Foreword, by Katelin Holloway - Founding Partner, 776

“It was 2015 and Lars Schmidt was on a crusade: he wanted to end the War on Talent. His solution was to open source the work of HR practitioners. He had an earnest belief that employers shouldn’t battle each other for candidates, but instead join forces to build a better workplace for all. In a different silo, I had been fighting this battle myself in a far less organized and far more hair-on-fire-frantic kind of way. His vision for a collaborative HR ecosystem was inspiring. The HR Open Source community he and his cofounder Ambrosia Vertesi created around that mission was vibrant. Without hesitation, I enrolled in the movement to better the world of work. 

But this wasn’t the start of the Human Resources revolution, no; it was simply the beginning of my relationship with Lars. The kindest rebel you’ll ever meet, his punk rock people philosophies have had a significant impact on the HR industry. Our community knows him to be a servant thought leader, one who cares deeply about giving platforms to the people who are changing the way the world goes to work. For over 20 years, Lars has been addressing and challenging the traditional institution of HR, imploring a dynamic shift in approach. 

The reality is that the field of Human Resources had been woefully out of date for decades. Only in recent history has HR made the dramatic shift from the back room to the board room, bringing people strategy to the forefront of business strategy. No longer are we relegated to compliance and benefits administration alone. We are detailed operators, yes, but also strategists, coaches, and sherpas to this brave, new world. A world that doesn’t view humans as resources, but rather as people who have unique perspectives, experiences and feelings. This book is a roadmap to that world. 

Redefining HR gives us an opportunity to better understand the evolution of this field and how each of us can play a role in shaping its future. From leveraging policy to operationalizing culture to having fun with data, Lars focuses on practical, actionable approaches to catalyze change -- within your organization, your career, and the workplace at large. He includes case studies from forward-thinking people leaders, offers his own operational expertise, and shares snippets from his podcast.

For those that didn’t recognize the shift before, the events of early 2020 made it known that businesses who refused to lead people-first would suffer the greatest tolls. Public health concerns, civic unrest, and economic uncertainty plagued our communities; HR teams had never been more needed or more recognized as critical business partners. The urgency to create sustainable, equitable, diverse cultures of inclusion became non-negotiable. The HR community came together quickly to right the ship, sharing critical information openly to ensure all had access to supporting their teams. Pandemic playbooks, reductions in force toolkits, and new workplace safety policies swept inboxes like wildfire. There was no competitive advantage to keeping things to ourselves. The battle wasn’t between us, but in front of us and we were stronger together.

Lars’ suggestion to simply *share more* has now become a flat out imperative. The world of work will never be the same again. It is our responsibility to ensure we’re building this next chapter with intention and care. Take from our past the good, but leave behind the things that weren’t serving our mission to create a better workplace for everyone. Starting here, book in hand, I challenge each of you to redefine HR.”