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Arlen Byrd

People Ops at XWP

Arlen Byrd is a multifaceted professional with a strong passion for empowering individuals to excel in their work environments. With experience in various roles such as team lead, project manager, HR specialist, and developer, Arlen has honed a diverse skill set to foster organizational success. Arlen's academic background includes studies in Communication, PR, Theology, and Biblical Languages, providing a well-rounded foundation for understanding human dynamics and effective communication. Currently serving as the Head of People Ops at XWP, Arlen has previously held leadership positions at XWP, Brighten Labs, and Bake Crafters, showcasing a proven track record in managing and optimizing operational processes. An advocate for inspiring missions and supportive teamwork, Arlen excels in creating environments that enable individuals and organizations to thrive.

Highlights

Jul 15 · linkedin

Optimism can bite you 😬

Most successful entrepreneurs are optimistic. Their optimism helps them bend reality a bit in their favor, stay motivated, and not lose their creativity when facing challenges.

This is all good, right? Taking risks and, fueled by optimism, overcoming the challenges to get to the payoff.

But optimism can bite you.

From my conversations and observations, I’d guess that 3/5 agencies are stuck or contracting this year. For many of these agencies, the pie of relevant engagements to chase is much smaller than in 2021-2022. And I don’t see this getting a lot better anytime soon.

The biggest obstacle I see to agency leaders' success right now is misplaced optimism:

  1. Trying to convince themselves that things are less bad than they are.
  2. Hoping things will get better soon (without concrete evidence).
  3. Expecting that the same playbook that got them here will get them there.

👉🏻 There’s a fourth problem: a lack of optimism that they can reinvent themselves, build a new playbook, and thrive even in these challenging times.

A tough economy is a golden opportunity for optimistic entrepreneurs willing to see things as they are (even when ugly), face the challenges, and conquer them with creative reinvention and persistence.

First, expose reality. Accept it. Then, act on it, with grounded optimism.

Jul 2 · linkedin

Hi, LinkedIn Friends! I’m looking for my next People and/or Operations role and I’m hoping you can help 😊

I’ve spent most of my career building and supporting technical teams (and the teams supporting them). From 2016-2023 I led People Ops at XWP, a global, remote, people-centric technical agency with employees in 3 countries and contractors in over 25. Through those years we hired over 200 people and created an experience that helped produce <5% annual voluntary turnover and a 4.6 Glassdoor rating (uncommon for an agency).

After building the XWP People function and navigating periods of growth, contraction, and leadership change, I was ready for a new chapter. I took 6 months to rest and kick off some personal ventures and now I’m looking for a new place to serve.

In my nearly 2 decades in tech, my roles have included: CxO, people & culture, operations, talent acquisition, team lead, project manager, UI+UX designer, frontend developer, owner, advisor.

I’m excited to put my skills in people, operations, and leadership to work for a new organization and I’m open to a variety of remote engagement types (full-time, part-time, contract, project). Companies where I can create the most value are likely 10-100 people, in the tech or agency space, and based in North America.

I have special strengths for early-stage companies/teams and am energized by navigating ambiguity and building foundations. I enjoy helping surface and solve problems collaboratively so teams can move faster towards their goals.

Feel free to tag, share, or otherwise boost my post or to reach out to me directly with questions or opportunities. I’d welcome introductions to company leaders who might value my contributions even if no role/scope is yet defined. Thank you for your help 🙌

#opentowork #peopleoperations #startupjobs #agencylife #remotejobs #leadershipjobs

Arlen Byrd
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