Elizabeth Lages
Chief People and Culture Officer
Flexera
Episode 340
Unlock people power: Operational HR and scorecards transform organizational success
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features the stories and insights of world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJanuary 20, 2025 · 6:50
Thesis
“HR leaders can effectively align with business goals and drive organizational success by adopting a data-driven, operational 'scorekeeping' mindset and strategically empowering managers as key drivers of people and culture.”
Show notes
Elizabeth Lages didn't start her career in HR. She started in sales, then moved into operations — and that sequence matters. The operational discipline she built before she ever touched a people strategy gave her something most HR leaders have to work to develop: the instinct to keep score. At Flexera, where scorekeeping is literally a core value, that instinct shapes everything from how roles are defined to how performance is calibrated.
El's approach positions managers as the true unit of people strategy — not because leadership matters in the abstract, but because managers are where culture either holds or breaks. Her practical response is to invest heavily in the conditions that make managers effective: clear scorecards, structured one-on-ones with explicit career development conversations, coaching tools, and leadership development opportunities that actually address how managers are leading rather than just what they're managing.
The relationship between the CPO and the CEO, she argues, is the linchpin. Without alignment between those two roles on corporate strategy and vision, people initiatives tend to float untethered from the business. That alignment turns HR from a function that supports the organization into one that actually drives it.
- Bringing operational discipline to people strategy — how a sales and ops background sharpens the lens on what HR should actually measure
- Scorecards as an HR tool — role scorecards for hiring, performance scorecards for calibration, and the objectivity they create
- Managers as the tip of the spear — investing in the conditions that make frontline leadership effective
- Weekly one-on-ones with career development built in — the structural habit that signals that employee growth is a non-negotiable
- CPO-CEO alignment as the foundation — why the partnership between people leader and chief executive is what makes everything else work
What you'll take away
- 1Implement operational disciplines, such as role scorecards for hiring and performance scorecards with calibration, to ensure unbiased and objective evaluation in HR functions.
- 2Support managers and leaders as the 'tip of the spear' by providing tools, leadership sessions, and professional development opportunities focused on coaching and delegation.
- 3Establish a consistent cadence of weekly one-on-one meetings (O3s) with team members that explicitly include career development dialogue.
- 4Foster critical alignment and partnership between the Chief People Officer and the CEO on corporate strategy and vision to achieve employee-first success.
- 5Prioritize 'moments that matter' for employees, recognizing both small and significant contributions, and actively integrate HR business partners into all business functions.
What most organizations get wrong
In Elizabeth's words
“My career journey did not start in HR or people and culture. My career journey started in sales. It took me into operations through leading channel, and then I've been focused on people and culture or effectiveness in some way, shape, or form for a little shy of a decade now.”
Highlights a non-traditional career path into HR, emphasizing a foundational understanding of sales and operations.
“what we do here at Flexera is we look at things, we keep score, which is a core value of ours. So what a lot of things that we'll do, we create scorecards.”
Introduces the central theme of applying data-driven, operational 'scorekeeping' to HR initiatives.
“our managers and our leaders are so critical and key, right? They're the tip of the spear. And so the best way that we can support them is really ensuring that they have the tools to be successful.”
Emphasizes the crucial role of managers and leaders in driving talent management and the HR function's support for them.
“every week, every manager is expected to spend 30 minutes with every member of their team. And part of that dialogue is also meant to be about career development opportunity.”
Details a concrete and consistent practice for fostering employee development and engagement through regular one-on-ones.
“The partnership and the relationship between the CEO and the people leader is critical. And in order for real success, I think, to be accomplished from an employee-first perspective, you need that alignment between the two.”
Stresses the foundational importance of strong alignment between the CEO and the HR leader for overall organizational success.
“I think the key is thinking about moments that matter for your employees, recognizing the small things in addition to the big things.”
Offers actionable advice on employee appreciation and fostering a positive work environment through consistent recognition.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations struggle with objectively evaluating candidates and employee performance, leading to potential bias (Flexera solves this with role scorecards and performance calibration).
- •Leaders and managers often lack the specific tools and development needed to be effective in talent management (Flexera provides Flex Talks and leadership sessions).
- •Companies face challenges in aligning individual and team goals with overarching corporate objectives (Flexera uses a goal-setting and scoring system tied to corporate goals).
- •HR departments are sometimes perceived as 'behind the scenes' rather than strategic business partners (Flexera integrates HR business partners actively within functions).
- •Organizations need reliable metrics to assess employee satisfaction, intent to stay, and manager impact to inform HR priorities (Flexera uses employee surveys and a 'report card' system).
In this episode
Built by People podcast features the stories and insights of world's top HR leaders
Built by People: Elle on the Podcast
How can HR leaders effectively apply operational disciplines to the people and culture function
How to Integrate People and Culture into the Business
El, what are the key expectations for both leaders and managers in terms of talent management
What are the expectations of Managers and Leaders at Work?
How do you ensure alignment between HR activities and CEO's vision for organization
Flexera CEO on Accountability and Measure Success in HR Initiatives
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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