Navigating the Real Power Structures at Your Company

In this episode of HR Heretics, Kelli and Nolan sit down with Andrew Bartlow, a multi time VP of HR and co-founder of People Leader Accelerator. Andrew shares his extensive career from startups to Fortune 100 companies, the distinct challenges at each company stage across VC-backed startups and public companies, and the danger of being relegated to your HR island.*Email us your questions or topics for Kelli & Nolan: [email protected] Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine.Support HR Heretics Sponsors:Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Hellofresh, and Quora say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself: https://www.metaview.ai/hereticsDiscover Workvivo, Zoom’s employee experience platform, designed to delight your hybrid workforce. With dynamic and intuitive features people actually like using, Workvivo fosters a sense of belonging and boosts retention and productivity. Join Ryanair, Dollar General, and Virgin — head to https://bit.ly/hrhereticsworkvivo to book a demo (tell them Kelli and Nolan sent you).Attio is the next generation of CRM. It’s powerful, flexible, and easily configures to the unique way your startup runs, whatever your go-to-market motion. The next era deserves a better CRM. Join ElevenLabs, Replicate, Modal, and more at https://bit.ly/AttioHRHereticsThis episode is brought to you by Warp. Don’t let payroll and compliance hold your startup back: visit https://joinwarp.com/peel to get started and receive a $1000 gift card when your first run payroll.KEEP UP WITH ANDREW, NOLAN, + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartlow/ Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(01:06) Andrew's career journey(02:49) Differences between company types(06:57) Power structures and company culture(12:26) Talent assessment in private equity(17:47) Sponsors: Metaview | Workvivo(20:39) Private equity misconceptions(28:20) Sponsors: Attio | Warp(30:11) Changing reputation of private equity(33:11) CEO and Chief People Officer relationship(37:07) Assessing CEO's expectations(39:00) Concept of HR island(41:34) Engagement metrics: A critical view(44:58) Challenges in HR leadership(46:13) Engagement surveys: Pros and cons(54:56) Exec comp debate(01:00:51) Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com