“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

A CPO's First 90 Days

26 snips
Sep 25, 2025
Kelli and Nolan offer invaluable advice for Chief People Officers starting their journey. They discuss three core goals: building trust, achieving quick wins, and establishing a strong brand. The importance of deep executive relationships and ground-level listening is highlighted, along with strategic planning before day one. Tips on communicating effectively, managing expectations, and prioritizing people team hires are essential takeaways. They emphasize the importance of framing HR objectives in business language for better alignment.
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ANECDOTE

Pre-Start All-Hands To Set Expectations

  • Kelli jumped on an all-hands before her official start and presented one slide about who she is and how she'll spend time.
  • She scheduled meetings proactively and told people she'd book time if they didn't, to normalize outreach.
ADVICE

Treat The First 90 Days As A Sprint

  • Expect a 3x sprint the first three months and tell your family and stakeholders about the time commitment.
  • Maintain sleep, nutrition, and workouts so your energy stays elite during the sprint.
INSIGHT

Reframe Problems To Lower Defensiveness

  • Reframe visible problems as solvable consequences of prior decisions rather than calling them a "shit show."
  • Thank people for what they built to lower defensiveness and open collaboration.
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