Built by People Leaders

Jolene Risch founded Risch Results in 2007 after more than 25 years in the people industry, including a seven-year tenure at Ernst & Young's People Advantage practice. Shira Hovav serves as Israel Country Manager at Risch Results, based in Tel Aviv, leading the firm's US market entry practice launched in January 2026 following a December 2024 learning tour across Israel's tech ecosystem. The single biggest takeaway Jolene Risch delivers: the strongest candidate for your US role will not apply to your job posting because in a market with approximately 4.2% unemployment, high performers are already employed and not browsing LinkedIn or Indeed. The operational friction Risch and Hovav unpack affects every company—Israeli or otherwise—entering the US for the first time. Founders and People leaders instinctively replicate what worked at home: in Israel, hiring through personal networks succeeds because the community is small and everyone is a few connections away. In the US, that same approach collapses. The country is massive, compensation varies dramatically between New York and Kentucky, sales cycles run longer, and nobody has heard of your company. Before making the first US hire, Risch Results insists on three foundations: a clear definition of what success looks like at 30, 60, and 90 days; market-accurate compensation benchmarked to location and role using tools like Labor IQ; and a structured operating system—Risch's team uses EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and weekly L10 meetings—to support someone working across an 8-to-10-hour time difference with no physical office. Challenges Addressed The "Post and Pray" Method Fails When Top Performers Are Already Employed: Jolene Risch explains that with US unemployment at approximately 4.2%, the strongest candidates are not browsing job boards. Risch Results begins every search by mapping where the right person works today—at a competitor or in an adjacent industry—and designing an outreach strategy to capture their attention before making contact. Replicating Network Hiring From Smaller Markets Does Not Scale in the US: Shira Hovav identifies a pattern: Israeli companies often search for candidates through personal networks or target only brand-name universities and employers, missing the larger pool of high-performing talent that requires a structured search process to surface. The US has "so many companies most people have never heard of," and many excellent candidates work at those firms. New US Hires Face an 8-to-10-Hour Time Difference Without a Playbook: Shira Hovav flags that American culture is process-oriented, and a US hire separated from headquarters by 8 to 10 hours cannot call the founder for every decision. Jolene Risch adds that Risch Results uses EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), specifically the L10 (Level 10) weekly meeting structure, to maintain communication across time zones—and that companies must define 30/60/90-day success metrics before onboarding begins, not after the person starts. Actionable Takeaways Replace "post and pray" with active candidate mapping: Jolene Risch recommends asking two questions before opening a US search: Where does the right person work right now—at a competitor or in a related industry? And what will it take to get their attention? Risch Results' recruiting team speaks directly to candidates to learn what might prompt them to consider a change, most commonly opportunities for growth and competitive compensation, then tailors outreach accordingly. Lock in 30/60/90-day success criteria before you begin recruiting: Jolene Risch is explicit that the definition of success must be finalized before the search starts. Risch Results worked with one Israeli tech company whose search began in Dallas for one role, then shifted mid-process to a different role in a different state. The companies that navigate iteration successfully use market feedback to sharpen the role definition, then set clear expectations before day one so the new hire knows exactly what success looks like. Use EOS and L10 meetings to bridge the time-zone gap structurally: Jolene Risch's team runs on EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and holds a weekly L10 (Level 10) meeting with the entire team, including Shira Hovav in Tel Aviv, plus a separate L10 for the Israel market build. For People leaders managing a distributed international team, implementing a fixed weekly meeting cadence with structured agendas is the minimum operating requirement to keep remote US hires from feeling disconnected or directionless. Questions This Episode Answers Why won't the best US candidate apply to our LinkedIn job post? According to Jolene Risch, the strongest performers are almost always employed—US unemployment is approximately 4.2%—and a high performer at a competitor is not browsing job boards. Risch Results identifies where target candidates work today and builds a direct outreach strategy rather than waiting for inbound applications, because "post and pray" does not surface the best talent. How do we benchmark US compensation when cost of living varies so much by location? Jolene Risch notes that compensation in New York differs dramatically from compensation in Kentucky or Louisiana, and that a candidate will not leave a stable role for a package that does not cover their bills—regardless of product strength or growth opportunity. Risch Results uses Labor IQ, a US compensation database, to benchmark salaries by role, location, education level, and years of experience before finalizing any offer. What is the Chief People Officer's role when a company enters the US market? Jolene Risch describes the CPO or CHRO as "the translator"—someone who helps the founder interpret cultural differences between US and home-country professionals, identifies operational partners (payroll providers, cultural training firms, employer-of-record services), and actively supports new US hires so they do not feel stranded. Risch frames retention as equally critical as recruiting: if the US employee does not feel supported, they will leave, and the cost of that failure is high. Links & Resources Mentioned: Risch Results website Connect with Jolene Risch on LinkedIn Connect with Shira Hovav on LinkedIn

