Mastering Influence in Small Business HR: 4 Proven Strategies
From HR Happy Hour Network by HR Happy Hour Network
March 27, 2026 · 31 min · Season 1 · Episode 2
About this episode
This episode discusses how HR can increase its influence in small businesses through strategic behavioral shifts.
Mastering Influence in Small Business HR: 4 Proven Strategies Hosts: Sabrina Baker and Marie Rolston Summary This episode of HR Connection isolates the core constraint in small business HR: lack of influence. Workload is misdiagnosed as the problem; it is the downstream effect. The discussion breaks down why HR is structurally positioned to be ignored in SMBs and outlines specific behavioral shifts that convert HR from reactive support into a driver of business decisions. Marie and Sabrina provide 4 shifts that HR practitioners can make to raise their influence inside their org. But a word of warning, this does take time. The defining difficulty in SMB HR is not execution load. It is operating without a voice that drives action. Influence is not positional; it is constructed through repeated, strategic interactions. Key Topics Influence from the middle in HR Changing perception of HR roles Connecting HR work to business outcomes Building relationships before you need them Using storytelling and data to influence Find out more about the upcoming cohort designed for HR Departments of One HERE Thank you for your continued support of the show and subscribe wherever you get your…
People in this episode
Hosts: Sabrina Baker, Marie Rolston
Topics covered
- Influence in HR
- Small Business HR
- Behavioral shifts in HR
- Connecting HR to business outcomes
- Building relationships in HR
- Storytelling in HR
Keywords
- HR influence
- small business HR
- business decisions
- HR roles
- storytelling
- data influence
- HR relationships
Sponsors
Workhuman
More episodes of HR Happy Hour Network
- The World Cup of Business · June 12, 2026 · 39 min
- Workplace Movie Hall of Fame - Devil Wears Prada 2 · June 9, 2026 · 43 min
- Making AI Matter: Leadership, Culture, and the Future of Hiring · June 5, 2026 · 36 min
- Revolutionizing Women's Health in the Workplace · June 2, 2026 · 35 min
- Global Hiring in 2026 : New Roles, New Technology, and New Challenges · May 26, 2026 · 34 min
- The Sacred Cow Problem: When Founders Protect the Wrong People · May 22, 2026 · 27 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the HR Happy Hour Network podcast page.