What's in a personality type? A while ago, we released a short quiz introducing four archetypes that characterise HR leaders and professionals in their working life. We've since heard from several HR leaders who fit the various types and gotten their point of view on how their preferences and capabilities shape their approach to their role.

Today we introduce Brittni Beers-Branco, SVP of People at IT automation multinational Puppet, who identifies as the Counsellor – a HR personality type that's all about solving people challenges, shaping human interactions, and creating solutions around people. 

Brittni joined Puppet in August 2019 and works on furthering the development of the company's organisational culture and values. Here's what she told us about her approach to HR leadership.

Supporting people is a big motivating factor for her

“I am drawn to how we can support people to be the best version of themselves. We believe in the concept of taking care of the employee’s whole self, not just their work self. This means aligning with an employee’s own purpose, making sure they can show up, do their best work and get the most out of their careers that in turn supports a high performance culture.”

She believes the human touch plays the greatest role in improving well-being

“The current environment has certainly demanded a greater degree of human touch to various aspects, but for me, the most important area has been our people’s well-being. This means our ability to support employees going through very real challenges - stress, mental health, burnout. Our focus remains supporting the whole person so employees can do their best work, whether that means getting feedback and adjusting our approach or simply listening. The importance of just listening and showing empathy can never be underestimated.”

The best kinds of interactions for her: those which embody organisational values

“A good workplace interaction is underpinned by the company’s values. For Puppet, we are encouraged to be open, be transformational and be for each other. Any interaction that embodies these values help Puppet and help each other be successful. We are guided by our competencies of being inclusive and empathetic, and they dictate how we show up to work and how we interact with one another and help us collectively be successful.”

Her biggest peeve: unrealistic expectations

“My biggest pet peeve would be the expectation to be all things to all people. It has been an incredibly tough time for many people, and people’s priorities vary and change as we continue to adjust to the current climate.  The need to create collective priorities for a diverse cohort and make things within a short span of time is not always the answer.”

The ideal improvement in her view: personalised, DEI-oriented experience

“I would like to see improvement in the ability for people to craft their experience at an organisation. From a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) perspective, we have yet to solve many problems. We create experience for the masses which doesn’t necessarily address issues for minorities. Being able to create that experience fit for the person in an automated fashion would be my idea of HR utopia.”

And the #1 thing she wants to contribute...

“Our focus right now is connecting people with purpose and the broader vision of where we’re going as an organisation to enable our team collectively to achieve Puppet’s goals. We want our employees to help define that purpose and have clarity on how they will make a difference to the journey. As the People team, we want to guide that path and enable every employee’s contribution 100% as their whole self, do their best work, and collectively create achieve our company goals.

What's your HR personality type? Drop us a note if you'd like to tell us more.