Timur Novopashin founded International HR Club while working in-house as a talent acquisition leader at a large international food tech organization. The community now serves 1,800+ HR and talent professionals across Slack and Telegram, operating as a free, curated peer network for globally-distributed People teams. Timur Novopashin built the International HR Club on a core framework: human-centered, AI-powered people processes supported by verified membership, zero-toxicity moderation, and structured knowledge sharing. For CHROs and VPs of People at 100–1,500 person companies, the operational friction is immediate. A company expanding into multiple EU markets needs salary benchmarks, immigration law guidance, and location prioritization—fast. Timur Novopashin explains how International HR Club members crowdsource these answers in real time, turning community space into a practical business tool. The episode unpacks how People leaders choose between local, global, subscription-based, and niche communities, and when building your own network becomes the right move. Challenges Addressed Choosing the right HR community when you're capacity-constrained: Timur Novopashin outlines a decision framework based on four variables: location (local vs. global), monetization model (subscription vs. free/curated), learning goals (certification, case studies, peer exchange), and niche specificity (broad HR vs. function-specific like TA or Total Rewards). Justifying time spent on networking when People teams are underwater: International HR Club addresses this by creating structured spaces for actionable peer support—such as a dedicated thread where members expanding into new EU countries gather salary data, immigration requirements, and office location trade-offs from peers who have already completed the work. Implementing HR tech without tribal knowledge or internal precedent: Timur Novopashin identifies HR tech selection (ATS, HRIS) as the most frequently discussed topic across talent communities, because scaleups hit compliance and database thresholds where manual processes break and peer review becomes the fastest path to vendor shortlists and implementation lessons. Actionable Takeaways Map your community goals before joining or building: Timur Novopashin recommends a two-part audit—what you need (learning, networking, expert referrals, function-specific answers) and what you can contribute (insights, case studies, facilitation). Run this against community types: local in-person networks, global async groups, subscription learning platforms, or free curated spaces like International HR Club. Use community threads as scoping tools for cross-border expansion: When International HR Club members face multi-country growth, they open a shared conversation where peers with EU hiring experience contribute salary ranges, immigration hurdles, and prioritization logic. Timur Novopashin advises People leaders to treat these threads as living research documents that feed directly into leadership reports and budget models. Budget for community management if you build internally: Timur Novopashin emphasizes that even a single knowledge-sharing session requires full-time effort—verification, moderation, content creation, newcomer onboarding, and anti-toxicity enforcement. At scale, International HR Club relies on sponsorships and partnerships to fund quality events, proving that passion projects need resourcing models once they exceed 200–300 active members. Questions This Episode Answers How do I choose between joining multiple HR communities versus building my own? Timur Novopashin argues you do not have to choose—join several communities based on overlapping needs (local networking, global async support, subscription learning). Build your own only when you have a strategic goal (monetization, brand positioning, or a truly underserved niche) and can commit to full-time community management. International HR Club started as a side project but required partnerships and sponsorships once it scaled past 1,000 members. What are the four most common topics HR leaders actually use talent communities to solve? Timur Novopashin identifies: (1) HR tech implementation (ATS, HRIS vendor selection and peer review), (2) sourcing fractional or freelance experts (facilitators, consultants, trainers), (3) networking and peer connection (especially for professionals relocating or working remotely), and (4) function-specific troubleshooting (TA sourcing strategies, Total Rewards benchmarking, L&D program design). International HR Club sees these topics cycle daily across its Slack and Telegram channels. How do scaleup People teams justify community time when headcount is tight and priorities shift weekly? Timur Novopashin shares a live example: a company exploring EU expansion used International HR Club to crowdsource salary data, immigration requirements, and location trade-offs in a single thread—delivering a leadership-ready report without hiring consultants or running RFPs. The practical ROI comes when community becomes a research and decision-support layer, not just networking. Links & Resources Mentioned: Connect with Timur Novopashin on LinkedIn International HR Club website

