People often ask why I chose HR, especially after climbing the Operations ladder early in my career. The short answer? Impact.
People Operations (HR, as it’s often called) was never part of my career plan. As a manager, I saw it as the team that handled benefits or employee issues. What I didn’t realize was how powerful a well-designed People function could be.
Looking back, I can see the fingerprint influence of the People team at One Medical. They helped build one of the most impressive and sustainable high-performing cultures I’ve ever seen. I’m grateful to have started my career in an organization that truly valued the strategic power of People Ops—the balance between employees, the business, and customers.
It Started with Curiosity
My journey into People Ops began quietly with curiosity.
As a first-time manager, I wanted to understand how to lead and motivate my team to deliver exceptional patient experiences. I loved the mission of transforming healthcare, and I wanted to multiply our impact by helping my team work smarter together and use their full potential.
That curiosity led me to leadership books like:
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni
- The Leadership Challenge — Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner
- Dare to Lead — Brené Brown
- Leaders Eat Last — Simon Sinek
- Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0 — Jim Collins & Bill Lazier
- Leading Change — John P. Kotter
- …and many more (to my husband’s dismay every time a new Amazon box arrived).
These books reshaped how I thought about teamwork, motivation, and leadership. Soon, I started wondering what if more leaders practiced these principles? How could that ripple out to teams, patients, and the organization as a whole?
A Lightbulb Moment
That line of questioning led me to Work Rules! by Laszlo Bock, a book that cracked open the world of People Ops for me.
It offered a peek inside Google’s People Operations team where HR was treated as a creative, data-driven, strategic function. Beyond the tips and best practices, the book revealed a mindset: People Ops should drive measurable value for both people and the business.
For me, it was the first time I realized that this growing interest in leadership and culture was exactly what great HR work could—and should—be.
From Curiosity to Calling
I started experimenting. I designed and facilitated new types of leadership training, explored coaching, and took on roles where I could build talent programs at scale. Each step nudged me closer to People Ops.
In those early years, I soaked up everything I could: books, courses, podcasts, all from thought leaders like Josh Bersin, Lars Schmidt, and Claude Silver. I dove into topics like employment law, DEI, and talent management. It was equal parts overwhelming and energizing.
Over time, I began to see how I could shape People Ops work that aligned with my own principles – focused, intentional, and built for impact.
What I’ve Learned & Why It Matters
Here’s what I’ve learned so far doing this work, and honestly what keeps me inspired every day:
- People Ops should always deliver value. If it doesn’t, it’s worth asking why you’re doing it.
- Build like a designer. People Ops is a balancing act with competing needs. A design-thinking approach helps us deliver the right solutions at the right time and scale
- Think in systems. Every People Ops initiative should fit into a cohesive ecosystem that delivers value to both the business and its people.
- Start with people. The strongest systems are built on empathy. When we begin with how people think, feel, and work, we create experiences that unlock both belonging and performance.
Why It Still Matters
The world of work has changed dramatically, and it’s still evolving fast. These principles reflect a new kind of People Operations: one that doesn’t just keep up with change but helps organizations design for the future.
I’m deeply grateful to be doing this work and even more excited for what’s next. Here’s to the next chapter of the journey!
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