My passion is culture
Focus on the team, not the individual.”
Helen Russell is the Chief People Officer at Atlassian. She had a great conversation with Mark and Patrick about talent, leadership, teams, and learning.
Atlassian is a company that creates software that allows teams to work together better. She was formerly of Santa Barbara-based SONOS until recently. Her background includes working at a WPP company, Kantar, which was intriguing as Mark works with WPP company, J Walter Thompson.
This wide-ranging conversation covered a lot of ground including:
- What’s the role of HR in the new, dynamic, fast-growth economy where companies grow at 35% and more
- How you have to rethink how you work with high-potential employees – they have to outpace the business’s rapid growth, as their jobs will inevitably morph every six months.
- Looking for exponentially bright people and move them up and through the organization
- GRIT – it’s not just intelligence – it’s drive and determination that is the hallmark of top performers
- Why companies need to rethink Performance Ratings – and focus instead on team performance
- What we care about is Collective Success
- Her sports background
- The discussion and definition of Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace was enlightening
- The most diverse perspectives help high impact teams deliver results
- “What are the skills required for our future company?” Incredible insight into the role of HR in the C-suite
- How to craft a talent strategy for your company
- How HR is now more like the CMO
- The question each of us (entrepreneurs) should ask ourselves, “Are we the right person to hire people in our company?” Should we pass that to a professional?
- A book recommendation: WHO by Geoff Smart and Randy Street
- Her go-to icebreaker to start off an interview. “Last night, you were with a friend, and telling them about today’s meeting. How did you characterize it to them?”
- We talked about the recent acquisition of TRELLO by Atlassian. We love TRELLO. This led to a discussion about mergers and corporate culture.