Welcome to managing people! You might be new to managing employees and people management is a big job. Although every team will have their own best practices around management, here’s a general set of guidelines about managing people and what’s expected of that role (including some required things!). Saying the unsaid things!!!!

This is a guide for HR and People Operations staff who are responsible for project managing layoffs and want to do it fairly and thoughtfully. It’s especially designed for smaller teams where you might be the only HR person at your company and are new to layoffs. If you’re a leader or manager who wants to do better in laying people off or is new to the process, this might also be useful for you.

Treat folks like the humans they are while still doing what's needed for your organization.

A practical approach to fixing the management problem that's quietly sabotaging your mission.

Layoffs are brutal, but how you treat people during the process is what they'll remember forever.

The Why Interview is your recipe for finding people who'll truly thrive at your organization. This focused early-stage conversation digs beyond skills and experience to uncover a candidate's true motivations and alignment with your mission. Instead of just checking boxes on skills and experience, this approach helps both you and the candidate figure out if this is truly a YES before investing more time in the process.

Jesse Noonan turned her job search into a relationship-building journey, sending regular updates to her network that strengthened connections AND opening doors. (Co-founder Jess LOVED receiving them and responded to almost every single one, including celebrating when she landed her job!!!).

Here's how she did it—so you can build your own version!

You know those emails you stare at forever, trying to get the tone just right? Outreach doesn't need to be perfect (and maybe shouldn’t be!) — it needs to be real!

Using real examples from my sent folder, here's what I've learned about crafting emails that build connection, describe your ask clearly, and make it easy for folks to help.

Feeling stuck? Don't go it alone. Whether you're reaching out to old colleagues or making new connections, there are simple ways to ask for help that build lasting relationships and get you the insights you need. The secret isn't having the perfect network - it's being willing to be real about what you need and trusting that people actually want to help.

Whether you have OKRs and want to integrate Libby’s wisdom (sub-bullet to infinity!) OR you’re starting from scratch, this will help!

A template and examples to build and drive with OKRs!

A simple leveling chart from The Helia Collective, covering compensation, role overview and success criteria for 7 levels.

Looking for sample questions that communicate your culture? Review this list of competencies alongside your organization's core values.

This worksheet connects the dots between your org culture and the types of people you need.

Stop letting performance conversations happen in the dark. Rachel's approach to leveling frameworks transforms the messiest parts of people management—reviews, promotions, feedback—into clear, fair systems that everyone actually understands. No more guessing, no more politics–just clarity.

Knowing what you want is one thing. Actually getting those candidates to apply and running a process that helps you choose the right person is another. Sophia's approach transforms hiring from a chaotic scramble into a systematic, equitable process that saves time, reduces bias, and helps both you and candidates make better decisions.