Katee Van Horn

I had the opportunity to join a group of Chief HR leaders last week at the @Hansell Tierney Executive Dinner in Seattle—a roundtable of some of the most innovative HR colleagues across a range of industries. Our conversation was thoughtful and inspiring. It’s clear that the road ahead for HR will be complex: the nature of a post-pandemic workforce is still taking shape, and we’re all confronting the implications of AI in real time. I left the evening with fresh perspective and several insights I’m bringing back to my work at @Delta Dental of Washington—and wanted to share a few here:  🔹 AI is here to stay—and HR will shape its future.  HR leaders will be responsible for how AI is implemented, from ethics and transparency to impact on people and productivity. We’re not just adopters—we’re the architects of responsible integration.  🔹 Equity and inclusion still matter—deeply.  The conversation around representation, belonging, and mental health is evolving, but the need hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s become more urgent. A supported, flexible, and healthy workforce is essential to long-term success.  🔹 Peer connection is more valuable than ever.  In today’s hybrid and remote environments, learning from others outside your organization is one of the most effective ways to stay sharp, solve challenges, and grow as a leader. I’m grateful to the Hansell Tierney team for creating space for these important conversations—and to the leaders in the room who brought such curiosity and candor. What are you seeing in your own organization when it comes to AI, inclusion, or connection across teams? Let’s keep the conversation going. 

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There’s no one-size-fits-all CHRO—but the best ones lead with purpose, act with clarity, and tie everything back to impact. They drive positive business outcomes with measurable and impactful people strategy. I had the chance to contribute to this recent CHRO Daily piece on the values that define great HR leadership—and it reflects how we approach partnership with our clients. Here’s what I’m doubling down on: ✅ Culture is lived, not laminated. Leaders set the tone—every day. ✅ Clarity drives performance. People need to know where they’re going and how they’ll get there. ✅ Listening isn’t soft—it’s strategy. The best leaders tune in before they take action. ✅ HR should drive business results—not just engagement scores. Check out a deeper dive in the piece I contributed to → https://loom.ly/bPSKJnM What’s resonating for you right now in your people strategy? #PeopleFirst #HRLeadership #CHRO #BusinessStrategy #HazanConsulting #FractionalHR https://lnkd.in/eUPTTgis

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Last week, Guild released the first-of-its-kind Talent Resilience Index, a quantitative benchmark of workforce mobility and adaptability across the US labor market, in partnership with Lightcast. What it shows? Workforce mobility is a powerful signal of systemic resilience in our country and across our industries, and it's hit its lowest point since 2016. The aggregate data tells a compelling story, but I'm left thinking about resilience at the individual level. I've gotten pretty curious about resilience as a skill - in our personal lives and professionally. It's the "bounce back" ability - the capacity to withstand or recover from challenges or failures, and come back stronger. You can't build resilience without facing difficulty or setbacks. As a people manager, I used to think of my role as being responsible for removing roadblocks for my team, for minimizing the possibility of failure, for helping bear the weight of challenges. When I consider this in the context of resilience, I wonder if this approach yields easier wins but less resilient teams. There is a balance to be struck between removing obstacles and cheering on your colleague when they face the obstacle head-on, fall down, and do that beautiful bounce back. People managers, does this resonate? How do you build resilience in your teams and organizations? Tagging in some favorite leaders for hot takes 🔥: Kristie Griffin Allison Van Voorhis Bridget Hopkins LeShanda D. Liz Longenecker Nathaniel Cole Stafford Brunk Josh Hadden-Leggett Jonathan Marek Sveta Dawant Chandler K. Jay Nancarrow Abby Hollern Crissy McConnell Claire M. Casey Boyles https://lnkd.in/gxjzCfPV

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Last Thursday, I had the privilege of co-presenting with Laura Close at the Washington State SHRM Annual Conference, exploring the intersection of human resources and emerging technologies. The session, "HR as the Strategic Superhero: Leveraging Technology to Lead the Future of Work," attracted a diverse audience of HR professionals ready to understand how artificial intelligence is reshaping their field. Throughout our presentation, we examined three critical dimensions of the technological transformation occurring in human resources management. These insights emerged as particularly resonant with attendees: 💡First, regarding data utilization: "When your HRIS such as Workday isn't being used optimally, there are incredibly useful AI tools that can extract and report on the custom views your leadership team needs." Many organizations possess robust HR information systems but fail to leverage their analytical capabilities effectively—a shortcoming that contemporary AI solutions can readily address. 💡Second, on the necessity of strategic planning: "In 2025, an HR technology roadmap requires AI agents that enable leaders to directly interact with the data safely and easily." The democratization of data access represents a fundamental shift from traditional hierarchical information structures, facilitating more agile decision-making processes across organizational levels. 💡Third, concerning operational efficiency: "HR leaders have an incredible opportunity to lead the future of work, while assigning the 'grunt' work to automated workflows powered by AI." This paradigm shift allows HR professionals to transcend administrative functions and emerge as strategic partners in organizational development. The subsequent discussions were great—revealing both the challenges and opportunities HR departments face in this technological transition. Practitioners shared perspectives on implementation strategies, change management approaches, and the evolving competencies required of HR professionals in an increasingly digitized workplace. As co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Included, these conversations reinforce our mission to develop solutions that enhance human capabilities rather than supplant them. The enthusiasm and curiosity demonstrated by the SHRM community affirms that HR professionals are not merely adapting to technological change—they are actively shaping its trajectory within their organizations. I invite continued dialogue on this pivotal transformation. ➡️How is your organization navigating the integration of artificial intelligence within human resources functions? ➡️What strategic opportunities or ethical considerations have emerged in your experience? #IncludedAI #HRTransformation #WorkforceAnalytics #StrategicHR #AIImplementation #OrganizationalDevelopment

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Listening to a lot of conversations regarding the intersection of HR and AI and the diverse perspectives circulating, let me share two personal non-expert insights that may resonate with those balancing fear and optimism among our peers. In the realm of inspiration, an important scene from the movie (based on the book/real-life story) “Hidden Figures" comes to mind. Octavia Spencer's character guides the "Calculators," to embrace programming the new mainframe as a proactive step towards the future and saving their jobs. Transitioning to the human element, where I think about the fact that for all the billions of humans on the planet, every one of us has a different operating manual. Really hard to predict what someone will always do. I watch highly intelligent individuals engage in seemingly irrational behaviors all the time. So the future of HR jobs exists - they’re just optimizing on the intersection of judgment, empathy, and emotional intelligence complemented by AI and technology.

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If you're a People leader, you know the world is constantly changing in the workplace, which means staying on top of the latest trends and data. Lattice’s 2026 State of People Strategy Report is full of data and insights every HR leader needs for the year ahead. It explores people's strategy priorities like AI, performance, and navigating polarization — with input from 1,000+ HR leaders. Read the full report: https://bit.ly/3UL9X6m

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