Peak Road Highlights Fractional CHROs as the Overlooked Leadership Hire for Founder-Led Companies

Libbie Lamott joins Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick on The Culture Works Podcast to discuss fractional CHROs, JPTI assessment, hiring, and retention.

DETROIT, MI, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Peak Road today announced that Libbie Lamott, leader of Peak Road’s fractional CHRO practice, was featured on The Culture Works Podcast in an episode titled “The Smartest HR Hire You Haven’t Considered.”

Hosted by best-selling authors and workplace culture experts Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick, the episode explored why a fractional CHRO may be one of the most strategic leadership investments for founder-led companies, growth-stage businesses, and organizations that need senior HR expertise before they are ready to hire a full-time chief human resources officer.

During the conversation, the hosts described fractional CHRO leadership as a way to bring extraordinary expertise into an organization in a structure that is more affordable and highly impactful for growing companies. The episode also highlighted Lamott’s experience helping companies address retention, compliance, hiring systems, employee engagement, operating discipline, and culture as they scale.

“Founders often wait too long to bring senior HR leadership into the business,” said Melissa Fisher, managing director of Peak Road. “By the time they realize they need it, they are already dealing with turnover, hiring delays, compliance exposure, manager frustration, or culture drift. A fractional CHRO gives companies access to executive-level people strategy before the problems become more expensive than the solution.”

Lamott explained that fractional HR gives companies access to a senior HR leader on a flexible basis, allowing them to assess what is not working, support the CEO as a strategic thought partner, and lead with practical frameworks that help the organization move forward.
“The cost isn’t the fractional HR person. It’s the drift,” said Libbie Lamott. “It’s what happens when you’re not doing anything or when you’re trying to figure it out yourself.”

The hosts reinforced that point in the episode’s closing discussion, noting that many growing companies know they need stronger leadership support but may not be ready to add another full-time executive.

“Surround yourself with really good people, with experts,” said Chester Elton, co-host of The Culture Works Podcast. “Fractional HR and bringing that expertise in, it’s a brilliant idea. If you need it, take a look. We’re big fans.”

The episode directly addressed a common challenge for founders and CEOs: when a company is growing, people issues often become more complex before the company has the structure, budget, or internal leadership depth to support them. Lamott emphasized that HR is not simply a back-office function or compliance department. Done well, HR helps connect people decisions to business outcomes.

“HR isn’t here to tell you no,” Lamott said. “We’re here to help you figure out how to do what you want.”

The discussion also covered the role of assessments in improving hiring decisions and retention. Lamott specifically referenced the Job Passion Type Indicator, or JPTI, an assessment designed to help identify a person’s sustained energy for certain types of work.

“One way we did that was when we were posting a position, we didn’t just post the job description. We also used an assessment,” Lamott said during the episode. “It’s called JPTI. It stands for Job Passion Type Indicator. It measures what your sustained energy is and is a great way to ensure someone wants to do the work they're hired for.”

Lamott explained that résumé strength alone does not always predict whether a person will thrive in a role. Someone may be highly capable in a function but not energized by the work long-term. The JPTI assessment helps highlight work-fit that an interview alone may not discover.

“Having an assessment that measures what you’re excited about tells me whether this person will stay and thrive and be part of your organization in the future,” Lamott said.

For Peak Road, that distinction is central to better workforce strategy. Skills, experience, and credentials matter, but they do not tell the whole story. Companies also need to understand whether a candidate is aligned with the role, the culture, and the kind of work that will keep them engaged over time.
“Too many companies still treat hiring like a résumé review and a gut check,” Fisher added. “That is not enough anymore. Companies need to understand whether a person can do the work, wants to do the work, fits the culture, and has the sustained energy to stay and grow. That is where tools like JPTI can help leaders make better people decisions before costly retention problems show up.”

The hosts echoed that point in their closing discussion, noting that companies should not hire only for what someone is good at, but for what will keep them coming back through both the good times and hard times.

A central theme of the episode was the idea that culture does not scale by accident. Lamott noted that culture is embedded in how companies interview, reward behavior, manage performance, tolerate problems, and revisit core values as the business grows.

For Peak Road, the conversation reinforces a broader leadership trend: companies are increasingly turning to fractional executive leadership when they need experienced operators but are not yet ready for a full-time C-suite hire.

“Fractional leadership is not a watered-down version of executive leadership,” Fisher said. “When it is done well, it gives companies the right level of strategic experience at the right stage of growth. In HR, that can be the difference between a company that keeps reacting to people problems and one that builds the operating discipline to scale.”

The episode is available now on The Culture Works Podcast.
Listen to the episode:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZN0NkJ1enw&t=342s
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-culture-works-podcast/id1841698981


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About Peak Road
Peak Road provides fractional executive leadership and project-based support for growing companies that need experienced operators, not more disconnected activity. The firm helps businesses align strategy, people, marketing, revenue, operations, and execution through fractional C-level leaders and specialized project teams. Peak Road supports founder-led companies, growth-stage organizations, and leadership teams that need sharper priorities, better operating rhythm, stronger accountability, and experienced executive guidance without always adding full-time leadership overhead.

Learn more at: https://peakroad.com
Connect with Melissa L. Fisher at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissalfisher/
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About Libbie Lamott
Libbie Lamott leads Peak Road’s fractional CHRO practice. She brings more than 20 years of HR experience across startups, SaaS companies, academic institutions, and growth-stage organizations. Her work includes human capital planning, compliance, employee engagement, hiring systems, EOS implementation, leadership support, and fractional HR strategy for companies that need senior people leadership before they are ready for a full-time CHRO.

Connect with Libbie Lamott at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-lamott
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About The Culture Works Podcast
The Culture Works Podcast, hosted by Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick, features conversations about workplace culture, leadership, employee engagement, and the practical strategies leaders use to build stronger organizations.

Company Website: www.thecultureworks.com
Chester Elton: https://chesterelton.com
Adrian Gostick: https://adriangostick.com

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Melissa Fisher
Peak Road
+1 740-273-2573
email us here

The Smartest HR Hire You've Haven’t Considered w. Libbie Lamott

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