People Planning
A 56-page guide with templates, frameworks, and best practices to help HR leaders align workforce priorities, people initiatives, and business goals.
People Leader Accelerator helps HR professionals, people leaders, and executives turn workforce priorities into measurable business outcomes. Explore strategic people planning, compensation benchmarking, analytics, performance review tools, and organizational assessments designed for high-growth companies, PE-backed teams, and leaders making complex people decisions with confidence.
Explore practical HR strategy, compensation, analytics, assessment, performance, and workforce planning resources.
A 56-page guide with templates, frameworks, and best practices to help HR leaders align workforce priorities, people initiatives, and business goals.
A comprehensive guide for building fair, market-aligned compensation structures through benchmarking, leveling, internal equity, and practical compensation planning methods.
A 75-page guide that helps HR teams identify valuable metrics, prioritize dashboard content, and use workforce insights to influence business decisions.
A customized evaluation using Lominger/Korn Ferry competencies, stakeholder interviews, team effectiveness surveys, CEO debriefs, and action planning recommendations.
A customizable 30-page PowerPoint template and manager guide for structured performance conversations, compensation reviews, and consistent decision-making across teams.
A comprehensive toolkit with RIF timelines, project plans, selection templates, severance calculators, communication scripts, and legal document templates.
Strategic HR and compensation work is most effective when leaders can connect talent decisions to business priorities. People Leader Accelerator combines practitioner-tested tools, executive-level frameworks, and evidence-based guidance so HR teams can improve planning, pay practices, analytics, performance systems, and organizational decisions with greater clarity and lower execution risk.
See how HR leaders use practical frameworks to improve decisions, alignment, and organizational outcomes.
"I left the PLA program with several key takeaways. First, the value of making time for your own thoughts. This program was great for structured reflection. Second, don't over-engineer things, especially in growth companies. And finally, my biggest 'takeaway' from the PLA was really the new relationships. I've already found..."
"PLA offers a truly unique learning experience through its emphasis on reflection and practical application. Each week dives into a new People topic, with assignments designed to encourage deep reflection on how you've applied key concepts and how you'll implement them going forward. The assignments are incredibly practical and I..."
"Every week I look forward to the PLA meetings and even get excited about the homework because I know the readings will provide valuable information to reflect on. What I have learned in PLA has helped build my confidence. It is not just the knowledge I've gained, but the connections..."
"I left the PLA program with several key takeaways. First, the value of making time for your own thoughts. This program was great for structured reflection. Second, don't over-engineer things, especially in growth companies. And finally, my biggest 'takeaway' from the PLA was really the new relationships. I've already found..."
"PLA offers a truly unique learning experience through its emphasis on reflection and practical application. Each week dives into a new People topic, with assignments designed to encourage deep reflection on how you've applied key concepts and how you'll implement them going forward. The assignments are incredibly practical and I..."
"Every week I look forward to the PLA meetings and even get excited about the homework because I know the readings will provide valuable information to reflect on. What I have learned in PLA has helped build my confidence. It is not just the knowledge I've gained, but the connections..."
"I left the PLA program with several key takeaways. First, the value of making time for your own thoughts. This program was great for structured reflection. Second, don't over-engineer things, especially in growth companies. And finally, my biggest 'takeaway' from the PLA was really the new relationships. I've already found..."
"PLA offers a truly unique learning experience through its emphasis on reflection and practical application. Each week dives into a new People topic, with assignments designed to encourage deep reflection on how you've applied key concepts and how you'll implement them going forward. The assignments are incredibly practical and I..."
"Every week I look forward to the PLA meetings and even get excited about the homework because I know the readings will provide valuable information to reflect on. What I have learned in PLA has helped build my confidence. It is not just the knowledge I've gained, but the connections..."
People Leader Accelerator blends practitioner insight, proven frameworks, and practical tools for strategic HR leaders.
Faculty bring 25–30+ years leading HR, talent, coaching, and scaling work.
Guides, templates, and toolkits are designed for immediate application in real organizations.
Resources connect HR priorities to business goals, metrics, leadership alignment, and execution.
Alumni and mastermind offerings create peer learning, mentoring, and ongoing leadership support.
Experienced HR faculty with practical and academic depth.
Core Faculty – HR & Talent Leadership
Andrew Bartlow is a Core Faculty member at People Leader Accelerator, specializing in HR and Talent Leadership with 25 years of deep practitioner experience. He is co-author of 'Scaling for Success: People Priorities for High Growth Organizations' and holds prestigious certifications including CECP, SPHR, Six Sigma, and Executive Coaching. Andrew brings a unique blend of academic rigor and real-world application to his teaching, having served as a private equity operating partner, venture advisor, and HR mentor. His curriculum equips HR and people leaders with strategic frameworks to drive organizational success in high-growth environments. Andrew is dedicated to bridging the gap between operational HR and strategic business partnership for professionals across the United States.
Core Faculty – People Operations & Executive Coaching
Marie Szuts serves as Core Faculty at People Leader Accelerator, focusing on People Operations and Executive Coaching. She brings firsthand experience leading the people function at high-growth tech organizations, including Figma, where she developed scalable HR strategies during periods of rapid expansion. Marie holds a BA and MA from Yale University and is a certified Executive Coach through the prestigious Hudson Institute. She also advises people leader networks, venture capital firms, and companies navigating growth challenges. Her practical, experience-driven approach helps HR professionals elevate their strategic impact and build resilient people operations within dynamic organizations across the United States.
Core Faculty – Management & Human Resources Academic
Brad Harris, Ph.D. is a Core Faculty member at People Leader Accelerator, bringing academic excellence and real-world management expertise to HR and people leaders. He serves as Associate Dean of MBA Programs and Professor of Management and Human Resources at HEC Paris, and is an affiliated professor at the University of Illinois. Brad is co-author of 'Scaling for Success' and '3D Team Leadership,' with research published in leading academic journals. He holds a Ph.D. in Management from Texas A&M University and an Executive Coaching Diploma from Emory University. Recognized as a top '40 Under 40 Business School Professor' by Poets and Quants, Brad is committed to equipping leaders with evidence-based frameworks for organizational success.
Core Faculty – HR Leadership & Executive Coaching
Carmela Krantz is a Core Faculty member at People Leader Accelerator, specializing in HR Leadership and Executive Coaching with an impressive 30 years of experience building and leading HR functions in rapidly growing businesses. A trailblazer in her field, Carmela has served as the first VP of HR at nine companies, including six start-ups, giving her unparalleled insight into the unique challenges of scaling people operations from the ground up. She is a certified executive coach and the founder of WOVEN. Carmela's practical wisdom and passion for developing HR leaders make her an invaluable resource for professionals seeking to accelerate their strategic impact within high-growth and entrepreneurial organizations across the United States.
HR connects business goals with the people systems needed to achieve them. That includes workforce planning, hiring, onboarding, performance management, compensation, employee relations, culture, compliance, and leadership development. Strategic HR also uses analytics, stakeholder alignment, and organizational design to help leaders make better decisions about talent, structure, cost, and growth.
Connect with experienced faculty for practical next-step guidance.
Executive compensation expertise for strategic pay design.
Senior HR certification supporting advanced people strategy.
Recognized academic leadership in business education.
Share your HR, compensation, or organizational challenge and learn which resource, guide, or advisory path fits best.
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