HR Coffee Time

Have you wondered what ‘being strategic’ actually looks like? In this episode, you’ll hear a real, step-by-step example of what being strategic can look like in your day-to-day work.

Host, Fay Wallis, is joined by Harriet Mewis, Head of People and Development, who shares how she spotted a small pattern in employee behaviour – and used it to uncover a much bigger issue affecting the business.

What makes this conversation so powerful is how practical it is. You’ll hear how being strategic doesn’t require a big budget, a senior job title, or complicated frameworks. It starts with curiosity, observation, and asking thoughtful questions.

By the end of the episode, you’ll have a much clearer sense of how you can apply this way of thinking in your own role – in a way that feels realistic and achievable.

Chapters
[00:00] Introduction with guest host Sarah Archer
[01:00] Why “being strategic” can feel vague and frustrating
[01:24] Introducing Harriet and her approach to strategy
[02:14] What being strategic actually means in practice
[03:02] Beginning of the interview with Harriet & Fay
[04:18] Defining what ‘being strategic’ means
[05:48] Why you can be strategic in any role
[07:22] Harriet’s example of being strategic in her role
[21:30] Learning about other departments & building trust
[23:39] Becoming an ‘apprentice’ for the day
[27:35] Introducing Lean Six Sigma thinking
[34:46] Harriet’s book recommendation
[37:12] Final reflections & close

Useful Links from This Episode
Connect with Fay on LinkedIn
Connect with Harriet Mewis on LinkedIn
Connect with Sarah Archer on LinkedIn
Listen to Sarah’s Podcast – Unstuck & Unstoppable
Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner
Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Take Fay’s freeHR Leadership Impact Assessment.

Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next
Ep 166:The Biggest HR Strategy Mistake – And How to Fix It, with Dean Corbett
Ep 164:Becoming More Strategic as an HR Team – 3 Ways OKRs Can Help
Ep 163:3 Ways to Prove You’re Strategic in Your HR Leadership Job Interview
Ep 108:HR Leadership – How to Create a Powerful One-Page Strategy, with Dr Max McKeown
Ep 98:HR Insider Insights – How to Create a Powerful People Strategy for an SME, with Kelly Vincent

Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!
Sign up for the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.
Mentioned in this episode:
Join the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Build your confidence, credibility & impact through the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme. The next cohort is now open for booking.
Inspiring HR
Help That’s There when It’s Needed Most
Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they don't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.
Kara Connect

If you’ve been working hard in your HR career but still feel unsure what will truly help you step up into an HR Director role (or have more impact in the one you’re already in), this episode is for you.
You might have your CIPD qualification. You might have years of experience. You’re probably working incredibly hard. But those things alone don’t always lead to the impact, influence, or progression you’re aiming for.
In this episode of HR Coffee Time, I share the five key areas I’ve identified from working with more than one hundred aspiring and existing HR leaders that really make the difference.

And make sure you listen all the way to the end - because the fifth area is often the most overlooked, yet can have the biggest impact on your success.

Chapters From This Episode
[00:00] HR Director Roadmap
[00:31] Five Key Areas Preview
[01:00] Free HR Leadership Impact Assessment
[02:27] Key Area 1 Confidence
[02:51] Confidence in Practice
[03:51] More Confidence Resources
[04:15] Key Area 2 - Strategic Thinking
[04:44] What Strategic Really Means
[05:13] Strategy Benefits and Tools
[06:25] Key Area 3 - Influencing
[08:35 Key Area 4 - Empowering Others
[09:51] Key Area 5 - Be Distinctive
[11:09] How to Assess Where You Are Now & Next Steps

Useful Links from This Episode:
Connect with Fay on LinkedIn
Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner
Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Take Fay’s freeHR Leadership Impact Assessment.

Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next
If you’d like to go deeper on some of the ideas from this episode, here are a few great next listens:
Ep 167: A surprising way to feel calm and more confident in stressful moments
Operate Strategically Playlist(multiple episodes)
Ep 34: Influencing: How to get buy-in for your ideas at work
Ep 44: Succeeding as an HR professional: How to influence at a senior level

Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!
Sign up for the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.
Mentioned in this episode:
Help That’s There when It’s Needed Most
Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they don't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.
Kara Connect
Join the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Build your confidence, credibility & impact through the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme. The next cohort is now open for booking.
Inspiring HR

Is there something at work you know you’re capable of… but in the moment, your nerves take over?
Whether it’s speaking up in a meeting, handling a difficult conversation, or stepping into a high-pressure situation - that disconnect between what you can do and how you feel can be incredibly frustrating.
In this episode of HR Coffee Time, I share a simple but slightly unusual technique that can help you feel calmer, more in control, and more confident when it matters most.
It's called 'distanced self-talk', and it might feel a bit strange at first – but it’s backed by research and can make a real difference in those moments where your confidence wobbles.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why confidence can disappear in high-pressure moments
A simple technique that helps you step back from anxious thoughts
How this approach can reduce nerves and help you think more clearly
Practical ways to use it before and during challenging situations at work
Real examples of when to try it – including meetings, presentations, and interviews

