Liezl Tolentino
Chief People Officer
PT Solutions Physical Therapy
Episode 32
Beyond Support: HR's Strategic Power Demands Self-Care for Profound Impact
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleOctober 8, 2025 · 20:04
Thesis
“HR's true power lies in being a central, strategic driver of transformation and value creation, requiring leaders to prioritize self-care and authentic leadership to make a profound human impact.”
Show notes
Most CPOs give advice about leading their organizations through difficult moments. Liezl Tolentino talks about what it actually costs to do that — and what happens when you don't protect your own capacity in the process. She took a sabbatical. She developed a morning routine built around meditation and gratitude. She built what she calls "healthy selfishness" into her operating model as a leader. And she's direct about why: you cannot make a meaningful human impact on an organization if you're running on empty.
Liezl's career in HR has been defined by moments where the function had to rise to something bigger than its traditional mandate. Leading PT Solutions through COVID — a healthcare company, with frontline clinical staff, at the epicenter of the pandemic — required trust-building under pressure that no playbook covers. The decisions she made around safety protocols, transparent communication, and employee well-being during that period are the ones she's most proud of. They're also the ones that nearly broke her team.
Her take on self-doubt is worth sitting with. She's been called too direct, too honest, too challenging of the status quo. Her response: those aren't flaws to correct. They're strengths to channel. The leaders who transform organizations aren't the ones who smooth off their edges to fit a conventional mold. They're the ones who figure out how to make their distinctive qualities work for the mission rather than against it.
What you'll learn:
- Why Liezl took a sabbatical — and what clarity it produced about how she leads
- The "healthy selfishness" framework: why self-care is a leadership prerequisite, not a luxury
- How PT Solutions built trust with frontline clinical staff during COVID — and what communication made the difference
- How to reframe the traits you've been told are weaknesses into your most distinctive leadership strengths
- The gratitude practice and morning routine that changed how she shows up as an executive
- What it looks like for HR to be a driver of transformation and value, not a support function
Built by People is presented by Previ — the free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication engagement.
What you'll take away
- 1**Strategic Acumen for HR Leaders:** Strengthen business leadership skills (e.g., through business school) to position HR as a strategic driver of transformation and value, not just a support function.
- 2**Organizational Savvy and Self-Perception:** Understand organizational power dynamics, how you are perceived ('your buzz'), and how evaluation criteria ('scorecard') shift with different leaders to navigate and grow effectively.
- 3**Prioritize Self-Care as a Necessity:** HR leaders, like everyone, must put on their own oxygen mask first; intentional self-care routines (meditation, gratitude, 'healthy selfishness') are crucial for sustained energy and impact, especially during crises.
- 4**Lead Authentically, Embrace Strengths:** Cultivate self-acceptance and embrace your unique leadership style, even if certain traits (like directness or challenging the status quo) face criticism, as these can be your greatest strengths.
- 5**Build Trust Through Action in Crisis:** During unprecedented challenges, foster trust with employees through non-negotiable safety measures, transparent and consistent communication, and robust wellbeing support.
What most organizations get wrong
- •"Healthy selfishness" is presented as a crucial concept, pushing back against the common HR narrative of always putting others first, emphasizing personal well-being as a prerequisite for professional effectiveness.
- •Her approach to self-doubt involves acknowledging criticisms (e.g., "too direct, too honest") but reframing them as strengths, suggesting that perceived negative traits can be powerful leadership assets rather than flaws to be corrected.
In Liezl's words
“all of them have had kind of a similar theme where HR was central, not just kind of as a support function, but a key driver in transformation and value creation. And long-term success.”
This quote encapsulates her core belief in the strategic importance and transformative power of the HR function.
“Knowing and understanding how you're perceived, it's called knowing what your buzz is, I think is really important. It's a concept that not a lot of people think about, but when you read about it in the book, it's the one takeaway people feel very energized by.”
Highlights an often overlooked but crucial aspect of career growth and organizational savvy – self-awareness of one's professional reputation.
“How do you ask somebody to walk into a senior living community with a resident that you know has tested positive for COVID and ask them to still show up with empathy, care, and compassion and courage?”
This vividly illustrates the profound ethical and practical challenge HR leaders faced in inspiring a frontline workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“when you believe in yourself, it won't bother you that other people don't.”
A concise and powerful mantra that underscores the importance of internal confidence over external validation for leaders.
“I just truly believe that the biggest flex in life isn't about your titles or your accolades. It really is about how many people you positively impact along the way.”
Defines her impactful legacy, emphasizing human connection and positive influence as the ultimate measure of success for leaders.
“we're in the business of humanity, and there's no greater privilege or opportunity, uh, to make an impact.”
This serves as an inspiring call to action for HR professionals, reaffirming the profound and human-centric mission of their role.
The problems this episode addresses
- •**Rapid Growth & Culture Scaling:** Companies experiencing 20-30% annual growth struggle to scale culture and build sustainable people processes, potentially losing their 'Top Workplace' status.
- •**Leadership Burnout & Stress in Crisis:** HR leaders face extreme burnout and exhaustion when managing critical workforces (e.g., healthcare frontline) during global crises, leading to self-doubt and potential career impact.
- •**Navigating Self-Doubt & Unfair Criticism:** Leaders, particularly women of color, grapple with self-doubt and character criticism when making tough, transformative decisions, hindering their confidence and effectiveness.
- •**Employee Financial Strain:** Employees are concerned about monthly expenses, leading to financial stress that impacts overall well-being and engagement.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
You started your career at Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Tell us about your career journey
Top HR Executives on Their Career Journey
Tell me about the book you decided to write
Bookmark: Knowing Your Power
You took a year off after working during the pandemic
Tom Clancy on Taking a Year Off
Lizelle was leading Enlivent during COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic: An HR Challenge
I wanna talk about challenges that you've experienced as HR leader in your career
Challenges faced by HR and Talent Leaders
What are some daily things you do to reaffirm confidence and minimize self-doubt
Five Ways to Boost Your Self-confidence
What do you hope to leave as an HR leader and why
What's a legacy you hope to leave as an HR leader?
Lizelle, what parting advice would you like to provide to our community right now
Lizelle On The Need to Take Care of Yourself
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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