co:grow

𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. For most remote-first or highly distributed companies in hyper-growth mode, hiring diversely isn't usually the hard part—being inclusive is. Inclusivity goes beyond managing time zones to how managers and teams show up for each other amidst the daily grind and distractions. Here are small and practical acts I love doing to ensure inclusivity is intentional: 𝟭. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 – This prevents multitasking and helps the other person feel your presence. 𝟮.𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻  – Begin meetings with a quick round where everyone shares how distracted they are today on a scale of 0-10, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and their current state is acknowledged. 𝟯. 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 "𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱" – By rotating the role of meeting leader, everyone gets a chance to guide the discussion, and having clear outcomes ensures meetings are focused and productive. 𝟰. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝘂𝗻 – bring interesting themes and topics for each other to showcase their authentic selves. As I focus on building a remote first fractional HR and strategy consultancy business, I have increasingly moved away from weekly or daily team stand-ups or tight weekly stakeholder cadences. The more meetings feel like a regular chore, the less intentional we are with these interactions, and the less we build inclusivity in practice. Working with clear and data-driven written update cadences and ensuring actual face time and meeting time is focused on inclusive discussions and decision-making has helped me and my team reframe what inclusivity looks like for highly distributed teams and clients. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰: 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘵 Gojek! 𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. Lili Tan Abdul Jawwadurrohman Fiona Low Regina Manjali @Lavina Adiputri Aleisha F Nurfirman Tiaradiqta R A Putri Windya Puspitasari Hadi Saputro Devina Christianti Karolis Maciulskis Connie Cheung Archana Subrahmanya __ I'm Susan, founder of co:grow, an HR consultancy for startups and teams in transition in SEA/APAC and the US. Connect for perspectives on founder support, HR leadership development and impactful people practices for human at work.

At co:grow, sustainable talent, social impact, and supporting future HR talent are key pillars of our strategy. With that in mind, we’re thrilled to announce a 5-year partnership with the University of Auckland. Know any standout Stage III Bachelor of Commerce in Management students at The University of Auckland interested in HR? Please direct them to apply: https://lnkd.in/gZAYKxbj. Want to get involved in our talent and social impact initiatives? Please DM me! We have a series of HRBP growth initiatives coming up in September. All proceeds go back into supporting future HR talent. DM me to be on the waiting list. 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥.

🚀 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 🚀 This week was a rollercoaster ride through the contrasting worlds of two startup founders and their current stages of company growth, fundraising, and talent management. ⛑ 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝟭: With over 10 years in the game, this founder is currently fundraising and seeking traction. The world for their business is expanding with transformational hope and growth that inspire. But the mode of scarcity shows as they view talent as a scarce resource and cost, reflecting this in their approach to working with their fractional HR teams. Trust is low, and unrealistic demands, like “Give me a unicorn right now for below the market rate,” often surface. Their attitude towards candidates is just as telling: “They can wait to be interviewed when I can find the time and ideally in blocks of 10.” 🦸 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝟮:  With less than two years of experience, has already raised a massive Series A during a challenging winter. They see talent as the fuel for growth and believe that the talent experience is key to attracting and retaining top performers. Trust with the fractional HR team is high, and their mantra is, “Let’s hire with the future in mind and pay competitively.” They emphasize that every interaction with a candidate should be positive: “No talent that has a touchpoint with us should walk away feeling uninspired by their interaction with us.” 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻. As the fractional HR team lead for both, I empathize with each founder. Yes, there are moments of frustration, but it’s important to remind myself to support without judgment. Walking them through a different fractional support experience and meeting them where they need to be met is crucial. No two founders are the same, and my role is to ensure we continue to decode HR for them in a way that aligns with their unique visions and experiences. 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥. I need to be present, giving critical feedback, listening intently, and not taking the lesser positive in the moment interactions too personally. The startup world is full of highs and lows, and the perspectives on talent and growth vary widely. One founder is in a mode of scarcity, the other in a mode of opportunity. Our role is to support them 'in the mode', meeting them where they are and helping them to grow forward. --- I'm Susan, a multi-dimensional HR geek and founder of co:grow, an HR consultancy for startups and teams in transition in APAC and US. Follow for perspectives on founder support, HR leadership development and impactful people practices for startups. 💡 #Startups #Leadership #TalentManagement #GrowthMindset #Fundraising #CompanyCulture

𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. Friday kicked off with an energizing morning as we launched an HR jump-start project for a pre-A startup aiming to revolutionize the way children and teens interact safely online. As my team and I dove into the project, it hit me—the most critical support HR fractional leaders and teams can offer is giving founders the time and bandwidth to focus on what truly matters: 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. So today - I am not going to write you a long Friday post to convince you on the value of strategic HR and the need to bring HR fractional leadership and resources as early as possible. *** "I can't afford $100 an hour for an expert to come in, so I do it all myself - even the admin" an early-stage founder and CEO told me just last week. "Imagine the value you can unlock with that hour for your teams and customers," I responded. He nodded, shocked at the realization. *** 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆? ---- I'm Susan, a multi-dimensional HR geek and founder of co:grow, an HR consultancy for startups and teams in transition in APAC. Follow for advice on HR leadership development and impactful people practices for startups.

