Recap: Headcount Is a Strategy—Execution Is the Bottleneck Webinar with Kinfolk CEO Jeet Mukerji

Yesterday, CandorIQ’s CEO (Haris Ikram) and Jeet Mukerji, CEO of Kinfolk, co-hosted a webinar: Headcount Is a Strategy—Execution Is the Bottleneck. The conversation addressed a fundamental challenge that many growing organizations face: translating strategic headcount planning into effective execution. 

If you caught it live, I hope you found it as valuable as I did. But if you couldn’t make it, I’ve got you covered. Here’s my recap with key takeaways from the discussion.

The Challenge of Execution

The webinar kicked off with an acknowledgment that while headcount planning has become more strategic in recent years, execution often lags. Haris introduced the topic by pointing out that while many companies excel (spreadsheet pun intended) at planning their headcount and compensation strategy, the real challenge lies in how these plans are executed. According to Haris, "It’s no longer enough to fund the headcount—HR leaders need to ensure the right structure, compensation strategy, and manager capability are in place to turn plans into outcomes."

Jeet added that headcount is often seen as the "what," but execution is the "how," and this "how" comes down to frontline managers. Many companies make the mistake of designing a great strategy, only to falter when mid-level leaders don’t have the proper training, support, or context to make the strategy work on the ground.

The Missing Middle: Manager Enablement

The discussion quickly turned to the importance of manager enablement as the missing link in bridging the execution gap. Jeet explained, “Managers are stuck between strategic priorities and operational chaos. Most are undertrained, under-supported, and under-empowered." He emphasized that this issue is less about performance and more about a lack of systems and tools to support managers in their role.

Haris echoed Jeet’s sentiment, noting that many organizations fail to provide managers with the right frameworks or visibility to make consistent, informed decisions. When compensation philosophy, pay bands, or growth paths aren’t clear, managers are left to make decisions based on incomplete or outdated information, leading to frustration and inconsistency.

The solution, both Haris and Jeet agreed, is to equip managers with the tools and insights they need in real time. Jeet pointed out that Kinfolk’s AI-powered HR coordinator helps provide just-in-time guidance to managers, eliminating much of the operational chaos by giving them the right information at the right moment. Haris also highlighted how CandorIQ brings together headcount, compensation, and performance data in one transparent platform, enabling managers to make decisions based on real-time, accurate information.

Aligning People Investments with Leadership Capability

As the conversation moved into solutions, Haris shared a critical insight: “The real unlock is when your people investments match your leadership capability—otherwise, you’ve just bought a fancy car with no one who knows how to drive it.”

This statement underscored the importance of aligning people investments—whether in the form of headcount, compensation, or performance management—with the leadership capability to execute those investments effectively. Both CEOs emphasized that HR leaders need to think about how to connect headcount strategy, pay-for-performance initiatives, and leadership enablement into a cohesive approach that drives results.

Jeet added that while strategy and systems are important, they need to be actionable. "It’s not just about telling managers to lead better—it’s about showing them how, when it matters,” he said.

Real-World Examples: Making It Happen

To make the concepts more tangible, both Haris and Jeet shared real-life examples of companies that successfully aligned headcount planning with execution. Haris spoke about a customer that had grown from 300 to 400 employees in one year and how connecting their headcount planning to business outcomes helped them scale successfully. This company was able to integrate KPIs, budget, and headcount data into one transparent view, which gave leaders the insights they needed to make strategic decisions in real time.

Jeet shared a similar example from Kinfolk’s work, where manager enablement was the key to helping teams scale without losing sight of culture or performance. By providing managers with real-time data and personalized nudges, Kinfolk has been able to significantly reduce the time and frustration involved in day-to-day decision-making.

Their Final Thoughts:

As the webinar wrapped up, Haris and Jeet shared their final thoughts on the session’s key themes. Haris stressed that the gap between strategy and execution is often bridged by empowering managers. By equipping managers with the right data, training, and tools, organizations can significantly improve the execution of their headcount and compensation strategies.

Jeet, in turn, emphasized the importance of starting small and building systems incrementally. “You don’t have to solve it all in one go,” he said. “But you do need to build systems that empower people—not just fund roles.”

My Key Takeaways:

1. Aligning headcount strategy with execution is a major challenge for growing organizations.
   
   
2. Manager enablement is critical for bridging the gap between strategy and execution.
   
   
3. Empowering managers with the right data and tools is essential for effective decision-making.
   
   
4. People investments must be aligned with leadership capabilities to drive results.
   
   
5. Start small and build systems incrementally to ensure long-term success.

This webinar offered invaluable insights for HR leaders, particularly those at growing organizations, looking to turn their headcount and compensation strategies into measurable business outcomes. If you want to watch the full conversation you can do so here!