We were lucky to catch up with Meredith Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Meredith thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope that our clients and the people I’ve worked with feel like they’re better off for having known me. They’re more confident in their abilities, more strategic in their thinking, and more in control of their careers and businesses.

So much of what we do at Sera comes from the “My Career is My Responsibility” philosophy. This approach shaped my work, my business, and the way I coach leaders. People don’t always realize how much control they have. Leaders should lead. Employees should take ownership. Organizations should make it easy for both to be possible. If I’ve done my job, the people I’ve worked with will remember this philosophy and what personal shifts they made because of it.

HR is the foundation, but business strategy, leadership, and organizational success better define what I do. I hope people say I was a good listener, fair, direct, interesting, professional, and helped cut through all the “noise” to say what needed to be said and positioned people for success. A little part of me also hopes they remember me as lots of fun and a bit sassy, too!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a ninth-generation Tennessean and a third-generation entrepreneur, so business is in my blood. By the time I was 12, I already knew I wanted to start my own business. I just didn’t know what it would be. Fast forward, and I found my way into HR after starting my career in accounting. I realized pretty soon that I respected, but didn’t enjoy, working with numbers. What I did enjoy, even love, was learning business operations, solving problems and understanding how people are such an integral part of business success or failure.

Sera Business Advisors is a management consulting firm specializing in human resources. We help solve problems that keep business owners up at night. Our client lists includes startups, mid-market businesses, and publicly traded companies.

What sets us apart is breaking out of the traditional black-and-white HR box. We do HR on a tilt. That means we’re comfortable in the gray and helping clients navigate ambiguity with confidence. We bring technical excellence—always staying sharp on legislation, market trends, and best practices—but what we really provide is perspective and peace of mind. You can’t see the forest for the trees when you’re in the middle of it, and that’s where we come in.

I can very quickly assess situational dynamics and once I find those answers, I bring them up. HR can be passive, but I don’t think I’ve ever been accused of that in my life. I push the envelope. If I’m coaching an executive who has a blind spot, I help them see it. My job is to find productive ways to help people out of their comfort zones so they can build stronger teams and be better leaders.

Sera recently hit the 10-year mark. Early on, it was: Can we make it one year? Two? Five? Ten is a whole different threshold. I’m also proud of my family and the fact that I’ve built a successful business without sacrificing being a present mom. I don’t claim to have done it better than anyone else, but I’ve kept my priorities in line with my values. This year, I celebrated 25 years of marriage and 10 years in business. I’m very blessed!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

We do really good work, we’re technically excellent, and we stay focused on business strategy rather than strictly HR. We take a big-picture view. That means making sure HR aligns with business strategy, operations, finance, technology, etc. Business decisions are always in the hands of the client. We don’t tell you what to do—rather, we help outline options– “If this, then that.”

It’s a “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” approach. You want to fire someone? I’m not going to say no, but let me tell you what the outcomes might be. Sometimes, instead of solving a problem, companies just move it around, like shuffling underperformers to new roles instead of addressing the issue. That’s apathy, not strategy, and it weakens an organization. Our job is to make sure you see all the angles so you can push past inaction and make the best decision.

Lastly, we build long-term trust, not dependency. I believe good consultants work themselves out of a job. Our goal is to get our clients to a point where they can operate with confidence and self-sufficiency.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Hire right. Culture fit matters. The best hires align with both your company work style and your company values. Build team trust. Be an authentic leader. You can’t fix what you don’t know—so don’t shy away from transparency and vulnerability.

And if you really want to lead well: Hire people who are better than you. A lot of leaders struggle with this because they think they need to be the smartest person in the room. That’s ego, not leadership. Great leaders bring in people who challenge them and make the organization stronger. If you’re hiring people just because they’re easy to manage, you’re potentially doing your business a disservice.

It doesn’t stop at hiring—you also have to manage well. Managing a team really should be called influencing because that’s what you’re doing. You’re influencing your employees to take responsibility for advancing toward an outcome. To do that, you have to give them the right tools: The “My Career is My Responsibility” philosophy, leadership training on things like psychological safety, accountability, DiSC assessments, etc.—whatever it takes to help them succeed.

Psychological safety is a big one. Do your people feel free to take smart risks without the fear of getting fired for failure? Employees who don’t feel safe to ask questions, make suggestions, or admit mistakes won’t reach their potential.

Lastly, have fun. Laugh. Be human. HR is full of “blah blah blah” and alphabet soup. Policies, procedures, compliance—it can get real dry, real fast. But at the end of the day, people want to know what’s expected of them. They want clear boundaries, accountability, and to work in an environment where they feel valued. People need to feel appreciated and they know when a leader is being authentic. Make sure employees know their work matters and you will have a happy team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://seraadvisors.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-jones-seraadvisors/

Image Credits

Joana Elena Zuniga