In 2025, leadership is no longer a solo game.
Leaders are expected to have the answers — on employee motivation, growth in challenging markets, retention, and leadership — but who’s helping them solve their toughest challenges?
After working with companies on leadership and culture for close to a decade, we’ve noticed a pattern: the higher leaders climb, the lonelier it gets.
This is true for the C-suite, especially for the CHRO. They’re expected to navigate complex people issues while holding the company culture together — often without a real support system.
Why Peer Support Matters More Than Ever
In 2025, the corporate landscape is more complex than ever. Hybrid work, shifting employee expectations, and economic uncertainty have made people issues more nuanced and unpredictable. HR leaders are often the ones tasked with solving these challenges — but they’re doing it alone.
Here’s the thing: loneliness in leadership is a real issue. A 2021 survey by the Harvard Business Review revealed that 61% of executives feel isolated in their roles. And this sense of isolation only increases as they climb the corporate ladder. For HR leaders, this isolation is even more pronounced, as they’re often tasked with difficult people-related decisions that don’t have easy solutions.
That’s why peer-to-peer support is so powerful. When HR leaders step out of their day-to-day environment and hear how others are tackling similar issues, it unlocks new thinking.
Based on these observations, in November 2024, we decided to launch a community for HR leaders to get them to grow together, outside of their companies.
R.E.D. — a monthly peer group where HR leaders meet in small, confidential sessions to tackle real-world challenges together. We’re treating it as an experiment. And the early signs suggest that this kind of peer-to-peer support is exactly what HR leaders have been missing.
Building Space for Honest Conversations
The idea behind R.E.D. (which stands for Relationships, Engagement, and Development) is simple: five HR leaders gather once a month. Each person brings a specific challenge they’re facing — whether it’s employee disengagement, leadership development, or a tricky cultural shift.
The group listens without judgment. Then they ask questions, share insights, and offer fresh perspectives. The goal isn’t to provide quick fixes — it’s to create clarity.
We didn’t want this to feel like another leadership workshop or networking event. HR leaders already get enough of that. What’s missing is a place where they can be honest — about what’s working and what isn’t — and get meaningful feedback from people who understand the complexities of their CHRO role.
When Insight Comes from the Right Question
In one of the early R.E.D. sessions, an HR leader shared her frustration over planning International Women’s Day. She had organized similar events before — Outings, presents and special gifts — but it always felt like a box-ticking exercise.
After hearing her out, one of the other participants suggested shifting the focus from celebration to conversation. What if, instead of another formal event, they created space for open dialogue about gender and career challenges?
That suggestion sparked something. She revamped the event to center on small, intimate discussions instead of gifts and outings. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Employees appreciated the shift from surface-level celebration to meaningful connection.
Another participant came in struggling with employee motivation. She had tried recognition programs, incentives, and new leadership structures — but nothing seemed to work.
Someone in the group asked a simple but powerful question: “Have you asked the employee what matters most to them?”
It turned out that the employee wasn’t looking for mere recognition or money — they wanted more career development. A targeted career plan and a few mentoring sessions solved the problem.
The breakthrough didn’t come from strategy — it came from hearing a thoughtful question that reframed the problem.
The value isn’t in getting advice — it’s in the clarity that comes from hearing the right question at the right time.
One participant put it perfectly:
“I came to solve one problem, but I left with insights from everyone else’s challenges too.”
What We’re Still Exploring
While R.E.D. is showing promise, it’s far from a finished community.
We’re continually testing, experimenting, and seeking feedback from HR leaders to refine the experience. We’re asking ourselves — and them — if the format, timing, group size, and content are hitting the mark.
Five people per session feels intimate and manageable, but we’re curious if larger or more diverse groups could spark different types of conversations. Does the size limit the depth of interaction, or does it create a more comfortable space for open dialogue?
Currently, the monthly sessions seem to be working, providing participants with enough time to reflect on their insights and apply them. But could more frequent, shorter sessions offer even greater value?
One recurring piece of feedback we’ve received is the desire to group participants with more similar profiles and challenges. For instance, an HR leader at a 500-employee company faces very different challenges than one managing HR at a company of 8,000. We’re considering how to better align groups to ensure each participant’s challenges resonate more with those around them.
This Is an Ongoing Journey
We’re not trying to package R.E.D. as a polished offering. We’re sharing this because we think we’re onto something — but we also know there’s more to learn.
HR leadership can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. When leaders have space to think out loud and hear fresh perspectives, they become more confident and creative in solving complex challenges.
As our community grows, we’re learning how peer collaboration can bring HR leaders closer to the answers they need. It’s about creating a safe space where they can be vulnerable, ask tough questions, and experiment without the pressure of being the “answer person” for the entire company.
This is still an experiment. We’re figuring it out as we go. But what we’ve seen so far makes us believe this kind of community is exactly what HR leaders need right now.
And we’re excited to see where it leads.
About the Author:
Marion Campan is a French entrepreneur and founder of Intandid, a consulting firm dedicated to transforming workplace cultures and driving organizational success. With over 10 years in the corporate world and a passion for enhancing employee engagement, Marion has worked with global brands like H&M, Henkel, Lindt, Wuerth, Johnson Electric, and Bolloré, helping them create environments where people thrive.
As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Marion leverages her deep understanding of behavioral psychology to build strengths-based cultures that empower individuals and teams. Her TED Talk “The Secret to Finding Your Ideal Workplace” on navigating company culture has garnered more than half a million views, highlighting her commitment to making workplaces better worldwide.
Marion’s unique international experience across Europe and Asia fuels her mission to improve work standards globally. Through Intandid, she and her team help businesses unlock their full potential by creating environments that foster collaboration, growth, and innovation. Marion also founded R.E.D., a community initiative where HR leaders come together to share insights, solve challenges, and grow both personally and professionally.
Learn more and connect with Marion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marioncampan/
Learn more about R.E.D.: https://intandid.com/services/hr-community-for-leaders-r-e-d/
Learn more about Intandid and workplace cultures: https://intandid.com/
Watch the TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/marion_campan_the_secret_to_finding_your_ideal_workplace
