Jessica Carroll
VP of Human Resources
Dynatron Software
Episode 137
Unlock HR's Strategic Value: It Starts with Deep Business Understanding
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJune 20, 2025 · 17:20
Thesis
“HR's strategic value is realized when leaders deeply understand the business and adapt people strategies to the unique contexts and employee demographics of each organization, rather than applying universal playbooks.”
Show notes
Jessica Carroll's first HR job was at a limousine company in Los Angeles. Nearly 25 years later, she's VP of HR at a software company — with stops in entertainment, textiles, tech, and cybersecurity along the way. Every industry change forced the same uncomfortable question: What does this particular employee population actually need? It's a question most HR leaders know to ask and few take seriously enough.
Her advice for new HR executives is deceptively hard to follow: resist the urge to go into action mode. The temptation to demonstrate value immediately — to show quick wins, launch initiatives, build credibility through motion — is exactly what gets people into trouble. The organizations that get the best version of Jessica Carroll are the ones that gave her the first few months to listen, understand what the business is actually trying to accomplish, and develop a strategy that's tethered to reality rather than to an imported playbook.
Her most revealing story involves implementing a performance management system against meaningful internal resistance. Her response wasn't to mandate adoption or rely on authority. She found willing partners, showed results, and let the evidence do the persuading — because "I can't force anyone, and that's just not what I'm about." It's a philosophy of strategic patience that requires both confidence in your approach and genuine respect for the humans you're trying to bring along.
- Why "action mode on day one" is an HR trap — the case for listening before building
- Connecting HR initiatives to organizational strategy — how the "why" positions HR as a true business partner
- Overcoming resistance without using authority — the evidence-first approach to stakeholder buy-in
- Benefits design that fits your population — why one-size-fits-all HR is a category error
- Cross-industry HR lessons — what entertainment, textiles, and cybersecurity each taught about the function
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What you'll take away
- 1As a new HR executive, prioritize understanding the organization's true priorities and developing a supporting HR strategy over immediately pursuing 'action mode' or quick wins.
- 2Always connect HR initiatives to broader organizational goals by clearly articulating the strategic 'why,' positioning HR as a true business partner rather than just a service function.
- 3When implementing new HR processes, address underlying stakeholder fears and concerns, demonstrating success with willing partners to gradually overcome resistance rather than enforcing compliance.
- 4Recognize that HR strategies, particularly benefits offerings, are not one-size-fits-all; they must be empathically tailored to the specific employee population, demographics, and cultural context of each company.
- 5For HR leaders to be strategic, they must deeply understand the business's revenue streams, products, competitive differentiators, and actively contribute to executive-level decisions beyond just people-related matters.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Resist the urge for immediate 'action mode' or quick wins on day one; instead, dedicate initial months to understanding organizational priorities and developing a comprehensive HR strategy.
- •Do not force compliance on resistant stakeholders; instead, demonstrate the benefits of new HR programs through successful pilot implementations with willing partners, allowing results to drive broader adoption.
In Jessica's words
“resist the urge to go into action mode on day 1, week 1. I would even say within your first few months, if you can, of course, have your quick wins. But I think it's really important to be able to spend time understanding the organization, what the true priorities are, how the HR function can support the organization in achieving their broader goals, develop that strategy and start implementing it.”
Highlights a strategic, patient approach for new HR leaders, contrasting with the pressure for immediate results.
“I'm not a big show and tell person. It's more about let me just show you what I'm about. I think this is an exception where really informing the team why you're doing the work that you're doing, connecting it back to the broader strategy is gonna position you and the team as a strategic partner versus the team that will get things done. On behalf of people managers and employees.”
Emphasizes the importance of clearly articulating the strategic 'why' behind HR initiatives to elevate HR's perceived value.
“I can't I'm not in a position to force anyone. I think that is putting HR in such a bad light, and that's just not what I'm about. So it's about, again, showing the results, and hopefully over time, they'll see that it would benefit them from following the program.”
Illustrates an influential, rather than authoritative, approach to driving change, particularly when facing resistance.
“I'm learning very quickly that what's important to employees, let's say, in San Francisco are very different than what's important to my employees and my current organization... So I think it's understanding that just because one playbook worked at one company, you really have to understand the population, what's important, and tweak that playbook to really make sense at your new company.”
Stresses the critical need for empathy and customization of HR strategies based on diverse employee demographics and regional contexts.
“Learn the business. We are strategic HR partners, and that's only possible if we truly understand what our business is about. What are our revenue streams? What's our product and our offerings? How is it different than our competitors? What makes us stand out?”
Defines a fundamental requirement for HR to be a strategic partner: deep business acumen.
The problems this episode addresses
- •High costs and inefficiency associated with relying solely on external recruiters as a company scales without an in-house talent acquisition function.
- •Lack of fundamental HR infrastructure (e.g., performance management, structured recruiting processes, compensation guidelines) in fast-growing startups leading to operational challenges.
- •Executive and managerial resistance to adopting new HR programs due to unfamiliarity, fear of complexity, or preference for established (though often less efficient) methods.
- •Struggles in positioning HR as a strategic business partner rather than merely an administrative or reactive problem-solver.
- •Ineffectiveness of applying 'one-size-fits-all' HR strategies across diverse employee populations and different geographic or cultural contexts.
- •Limited executive understanding or buy-in regarding the strategic 'why' and long-term benefits of essential HR initiatives like performance management.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
I have been in HR for nearly 25 years, starting as an HR coordinator
Describing Your Career Journey
How do you demonstrate the strategic value of HR to the executive team
Philosopher: The Strategic Value of HR
Jess, when was a time you faced resistance while implementing a people strategy
Employee Resistance to a People Strategy
Jess says working in diverse industries has helped shape her approach to HR
Experiencing Diversity in HR
Jess: When implementing performance management, you have to engage all stakeholders
Advocating Performance Management at the Executive Level
Jess: Learn the business. Something I started in my last company was holding weekly team meeting
Jess Levine on Built by People
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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