HR lessons from Steven Bartlett's entrepreneur journey

It’s likely you have heard of Steven Bartlett. He’s the newest – and youngest – on the Dragon’s Den panel, and he’s the host of the Diary of a CEO podcast. There’s now a book of the same name, and recently he spent the day with Prince William. Quite the CV. And there’s plenty of lessons for HR professionals from his career and what he’s shared through his podcast and public speaking.

For those who don’t know, Bartlett is a British entrepreneur and social media influencer known for his work in the digital marketing and social media space. He is the co-founder of Social Chain, a global social media marketing agency that specializes in creating and distributing engaging content on social platforms.

Bartlett gained significant recognition for his role as the CEO of Social Chain, which he co-founded in 2014. Under his leadership, the company grew rapidly and became one of the leading agencies in the field of social media marketing. Social Chain worked with various brands and companies to help them enhance their online presence and engage with their target audiences effectively.

In early 2021, Bartlett became the youngest Dragon to join the show's panel of investors. "Dragon's Den" is a popular TV program where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors (the "Dragons") in the hopes of securing investment for their ventures. He has become synonymous in many ways with the words ‘Diary of a CEO’ - here are the lessons HR can learn from ‘The diary of a CEO’:

Listen to feedback – even if it’s not what you want to hear

Feedback is a huge part of any HR professional’s life – from the feedback you give, the feedback you facilitate and the feedback you receive.