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
"HR is a revenue function, believe it or not." That's LaToya Lyn — Chief People Officer, advisor to PE-backed companies, and one of the sharpest voices in the field on what it actually means to run HR as a strategic business unit rather than a compliance function with a ping pong table.
LaToya has spent her career at the intersection of HR, organizational design, and executive leadership — and she doesn't sugarcoat what she sees. Too many HR leaders are spending their time chasing symptoms instead of diagnosing causes. They're building tech stacks designed for HR's convenience rather than employees' self-sufficiency. And they're letting themselves get buried in a long list of minor problems instead of committing, publicly, to solving three critical ones per quarter and being held accountable for it.
Her framework is direct: 80% of your HR function should tie directly to business goals. Every initiative should link to an outcome the CEO cares about. And when you're in an all-hands meeting and employees have 20 complaints, your job isn't to promise to fix all 20 — it's to say, out loud, "here are the three I'm going to solve, and here's how you can hold me to it." That's how HR builds trust. That's how it earns its seat.
What you'll learn:
- Why LaToya frames HR as a revenue function — and how to attach your goals to business outcomes
- The "walk-and-talk" executive relationship strategy that changes the quality of conversations with the C-suite
- How to build HR tech for the end user (employees), not the initial user (HR)
- Why solving a few root causes beats "boiling the ocean" on a hundred surface symptoms
- The 80/20 rule for HR priorities: business goals vs. compliance and run-of-the-mill tasks
- How to use consistent stand-ups between HR, Finance, and Communications to prevent misaligned messaging
Built by People is presented by Previ — the free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication engagement.
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
Full transcript
Expand transcript (0 words)
Transcript is not available yet.