What does it take to lead people in high-stakes, private-equity-backed environments, where efficiency matters, managers are underprepared, and AI is reshaping how work gets done?
In this episode of Pulse by HRBench, Kelly Oliver, a veteran HR and business leader whose career spans leadership roles at Microsoft, Oracle, HP, Salesforce, and most recently as Head of HR at a PE-backed cybersecurity company.
In this episode we explore:
- Why scaling efficiently now requires HR to understand how the business makes money
- Why most managers are unprepared for today’s environment, and what effective manager enablement looks like
- How HR can use data, QBRs, and performance visibility to influence executive decisions
- Why AI should live behind the scenes, not between people, and how HR must lead AI strategy without losing the human connection
- What it means to “be better than a bot” in an AI-driven workplace
This is a practical, executive-level conversation for HR leaders navigating growth, profitability pressure, and rising expectations from boards and PE sponsors.
Episode Chapters
- 00:00 | Intro: Leading HR in PE-Backed, High-Pressure Environments
- 01:58 | Meet Kelly Oliver: From Engineering to Head of HR.
- 04:00 | The Real Question: How Do You Scale an Organization Efficiently?
- 06:07 | Why Everything Is Now a 90-Day Window
- 08:56 | HR’s Role in Revenue-Driven Execution
- 11:35 | Performance Heat Maps and HR’s Early Warning Signals
- 12:31 | Why Every HR Team Should Run a QBR
- 17:56 | Managers Are Unprepared & Here’s Why
- 19:28 | Manager 101: What Leaders Actually Need to Learn
- 21:36 | Managing the “What” vs. the “How”
- 27:27 | How AI Is Already Changing the Manager Role
- 29:08 | Where AI Belongs: Back-End Efficiency, Not Front-Line Humans
- 32:14 | Why HR Must Be Central to AI Strategy
- 35:02 | AI Literacy for HR Leaders: Lean In or Fall Behind
- 38:02 | Human Connection Still Matters More Than Ever
- 40:46 | Final Challenge: Be Better Than a Bot
Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-oliver/
Good Signs Consulting: http://goodsignsconsulting.com/
HRBench: https://www.hrbench.com/
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