Episode 367: A Head for Business and a Heart for People With Cindy Strong, VP of People for Outdoorsy

HR in beta has such a ring of truth. When I think about pre-COVID, there was such confidence in HR resources. You could, you can almost close your eyes and imagine, like you’re reading a headline, you know, all the, the podcast and research and reference materials almost said, here’s the next big move for HR. Get all your answers here. And then the global pandemic challenged all of us. We were asked questions, what does employee well-being mean in a setting of social unrest, force, distributed workforce, school closings and concerns of just our physical health? And what is the role of culture and engagement in this environment and how do we recover? Episode 367: A Head for Business and a Heart for People With Cindy Strong, VP of People for Outdoorsy   Welcome to the Workology Podcast, a podcast for the disruptive workplace leader. Join host Jessica Miller-Merrell, founder of Workology.com as she sits down and gets to the bottom of trends, tools, and case studies for the business leader, HR, and recruiting professional who is tired of the status quo. Now, here’s Jessica with this episode of Workology. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:01:15.43] Welcome to the Workology Podcast, powered by Ace The HR Exam and Upskill HR. These are two of the courses I offer for certification prep and recertification and personal development for HR leaders. This podcast is part of a series on Workology Podcast that’s focused on the roles and responsibilities of the Chief Human Resources Officer or CHRO. The CHRO is sometimes called the SVP of HR or the Chief People Officer, and this role is an executive or C-level role that deals with managing human resources, as well as with organizational development and implementing policies of change to improve the overall efficiency of the company. The CHRO Podcast series on Workology is sponsored by HR Benchmark Survey. Share your insights at HRBenchmarkSurvey.com. Now, one of the reasons I have wanted to do this series and we continue to do this series is because there’s a lot of mystery around that Chief HR Officer level role. I want aspiring heads of HR to know the type of skills and experiences they need to promote into this role, as well as hearing from other HR leaders about things that are working on, points of view, and how they’re partnering and collaborating with their executive peers. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:02:32.56] Before I introduce our podcast guests, I want to hear from you. I would ask, I would love, if you would text “PODCAST” to 512-548-3005. That’s 512-548-3005. You can ask me questions, leave comments, and make suggestions for future guests. This is my community text number. It’s really me and I want to hear from you. Jessica Miller-Merrell: [00:02:58.30] Today, I’m joined by Cindy Strong. She’s the Vice President of People for Outdoorsy. Cindy is a human resource leader with nearly 20 years of experience in HR, specializing in leadership development, talent management solutions, and training experiences focused on high-performing teams. Outdoorsy is a global online RV rental and outdoor travel marketplace that has been named one of America’s Best Startup Employers in 2022. By Forbes, making the third straight year Outdoorsy has been recognized by Forbes on this exclusive list of the 500 best startup companies to work for in the US. Very cool. I’m so excited to have Cindy on the podcast. Cindy,