#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.