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
Every organization hits an inflection point where the team that got you here can't get you there. The default response — replace people, hire new ones — misses a better answer: redesign how they work together. Courtney Cherry Ellis, Head of People at Nativo, has spent her career choosing the harder path and making it pay off.
Her approach to scaling people alongside business growth starts with a principle she's repeated across every company she's joined: communication solves the most known problems. Not sophisticated systems, not elaborate change management frameworks — clarity about the "why" behind decisions, delivered consistently, across every level of the organization. That principle shapes how she handles reorganizations, how she introduces new talent alongside existing teams, and how she manages the narrative before it manages itself. At Nativo, she's applied coaching as a core leadership methodology: not just a tool for individual development, but a mindset that builds critical thinking capacity across the organization — the kind of thinking needed when problems are genuinely novel and playbooks don't exist.
She's also been deliberate about business acumen within her own people function. Sitting in weekly business updates, demystifying financial language, and directly linking HR metrics — time-to-hire, turnover cost, internal mobility rate — to revenue outcomes has transformed how leadership views the people team. Not an administrative function that processes requests, but a strategic partner that shapes where the company is going.
- Scaling people with business growth — why organizational redesign beats default talent replacement at inflection points
- Communication as the primary change management tool — how clarity about the "why" prevents the narratives that derail transformations
- Coaching as an organizational mindset — building critical thinking capacity so teams can navigate problems without a playbook
- Connecting career aspirations to business goals — formal programs that link individual growth to company direction from day one
- Building business acumen in people teams — speaking the language of the business so HR metrics land in executive conversations
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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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