Rethinking Leadership: How to Empower Managers to Actually Succeed

As People leaders, we talk endlessly about team culture, engagement, and performance. But we tend to ignore the one relationship that influences all three: the connection between a manager and their team.

Managers account for over 70% of the variance in team engagement, yet most aren’t given the tools they need to lead effectively. They’re expected to motivate, coach, and retain employees, often without training, clarity, or support.

Join Bonusly for a thought-provoking panel discussion with HR leaders, executives, and Bonusly customers as we explore the role of manager-employee relationships—and what it really takes to support them in today’s world of work.

We'll dig into:‍

Why strong manager-employee relationships are the foundation of team performance and culture
Where traditional leadership training misses the mark—and what to do instead
How regular recognition and meaningful feedback strengthen trust, clarity, and connection
Tactical strategies to support managers and help them lead with empathy and intention

Meet the Presenters

Debra Squyres, Chief Customer Officer at Bonusly

As Bonusly's Chief Customer Officer, Debra combines her passion for an exceptional customer experience with her drive to empower companies to connect, motivate, and engage their employees to build winning workplaces. Prior to Bonusly, Debra was the VP of CS at Beamery and the Chief Client Officer at Namely, to name a few. She has over 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles in Human Resources ranging from in-house HR leadership to HR Consulting, Outsourcing, Client Services, and Customer Success working directly with HR teams across a variety of industries. She currently resides in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband.

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Erin Daruszka, Sr. People Business Partner at Christine Mathews Consulting

Erin Daruszka has 20+ years of HR experience both internally and as a consultant. She currently holds the SHRM-SCP and SPHR certifications. Erin has a BA in Communication from Slippery Rock University, a MA in Communication from Northern Illinois University, and a graduate certificate in Organization Development and Leadership from Fielding Graduate University. She is currently a Senior People Business Partner for Christine Mathews Consulting - a One Digital company, where she serves as fractional head of people for several life science start-ups. Erin is a certified personal development coach through both the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and a Certified Team Performance Coach (CTPC) through Team Coaching International (TCI). Erin is certified to administer many assessment tools, such as DISC, EIQ-2, the Hogan Assessment, TypeCoach, and Predictive Index. In her spare time, she occasionally performs improvised theater or can be found working out, reading, or watching Jeopardy. She lives in Winston-Salem, NC with her husband and furry children (4 cats and one dog).

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