Tom Hunter founded Story Recruitment seven months ago after a decade in accounting and finance recruitment. The firm specializes in placing first finance hires and CFOs for founder-led tech, fintech, and deep tech companies across Australia—sectors that capture 80% of the country's VC capital. Hunter's core framework centers on storytelling-led hiring: candidates at this caliber join for mission and vision, not marginal salary increases. He built a network of 29,000+ finance professionals and hosts The CFO Track podcast, where he interviews Australia's top CFOs on leadership and scaling. People leaders at scaleups face a recurring friction point: founders burning 20%+ of their week on finance or recruitment decisions they shouldn't own. Hunter unpacks when to make the first finance hire (hint: it's rarely a CFO), how fractional models deliver strategic value without full-time cost, and why the 100–150 employee mark is the culture inflection point where storytelling either scales or collapses. Challenges Addressed Timing the first finance hire: Founders often wait too long or hire too senior. Tom Hunter identifies the 20% threshold—if more than a fifth of a founder's week is consumed by finance tasks, it's time to hire a financial controller, head of finance, or VP of finance, not a CFO. People scaling slower than businesses: Individuals rarely grow professionally at the same rate as a high-growth company. Hunter explains how to structure roles with clear development paths to avoid awkward "we're hiring above you" conversations when the business outpaces an individual. Culture erosion at scale: Once a company hits 100–150 employees, culture becomes difficult to rein back in if not already established. Tom Hunter discusses why storytelling and intentional culture-building before this inflection point determines long-term engagement and performance. Actionable Takeaways Apply the 20% rule to hiring decisions: If a founder spends more than 20% of their week on finance or recruitment, hire a specialist in that function. Reclaiming that time for product development or sales typically yields more value than the cost of the hire. Start with a financial controller, not a CFO: The first finance hire for most startups should be a financial controller, head of finance, or VP of finance who can build structure and handle operations. Reserve the CFO hire for Series B or C when strategic complexity justifies the seniority and cost. Invest in copywriting for internal talent teams: Great job posts and promotional content about roles, culture, and mission significantly increase application quality. Tom Hunter argues this investment saves tens of thousands in external recruitment fees by attracting candidates who buy into the story. Questions This Episode Answers When should a startup hire its first finance person instead of outsourcing to a bookkeeper? Tom Hunter recommends hiring when more than 20% of a founder's time is spent on finance tasks. The first hire is typically a financial controller or head of finance who builds structure, not a CFO. CFO hires usually come at Series B or C. How can scaleups get strategic finance input without hiring a full-time CFO? The fractional or virtual CFO (VCFO) model allows companies to access strategic expertise—capital raising, R&D tax, process design—at a fraction of full-time cost. Tom Hunter sees this especially valuable in deep tech, where commercialization may be 5–7 years out and capital efficiency is critical. At what headcount does company culture become difficult to fix if not already established? Tom Hunter identifies 100–150 employees as the inflection point. Beyond this size, multiple management layers, geographic dispersion, and diluted storytelling make culture difficult to rein back in. Intentional culture-building and storytelling before this threshold determines long-term engagement. Links & Resources Mentioned: Connect with Tom Hunter on LinkedIn

Ralph Kellogg is Chief Human Resources Officer at Lutheran Family Services, TEDx speaker, and author of Leading While Human: Notes I Wish Someone Had Given Me. He brings 20+ years of executive leadership experience and publicly disclosed his anxiety disorder and panic disorder diagnosis in his 2022 TED talk. In this episode, Ralph Kellogg introduces the ACT model — Acknowledged, Compassionate Accountability and Transparency — a framework he created during the pandemic to equip managers with a structured approach to mental health conversations. For people leaders at 100–1,500 employee companies, this episode addresses a critical scaleup challenge: informal manager-employee relationships that worked at 50 people break down as headcount grows. Ralph Kellogg explains how to train managers to build trust before crisis moments, how to avoid the stigma trap of pulling assignments away, and why curiosity — not fixing — is the leadership discipline that scales. He also shares the operational case for relationship-building: Gallup data shows 70% of people leave organizations because of their relationship with their manager, and replacing a high performer costs more than investing in the manager's relational capacity. Challenges Addressed Managers don't know how to start mental health conversations without triggering defensiveness or stigma: Ralph Kellogg explains that the relationship must be built before the crisis moment — if the only interactions are corrective feedback, the employee will assume judgment. He outlines the ACT model (Acknowledged, Compassionate Accountability and Transparency) as a repeatable framework managers can use to check in, offer support, and follow up without making it transactional. Scaleup leaders claim they don't have time for relationship-building with their teams: Ralph Kellogg's response: "Do you have time to replace that person?" He recommends bringing in someone — an internal hire or external consultant — who is skilled at connecting with the team, so the founder or technical leader can focus on what they do best while the team still gets relational support. HR doesn't know how to train managers on mental health at scale without turning it into compliance theater: Ralph Kellogg argues that HR's job is to build trust with managers first, then equip managers to build trust with their teams. Relationships start on day one of onboarding, not in the moment of crisis. Training should focus on small, consistent behaviors — checking in, following up on commitments, staying curious — not one-time workshops. Actionable Takeaways Use the ACT model for mental health check-ins: Ralph Kellogg's framework is Acknowledged, Compassionate Accountability and Transparency. When a manager