Beyond the Name: Building Owl Insight HR

A new year is a fresh start—an opportunity to set new goals, embrace new challenges, and embark on new adventures (for me, that includes a kayak trip or two). It’s also a time for reflection: what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what am I going to do differently? If you’ve ever worked with me, you’ve heard those three questions before. I strive for continuous improvement, and I find that it takes a conscious effort to be successful. Without that focus, it’s too easy to slip back into the comfort of familiar routines and repeat what I’ve always done, which often doesn’t lead to the kind of growth I’m hoping to achieve.

This month, I’m reflecting on letting go of my first company, Lisa Isaac HR Professional Services, and consciously choosing to do things differently with Owl Insight HR, incorporating lessons learned and employee recognition to shape better outcomes for clients and teams.

Why the Change?

The vision behind Owl Insight HR is to provide insightful, inclusive, and effective support to employers and leaders, so people can thrive! Is this different than the work we did under our previous name, Lisa Isaac HR Professional Services? Not in mission—but in method. Over the past seven years, we’ve learned so much and welcomed so many passionate people, and it shows in how the work has grown bigger than just me, and my name. Our clients are best served by our whole team and our community of supporters. The old name no longer reflected the way we work today.

So, we changed it.

Was it hard? Absolutely! As a founder, there’s a deep level of emotional attachment. It took me almost a year to subconsciously let go and truly feel comfortable with the name change alone. And the operational change wasn’t a tidy checklist. Moving from sole proprietor to corporation? Easy. Moving a high-performing team from one set of systems to another? Messy, bumpy, and very human. We’re almost there, and I truly could not have done it alone. I’m grateful to the suite of experts, advisors, mentors, and emotional support people who helped us through. The goal has always been to simplify, clarify, and make our processes work even better—for our clients and our team.

The Power of Reflection: Our Lessons Learned Practice

After every project, the team members involved take part in a Lessons Learned Meeting. It’s simple, effective, and consistent. We ask three questions:

1.       What went well?

2.       What didn’t go so well?

3.       What will we do differently next time?

This process helps us avoid repeating mistakes, deliver better service to each client, and celebrate our strengths. We acknowledge what we already do well, and we identify, without blame, what didn’t go so well. Finally, we capture actions for what we can do differently so those issues don’t resurface, or so we’re better prepared for the challenge.

Transition from Lisa Isaac HR Professional Services to Owl Insight HR—our lessons learned:

1. What went well? The team has been on board and excited to move into a simpler way of working.

   
   

2. What didn’t go so well? Everything was over budget and more effort than anticipated. Rebranding is a costly endeavour and there were surprises we couldn’t predict.

   
   

3. What will I do differently? Assign or hire a dedicated project manager for major transitions. As a founder, decisions were harder with emotions involved. Someone with less attachment could have reduced the timeline, budget, and operational impact.

In both business and HR, reflection encourages us to pause, think about what we can control, and plan for what we can’t control.

Employee Recognition and Growth

Through the transition, our team supported our clients—and me—with care and resilience. Employee recognition isn’t just praise; it’s about encouraging and valuing input that leads to better outcomes. When I’m open about the things that didn’t go so well, it creates space for dialogue, creativity, and improvement. That openness is exactly why Owl Insight HR exists—because of an amazing team and the way we do business.

Recognition drives engagement, engagement drives retention, and retention drives growth. It’s a virtuous cycle.

What This Means for You

You don’t need a big HR department to benefit from continuous improvement. A short, structured debrief after projects can reduce rework, improve client satisfaction, and boost morale. Recognition can be done consistently without cost, with practices like “wins of the week” or peer shout-outs.

Budgets are tight; capacity is tight. Use lightweight reflection and low-cost recognition to protect burnout and improve service delivery. The structure ensures that lessons learned stay with the organization—even with volunteer and staff turnover.

Reflection and recognition are most effective when they are community-led and culturally grounded. We tailor our approach to local protocols and values, create space for processes and relationship-centred dialogue, and honour the community’s voice—recognizing contributions in ways that are meaningful to the people and the place.

For HR professionals: you already know the value of a good process. We can help you implement repeatable templates, facilitate post-project reviews, and establish metrics that turn insights into action without adding administrative burden.

If you’re looking for practical ways to apply continuous improvement and recognition in your organization, our team of HR Advisors and HR Consultants can support you as Fractional HR or on HR Retainer for as little as 4 hours per month. With monthly HR advice, you can:

·       Spot trends early (turnover risks, engagement blockers, compliance gaps).

·       Implement lessons learned effectively with simple templates and facilitation.

·       Build recognition into everyday practices, aligned with your culture and goals.

·       Tailor approaches for your context.

I’m growing—but only through change and learning. I encourage leaders to do the same: reach out to your mentors, advisors, and those who informally provide you with support. Reflect on what you’re doing well (and celebrate it!), what’s not going so well (we’re human), and what you’ll do differently next time.

You’ve got this. And if you want a steady partner to keep improvement and recognition alive all year, we’re here.

From the Owl Insight team and lead collaborator, Lisa Isaac,CHRL, CHRP, Founder & CEO Lisa.Isaac@OwlinsightHR.ca

Owl Insight Human Resources

Book a meeting with Lisa here 

www.OwlInsightHR.ca