At some point, growing a business stops being about what you’re building and starts being about who you’re building it with.
Suddenly, hiring takes longer than expected, onboarding looks different depending on who’s doing it, and culture feels more assumed than clearly defined. You’re still moving forward, but the people side of the business starts taking up more headspace than you anticipated.
In this episode of Breaking the Chain, Nathaniel Chapman sits down with Abigail Wilmore, Fractional Chief People Officer and Founder & CEO of People Flow, to explore The Power of Fractional CPOs and why people leadership can no longer be treated as something to “figure out later.”
Together, they unpack what fractional people leadership really means and how it supports growing businesses at different stages of their journey.
A key theme throughout the conversation is the shift in what employees value today. While salary and job titles once dominated career decisions, many people are now prioritising culture, development, and alignment with a company’s values and purpose. The episode explores why organisations that can clearly articulate who they are, what they stand for, and how they support growth are far better positioned to attract and retain the right talent, even when they don’t have the resources of larger competitors.
The discussion also highlights a common challenge faced by startups and scale-ups: delaying senior people leadership for too long. Many businesses rely on junior or operational HR support as they grow, expecting those roles to scale alongside the company. Without strategic oversight, this can lead to misalignment, unresolved conflict, and cultural issues that surface later, when they are far harder to fix. The episode introduces a more flexible approach, one that brings senior people thinking into the business without the immediate need for a full-time hire.
Another key takeaway is the compounding value of intentional people practices. Thoughtful onboarding, clear development pathways, and aligned leadership behaviours may seem small in isolation, but over time they significantly shape employee experience, performance, and retention. The true return on investing in people leadership often shows up in what doesn’t happen, disengagement, high turnover, and cultural breakdown.
This episode offers a realistic perspective on how businesses can invest in their people early, build strong foundations, and approach culture and leadership with intention, without overcommitting too soon.
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