observes a change in an employee's behavior, they should frame the conversation with concern ("I see this — are you okay?"), ask how they can support rather than immediately pulling assignments away, and follow up in one to two weeks to show the conversation wasn't transactional. Build the relationship before the crisis: Ralph Kellogg emphasizes that managers must have consistent, low-stakes interactions with employees starting on day one. If the first real conversation happens during a performance issue or mental health crisis, the employee will become defensive. Trust is built through small moments — not grand gestures. Stay curious when a star employee suddenly struggles: Ralph Kellogg advises managers to resist the urge to fix or assume they know the problem. Instead, ask questions, stay open to the messiness, and recognize that high performers are multidimensional people — the traits that made them great are still there, even when something is temporarily off. Questions This Episode Answers How do I train managers to have mental health conversations without making employees feel judged? Ralph Kellogg explains that the relationship must exist before the conversation. Managers should use the ACT model (Acknowledged, Compassionate Accountability and Transparency), frame the conversation with concern rather than correction, and avoid pulling assignments away — which signals loss of confidence. Follow up in one to two weeks to show it's not a one-and-done transaction. What do I do if my startup founders say they don't have time for relationship-building with their team? Ralph Kellogg's answer: "Do you have time to replace that person?" He recommends bringing in someone — internally or as a consultant — who has the relational capacity to connect with the team. That way, founders can focus on their strengths while the team still receives support. Gallup research shows 70% of people leave because of their relationship with their manager, so investing in relational capacity is cheaper than constant turnover. How can HR scale mental health support as we grow from 100 to 500 employees? Ralph Kellogg says HR's role is to build trust with managers first, then train managers to build trust with their teams. Relationships don't start in crisis moments — they start on day one of onboarding. HR should teach managers small, repeatable behaviors: check-ins, follow-ups, staying curious in conflict, and recognizing that not every high performer wants to climb the ladder. Links & Resources Mentioned: Connect with Ralph Kellogg on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralphkellogg Website: https://ralphkellogg.com/

Jen Paxton is SVP of People & Talent at Roofr, a high-growth SaaS company, where she reports directly to the CEO and owns both talent acquisition and HR — the full employee lifecycle. A three-time startup-to-acquisition People leader with more than a decade in startups, Jen has scaled companies to $50M ARR and built an HRBP coaching program at Roofr where every manager gets a dedicated HRBP as a personal coach. Her single biggest argument: HR should lead the AI transformation inside the company, not wait for it to land on their desk. For People teams at 100–1,500 person scaleups, informal communication breaks down and no one has full visibility into what every department is building. Jen explains how HR's cross-cutting position — touching every department — makes it the right function to own AI change management, communication, and cross-team visibility. Challenges Addressed Siloed HR vs. cross-cutting HR: Jen Paxton argues traditional HR stays siloed while a strategic people partner understands how each department's work affects every other, making HR the only function that cross-cuts the entire business. Duplicative AI builds: At Roofr, where every employee has Claude access, Jen identifies the core risk of two departments independently building identical tools (her example: two pricing calculators) because there is no cross-departmental visibility. AI as change management, not just tech: Jen frames AI as a "hot potato" — it upends how people do their jobs, creating change management work and potential attrition that HR is positioned to own. Actionable Takeaways Assign every manager an HRBP coach: Jen Paxton's HRBP program pairs each manager with a dedicated coach who teaches effective one-on-ones and runs live role-play for delivering difficult feedback. Build the foundation before expecting managers to grow. Replace flat "no" with options: When a manager brings a request, Jen recommends answering "this won't work, but what about X or Y." This frames HR and the manager as solving the problem together and builds trust. Monitor AI usage to surface and share high-impact builds: Jen tracks company-wide Claude token usage to find valuable AI builds, then makes them publicly visible. This drives social learning and cuts duplicative work across teams. Questions This Episode Answers What's the difference between a strategic people partner and traditional HR? Jen Paxton explains that traditional HR is siloed and admin-focused, while a strategic people partner understands the inner workings of every department and how their work flows into each other. HR is the only function that genuinely cross-cuts the whole business. Should HR own AI enablement in my company? Jen argues yes. She compares "AI enablement" roles to the "head of remote" roles that proliferated during COVID and were later absorbed back into HR, predicting AI enablement will follow the same path under L&D, manager coaching, or HR ops. HR does not need to be technical — it needs the right partnerships and cross-departmental visibility. How do I build trust as an internal coach to managers? Jen builds trust through vulnerability, genuine follow-up questions, and framing herself as tackling problems alongside the manager rather than blocking them. She treats each coaching conversation as a two-way partnership, not a question-and-answer transaction. Links & Resources Mentioned: Connect with Jen Paxton on LinkedIn