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