A Q&A with the newest member of the AdvancedMD leadership team.
As a people-first company, AdvancedMD prioritizes team member engagement. In a recent interview, our CEO Amanda Sharp made clear that team members are our most important asset. “Everything starts with the people,” according to Amanda. “When you take care of your people, they’re more inclined to take care of your clients, and your clients provide for your shareholders. The financial results of the organization aren’t the objective, they’re the outcome.”
This commitment to the team member experience is paramount to our success as a healthcare technology company. It’s also the reason we’re so excited to announce our new Chief People Officer Kristin Masters. To find out more about Kristin’s goals and why she’s so excited to be part of the AdvancedMD team, we sat down for a quick chat.
What appealed to you most about serving as Chief People Officer for AdvancedMD?
Hands down, what attracted me most to AdvancedMD is the culture and the people. Amanda’s focus on team members and MMFI (“Make me feel important”) initiative is just one example. Her complete dedication to the team is remarkable, and her enthusiasm is contagious. You notice it right away when you’re in the AdvancedMD offices. This team strives to make work fun and meaningful, and the payoff is truly astounding. I want to amplify our tremendous culture and continue to build on what is already a strong foundation.
As Chief People Officer, what are your primary responsibilities?
I have the privilege of leading our People Team, the business unit that oversees all aspects of the team member experience. Our People function includes the end-to-end team member experience, from recruitment and talent development to benefits, people operations, and off-boarding.
My primary goal is to empower the AdvancedMD workforce, enabling each and every team member to bring their full self to work and be optimally engaged so that they can deliver on our company’s growth goals and mission.
What are you most excited about now that you’re here?
I can’t wait to build out the full People function from the ground up so that it is an integral part of the business and helps drive our success as a leading healthcare technology provider. Joining AdvancedMD, and meeting so many team members from across the company, has ignited my creative juices and spurred one of my first priorities: rebranding the human resources department as the People Team. There are multiple reasons why this rebranding is crucial to our success as a business function, but in the top among them is my desire to demonstrate the company’s commitment to our team members and work culture. Putting the focus on “People” reflects the AdvancedMD belief that our team, the people who make the business possible, are at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make as an organization.
What drew you to your work in human resources and building exceptional team member experiences?
I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and have always been intrigued by human behavior. Also, from the very start of my career, I have felt most aligned with my own intentions when I’m helping others achieve their fullest potential. In a corporate setting, the People Team function combines the human behavior piece with my drive to help others succeed.
My favorite part of this role is interacting with the people who make up this amazing company, supporting their career aspirations, building their skillsets, and fine-tuning their professional talents. Very few things within a corporate environment compare to the feeling that comes with making a meaningful impact on a person’s career. And to be part of a company that prioritizes this approach of the team member experience in the same way I do is just icing on the cake.
What have you learned from the mentors and colleagues who have impacted your career and inspired you?
I’ve been so very fortunate to work alongside some brilliant colleagues over the course of my career and have learned so much from them. I’ve had strong leaders along my journey who were able to see qualities in me that I wasn’t able to recognize. They instilled confidence in me and pushed me to step up and take risks—without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Of course, not all interactions are the same. There have definitely been experiences that taught me how I don’t want to show up as a leader. But, within the great majority of the relationships I’ve built over the years, I’ve tried to hone in on what makes each person great and mirror that in some way.
What is your favorite way to spend your time when you’re not helping others reach their full professional potential?
My family is everything to me, all of my time outside of work is spent with them. I have a partner in crime who I’ve spent the last 26 years with, building a life and family together. Her name is Michelle and she is my opposite: She is a creative, witty and wonderful artist and mom to our two daughters, Bella (17) and Berklie (12). When I’m not working, we are either on the soccer fields with Berklie, with Bella doing attending a performing arts show or outside, hiking