My Approach
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You want to create a culture and workplace where people are excited to work and grow their careers. You are steadfastly committed to delivering on the promise of an inclusive, transparent and impactful employee experience but you need a little help to figure out all the pieces. I want that for you too! What should be the immediate focus now?
What can wait? How does it work and what can I expect?
Let’s spend 30-minutes digging into a bit about me and a lot about you. We’ll spend our time focused on what’s top of your mind, your hopes and dreams (both small and audacious) for your team, and answer any burning questions that are keeping you up at night. We’ll also see if collaborating with one another makes sense based upon timing and where the priorities net out and what the natural next steps are . . . to Advise or to Assess?
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Are you familiar with the show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Well if you are, consider me your phone-a-friend for all questions related to people, culture, and the workplace. I may not make you a millionaire but I will definitely be a sounding board, strategic thought partner, and person that you can rely on to help you answer the hard questions, prioritize what matters most, and support you and your team to put it all into action.
How does it work and what can I expect?
A strategic coaching / advisory relationship is structured as a monthly retainer with weekly 1:1 meetings of one hour each in duration, these can be combined for more intentional working sessions or broken up into shorter duration with greater frequency. There’s no time limit on the duration of the relationship but my hope is that we’ll both love working with one another and find so much value in the relationship that I’ll have the opportunity to help you assess and execute all of the ideas and plans we’ve discussed during our 1:1s!
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Perhaps we’ve spent a month or more partnering together in a coaching/advising relationship or you might be reaching out because you need someone to come in and look at all things people-related and talk to your team about what’s working or not working. Perhaps you’ve scaled rapidly and things that were once firing on all cylinders are now feeling the pains of growth.
How does it work and what can I expect?
The assessment process is comprehensive in nature, where I dig deep into and review all current policies, processes, procedures and chat with the team to identify what's currently working, what needs to be cranked up, and what may be missing at your particular stage of growth to help you get to where you want to be. You will receive a comprehensive Executive Summary broken down with strategic priorities and recommended timelines for implementation. Think of it as your people operations roadmap for the next ~6-12 months.; a tailor-made couture fit approach for you and your team.
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We’ve done a lot of talking, strategizing, and planning together. Now it’s time to take action and implement all of the innovative and intentional programs, policies, and processes that will enable your teams to be themselves and do their best work. Still pondering how to define the hybrid workplace and unsure of what policies, programs, and communications you’ll need to support it? Perhaps you want to create a comprehensive leave management program to support caretakers on your team. You might be unsure how to create a culture of continuous feedback. I’ve got you covered!
How does it work and what can I expect?
I will partner with you and your team to execute and operationalize the roadmap of strategic people projects we’ve identified together through our advisory work or the comprehensive assessment. I will partner with you on the end-to-end implementation of the project; from developing the goals and objectives to partnering with internal and external key stakeholders on scope and impact, from the communications strategy to the rollout and ongoing measurement of success after implementation. Think of this as taking an idea from vision to execution and all the bits in between.
What People Are Saying
“When I took over an organization in great transition during the pandemic, Merritt provided thoughtful analysis and insights of our people challenges, offered strategic frameworks for reorganizing operations, and ensured we acted in a compliant and compassionate manner.”
— Lynn Shotwell, CEO, Worldwide ERC
“Anytime I am looking for a remote or distributed work expert she’s the one I call and she has been an awesome speaker at a number of events I’ve planned. I admire her leadership in supporting caretakers in the workplace as well as those returning to the workforce. She’s been an impactful advisor to a number of PeopleTech Partners companies over the years and is always eager to lend a hand and support to founders and operators alike as they scale and grow their ideas and their teams.”
— Robby Peters, Co-Founder, PeopleTech Partners & SemperVirens Capital
“I'm so grateful for the time Merritt has spent with me personally and with our team while navigating the pressure-cooker experience of a seed-stage, venture-backed startup. Merritt's at her very best when the stakes are high and things feel like they're falling apart — she shifts effortlessly from nuanced, people-centric conversations to timely, data-driven deliverables that bring clarity to chaos. You want Merritt on your side!”
