Welcome to the Cutting Onions Podcast, where we celebrate culture that develops leaders. This is Episode 26.

In this conversation I sit down with Chris Cargill. Chris is a long-time HR professional with a passion for creating strong people cultures and connecting with people in a genuine way to help them accomplish their hopes and dreams.

The work Chris has done in Human Resources has covered retail, restaurants and professional services and he has made an impact everywhere he’s been. He has razor sharp instincts and intuitively understands people, which has helped him build strong relationships within the organizations he’s been a part of that transcend what people normally think of when they think about HR.

Starting his HR career in 1997 after working in customer service he immediately saw the correlation between customer service and HR and went to work. Working with two different startups and having to build the infrastructure from scratch, it helped Chris figure out how to connect with people and keep it real.

Chris is one of the most authentic people I know and sees the work he does as a calling and not just a role in an organization and I think that’s where the magic happens. He didn’t start out to be an HR professional and his journey to where he is today is an incredible inspiration.

Fun fact: Chris has a passion for music and also produced the amazing track titled Walking Strong that I use for the intro and outro of my podcast.