USA 
United Kingdom
When I started in HR, I was an education major with a background in professional stage management, trying to figure out how I fit into the corporate world. I read every piece of business advice I could find but found the advice didn't directly apply to me. I had to adapt it.
Those early lessons in adapting served me well as I moved through the corporate world. When I landed my first leadership role, I was a standalone HR Director. I desperately wanted to make an immediate impact, but again, the advice didn’t fit. It was geared toward big companies, with big budgets. I had no budget, there was little process—and even less policy. I was their first strategic HR hire. I had no roadmap and the CEO was looking to me to identify the “what” and the “how.” Over the years this scenario occurred over and over again, and with each job I learned more and more. With the intention of making the road I’ve traveled a little easier for those who follow, here is what I’ve learned about making a big impact in a small company.
1. Build trust – you will not be effective without it
Brené Brown says in her book, Dare to Lead, “It turns out that trust is in fact earned in the smallest of moments. It is earned not through heroic deeds, or even highly visible actions, but through paying attention, listening, and gestures of genuine care and connection.”
When I join a company, I set up 30-minute meetings with key stakeholders and, where possible, every employee. In the first 10 minutes I share my philosophy of HR, how I hope to partner with them, and any big picture goals; in the next 10 minutes I ask about their experience at the company and with HR; and in the last 10 minutes I invite them to share pain points.
