away
- 1Scaling people with business growth requires intentional organizational design, thoughtfully reorganizing talent, and strategically introducing new skill sets to meet evolving needs.
- 2Transparent and consistent communication, focusing on the 'why,' is paramount for managing narrative and fostering understanding during periods of significant organizational change and growth.
- 3Adopting coaching as a mindset and framework, rather than just a tool, builds critical thinking skills necessary for individuals and teams to navigate complex, first-time challenges.
- 4Programs supporting personal and organizational growth should begin early in the employee journey, formally tying individual aspirations to business goals with active manager support.
- 5Cultivating business acumen within people leadership teams involves fostering strong relationships, ensuring understanding of company goals, and demystifying business language and acronyms to link HR efforts directly to business outcomes.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Coaching, often perceived as an individual development tool, can and should be viewed as a 'silver bullet' for scaling people across an entire organization by building critical thinking skills.
In Courtney's words
“I promise that if you're here a year, and you like it, you can stay. And if you're here a year and you absolutely hate it, I will put you back in at least as good of a place or better to where you were before.”
This quote highlights an extraordinary leadership approach to talent development, offering a low-risk entry point into the people function for an internal consultant.
“communication solves the most known problems”
A concise and powerful statement emphasizing the foundational role of transparent communication, particularly during organizational scaling to manage the narrative.
“I think coaching as a mindset and a framework, not necessarily a tool, really helps individuals with the critical thinking skills necessary to address complex issues, especially when they see them for the first time or the second time.”
This reframes coaching from a tactical method to a strategic organizational capability, essential for developing resilient problem-solvers in a dynamic environment.
“what you're really looking to reward, or what I'm looking to reward when I think about compensation systems specifically, is the impact that you have on the business.”
This emphasizes a business-centric philosophy for reward systems, directly linking individual compensation to measurable contributions to company objectives.
“don't be afraid to be the person in the room who speaks up, who asks the question and seeks to know why.”
This parting advice underscores the critical importance of curiosity and proactive inquiry for HR leaders shaping the future of organizations and work.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations often default to replacing existing talent at inflection points, assuming they can't adapt, rather than investing in thoughtful reorganization.
- •Lack of clear, consistent communication (especially the 'why') during periods of rapid growth can lead to uncontrolled narratives and employee misunderstanding.
- •People teams frequently operate in silos, disconnected from broader company goals and executive-level discussions, hindering strategic alignment.
- •HR professionals often struggle with business acumen, failing to speak the 'business language' and explicitly link HR metrics (e.g., time to hire) to quantifiable business outcomes (e.g., revenue goals).
- •Employee career development is often solely placed on the employee, neglecting the manager's crucial role, especially in scaling companies lacking established systems.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave Zirin started his career in management consulting
Your Career Pathway
Courtney says scaling people alongside business growth starts with intentional organizational design
How to Scale People Along With Business Growth
AuditBoard developed programs to support both organizational and personal growth
How to Support Personal Growth at Work
How do you link talent, performance and rewards to motivate your team
How Do You Link Talent, Performance, and Rewards?
Building business acumen within a people leadership team contributes to effective organizational partnerships
Building Business Acumen within a People Leadership Team
Courtney, thank you so much for joining us on Built by People podcast
Built by People Podcast
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Organizations and entities mentioned
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