In this episode, I sit down with Sherri Manning, Chief People Officer at Olo, to discuss cultural transformation and the evolving role of HR in scaling companies. Sherri shares her insights on maintaining the essence of a startup culture as a company grows, balancing process and agility, and introducing the concept of human capital technical debt—a way to think about past people decisions that need to be revisited as organizations mature.
We also dive into stakeholder education, change management, and how HR professionals can position themselves as strategic business partners rather than just process enforcers.
⏱ [00:00:00] Introduction to the episode and guest, Sherri Manning
⏱ [00:01:04] What Olo does and why they hired a Chief People Officer
⏱ [00:03:10] Defining cultural transformation and why it’s more than just free lunches
⏱ [00:05:12] Balancing the art and science of keeping a startup’s greatness as it scales
⏱ [00:07:33] Why process doesn’t have to mean slowing things down
⏱ [00:10:22] Navigating stakeholder expectations in a post-IPO environment
⏱ [00:15:40] The challenge of HR being seen as strategic rather than just process-driven
⏱ [00:21:20] Introducing the concept of Human Capital Technical Debt
⏱ [00:28:56] The need for better documentation of HR decisions and business rationale
⏱ [00:34:45] How to connect with Sherri Manning for further discussion
"In order to have a seat at the table, HR has to focus on business outcomes first—our superpower is applying a human capital lens to the bigger picture." — Sherri Manning
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