Christine Song, Founder 

Hey there, I'm Christine and I've worked in the world of People & Talent for some of the most recognized companies in North America, including George Weston/Loblaw Companies Ltd., AECOM and Harlequin/HarperCollins. Most recently, I led the people function at the executive level for startup companies such as Notch, Coinsquare, BioConnect, Mindful Snacks and Nexonia Technologies to help scale and accelerate People programs and partner with founders and CEOs to create an engaged and agile workplace.

Having worked in such a variety of different industries has allowed me to think more broadly and understand the diversity of workplace cultures - no two cultures are alike and as a result, I take a customized approach to building the right programs that touch on the uniqueness of your workplace culture and brand.

I also have the experience of "working in the trenches" so I don't approach tasks as a consultant - I come in as a partner to the business. I understand the mentality of "people first" and as a result, I will advise on programs and approaches that focus on people, culture and engagement. I am also a shrewd business operations minded professional so I understand the importance of revenue generation balanced by people engagement to build out epic cultures.

Here are 5 ways I can describe Christine Song:

I’m Honest

I’m honest, forthright and direct. I’m a believer of speaking truthfully and I don’t hesitate to give feedback to people I know and work with so they can continue to be better people and better leaders. I would rather have an uncomfortable conversation with you speaking the truth rather than masking it with fluffy non-truths so that we are both deceiving one another. I prefer to be honest and I believe people respect that especially in professional relationships.

Integrity Matters

Integrity really matters to me, in business and in personal relationship. It’s a core value that is ingrained in me, and I believe, in a lot of people. Building a business is tough. Building a business to succeed and last requires people who come to work with lots of integrity because if you don’t have that in your relationships, everything else becomes superficial. If people matter to you, integrity should as well, so it means a lot to me.

Entrepreneur at Heart

I am an entrepreneur at heart. I build things, I get dirt in my nails, I learn from my mistakes and I’m always finding new ways to be creative and different. I’m a risk-taker and I really like people who can take risks. Working with smart people means you need to find newer and better ways to disrupt the old ways of doing things, particularly in the HR/People function. I can blend the creative with what people want and roll out exceptional programs that others might consider “unconventional.” Netflix and Google were considered unconventional until they weren’t - we all ended up wanting to be just like them. Take a risk and experiment - that’s how you stand out.

I Love to Fix Big Problems

I can fix a lot of problems because for the most part, I’m really curious about solving big issues. Some of the biggest problems a Founder or CEO will encounter at work is people problems. A dysfunctional leader; a disruptive team; a complacent culture; these are all problems work places face each day which causes stress, uncertainty and disengagement. Problems are only problems until you can come up with solutions and sometimes, that takes a complete transformation. I am very solution-oriented primarily because I’ve worked in a lot of fast-growing startup environments that face these issues every day, and I have a deep understanding of how to create a strategy that works.

I Love What I Do

This may sound corny but I love to work, so for most of my career, I chose jobs that focused on things I liked to do - solve problems and move fast. I often chose companies to work at that needed to solve a huge problem by helping them to find a way to success. I enjoy the people problems that happen in most businesses because it gives me an opportunity to turn things around in a positive way. That gives me tremendous joy.

I’m a strategist, an inventor, a fixer, a coach. I enjoy working with smart people with big hearts that want to continue to get better and strive to do the same for the people that choose to work at their companies.

I hope that gives you a glimpse of what it’s like to get to know me. If this resonates with you and you’d like to chat about the people dreams you have for your company, give me a shout. You can reach me at my email below. I’m also active on LinkedIn and I frequently share my viewpoints in a very candidate and real way (feel free to connect with me) https://www.linkedin.com/in/songchristine1/.

Christine@topscalehr.com