The Way of the HR Warrior
Leading the Charge to transform your career and organization
By Monica Frede & Keri Ohlrich
Human Resources has immense power to affect an organization’s bottom line and its culture, but HR often gets a bad rap. Witty and full of straight talk, The Way of the HR Warrior is a guide for HR professionals who care deeply about influencing business strategy, especially in the changing corporate landscape. Using instructive and inspiring stories and assessment tools drawn from company frontlines, experienced HR professionals Monica Frede and Keri Ohlrich demonstrate how you can use their CHARGE framework to develop the core skills needed to become an HR Warrior.

Published by LifeTree Media, an imprint of Wonderwell
Release Date: September 7, 2018
Available in paperback and ebook
224 pages
$26.99 CAD / $17.99 USD
Join in and lead the CHARGE toward an HR revolution!
An HR Warrior is Courageous, Humble, Accurate, Resilient, Goal-oriented, and Exemplary. Alongside the practical advice in the book, readers will find real-life stories from Monica Frede and Keri Ohlrich about how they have applied the CHARGE framework in their own careers and organizations to great effect in more than twenty years of experience as HR leaders working for small organizations, start-ups, and Fortune 500 companies.
In The Way of the HR Warrior, readers will:
- See the potential impact they can have on their organizations
- Identify ways to align their efforts with their organization’s business goals
- Reveal areas for personal growth and professional development using self and workplace assessment tools
- Be inspired by real stories from the front lines of human resources in a variety of work environments
Witty and brutally honest, this book is for anyone who makes HR their business.
Monica Frede
Monica Frede has worked for several Fortune 500 companies such as ManpowerGroup and Quad/Graphics as an HR strategic consultant and HR manager, and in several start-up ventures as a recruiter and consultant. Her passion lies in influencing the minds and hearts of business leaders about what HR can accomplish. Her areas of expertise include identifying and hiring top talent, change management and organizational design, leadership and management training, employee engagement initiatives, communications, project management, employee relations, employment policies, and reductions in force/outsource management.
Keri Ohlrich
Keri Ohlrich is the CEO and cofounder of Abbracci Group, with more than twenty-five years of experience in the HR, manufacturing, consumer goods, and consulting industries. She has held leadership positions at EcoSense Lighting, RR Donnelley, ManpowerGroup, and Miller Brewing, among others. In her role as Abbracci Group CEO, Keri has developed HR practice areas to support companies in the building of excellent HR departments and in the management of talent-related issues.
Praise for The Way of the HR Warrior
“Monica and Keri sit on the shoulders of HR Warriors offering thoughtful guidance. They synthesize and offer specific advice for HR Warriors to make a difference for people and organizations. Their work is well written, practical, and useful.”
David Ulrich Rensis, Likert Professor, School of Business, University of Michigan and Partner, The RBL Group
“This book will make you smile and probably wince—it considers the good, the bad, and the ugly of HR in a very intriguing and straightforward way. If you’re considering or have already established a career in the field of HR, this is a must-read, and will be used by HR practitioners for a long time.”
Beverly Kaye, Founder, Career Systems International and Co-author of Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay
“If you want a career in HR as a second-class corporate citizen, don’t read this book. Only those that choose to make a difference in driving business performance and want an accelerated HR career need apply. A great framework for what matters to the HR profession.”
Kevin Pennington, former CHRO, Fiserv
“Ohlrich and Frede make the satisfying business case that when HR is at the table with the C-Suite, the difference in company performance is powerful and successful. This is the book that will improve your performance.”
Katrina S. Rogers, PhD, President, Fielding Graduate University
“An excellent resource that will motivate you to transform not only your career but your entire organization. Frede and Ohlrich will teach you how to take CHARGE of your inner HR Warrior.”
Kevin Oakes, CEO of i4CP
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