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Valley Elliehausen doesn’t stay in her office. As Chief People Officer at A.B. Data, her job is all about being out and about, engaging with the company’s employees, learning, observing, and helping create the best workplace possible.
“Chief People Officer is a ‘listen to lead’ position,” she says. Before joining A.B. Data in 2022, Elliehausen worked in human resources for over two decades. “When I first started, I was really focused on ‘I’m going to be the smartest person I can be and learn everything I need to know about HR.’ I felt like I had to be the expert in the room,” says Elliehausen. “One of my great mentors helped me see that knowledge is important but so is understanding that you don’t know everything. That gap is a gift, it’s where you find the precious collective wisdom of others.”
In her role, Elliehausen fosters and nurtures company culture, with the goal of ensuring “work matters,” she says. “Because when work matters, people show up differently.”
Elliehausen believes our imperative is to build community, and “when I hear joy, those moments when employees are proud to show up, I know we’re in a good place.”
“You’re always a work in progress. Appreciate the journey.”
Q&A
What would you say has motivated your work?
My grandmother taught me about legacy and the imprint you leave on others. It’s how you make people feel. The praise you put on others is your legacy. You’re always a work in progress. Appreciate the journey, and constantly looking at ways to improve. What motivates me is that every day I can continue to leave a positive impact.
What does a day look like in your job?
I work in two spaces: fostering and nurturing culture, and fostering and nurturing systems. Sometimes it’s the culture that drives the systems and sometimes it’s the systems that drive the culture. When we make it solely about the system, we lose the ‘why.’ When work matters, people show up differently.