𝗜𝗻 co:grow, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀. Our mission to decode People functions means we know that supporting the growth of the next generation of talent and leaders is key. We do this through tangible funding investments and committing our time! Alongside edutech and people tech angel investments and scholarships, mentoring and staying connected with the community are some of the tangible ways we give back. Had a blast mentoring at Stories of Asia’s first-ever Mentor-Mentee Online Matchmaking Event. Chatting with talents who have a growth mindset and a real eagerness to learn was so rewarding. Thanks Sam Neo for the invitation and for Timotius Setiawan for driving the conversation forward and trying out new formats! And thank you to fellow mentors Dr Timothy Low ,PBM, Top Hospital Sales Voice in Singapore and Elliot Lee for their commitment to next generation of leaders. Here are three quick learnings from the experience: 💡 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Investing time in mentorship creates a ripple effect of positive growth. From silence to engagement in the breakout room, mentorship is about creating a safe space to ask questions. 🤔 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀: A growth mindset and eagerness to learn are invaluable assets for both mentors and mentees. Many of the questions were insightful and deep, facilitating thinking that I had not experienced before! 🤝 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Engaging with your community ensures you do not think or operate in silos. Happy Friday! What will be your connection to your community today?

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? Monday morning always feels like a good time to think about efficiency, productivity, and impact. As I enter the third week of my foot fracture recovery, I have become increasingly aware of the interconnected parts of our bodies that we often take for granted. The sesamoid bones connect to the tendons, the ankles to the thighs, the thighs to the lower back, and how everything impacts your mind as your body tries to find alignment amidst misalignments. For the last 17 years in HR, I have always seen and experienced organizations, big or small, as systems with multiple connective tissues and bones. When we look at them in isolation, misalignment and discomfort set in before the fracture in the organization can be felt. One of the significant fractures I have observed is in succession planning. The complex interconnections often mean we either address it in isolation or get so bogged down in administration that we forgo the agility and positive intent of the initiative. Starting the week with a poll! If none of these options capture your biggest blocker, please comment below.

𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻... It turns out I may have a fractured sesamoid bone. These are tiny little bones located between your big toe and the ball of your foot. Two tiny bones that we don't often hear about, yet they bear much of your body's weight. These are the same bones you use when you tiptoe and that keep you balanced when you walk. They are probably the most underappreciated yet critical part of your body. I likely fractured one by repeatedly putting pressure on the same spot, not letting other bones do what they are supposed to do! As I sit on bed rest for the weekend and beyond, I celebrated returning to LinkedIn after a two-week break. I reconnected with supportive old friends Ollie Wood, Celine (Minh) Nguyen Will Fan🕊Kathy Wen Nathan Beemer Elena Chow Moritz Kaffsack Kong Lee Rashmi Sharma Li Zhang Maria Majella Rio Hester Spiegel-vdSteenhoven and made connections with new ones Chris Laxton CA(SA) Charlotte Stewart, FCIPD Yina Han Jael Chng. I have also asked for help from Lizzie Davidson and Sim Yan Ting to see things from different perspectives. The two weeks of in-person discussions (before my bone gave out) were both eye-opening and soul-enriching. I was able to keep pondering the questions I've been asking myself:  “𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙙𝙤 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮?” I realized that organizations are like our bodies, and great talents are like those tiny sesamoid bones, keeping us functioning and moving forward without pain. I want to ensure that whatever we do at co:grow collective, we remember the power of tiny bones and continue to support startups and scale-ups in their growth journey. I want us to catch those blind spots before tiny collective fractures paralyze the culture and team performance I had big plans this weekend to update the website, but I didn't manage to due to the painkillers and bed rest. I will continue to listen to my body. More to come! One step at a time.

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 & 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 ✨ Today marks only the second day of my transition to working full-time with start-ups and scale-ups through co:grow collective. I have sensed the shift from feeling relieved and a little nervous, to embracing the somewhat idealistic vision of actively supporting a community of innovators committed to making a lasting impact in our society. These past two days have only solidified the decision. Meeting incredible female founders who are tackling significant challenges in education across emerging markets—Carmina Bayombong, Alamanda Shantika Santoso, Dita Aisyah—has been truly inspiring. Their dedication to their causes, despite the headwinds of post-COVID and tech winter, has been deeply resonating. Collaborating on projects aimed at nurturing talent sustainability in Southeast Asia with the team at Glints has been equally rewarding. Their focus on empowering individuals to fulfill their potential serves as a reminder of why the need for early strategic HR support in this ecosystem is critical. Today, I had the privilege of witnessing Yen Yen Woo's passion for changing the game of Mandarin learning through creativity and the joy of fun comic characters. Her enthusiasm for impacting young learners through bilingual access was infectious, and I left our lunch advisory session feeling energized by the potential ripple effect it could have on shaping future generations. I was also inspired by the female investors in Epic Angels, getting together to support the growth. It has only been two days, but I am grateful and energized. Excited for the road ahead ✨ #Impact #Innovation #Reflection 🌱🌟🚀