Heather Krentler, Chief People Officer at Thomas Cuisine

SummaryIn this episode of the Built by People podcast, Heather shares her unique career journey from advertising to HR, emphasizing the importance of aligning personal strengths with professional roles. She discusses the challenges of scaling culture in rapidly growing organizations, the significance of immersive onboarding programs for new managers, and the strategies for implementing organizational change while maintaining cultural alignment. Heather highlights the value of direct connections between leadership and frontline team members, and concludes with advice on the intentional planning required to sustain a thriving company culture.TakeawaysHeather transitioned from advertising to HR after discovering her passion for the field.Understanding one's unique wiring is crucial for aligning work with personal strengths.Founders' values must be nurtured by leadership as companies grow.Cultural dilution can occur without intentional nurturing of company values.Hiring leaders based on values is essential for cultural consistency.Immersive onboarding programs enhance manager retention and engagement.Annual meetings foster gratitude and recognition among team members.Effective change management begins with root cause analysis and stakeholder engagement.Listening to naysayers can enrich decision-making processes.A lasting culture requires ongoing evaluation and accountability from leaders.Chapters00:00 Heather's Career Journey and Transition to HR03:00 Scaling Culture in Fast-Growing Organizations05:34 Onboarding and Leadership Development Programs08:21 Implementing Organizational Change and Gaining Buy-InOur SponsorPrevi is an employer network that provides private pricing for employees. Joining the Previ network allows employees to save on necessities they already pay for, such as cell phone service and insurance. Previ saves the average employee $2,200/year. ⁠Join at no cost to the company.⁠