For HR pros inspired to author a book for fellow practitioners, Joey Price has some advice not too far off from Nora Ephron’s belief that everything is copy.
“Journal your wins and journal your losses, because they will help shape your story,” said Price, whose book, The Power of HR: How to Make an Organizational Impact as a People Professional, was published in March 2025. “The way that you write your book, and the stories that you tell in your book, should be based on experience and not just theory. That’s what’s going to help your book stand out from others.”
Price is president and CEO of Jumpstart HR, an HR outsourcing and consulting firm focused on supporting small businesses and startups. He founded Jumpstart HR at age 24 when he decided that he wanted to pursue outsourcing and have a “multiplier effect” working with multiple companies, versus pursuing HR leadership at one company internally. Today, the firm has grown to 15 employees (soon to be 16), after acquiring research firm Aspect43 in January.
His book focuses on demonstrating the importance of HR pros showing up as strategic partners to peers in other parts of the business. According to Price, the book has three audiences: mid-level HR professionals who aspire to leadership ranks but lack the mentor or network to help them learn how to get a seat at the table, HR leaders who may feel rusty in certain parts of their job and are looking for guidance, and for current students who aspire to HR leadership positions. It includes Price’s own learnings across a whole range of HR functions, from people analytics to DEI to recruitment.
“I always felt I had a book in me, but I didn’t know if it was the right time based on the experience that I had at that time,” Price said. “You have to go through some things before you write the book, so that you’re not just like a talking head, but you can say, ‘I’ve been there, I’ve done it. I got the T-shirt. Now I’m writing the book about it.’”
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked?
The best change I’ve made at a place I’ve worked is changing the norms and expectations of what people think it’s like to work with HR. People are used to HR being adversarial, risk-adverse and anti-employee. I believe that HR should be an empathetic diplomat who understands organizational culture well enough to know when to innovate and when to play it safe. As a consulting firm, our biggest compliments are referrals and repeat business. That happens often for us.
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What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job?
The biggest misconception about HR consultants is that we exist to come into organizations and fire people at scale. I understand that media and big box consulting firms may have a lot to do with that, but it’s not true for all of us!
What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?
The most fulfilling aspect of my job is seeing a business leader go from careful to confident when we strategize about key next steps. In my book, The Power of HR, I talk about how HR should be part-coach and part-cheerleader. It’s rewarding to develop leaders who become strategic analysts but also courageous executors. Sometimes they just need a little help and outside counsel.
What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why?
I’m most optimistic about HR’s role in strategic governance of an organization. I say this because technology is forcing business leaders to reimagine—very quickly—what it means to “buy, borrow, or bot” their workforce. Meaning, workforce planning isn’t just about hiring employees and contractors. It now means incorporating AI agents and technology that can augment core tasks.
Also, I’m optimistic because the winds of legal compliance are as volatile as ever and no one is poised to lead in this arena like HR. From immigration to diversity to compensation, it’s important for businesses to respond to what the courts and legislators are saying. I’m confident we can do that!
What trend in HR are you least optimistic about? Why?
I’m least optimistic about mass adoption of AI for HR leaders who refuse to acknowledge how important it is. The pace of AI innovation is far outpacing the pace of acceptance and awareness of what to do with it. For every HR leader at Big Tech, we can’t forget about the HR leaders who buy technology in rural areas and less tech savvy industries.