#194 - Its Never a People Problem || Michelle Edwards

Most people problems at work are leadership problems.

Michelle Edwards spent nearly 30 years in operations, human resources, and head of talent roles, watching thousands of careers move through organizations. One pattern held every time: the leader decided the trajectory.

What does people-first leadership look like in practice? For Michelle, the job changes the moment another human is in your care. You stop managing the work and start developing the person. You set clear expectations, have courageous conversations, and remove barriers. Take care of the people, and they take care of the work.

In this conversation, Ryan and Michelle talk about:
- Why she promoted high performers but held back direct reports until they proved they could lead
- Why people are judged quickly and leaders are judged softly
- Two commandments from her book DEI Died. Leadership Lives.: fire leaders who refuse to lead, and data doesn't lie
- The career database she built on nights and weekends to see every person's full picture
- Why most people don't trust HR, and what changed when she chose to protect the people
- Her GAS strategy: go deeper, take a stand, lead with love, and self-efficacy
- What grace looks like when you stay in the fight
- What to do this week if you lead a team of eight and something feels off

CHAPTERS
00:00 Who Michelle Edwards is
01:49 From managing work to taking care of people
05:39 Prove you can lead before you get direct reports
09:59 People are judged quickly, leaders are judged softly
11:20 DEI Died. Leadership Lives.
15:33 Fire leaders who refuse to lead
17:19 Data doesn't lie
21:20 The rooms where careers get decided
25:08 The leader who truly saw her
31:36 Why people don't trust HR
34:45 Designing HR from a blank canvas
38:21 The GAS strategy
42:36 What she couldn't fix, and grace
45:18 The database no one saw
52:55 Staying true to herself
55:03 How her definition of success changed
55:49 Leading a team of eight: what to do this week
56:35 Why we avoid real connection
59:07 Where to find Michelle
1:02:21 Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE EDWARDS
Website: https://michelleedwardsspeaks.com
Book, DEI Died. Leadership Lives.: https://a.co/d/06470JmH
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellekedwards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleedwardsspeaks/

CONNECT WITH RYAN WATTS
Ryan Watts Coaching: https://www.ryanwattscoaching.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwattsmba

FOLLOW THE PERSONAL SUCCESS PODCAST
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-personal-success-podcast-with-ryan-watts/id1699785392
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0poXmaxpjA6ViNDy1KOh9c
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thepersonalsuccesspodcast
Web: https://www.ryanwattscoaching.com/thepersonalsuccesspodcast

New episodes weekly.