On the final day of SHRM 2025, Former President Joe Biden addressed a packed room of HR professionals, sharing that real leadership requires a personal touch. He emphasized the importance of knowing your team members, understanding their lives, and making genuine human connections.
“You understand this better than most,” Biden said. “A team’s strength depends on whether people feel valued and supported.” He added that, in many ways, being president is like serving as the nation’s chief people officer.
He encouraged HR professionals to lead by example, stressing the need for empathy and personal connection. “Too often, we separate people into work and family,” he said. “But real leadership is personal. It’s about truly connecting.”
Biden recalled how he made time for family, even during high-stakes moments. On the day of a critical vote in Congress, he returned home to Delaware just to see his daughter blow out birthday candles before heading back to Washington.
“We often say, ‘They’ll understand,’” he said. “But those moments matter. You may not realize how much it meant to them but it mattered.”
He shared that during his vice presidency, he sent a clear message to his team. The memo stated that no work obligation should take precedence over important family events—whether birthdays, anniversaries, or times of need. “If I find out you missed something important with your family for work,” he warned, “it will disappoint me.”
Biden told HR professionals that employees give more when they know their leaders genuinely care not only about them, but about their families as well. This, he said, is the heart of effective leadership.
He closed by reminding HR leaders that empathy isn’t just a soft skill, it’s a powerful driver of trust, loyalty, and team success.
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Source – hrdive.com
