My Friend in HR | Podcast Guru

Details

Named Best Business Podcast at the 2026 Black Podcasting Awards. My Friend in HR is the mentor you call when work stops making sense. Host Njsane Courtney has spent more than two decades leading HR for global organizations, and he tells you the things HR people usually only say to each other. Why the promotion went to someone else. How raises really get decided. What to say when the offer comes in low. When it's time to stay, and when it's time to go. Every episode leaves you with something you can use at work this week. The exact words for a salary negotiation. A five-step plan for getting out from under a micromanager. How to present to executives so they don't tune out in the first minute. How to lead a team when nobody trained you to. You'll also hear from business leaders on the career moves that worked for them and the ones that didn't. If you're an employee who wants a fair shot, a new manager figuring it out as you go, or an executive who's tired of hearing what people think you want to hear, pull up a chair. Streaming in 20+ countries. New episodes, the monthly newsletter, and more at mfihr.com. Your job is meant to support your life. Your life is not meant to support your job.

Recent Episodes

My Friend in HR: Official Trailer

Send us Fan Mail Meet My Friend in HR, the award winning podcast that gives you the inside view of work from a global HR executive with more than 20 years of experience. Every Monday, one real workplace issue, explained plainly, with something you can do about it. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Support the show Visit: MFIHR.com Instagram: myfriendin_hr LinkedIn: Njsane Courtney Email: [email protected]

1 MIN

The Truth About Company Culture (Part II): Your Group Chat Is Your Culture

Send us Fan Mail 61% of US workers say a colleague has blamed them for something that wasn’t their fault. 73% say they have never done that to anyone. Somebody is doing the blaming, and in this episode Njsane goes looking for them. This is part two of our culture pair. Part one covered the leader. Today it is everyone else at the table, with The Goonies as the case study. He takes apart five things people say about culture: “I don’t have a title, so I don’t have a say,” “Gossip is just ventin...

16 MIN

The Truth About Company Culture (Part I): The Difference Between the Town Hall and the Tuesday Morning

Send us Fan Mail One sigh from a VP in a meeting. That's all it takes for a team to stop bringing him problems for the rest of the year, no matter how many speeches about transparency he gave in January. In part one of a two-part series on culture, Njsane Courtney uses Dead Poets Society to show why leaders create culture, even when they have no idea what it actually is. Welton Academy had four pillars on the wall: tradition, honor, discipline, excellence. The boys called the place "Hel...

16 MIN

Dear Executives: Stop Managing Like a Manager

Send us Fan Mail You got promoted because you were great at your job. That job no longer exists. The skills that got you the corner office are now the ones most likely to cost you your credibility. This is the sequel to Top 5 Tips for First-Time Managers. I walk you through five things that change when you step into a VP, director, or chief something officer role. I share new research from Spencer Stuart and Korn Ferry showing that even first-time CEOs are underprepared, undercon...

23 MIN

Why Do We Even Have Leaders?

Send us Fan Mail Leaders are keeping the perks and dropping the protection, and their people have noticed. In one 2026 survey, 80% of workers said they rarely or never trust leaders to put employees ahead of profit. In this one I go back to the campfire with Simon Sinek's Leaders Eat Last to ask what leadership is for. For most of human history the deal was simple. The leader got the best spot by the fire, and when danger showed up, the leader stepped forward first. Today Gallup says 51% of ...

18 MIN