Hi Reader, You make your first People hire at 40 people. You give them a VP title, because you want a strong candidate to say yes. Eighteen months later you’re at 200 people, opening a second market, and you need a CHRO. Now you have to tell a loyal, hard-working person that the top job is going to someone else. That conversation usually starts at the moment of the first hire, long before anyone thinks about the CHRO. Hire for the Stage In the latest Built by People Leaders episode, I talk...

Hi Reader, Daria’s here. This week I’m handing over to Verena Hoffmann, a somatic coach who helps leaders do the one thing that gets you home earlier: end the workday physically, embodied. And no, just closing your laptop is often not enough. A short introduction I’m Verena. I spent over 16 years in events, startups and people management before I trained as a somatic coach. I know the pleasure and the pressure of that world. Now I help high-functioning people, many of them in leadership...

Hi Reader, When a team member comes to you and says, “I’m not doing well right now,” what do you do? Most managers who want to help suggest a vacation or give them easier work. To the manager, that’s care. To the team member, it says: I told you the truth, and you stopped trusting me with the work. This is one of the most common mistakes leaders make around mental health at work. It comes from good intentions, and it still does damage. The ACT model: responding when someone says they’re...