Episode
What Happens to HR When the Owner Is the Problem
- Published
- Jul 1, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2355
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Summary
This episode started with a LinkedIn message. A practitioner at a 75-person firm, HR department of one, had been listening to episodes on toxic employees and sacred cows, and she asked the question nobody wants to ask out loud: what do you do when the toxic person is the founder? That question is what this episode is built around. Not how to manage up. Not how to influence without authority. What to actually do when the person creating the problem is the person at the top, with no one above them to escalate to. Referenced Episodes HR Happy Hour Network: Sacred Cows CEO vs. founder framing and language "HR Can't Fix What Leadership Won't Own" Connect Questions, topic ideas, or your own experience navigating this situation: DM Sabrina on LinkedIn or leave a comment when the episode is posted. [email protected]