In this candid and energizing conversation, John Marshall sits down with Jessica Miller Merrell, founder of Workology, president and CEO of Exceptional HR, and author of Digitizing Talent, to pull back the curtain on what HR professionals are actually carrying — and why so much of it stays invisible. Jess draws on decades of frontline HR experience to unpack the burnout epidemic in people operations, the gap between what companies say they invest in their people and what employees actually experience, and why HR leaders struggle to communicate their strategic value in the language of business. From logging every task in 30-minute increments to mastering the art of internal influence, this episode is a practical, honest, and deeply human guide for HR professionals who are ready to stop doing everything and start driving real change. Whether you lead an HR team or work alongside one, this conversation will shift the way you see the role of people operations in building a thriving organization.

Resources:
Workology
Kaggle
Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Connect with Jessica Miller Merrell: LinkedIn

Takeaways

• HR professionals are often carrying invisible workloads that would be unacceptable in any other department — and the first step to changing that is making it visible.
• Connecting HR activities to revenue, retention, and time-to-productivity is the only language that consistently moves C-suite decision makers.
• Burnout in HR is often a signal that leadership does not respect or understand the function — and consecutive short tenures in a CHRO role are a clear organizational red flag.
• Moving from a human resources model to a people leadership model is more than a name change — it reflects a fundamental shift in how organizations value the human element of work.
• Business acumen and the ability to influence are the two most underdeveloped skills in the HR profession, and both can be learned.
• Logging tasks in 30-minute increments for even a few days can reveal hidden hours and build a compelling story for leadership investment.
• Knowledge gatekeeping is real at every level of leadership — and breaking that pattern by sharing best practices is both a leadership and a cultural act.
• Leaders who share what went wrong, not just what went right, create the psychological safety that makes teams want to follow them.
• Building discoverability before you need a job — through video, podcasts, or writing — helps candidates and leaders stand out in a world flooded with AI-generated sameness.
• One 20-minute conversation between an executive and their HR team, followed by action on just one thing, can begin to rebuild trust and reposition people operations as a true strategic partner.

Visit The Present Professional webpage on humessence.com and learn more about how we support leadership development and culture enablement at growth-stage organizations.

Thank you for listening.

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