What does it really mean to lead with heart? What does it take to lead with empathy, intention, and impact? Can HR drive business results and create deeply human workplaces? Modern HR is not about people programs; it’s about strategic business acceleration rooted in empathy and values.
In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Joey Walters about how human-centric leadership transforms organizations from the inside out. Joey is an accomplished strategic business executive with more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources across the United States and Canada. His expertise ranges from organizational and leadership agility, talent acquisition, performance management, talent development, succession planning, employee engagement, health benefits, compensation, and mergers & acquisitions. He’s currently the VP of HR at Schneider Electric. Joey believes the true value of HR is in creating and executing a people strategy that aligns with the business, focused on engaging team members to perform at their highest level to deliver business success and growth.
Listen in to learn why inspirational leadership doesn’t come from perfection but from empathy, communication, and modeling what it means to be human. You will also learn the importance of creating psychological safety, asking the hard questions, showing up authentically, and prioritizing wellness to sustain impact.
Key Takeaways:
- The evolving role of HR: from grassroots support to strategic business driver.
- How to live company values authentically, not just display them on walls.
- The importance of having a clear and compelling vision to drive teams forward effectively.
- How to foster trust and psychological safety within teams by asking thoughtful and open-ended questions.
- How leadership is revealed during moments of uncertainty and ambiguity.
- How vulnerability in leadership builds authentic relationships and strengthens trust and transparency.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- [01:33] Joey shares how a college HR course changed his career trajectory from finance to people development.
- [04:03] The importance of measuring program success, not just implementing for the sake of it.
- [06:24] How culture must be integrated into everyday behavior, from hiring to leadership decisions.
- [09:25] The “infinite mindset”- improving daily, not being the best, and having your people as part of the solution.
- [11:10] Why data-driven HR means understanding why programs exist, what success looks like, and how people benefit.
- [13:13] The qualities of an inspirational leader plus the power of proper communication in leadership.
- [16:27] The importance of leading with both the head and the heart and how tough love can be delivered with kindness.
- [18:37] Joey’s three major areas of personal leadership growth, plus the importance of self-care as a leadership pillar.
- [21:40] The need to adapt your energy and communication style to the emotional needs of different team members.
- [24:00] Understanding that true leadership isn’t perfection but having the courage to be authentic and vulnerable.
- [24:48] Joey recalls how keeping employees during COVID allowed his team to accelerate growth post-crisis.
- [26:23] How he helped implement a new performance framework that tracks how employees support each other’s success at Schneider.
- [29:15] Joey shares how a bold leader gave him his first big break and shaped his approach to business.
- [32:09] The importance of vision clarity, agile adaptation, and making decisions based on values during ambiguity and crisis.
- [34:17] He shares his most reread book and how it shifted his mindset from amateur to a committed professional.
- [36:12] The importance of being authentic and following your passion even if it’s nonconforming.
Standout Quotes:
- “When creating a vision, you have to bring your employees and your customers as part of the solution to really understand what type of culture you’re trying to build.”– Joey Walters [06:24]
- “We don’t know how much we can affect other people in their development, in the feedback that we give them, so be very cognizant of how you give and receive feedback.”– Joey Walters [29:48]
Listen to the podcast here:
Watch the video here:
Resources Mentioned:
- Connect with Joey Walters on Linkedin
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