Episode 46: The HR Career Journey That Came Full Circle (Plus a Look Inside the Latest People Leader Accelerator Cohort)

Welcome to the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we go behind the curtain on building high-performing organisations with honest conversations between experienced leaders.

In this episode, we take a break from the traditional guest interviews and invite you into an informal conversation between hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow. Instead of sharing the spotlight with a guest, they dive into their own lived experiences and perspectives as people leaders, exploring what leadership, culture, and authenticity look like in practice.

Today, Andrew and Jess offer a look inside the latest People Leader Accelerator cohort before exploring the value of leadership development, professional community, and giving back.

The 12th People Leader Accelerator cohort brings together an especially experienced group of People leaders from organizations across the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although they work in different industries and organizational environments, the participants share a desire to operate more strategically and become more effective and influential executives.

Andrew and Jess explain how the People Leader Accelerator combines established management research with practical application. Rather than presenting one collection of HR “best practices” as universally correct, the program helps leaders consider how factors such as ownership, organizational structure, business goals, and operating conditions should shape their decisions.

They also discuss the longer-term impact of the program. More than 80% of surveyed People Leader Accelerator alumni reported being promoted after completing the program, with an average reported pay increase of almost 30%.

The conversation then takes a personal turn as Andrew reflects on the graduate program in Human Resources and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois, which changed the direction of his life and launched his HR career.

After graduating from the program, serving on its alumni board, helping to launch a podcast and speaker series, and later returning as a commencement speaker, Andrew has now come full circle. He is co-teaching the master’s-level course Mastering Business Fundamentals alongside his longtime collaborator and co-author, Brad Harris.

In this episode, Andrew and Jess discuss:

Who is participating in the 12th People Leader Accelerator cohort

Why effective People leadership requires more than following popular HR best practices

How management research can be applied thoughtfully within different organizational contexts