Kelly Stover
Chief People Officer
Janus Health
Episode 47
The surprising truth: Human-centric HR leadership drives undeniable growth
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleSeptember 23, 2025 · 8:36
Thesis
“HR leaders should prioritize a 'human element' and 'caring element' in their leadership style, fostering environments where employees are valued both personally and professionally, and where continuous learning and growth are encouraged across diverse experiences.”
Show notes
Summary
In this episode of the Built by People podcast, Kelly Stover shares her extensive journey in HR, discussing her diverse experiences across various industries and how they shaped her approach to human resources. She emphasizes the importance of embracing change, the value of leadership that prioritizes human connection, and the challenges faced in maintaining one's personal style in a data-driven environment. Kelly also reflects on the legacy she hopes to leave in HR and offers advice for professionals in the field.
Takeaways
- Kelly has over 30 years of experience in HR.
- Her career spans multiple industries, enhancing her perspective.
- Embracing discomfort is key to personal growth.
- Failures can lead to the greatest learning experiences.
- Leadership should celebrate both personal and professional milestones.
- Data-driven environments can challenge personal HR styles.
- It's important to stay true to one's leadership style.
- Creating a human-centric HR space is vital.
- Kelly aims to leave a legacy of caring leadership.
- HR professionals should align with their core values.
Chapters
00:00 Kelly's Journey in HR
02:56 Embracing Change and Growth
05:42 Defining Leadership and Values
06:54Challenges in HR and Personal Style
07:52 Legacy and Human Element in Leadership
08:30Advice for the HR Community
What you'll take away
- 1Embrace diverse industry experiences to maintain a fresh perspective and foster continuous learning in HR.
- 2Actively seek out opportunities that challenge you and push you out of your comfort zone, viewing failures as significant learning moments.
- 3Define your leadership by integrating personal values with professional conduct, focusing on the 'human element' and supporting employees holistically.
- 4Maintain authenticity in your HR approach, demonstrating effectiveness through results even if your style differs from prevailing norms (e.g., data-driven aggression).
- 5Prioritize working for organizations and leaders whose core values align with your own, especially in dynamic economic landscapes.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Kelly challenges the common path of specializing in one industry, advocating for a broad range of experiences to keep perspectives fresh and encourage continuous learning.
- •She pushes back against the notion that an aggressive, assertive approach is always necessary in data-driven HR environments, proving that a more empathetic and observational style can still achieve desired outcomes.
In Kelly's words
“I have really tried to define my career by having time in multiple different industries.”
This quote highlights her unique approach to career development, emphasizing the value of diverse experiences.
“You should never be comfortable. You should always push yourself to be a little uncomfortable in what you're doing... I think sometimes the greatest learning in your career comes from when you have failures...”
This emphasizes the importance of embracing challenges and learning from setbacks for significant career growth.
“I want to provide that space for other leaders where they can grow and have that ability to say, hey, let's celebrate you both personally and professionally. You don't have to be just one side and be totally focused in this one area.”
This statement defines her leadership philosophy, centered on holistic support for employees' personal and professional lives.
“It's very important to me that people understand that there are leaders out there that want to invest in them, that they want to help them get to a better place, whether it be helping them through a challenge or a question or a career move, or even something on the personal side that maybe they need assistance with.”
This articulates her core belief in human-centered leadership and the value of genuine care for employees.
“I would tell people to hold onto that and to look for that in what they're doing. Look at where you're working, who you're working with. I think we're in such a dynamic economy right now, you could look and say, these are my core values. This is what I want to do. And this is where I want to go work because they, they have those similar core values, or these leaders that I'm working with allow me to be, you know, who I am in my value set.”
This provides actionable advice on aligning one's career with personal values and finding a supportive workplace culture.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations struggling to integrate new HR leaders who don't conform to an aggressive, data-only approach, potentially stifling diverse leadership styles.
- •Employees facing leadership that devalues personal life events (like maternity leave), leading to disengagement and a lack of holistic support.
- •HR professionals feeling pressure to adopt a style that conflicts with their authentic approach in highly data-driven environments, risking burnout or ineffectiveness.
- •Companies lacking a 'human element' or 'caring element' in their leadership, potentially leading to lower employee retention and engagement.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave has been in HR for over 30 years and has worked in multiple industries
Career Paths of HR Professionals
Kelly says having broad experience across industries helps you stay fresh in HR
Have You Got What it Takes to Jump to New Jobs?
Kelly says career-defining moment came when she was expecting second child
Kelly, Can You Tell Us About a Career-Defining Moment
Kelly: I joined a few organizations where data was king
Challenge of Staying True to Yourself
Kelly, what's a legacy you hope to leave as an HR leader
Kelly and Ellie on Leaving a Legacy
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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