The Keys to Nurturing Talent and Filling your Candidate Pipeline with Ricky Russell, CHRO at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada

In the podcast episode of "Talent on the Rise," host Joe Mater interviews Ricky Russell, the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. With over 20 years of experience in HR and talent acquisition, Ricky discusses his passion for growing people and careers, fostering inclusion and engagement, and enabling the future of work.

Ricky shares his background, growing up on a farm in southeastern Kentucky, and how the skills and work ethic he developed there shaped him both personally and professionally. 

Throughout his career, Ricky transitioned from talent acquisition into various HR roles in industries such as airlines and healthcare. He emphasizes the importance of persistence, determination, and patience in building a successful career. Ricky feels grateful to be in healthcare, where his work indirectly impacts lives by supporting frontline caregivers.

Ricky shares how important it is to nurture and build relationships with talent without the expectation of them applying to your jobs. You must play the long game when it comes to talent acquisition and build a community of talent.

Joe and Ricky discuss the significance of HR practitioners having a seat at the C-suite table. Ricky believes HR should be involved at all levels of the organization, as every decision made has a people impact. He shares an example of collaborating with nursing leadership to design a centralized resource pool to address staffing challenges. Ricky emphasizes the importance of HR professionals having a broad business acumen, understanding different functional areas, and being able to make decisions that benefit both the organization and its employees.

The episode concludes with Ricky emphasizing the need for HR professionals to know the business they support, even if they are not experts in the field. He encourages HR staff to engage regularly with different departments, gain knowledge about their work, and effectively communicate with candidates during the recruitment process. This strategic partnership between HR and the business leads to better decision-making and ultimately contributes to the organization's success.