On October 8th, the world lost an amazing human resources professional and Propel HR lost a dear friend and teammate.
Linda Hundrieser served as Propel HR’s Director of Human Resources for 9 years. She was the best at knowing how to balance employee and company interest. She had a gift for making you feel good and for reading a situation. As a professional, Linda truly put the HUMAN in human resources.
The qualities that made Linda an excellent HR director were the same qualities that made Linda a fantastic person. She was always true to herself.
Selflessness. Linda always put others first. When counseling employees, she didn’t just focus on their work; she asked about their personal well-being. She wanted others to be successful and this was obvious to all. In fact, there were many times that she delivered bad news or had to terminate people. I witnessed many of these moments and was amazed that people always hugged her and thanked her. People understood that she was doing what was best for them and the company and there were no hard feelings.
Loyalty. Linda was loyal to the company as well as to her profession. She believed in the value of human resources and knew that successful companies were strategic in regards to their human capital. She was always supportive of the overall business needs of an organization but never stopped acting as the employee advocate.
Calm. Linda had a voice that was slow and soothing. Mistakes are often made in the HR realm due to people reacting without thinking. Linda always helped people calm down and think before acting. Her cadence and rhythm of voice would allow you to take a breath and think of the next steps rationally.
Positive Attitude. Linda ALWAYS had a smile on her face. Even when she was going through her own health battles, she managed to smile and keep fighting. She spread her sunshine to all who met her and one always felt a little better after spending time with Linda.
Linda was a dynamic force in our office and in our industry. She will be greatly missed. It was my privilege to work with Linda for 9 years and I am eternally grateful for that. I learned a lot from her and I know that her lessons will always be with me.
Too often, HR is about profitability, scalability and liability, but Linda knew and taught others that HR is about HUMANS. The people who make our businesses successful. If we follow Linda’s example and focus more on the people, the rest will follow.