Organizational Assessment
Evaluate executive or leadership team effectiveness through custom 360 surveys, stakeholder discussions, team effectiveness tools, CEO debriefs, and facilitated action planning.
People Leader Accelerator helps Royal Oak and Metro Detroit leaders turn HR into a strategic business advantage. From organizational assessments and executive search to HR leader mentoring, people planning, and decision support, our faculty-led approach gives growing teams practical frameworks, sharper judgment, and clearer next steps for complex people challenges.
Strategic HR advisory, assessments, mentoring, executive search, and people planning for leaders facing meaningful business decisions.
Evaluate executive or leadership team effectiveness through custom 360 surveys, stakeholder discussions, team effectiveness tools, CEO debriefs, and facilitated action planning.
Recruit senior HR professionals for Director, VP, and Chief People Officer roles with direct principal involvement and complimentary executive mentoring for placed candidates.
Support HR leaders entering broader, higher-stakes roles with one-on-one mentoring focused on judgment, presence, decision quality, and strategic business impact.
Gain objective guidance for complex leadership decisions, including keep, coach, move, or exit questions, board-level readiness concerns, and execution risk assessments.
Develop leadership teams over an extended engagement through structured activities designed to strengthen capability, alignment, and performance in real business conditions.
Align workforce priorities with business goals using strategic planning frameworks, templates, and guides that help HR leaders focus resources where they matter most.
Strong HR leadership is essential when growth, executive decisions, or workforce complexity create pressure. People Leader Accelerator brings seasoned practitioner and academic expertise to Royal Oak and Metro Detroit organizations, helping leaders evaluate talent, align people strategy with business priorities, and act with confidence. Our consulting approach emphasizes clear frameworks, thoughtful decision-making, and practical tools that leaders can apply immediately.
See how strategic HR frameworks help leaders improve decisions, alignment, and organizational performance.
"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 helps HR leaders make sharper, more strategic decisions.
Faculty bring 25–30+ years of HR experience across growth, talent, and leadership contexts.
Useful for Royal Oak leaders needing practical HR guidance tied to real business outcomes.
Assessments use respected Lominger/Korn Ferry and Table Group methodologies for structured insight.
Supports Metro Detroit and national teams with mentoring, tools, peer learning, and advisory options.
Experienced HR faculty guiding strategic people leaders.
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.
An HR consultancy helps organizations solve people-related business challenges with outside expertise, structured frameworks, and practical implementation support. Services may include workforce planning, organizational assessment, leadership development, executive search, compensation strategy, culture design, onboarding, performance management, and decision support. People Leader Accelerator focuses on helping HR and senior leaders connect people priorities directly to business goals.
Talk with our team about your people leadership priorities.
Recognized academic excellence in business education.
Senior-level HR certification held by faculty.
Executive compensation expertise represented on faculty.
Share your HR challenge, organizational context, and goals. We will help identify the most relevant advisory, assessment, mentoring, or resource path for your leadership team.
To help us assist you faster, please include the reason for your message so the relevant team can reach out as soon as possible.
To help us assist you faster, please include the reason for your message so the relevant team can reach out as soon as possible.