Most founders have heard of CliftonStrengths. Some have even taken the assessment themselves.

You posted the job. You interviewed several strong candidates. Someone stood out — great energy, articulate, confident.

If you have employees, this one's for you. Not because I want to scare you. But because I'd much rather you hear this from me than find out the hard way during an audit.

I subscribe to a handful of employment law firm newsletters. I know, not exactly everyone's idea of a great read. But honestly?

Let me be direct with you: the moment you hire someone, full-time, part-time, sometimes even contract, HR stops being something you'll "get to eventually."

Here's the hard truth: most small business owners have a workplace culture. They just didn't intentionally build it.

You built a business. You had a vision, you took the leap, and you made it work. And then, somewhere along the  way, you hired people.

I was speaking with a founder recently who needed to address a performance issue with a direct report. As she described the situation, she kept saying, “I have to confront them.” Each time she used the word confrontation, her tone tightened.

“I know what I should do, but…”

I hear some version of this sentence almost every week from founders and managers.

Most leaders don’t want to fix their people. They just feel like they’re supposed to.

Stepping into leadership for the first time—whether you’re hiring your first employee or managing people for the first time—can feel exciting and deeply uncomfortable all at once.

As 2025 wraps up, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much this year shifted me — as a business owner, a coach, and a human being stepping into her 40s with a whole lot more clarity and momentum.

There are certain people you meet and instantly feel like you’ve known forever. When I met Allie Beckmann— a financial planner with the warmest energy and the sharpest brain — it was exactly that kind of moment. We started talking about strengths, self-discovery, money, goals…

They couldn’t quite name what wasn’t working, but they knew something was off. Projects were stalling. Tasks were halfway done. Everyone was trying their best yet things weren’t moving forward as smoothly as they should.

This week marks three years since I officially launched KDZ HR Consulting. What started as a leap of faith has become one of the most challenging, rewarding, and transformative experiences of my life.

While large employers often follow the traditional November–December enrollment window, many small businesses have unique plan start dates depending on when they first offered coverage.

Most new managers have been there. You start out as an individual contributor, focusing on your own tasks, excelling in your role, and then one day, you get promoted to manager.

If you’re running a small business, you’ve probably thought: “I only have one employee. Do I really need HR?”  I hear this all the time — and the truth is, yes, you do.

I’ve been told my whole life that I’m “too sensitive.” For a long time, I believed it was a flaw. But here’s what I’ve learned: sensitivity is what makes me good at my job. It’s what helps me notice patterns, pick up on unspoken dynamics, and create workplaces where people actually want to stay.

Many business owners and managers are asking me the same question lately:
“How do I get my team better at soft skills like organization, communication, and time management?”

The truth is, most employees—especially early in their careers—haven’t been trained in these areas. Leaders are busy, and soft skills training for teams often falls to the bottom of the list. At the same time, employees are expected to “just figure it out.” Without context or coaching, that rarely works.

This is where CliftonStrengths coaching and a strengths-based leadership approach make all the difference. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all method, leaders can connect training to what actually motivates their people.