In The Worx

POV: HR does not have a shortage of important work.

The challenge is that almost everything on the list can be justified. Keeping the light on matters. Leadership development matters. Employee experience matters. AI readiness matters. Workforce planning matters. Technology matters. Manager capability matters.

From my experience, that is EXACTLY why prioritization becomes so difficult. The conversation is rarely about choosing between something important and something unimportant. It is usually about choosing between several things that all matter.

I believe this is where HR needs stronger portfolio discipline.
A long list of initiatives is not the same as a strategy. HR leaders need a clear view of what matters most, what the organization has capacity to absorb, where priorities are competing, and what may need to pause or stop.

Because when everything is a priority, ex*****on starts to suffer, and I mean REALLY suffer!

I wrote this article about why portfolio discipline is becoming such an important capability for People Strategy Ex*****on, and how HR can start managing the People agenda as an integrated portfolio rather than a collection of separate projects.

👉 Read the blog here: www.intheworx.org/blog

*****on

There's a particular kind of fear that comes with starting something new. It can make you feel like you're back at zero, like none of what came before counts anymore.

But that's never actually true.

You're not starting from scratch. You're starting from everything you've already lived through. The mistakes that taught you what to watch for. The instincts you built without realizing it. The version of you who survived the last hard thing is the same one walking into this one, and she's not empty handed.

So I'm asking myself this week, and I'm asking you too: how can you use what you already know to your advantage?

I'd love to know what comes up for you. Share it in the comments. 👇

Most HR professionals are masters at managing time.

But energy?
That's a different story.

We schedule meetings.
We prioritize projects.
We manage deadlines.

Yet many of us leave no room for recovery.

What protecting your energy might look like:

• Saying no without guilt
• Taking your lunch break
• Leaving work at a reasonable hour
• Turning off notifications
• Taking a walk before responding

💛 Energy is your most valuable resource.

How are you protecting yours this week?

👉 Grab your HR Black Box: www.intheworx.org/hrblackbox

Monday has a way of arriving whether we feel ready or not. Today is an opportunity to slow down before life speeds back up. A few intentional moments today can change the way you experience your entire week.

What is one thing you can do today that your future self will appreciate?

Some of the best “glue” is the person who sees the connection before everyone else does.

That’s one of the things I remember most from my conversation with Hope Breen.

Looking back on this episode, I keep thinking about how much of leadership happens in the spaces between people, ideas, and perspectives. The people who naturally connect those dots often make collaboration look easy, even though there is a lot happening behind the scenes.

And maybe that’s part of what being the glue really is. Seeing what could connect, bringing the right people into the conversation, and helping something meaningful take shape.

Watch Episode 12 with Hope here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mydhs5hFqu4&t=348s

Interested in being part of the series? Apply here: https://forms.gle/dFwkFJajBv8zKmFj8

💛 Keep gluing, friends.

Change will happen whether you feel ready or not. The question becomes how you choose to respond to it. What response are you choosing right now?

Reflect on one way you can respond with intention today.

Some conversations stay with us long after they end.

The difficult employee conversation.
The manager who is struggling.
The layoff discussion.
The complaint that landed unexpectedly.

While everyone else moves on, HR often carries the emotional residue.

A few signs you're carrying too much:

• Replaying conversations in your head
• Wondering if you said the right thing
• Feeling emotionally drained by difficult interactions
• Carrying tension home with you
• Losing sleep over workplace situations

💛 Not every conversation belongs in your backpack forever.

What helps you let go after a difficult day?

👉 Grab your HR Black Box: www.intheworx.org/hrblackbox

I used to think confidence was something I'd eventually just have. Like it would arrive once I'd accomplished enough, healed enough, figured enough out. So I waited. I held back on things until I felt ready for them.
But confidence doesn't really work that way.

It's not a feeling that shows up first and gives you permission to act. It's built in the opposite order. You do the small, uncomfortable thing. You keep the promise you made to yourself, even the tiny one nobody else would notice. And slowly, trust in yourself accumulates, not because you waited for it, but because you gave yourself evidence for it.

So I'm asking myself this week, and I'm asking you too: what is one thing you can do today to build trust in yourself?

I'd love to know what comes up for you. Share it in the comments. 👇

Most CHROs do not need another strategy session.

They already know what needs to happen.

Modernize the technology. Build AI capability. Develop better leaders. Improve the employee experience. Strengthen the workforce.

The problem starts AFTER the strategy is approved.

Priorities compete. Ownership becomes unclear. HR, IT, Finance, Operations, leaders, vendors, and managers move at different speeds.

The initiative launches, but the organization does not fully adopt it.

Everyone stays busy, but the intended value never reaches the business or the workforce.

That is not simply a project management problem. It is a People Strategy Ex*****on problem.

I wrote this article to explore why organizations often know exactly what they want to accomplish, yet still struggle to turn strategic intent into coordinated action, operational adoption, and measurable value.

Because the future of HR will not be defined by who creates the most ambitious strategy.

It will be defined by who can make it real.

👉 Click here to read the full article: https://www.intheworx.org/blog

*****on *****on