Recommended Book in This Episode
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head (And How to Harness It) – by Ethan Kross

Useful Links from This Episode
Connect with Fay on LinkedIn
Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner
Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme

Other Relevant HR Coffee Time Episodes
Ep 1: How to feel more confident at work
Ep 16: How to become more confident about networking
Ep 36: Four simple but powerful techniques to banish imposter syndrome
Ep 43: The one thing that will boost your resilience throughout your HR career
Ep 49: 7 tips to help you feel more confident for your job interview
Ep 73: 5 ways to feel more confident in your next interview, meeting, or presentation
Ep 74: How to get better at presenting & feel more confident about it
Ep 82: 5 tips to tackle a challenge at work when you aren’t feeling confident
Ep 101: How to build confidence with networking for HR career success
Ep 122: Unlocking confidence for your HR career – 5 tips from expert guests
Ep 137: How to recognise & break free from the lies we tell ourselves at work
Ep 162: How to Feel More Confident Speaking Up in Leadership Meetings

Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!
Sign up for the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.
Mentioned in this episode:
Help That’s There when It’s Needed Most
Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they don't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.
Kara Connect
Join the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Build your confidence, credibility & impact through the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme. The next cohort is now open for booking.
Inspiring HR

Could you be making the biggest HR strategy mistake without realising it?
Creating an HR or People strategy can feel overwhelming - especially when many HR professionals are expected to do it without ever being shown how.
In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay Wallis is joined by Dean Corbett, Chief People Officer, psychologist, and coach, to explore one of the most common mistakes HR teams make when creating an HR strategy - and what to do instead.
Dean shares why traditional HR strategy documents can dilute impact, and explains how to connect HR priorities directly to the organisation’s business strategy.
You’ll also hear practical ideas for thinking more strategically about HR, identifying the people capabilities organisations really need, and using tools like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to bring strategy to life.
Useful Links From This Episode
Connect with Fay on LinkedIn
Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner
Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Connect with Dean on LinkedIn
Visit Dean’s website: SOPEOPLE

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By– Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, & Kate Sweetman
Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works– A G Lafley & Roger L Martin
Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy– Linda Holbeche
The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation– Peter M Senge
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know– Adam Grant
Perry Timms’ Sustack

Episodes to Listen to Next
Ep 164:Becoming More Strategic as an HR Team - 3 Ways OKRs Can Help
Ep 148:Skills That Shape a Great CPO: Communication, Coaching & Curiosity (with Jane Beeston)
Ep 147:How to Become a Successful Chief People Officer: Insider Insights (with Kanika Mehra)

Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!
Sign up to the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.
Mentioned in this episode:
Help That’s There when It’s Needed Most
Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they don't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.
Kara Connect
Join the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Build your confidence, credibility & impact through the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme. The next cohort is now open for booking.
Inspiring HR

Struggling to feel confident when Finance conversations come up at work? Been told you need to be "more commercial" but not sure what that actually means? In this practical episode, Commercial HR Coach Jo Bailey demystifies what it means to be commercial in HR and shares actionable advice to help you speak the language of business with confidence.
You’ll Learn
What "being commercial" actually means (and what it doesn't)
Key financial terms explained: P&L, EBITDA, balance sheet, and cash flow
How to approach setting an HR budget with confidence
Questions to ask when building a strong business case
How to position budget requests so you're more likely to get what you need
Real examples of how to demonstrate commercial thinking in your HR role
The cost of attrition and how to build the business case for retention initiatives

Useful Links From This Episode:
Connect with Fay on LinkedIn
Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner
Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Connect with Jo Bailey on LinkedIn
Visit Jo Bailey’s Website: Financial Empowerment

Recommended Book in This Episode
Excellence in People Analytics: How to Use Workforce Data to Create Business Value, by Jonathan Ferrar & David Green

Other Relevant HR Coffee Time Episodes:
Ep 147: How to Become a Successful Chief People Officer: Insider Insights (with Kanika Mehra) - has a great explanation of storytelling with data
Ep 115: Why Negotiation Skills Can Help Your Career & How to Develop Them (with Simon Duncan)
Ep 158: 3 Simple Ways to Build Business Acumen in Your HR Role

Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!
Sign up to the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.
Mentioned in this episode:
Help That’s There when It’s Needed Most
Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they don't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.
Kara Connect
Join the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
Build your confidence, credibility & impact through the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme. The next cohort is now open for booking.
Inspiring HR