LaToya Lyn
Chief People Officer | Advisor | Instructor
Fractional HR Consultant (working with PE firms, investor capital firms, CEO forums)
Episode 4
From Reactive to Revenue: The HR Transformation Imperative
Current chapter: This episode is presented by Previ, the only free tool that boosts internal communication
Built By PeopleJanuary 26, 2026 · 22:10
Thesis
“HR must transform from a reactive problem-solver into a proactive business leader and revenue function, strategically aligning its initiatives and tech stack with overall business outcomes and focusing on core problems rather than symptoms.”
Show notes
Summary
In this episode of the Built My People podcast, LaToya Lyn shares her career journey, insights into HR leadership, and the importance of effective communication and relationship building within organizations. She discusses her current focus on strategic priorities, innovative initiatives, and the future outlook for HR. LaToya emphasizes the need for HR to be seen as a revenue function and offers valuable advice for leaders navigating the rapidly changing landscape of employee expectations and technology.
Takeaways
LaToya's career journey began with an early interest in employer-employee relationships.
She emphasizes the importance of strategic focus in HR roles.
Building relationships through informal meetings can enhance communication.
HR leaders should prioritize effective communication across departments.
Innovative initiatives can strengthen workplace culture and relationships.
Employee communication is becoming increasingly challenging in diverse organizations.
HR should be viewed as a revenue function, aligning goals with business outcomes.
It's essential to focus on solving a few significant problems rather than many minor ones.
HR leaders must engage with employees to build trust and transparency.
Adaptability and courage are crucial for HR leaders in a changing environment.
What you'll take away
- 1Foster consistent connectivity between HR, finance, and marketing/communications through regular stand-up meetings to ensure aligned messaging and strategic planning.
- 2Strengthen relationships with executive leaders and board members by scheduling 'walk-and-talks' or off-site casual meetings to provide a change of pace and facilitate more open dialogue.
- 3Prioritize HR initiatives by aligning 80% with business goals and 20% with essential compliance, ensuring HR actively contributes to the company's bottom line.
- 4Design HR systems and processes with the 'end-user' (employees) in mind, making them self-sufficient and enabling them to access information and solutions independently.
- 5Focus on identifying and solving a few fundamental 'causes' of problems rather than 'boiling the ocean' with numerous superficial symptoms, allowing HR to be a solution-provider.
What most organizations get wrong
- •She pushes back on the idea that some tasks are 'not strategic,' stating that 'there is actually nothing that's not important' if framed as symptoms of larger underlying business issues.
- •HR should be viewed as a 'revenue function' rather than solely a cost center, emphasizing its direct contribution to business outcomes.
- •Instead of trying to solve all problems, HR leaders should strategically narrow down and commit to solving a few critical issues per quarter to build trust and demonstrate impact.
In LaToya's words
“This type of work as the integrity holder, the truth-sayer, the truth-setter, and the business leader for our business, this role is not for the faint of heart.”
This quote defines the demanding and critical nature of the Chief People Officer role as a core business function.
“80% of the HR function is supporting the business goals. The 20% is the run-of-the-mill stuff.”
This highlights a strategic allocation of HR resources, emphasizing business alignment over routine tasks.
“HR is a revenue function, believe it or not. And the way to have people understand that they're a revenue function is by attaching your goals, the design of your team towards outcomes for the business.”
This statement reframes HR's value proposition, linking its activities directly to financial and strategic business results.
“you cannot boil the ocean. It's okay to push things down. Like, I am notorious in all-hands meetings saying, here are the 20 things that you guys complained about, right? This one is attached to this. Okay, we narrow it down to 5. Now, here are 3 things that I'm going to work on really well, and hold me accountable to them.”
This provides actionable advice on strategic prioritization and building trust by delivering on a few key initiatives.
“we are essentially, you know, customer service. Leaders, and our customers are the employees, right? And we need to have products where we can enable them to become smarter and better.”
This emphasizes an employee-centric approach to HR, advocating for systems that empower and inform the workforce.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Lack of integrated communication and strategy between HR, finance, and marketing/communications functions, leading to disjointed messaging and processes.
- •HR teams struggle with limited resources for marketing, graphic design, and communication expertise, hindering effective internal communication.
- •Existing HR tech stacks are often designed for HR's convenience (the 'initial user') rather than empowering employees (the 'end-user'), creating dependency and inefficiency.
- •HR leaders are overwhelmed by numerous small, seemingly non-strategic issues (symptoms) that distract from addressing root causes of organizational problems.
- •Organizations incorrectly perceive HR as a cost center rather than a revenue-generating function that contributes directly to business outcomes.
In this episode
This episode is presented by Previ, the only free tool that boosts internal communication
Built by People
Tell us about your career journey and what's on your priorities this quarter
Top HR Executives on Their Career Journey
Sometimes we get put into tasks that don't feel as strategic, right
Tasks that don't feel strategic
One issue that comes up for me is the relationship between people and finance
WSJDLive: Communication Processes
What's one initiative you rolled out recently that you're proud of
What's One Initiative You're Proud of?
Being outside creates a better memory, right? Being in the real world
What Do We Do to Enhance Our Mental Fitness?
One thing we've heard recently is employee communication is becoming harder across organizations
Better Communication Through Better Communication
One thing that I would want to see done better is creating an HR system
WSJDLive: One HR System that's Broken
Latoya: HR needs to focus more on solving problems rather than symptoms
WSJD Live: The Future of HR
HR leaders are facing rising employee expectations, rapid changes in the market
WSJD Live: On Managing Employee Expectations
Latoya, thank you so much for joining us on Built by People podcast
Latoya on Being Built by People
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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