Matt Poladian
Chief People Officer
Liferay, Inc.
Episode 148
Stop HR enforcing rules: Empower core management to drive your company's success.
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJune 13, 2025 · 13:27
Thesis
“Effective HR leadership requires a deep understanding of an organization's unique 'season' and proactively positioning HR as a strategic business partner, rather than an enforcer, by deeply investing in and enabling 'core management' as the nucleus of company success.”
Show notes
"Middle managers are not on their way to somewhere. They have already arrived somewhere very important for the company." Matt Poladian came to HR through marketing strategy — which means he arrived with a brand lens and a healthy skepticism toward how HR had already branded itself. His first priority at Liferay was to rebrand the function internally, from "law enforcement" to partner. His second was to make the organization's middle management layer feel like the critical organizational asset it actually is.
That shift in language about middle management isn't semantic. Most organizations treat the people who manage 70% of the workforce as a pass-through tier — the layer that translates executive strategy to individual contributors, expected to figure it out without much investment. Matt's view is that this is precisely where the most important organizational work happens, and where the most organizational damage accumulates when the function is neglected. At Liferay, he built a deliberate "core management" development program: assessments tied to core values, 360-degree feedback that surfaces gaps between self-perception and team reality, and goal-setting systems that give managers the tools to actually lead.
His background in marketing also shapes how he describes Liferay's company season — an organization at a particular moment in its maturity where specific HR interventions make sense that wouldn't have made sense earlier. Reading organizational context correctly and designing HR accordingly, rather than running the same playbook everywhere, is Matt's prescription for HR that actually works.
- Rebranding HR from enforcer to partner — the internal positioning work that changes how the function is used
- "Core management" as an organizational asset — why middle managers deserve investment, not just mandates
- 360-degree feedback tied to core values — how "honesty unblocks understanding" for managers who have blind spots
- Building goal-setting systems that work — even simple SMART goal training changes how teams align
- Reading organizational "season" — why context-appropriate HR strategy beats applying the same playbook everywhere
Previ is a private pricing network that is free for companies to launch and maintain. It saves employees $2,200/year on essential services like their cell phone and auto insurance bill. Visit here to learn more.
What you'll take away
- 1Rebrand HR's perception from 'law enforcement' to a strategic business partner by deeply understanding the business and then empowering people.
- 2Shift the mindset around middle management, recognizing them as 'core management' who have 'arrived' at a crucial role, and invest in their continuous development.
- 3Implement clear goal-setting systems, even simple ones like shared spreadsheets, and provide training on how to write effective (e.g., SMART) goals to align teams.
- 4Utilize leadership development assessments (like 360-degree feedback tied to core values) to help managers identify and close gaps between their self-perception and team feedback, as 'honesty unblocks understanding'.
- 5Tailor HR strategies to the specific 'season' of the company and its leaders, rather than adopting generic best practices, ensuring relevance and impact.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Middle managers are not 'on their way to somewhere'; they have already arrived at a very important place for the company, and their talents need to be unlocked.
- •HR should be viewed as a business partner enabling success, not as 'law enforcement' enforcing rules, challenging a common negative perception.
- •Implementing effective goal systems does not require six-figure investments; simple tools like shared spreadsheets can be highly effective in the early stages.
In Matt's words
“HR is just a partner to the business. It's not law enforcement.”
This quote highlights a critical shift in HR's perceived role from compliance to strategic partnership.
“Getting our team to be business people first and then people second.”
This emphasizes the importance of HR professionals understanding business operations to be effective strategic partners.
“Middle managers are not on their way to somewhere. They are, they've already arrived. Somewhere very important for the company.”
This statement reframes the value and significance of middle management, advocating for their recognition and development.
“Honesty unblocks understanding.”
This concisely captures the essence of constructive feedback and its role in managerial growth and team effectiveness.
“It's important to know what season you're in and where the leaders you're around are at.”
This advises HR leaders to tailor their strategies to the specific context and maturity of their organization and leadership.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Lack of a centralized, cohesive HR function, leading to dispersed models and inconsistent employee experiences.
- •Negative perception of HR as primarily enforcing rules, hindering its ability to act as a strategic business partner.
- •Absence of clearly articulated organizational goals or effective systems for tracking them, leading to misalignment and unclear performance metrics.
- •Underinvestment in middle management development, despite their critical role as direct leaders and implementers of company culture and strategy.
- •Ineffective performance review processes that lack continuous feedback, making critical conversations difficult and potentially demotivating.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Your career journey did not start in the HR space, which is becoming more common
Steve Jobs on His Career Journey
Matt, how have you approached the rebranding of HR in your company
The Rebranding of HR
Matt Miller has a passion for middle management training and middle management effectiveness
Have We Enriched Middle Management?
Matt Miller: It's important to know what season you're in
A Few Words of Advice for Human Resources Leaders
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
Expand transcript (0 words)
Transcript is not available yet.