Paul Wolfe
Author, Advisor, Former CHRO at Indeed
N/A (multiple advisory roles)
Episode 322
Unlock success: Treat your employees as human beings first.
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJanuary 30, 2025 · 26:11
Thesis
“Prioritizing employees as 'human beings first' through empathetic leadership, vulnerability, and a deep understanding of individual perspectives is essential for building strong relationships, fostering an inclusive culture, and driving organizational success.”
Show notes
Paul Wolfe started his HR career not knowing the first thing about HR. A call center veteran who stumbled sideways into the function, he eventually led people operations at CitySearch, Indeed, and Condé Nast — and came out the other side convinced that most leadership development programs are teaching people to be imposters. His book, Human Beings First: Practices for Empathetic and Expressive Leadership, is a direct challenge to that tradition.
The core argument is deceptively simple: before someone is an employee, a manager, or a VP, they are a human being. The moment leaders genuinely internalize that — not as a platitude, but as an operating principle — the texture of how they run their teams shifts entirely. Vulnerability stops being a liability. Storytelling becomes a leadership tool. The instinct to project certainty gives way to the willingness to say "I don't know," which, counterintuitively, builds far more trust than false confidence ever does.
Paul draws on the pandemic, salary transparency rollouts, and decades of hard lessons to show what protecting your team actually looks like when it costs you something. His framework isn't soft — it's tactical, earned, and built for the messiness of real organizational life.
- Seeing employees as full human beings — why this isn't touchy-feely HR and what it concretely changes about management
- Radical transparency with preparation — how to introduce salary transparency without triggering chaos, by investing in manager readiness first
- Vulnerability as a leadership asset — why admitting uncertainty builds credibility faster than projecting confidence
- Listening to all levels — how to surface what the least visible employees are actually experiencing
- Protecting your team with conviction — what "block and tackle" leadership looks like and why it generates loyalty that compensation alone can't buy
- The power of authentic storytelling — how sharing personal experience creates the connections that transform teams
This episode is sponsored by Previ, helping employees save on the household expenses that matter most.
What you'll take away
- 1Adopt a Human-First Approach: Prioritize seeing employees as individuals with lives outside of work to foster deeper connections and build trust.
- 2Practice Radical Transparency with Preparation: When implementing initiatives like salary transparency, invest heavily in educating leaders and providing tools for difficult conversations to address historical 'bad debt.'
- 3Embrace Vulnerability as a Strength: Leaders who admit 'I don't know' or share personal stories build stronger bonds and authenticity, moving away from an 'imposter' leadership style.
- 4Listen to All Perspectives: Actively seek and listen to feedback from all levels, especially those less visible, to uncover hidden concerns and develop more effective solutions.
- 5Protect Your Team with Conviction: Leaders must have a backbone and stand up for their team, acting as a 'block and tackle' to remove obstacles, which cultivates immense loyalty and improves performance.
What most organizations get wrong
- •His career path into HR was unconventional, starting as a VP of HR without a traditional HR background, challenging conventional career progression.
- •He rejects traditional GE leadership development from the Jack Welch era, stating it taught him 'how to be an imposter' rather than fostering genuine leadership.
- •During the pandemic, he made critical decisions to protect 12,000 employees without data, pushing back on the expectation for data-driven decisions in unprecedented times.
In Paul's words
“you're blanking out of your mind. I don't know the first thing about HR.”
This quote highlights Paul Wolfe's unconventional entry into HR, emphasizing his lack of traditional background for a leadership role.
“before they're any of those titles that they're given, or we end up getting ourselves, like spouse or husband or father or friend, we're human beings first.”
This statement encapsulates the core philosophy of his book and his leadership style, stressing the fundamental humanity of employees.
“I said, hey, I said, there's an older gentleman behind you trying to get your attention. And she takes her AirPods, she goes, grandpa, I'm on with my boss's boss's boss. Like, and so I am like, let's talk to Grandpa.”
This anecdote provides a vivid example of empathetic leadership in a remote work setting, prioritizing an employee's personal life over strict meeting etiquette.
“I look back on it, like 30 years later, I'm like, basically they were teaching me how to be an imposter and how to hide things from my team. Well, that's just bullshit because like we're all human.”
This quote is a strong critique of outdated leadership training, advocating for authenticity and vulnerability over perceived perfection.
“This is an employee that I knew, but a deeper connection through story and her finding something in my story to say, okay, I, I, I can do this. It's okay. I can tell my mom and sisters.”
This illustrates the profound impact of a leader's personal vulnerability and storytelling in inspiring and empowering employees in their own lives.
“My team does the work. I'm just there to coach and cheerlead and get them what they need to get the job done.”
This defines Paul Wolfe's view of a leader's role as a servant leader, focusing on supporting and enabling the team rather than dictating tasks.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Managerial reluctance towards transparency: Leaders often fear honest conversations about compensation or performance, leading to internal resistance to transparency initiatives like salary disclosure.
- •Lack of 'bad debt' resolution in HR: Organizations struggle with unresolved historical issues (e.g., inconsistent pay practices) that create significant challenges when attempting to implement new, transparent policies.
- •Ineffective crisis decision-making without data: In unprecedented situations (e.g., a pandemic), leaders may feel pressured to have data-backed answers, but sometimes decisions must be made to protect employees without perfect information.
- •Generic employee support: A 'one size fits all' approach to employee care fails to address individual needs and life events, leading to missed opportunities for deeper connection and loyalty.
- •Leaders feeling isolated in their role: Leaders, particularly those in HR, can feel isolated when navigating complex organizational challenges without support or validation from their superiors.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Your career journey for an HR leader is probably a little different than most
How to Start Your Career in HR
Paul writes about empathetic leadership in his new book, Empathetic Leadership
Paul, what inspired you to write The Empathetic Leadership
Paul says leaders can reflect through all perspectives to create a more inclusive workplace
Relecting Through All Perspectives
How can leaders balance vulnerability without compromising authority in today's workplace dynamics
Paul, How to Balance Vulnerability and Authority
How do leaders demonstrate care through action and use storytelling to connect through story
How to Caring Through Story
Paul Miller: Leaders should stand up for their employees while empowering employees
Paul, what are some strategies for leaders to protect their people?
Paul, any parting advice you'd like to share with our audience
Paul Wiseman on Building a Human Team
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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