Navigating the HR Landscape: Insights from Chrissy Neafsey, Senior Director at Yahoo

Welcome to the latest episode of the RK Leadership Podcast! Today, we are excited to host Chrissy Neafsey, Senior Director of HR at Yahoo and partner at Summit Chasers Network. Chrissy brings nearly 20 years of experience in talent acquisition, management, and development, sharing her journey and invaluable insights with our audience.

Introduction

In this episode, Rob Kamranpoor, founder of RK Leadership, sits down with Chrissy Neafsey to explore her impressive career path and the lessons she has learned along the way. Chrissy’s expertise in talent management and her dedication to creating inclusive workplaces offer a wealth of knowledge for aspiring leaders.

Chrissy's Journey in HR

Chrissy's journey began with an internship in sales during her college years at Fordham University. She transitioned into university recruiting at Northwestern Mutual, where she discovered her passion for recruiting and talent management. Chrissy then moved on to K Force, where she gained extensive experience in business development and full-cycle recruiting.

After several years at K Force, Chrissy joined a boutique company, Russell Tobin, focusing on placing HR professionals. Her deep dive into the various roles within HR across different industries laid the foundation for her future endeavors.

Key Challenges and Learnings

One of the biggest challenges Chrissy faced was taking her professional development into her own hands. She emphasizes the importance of continuous growth and self-coaching, encouraging young professionals to take proactive steps in their career development.

Chrissy also highlights the need for HR professionals to understand leadership and design HR programs that enable leaders to thrive. Her approach to HR as a product within organizations has driven her success in creating impactful employee experiences.

Leadership and Purpose

Chrissy's leadership style is rooted in integrity, authenticity, and trust. She believes in showing up as the same person both inside and outside of work, building genuine relationships with her team and colleagues.

Her mission is to eliminate employee burnout by leveraging emerging technologies to create inclusive workplaces. Chrissy is passionate about bringing best practices from large organizations to entrepreneurial minds across North America, helping businesses scale and thrive.

Inspiration and Community

Chrissy draws inspiration from various sources, including her first boss, her mother, and the first responder and veteran communities. She is dedicated to giving back and supporting these communities, helping them build successful businesses and continue their leadership journeys.

At the upcoming Young Professionals Leadership Summit, Chrissy aims to create a space for young professionals to connect, learn, and grow. She emphasizes the importance of accessibility and community, ensuring that leadership development opportunities are available to all.

Conclusion

Chrissy Neafsey's journey in HR is a testament to the power of continuous self-development, authentic leadership, and the creation of inclusive workplaces. Her insights and experiences offer valuable lessons for aspiring leaders and HR professionals alike.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of the RK Leadership Podcast. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and leadership insights in our upcoming episodes.

Guest Bio: Chrissy Neafsey

Chrissy Neafsey has spent nearly 20 years building high-impact talent management strategies with companies at different stages of maturity. She is obsessed with the business of business and her favorite puzzles are determining how to activate talent to achieve measurable business objectives and key results.

She has deep business acumen in revenue and consumer product organizations, making her uniquely effective in coaching leaders and management teams through strategic change management initiatives, including hyper-growth periods, market expansions, mergers and acquisitions, and divestitures.

Chrissy is a proud supporter of Veteran and First Responder communities and advocates for initiatives focused on destigmatizing mental health support and building inclusive and engaging workplaces for our real-life heroes.

Throughout her professional history, she has established deep relationships across the HR and Tech industries, enabling her to create strategic partnerships capable of shaping the future of work.

In her own words, “My life's mission is to eliminate employee burnout by operationalizing inclusive workplaces through the adoption of emerging technologies. We owe this to one another, and we can do it together!”