In this episode, host Rey Treviño III welcomes back Keri Laine, founder of KLES and a trusted advocate for executives navigating the evolving HR landscape. Rey opens the show by sharing updates on his own family business growth plan and why “human resources is more than HR.” https://kerilaine.com/teamLet’s talk about HR and the C-Suite: Leading People, Driving ProfitKeri dives into why she left corporate America to launch KLES, building a firm focused on helping leaders drive profit by leading people...
In this episode, host Rey Treviño III welcomes back Keri Laine, founder of KLES and a trusted advocate for executives navigating the evolving HR landscape. Rey opens the show by sharing updates on his own family business growth plan and why “human resources is more than HR.” https://kerilaine.com/team
Let’s talk about HR and the C-Suite: Leading People, Driving Profit
Keri dives into why she left corporate America to launch KLES, building a firm focused on helping leaders drive profit by leading people. Rey and Keri also explore how HR issues have recently hit the headlines—including the Coldplay scandal—and how these stories reveal deeper challenges around trust and leadership.
Keri expands on her recent LinkedIn article reflecting on the hard work professionals invest to reach the C-Suite and why strategic relationships matter more than ever. Follow Keri Laine on Linked In (Keri Laine) https://www.linkedin.com/company/kerilaineexecutivesolutions
She breaks down the two types of HR professionals—the “bottom line” driven versus the “employee-friendly”—and offers a strategic framework for balancing both perspectives to support employees and leadership alike.
Looking back decade by decade, Keri shares how global and economic factors have shaped employee behavior and workplace dynamics, highlighting a major HR transition over the past 20 years. Today, HR has evolved into thought leadership, shaping not only culture but also business performance at the highest level.
Highlights of the Podcast
00:00 - Rey introduces human resources as the theme
01:31 - Rey explains growth planning and reintroduces guest Keri Laine
03:17 - Keri shares her background and the mission of KLES
04:39 - HR scandals in the news and their impact on credibility
06:05 - Three types of HR leaders: employee-focused, leadership-focused, and strategic neutral
07:34 - Historical evolution of HR across decades
10:06 - HR Pillars of Success framework explained
15:46 - KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities) explained with cake analogy
17:10 - Scaling challenges: financial plans, org charts, recruiting
20:18 - Reactions when KLES enters organizations
22:02 - Biggest surprise in entrepreneurship—people often overlooked
23:10 - Case study: Warehouse startup failure due to poor HR consideration
25:41 - Compensation planning challenges during scaling
27:04 - Return on relationships as a business ROI framework
30:21 - Keri introduces her book 100 Year ROI
32:55 - Book insights and quick-read design for executives
33:55 - Closing: How to connect with Keri via LinkedIn and KLES
35:37 - Sponsors and episode wrap-up
