Description: Join us in this thought-provoking episode as we delve into the world of HR and explore the transformative journey from an operational HR role to a strategic HR function. Discover the pivotal shift from transactional tasks to forward-thinking initiatives that drive organizational success. Our expert guests share their valuable insights on building strategic HR capabilities, fostering leadership buy-in, leveraging data analytics for informed decision-making, and cultivating a culture of continuous improvement. Whether you're an HR professional or a business leader seeking to unlock the full potential of your HR team, this episode offers practical guidance for navigating this critical transformation. Resources: Strategic Workforce Planning Guide   MRA Membership  About MRA  Let's Connect: Guest Bio - Rebecca Jacobs  Guest LinkedIn Profile - Rebecca Jacobs  Guest LinkedIn Profile - Katie Coulson  Host Bio - Sophie Boler  Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler  Transcript: Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word. 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here. 00:00:21:04 - 00:00:51:03UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Well, hello, everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 minute Thrive. Kind of got a special episode today because we're joined with two awesome HR Professionals from our Ohio division. Katie Coulson is our HR director at MRA company. Kwest group has been there for a little over seven years, but she has over 17 years of overall HR experience and is really passionate about the work she does and is coming with a lot of great advice and knowledge today. 00:00:51:05 - 00:01:23:18UnknownIn our second guest is Rebecca Jacobs. She's general counsel and director at MRA, Ohio. And with 25 plus years of employment law experience, she really ensures that our members are well supported in their HR and talent development needs. So I'm really excited to talk about the shift from operational to strategic HR With you both today. But before we get into that, rebecca, i don't know if you want to talk a little bit about why we brought katie onto the podcast today and maybe a little bit about how you two have worked together in the past. 00:01:23:20 - 00:01:48:02UnknownSure, sure. In Columbus, I am also the facilitator for our in-person Columbus roundtable, and Katie has been a very active member of our roundtables for quite some time. And I realized as we meeting every month and people are getting to know each other and talking through issues and questions, just the wealth of knowledge and experience that she has. 00:01:48:04 - 00:02:15:15UnknownAnd then just getting a chance to talk to her and see what what she has offered with all of our roundtable attendees. Absolutely. Well, thank you again for joining us. Well, let's dive right into the first question, and that's really talk about what is the benefit of transitioning from operational HR to strategic. And Katie, you can kind of start us off with this one. 00:02:15:17 - 00:02:44:09UnknownYeah. So I really think that this happened for me during COVID with Kwest Group, and it really was taking the organization and leading them in a time of uncertainty through that time. And making sure that they were successful throughout it. So that would be like the number one benefit for me. And I think that for all organizations, this is a huge benefit because it really puts HR at the forefront and it doesn't leave people questioning, well, what do we have an HR department for? 00:02:44:11 - 00:03:14:02UnknownAbsolutely. Rebecca, do you have anything? Oh, absolutely. The probably the best benefit is the fact that the senior