If you want to elevate your role, expand your influence, and drive impact across your firm, you’re in the right place.
As resource management evolves, so do the opportunities to lead, innovate, and shape your career path.
To help you on that journey, we’ve gathered expert insights from Resource Revolution – The Resource Management Podcast. You’ll hear from senior resource managers, operations directors, firm partners, COOs, and CEOs—sharing key strategies to help you elevate your role.
Their advice offers practical ways to build credibility, grow your influence, and take on a more strategic role—whatever your title. Whether you’re leading a team or just getting started, you’re shaping the future of resource management.
A common thread across expert conversations was the importance of going beyond reporting. Resource managers hold a wealth of valuable data—but unless it’s analyzed, contextualised, and clearly communicated, it can fail to make the right impact. The ability to translate data into strategic insight is what captures attention and earns influence.
"It's about extrapolating the story behind the data and giving leadership the headlines so they can make well-informed, strategic decisions to solve organizational challenges. Remember, not everyone interprets data the same way, so it’s your job to guide them.
Adopt the golden rule: never send data without analysis. Even better, join the meeting and share your analysis in person."
- Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor to Dayshape
"Think about the "So what?” and why leadership should care. Help them visualize how it impacts them and the broader business."
- Matt Russell, Senior Resource Manager at Microsoft
Several leaders shared how reframing resourcing conversations in commercial terms helped elevate the function’s strategic value. When resource managers move the conversation from utilization to revenue, from capacity to margin, they can capture attention—and drive action. Connecting resourcing decisions to the bottom line brings a whole new level of strategic relevance.
"To sell the value of resource management, you need to focus on the end results—what impact does it have on revenue, attrition, or other key metrics? If you can predict write-offs based on current plans and timesheets, you can highlight potential overruns and lost revenue.
But the key is catching it early—if you can predict these issues in advance, you have time to adjust the project scope or have proactive conversations with the client to bring things back on budget. That’s real, measurable value.”
- Andrew Bone, VP Product & Cofounder of Dayshape
"Rather than just reporting on the number of unassigned hours, multiply them by the charge-out rate to show the revenue at risk.
Suddenly, what seemed like a scheduling issue becomes a financial one, and partners become very interested in minimizing that lost revenue number. This shift in framing not only helps resource managers highlight the problem but also gain the support needed to solve it.”
- Sam Cornish, Financial Services Partner at BDO“Rather than framing resource management as an investment, show what’s being left on the table. If you can quantify that, it becomes a compelling case that cannot be ignored.”
- Matt Cockett, CEO at Dayshape
"I realized there were entire functions within the organization where I could make a meaningful impact. I identified optimization areas that directly influenced the bottom line, such as billable utilization and resource visibility. Resource management, sales, and revenue operations naturally go hand in hand."
- Ryann Edwards, Senior Director of Service Operations at Aquiva Labs“A resource manager’s success shouldn’t be measured by simply filling roles. Instead, success should be defined by reducing turnover, meeting revenue targets, and streamlining the recruitment pipeline.
At a larger scale, operational efficiency becomes critical. Someone has to make sure the wheels are well-oiled and that’s where a good resource manager can step up to become a key business enabler, ensuring the organization runs smoothly and effectively, thinking more like a COO focused on operational excellence and business impact."
- Sam Cornish, Financial Services Partner at BDO
Many guests credited formal training with accelerating their career growth. Staying on top of best practice helps bring clarity, consistency, and confidence—not just for individuals, but for the function as a whole. It’s also a way to raise the bar and set the standard for how resource management is done across the firm.
"Formal resource management training and certification through the Resource Management Institute’s (RMI) Resource Management Certified Professional (RMCP) program was a game changer for me. The best practices and principles I learned have stayed with me, helping to build processes and confidence to create something truly strategic.
I still apply that training in my role today, and it remains invaluable to my professional growth. The best practices we implemented not only worked but continue to deliver value over time."
- Ryann Edwards, Senior Director of Service Operations at Aquiva Labs
"Formal training can help you tackle key questions like how to build your skill inventory, assess your technology, and determine if your systems and processes are both the right fit and delivering what you need."
- Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor to Dayshape
A recurring theme was the importance of staying connected. In a role that can often feel siloed, community and connection help resource managers stay informed, inspired, and ready for what’s next. Whether through podcasts, industry events, or informal networks, learning from peers helps you stay current on trends, best practices, and the latest in technology.
"Investing in the function means taking the time to learn from others and engage with the resource management community. Get out there—keep on top of industry change and technology advancements, listen to podcasts, attend industry events, and connect with peers."
- Matt Cockett, CEO of Dayshape
"Resource managers can often feel like lone wolves—while they may have significant influence within their organizations, they can lack visibility into what's happening externally. With few dedicated resource management publications, it's essential that they stay connected to and learn from developments across the broader resource management community.”
- Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor at Dayshape
"The nature of the role gives you exposure to various departments and roles, so it’s important to stay open to opportunities.
A key piece of advice is to make yourself visible—it will not only help you do your job better but also connect you with others and give you insights into different areas, helping you shape your career."
- Shelly O'Donovan, CEO and Founder of Authentic Influence Group
"Resource managers bring a unique perspective. To elevate your role as a strategic business partner, you must leverage the information you have exposure to.
Leadership is already focused on operational improvement. Assume they’re interested in your insights—your cross-functional view is your superpower."
- Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor at Dayshape
Communication came up time and again as a critical skill—especially the ability to read the room and tailor the message. The best resource managers don’t just share information; they frame it in a way that hits home for each stakeholder, whether it’s margin for the CFO or efficiency for the COO. This ability to tailor the message is what turns insight into influence—and drives action where it counts.
"To demonstrate the value of resource management, start by understanding the key value points for different stakeholders. Each executive has unique priorities—for example, a CFO, CEO, and COO will focus on different aspects of the business. So tailor your message to address them directly."
- Gary Ward, Director of Global Staffing at Guidewire Software"It’s about knowing your audience, understanding how they prefer to receive information, and taking the time to tailor your approach. One piece of advice that stuck with me is that you need to find a way to get people, even those far above you, to listen to you.
For me, asking thoughtful questions and actively listening made a huge difference. It helped me earn trust because they could see I was genuinely interested in learning the business and applying what I heard."
- Melissa Athie, Advisory Capacity and Resource Management Director
Several guests emphasized the importance of recognizing the influence resource managers have on people’s career development and work satisfaction. Every project assignment can be an opportunity for growth—or a source of frustration. By taking a long-term view and staffing with careers in mind—not just capacity—resource managers can directly impact engagement, retention, and the strength of the talent pipeline.
"Staffing decisions shouldn’t be made in a vacuum—they directly impact employee experience, engagement, development, and retention, and must consider both where employees' careers are today and where they're heading. Resource management that taps into and builds on talent potential can shape and strengthen the talent supply pipeline."
- Gary Ward, Director of Global Staffing at Guidewire Software
Good resource management is about framing up learning opportunities at every level, from graduates to partners. It’s about providing a variety of experiences that strengthen problem-solving skills. When framed this way, resource management becomes a powerful tool for career growth, helping teams proactively seek out learning opportunities.”
- Sam Cornish, Financial Services Partner at BDO
"Resource management holds valuable data that can help answer key questions like, "Are there skill gaps, learning opportunities, or performance issues?" It goes beyond simply addressing supply and demand; it's about ensuring employees are gaining the right career experiences."
- Paul MacIntosh, Partner and Practice Leader at EY“Simply asking employees to tick boxes against their skills is a missed opportunity. Ask people what they enjoy, what motivates them, and where they want to grow.
This deeper understanding allows resource managers to build high-performing teams that not only deliver the best outcomes for clients but also support individual growth and engagement."
- Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor to Dayshape
Technology was a hot topic throughout the series. Several guests reflected on the importance of having tools that support and accelerate their work. Resource management software should empower the entire business to make better decisions—not just the resourcing team. When technology is intuitive and offers firm-wide visibility into resource planning and its business impact, it becomes a strategic enabler.
"Effective resource management is not possible without the support of technology. When building your business case and taking it to the C-suite you must emphasize the importance of investing in the right technology to maximize the business value of resource management."
- Jennifer Huntington, COO at Kroll"People who understand resource management know it’s both an art and a science. The science aspect is crucial to what we do, and having the right technologies helps by providing a single source of truth, enabling us to work better and faster. However, technology doesn’t replace our jobs; it helps us perform them more strategically."
- Melissa Athie, Advisory Capacity and Resource Management Director
“Technology plays a significant role in enabling an effective resource management process. I say this from personal experience: using resource management software that was clunky, hard to access, or limited by licenses made it difficult to reflect the actual state of play on the system.
The technology you choose needs to be intuitive, easily accessible, and capable of real-time updates. It should empower users to identify and solve problems independently, without always relying on a central resource management team. The easier it is to use—especially for infrequent users—the more effective it becomes."
- Sam Cornish, Financial Services Partner at BDO
AI came up in multiple discussions as the most exciting development reshaping the resource management landscape. Leaders were clear: it’s not about replacing human judgment, but enhancing it. AI can assess and surface hundreds of potential decisions in seconds—flagging risks, highlighting opportunities, and enabling resource managers to act with greater speed and confidence, at scale.
“AI is like having the wind at your back—it helps accelerate what you already know you want to achieve. The key is to set your vision, build your plan, and then determine how AI can support that journey. It’s not a silver bullet or an instant fix that requires zero investment—it’s a journey.”
- Matt Cockett, CEO at Dayshape
“AI is a sparring partner in this process, enhancing the capabilities of both the resource manager and the overall resourcing function. It adds to the conversation, supporting better decisions while keeping the resource manager in control.”
- Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor to Dayshape
“When there are multiple ways to solve a problem, AI can surface all the potential options, enabling the resource manager to focus on evaluating the pros and cons of each. It’s about streamlining the process while still keeping human judgment at the core.”
- Andrew Bone, VP Product and Cofounder of Dayshape
Change was a consistent theme across every conversation. Whether it’s new processes or new technology, resource managers are often in a position to lead it—but they need the confidence and skills to step up. Those who take initiative and share their insights don’t just evolve with the function—they help shape its future.
"Being a successful leader isn’t about repeating what’s been done before—it’s about understanding business goals and identifying how resource management can actively drive them. That demands change, and resource leaders must be ready to lead and champion it.
As a profession, we need to invest more in change management skills—these will be critical as technology continues to transform the industry."
- Christine Robinson, Strategic Advisor at Dayshape"Be bold. Seek out the insights you need, and don’t be afraid to share them. You might not always be right, but that’s part of the process. Put yourself out there and say, ‘Here’s something I’ve discovered.’ That’s how progress happens, and in doing so, you’ll help elevate both your career and the resource management function as a whole."
- Matt Cockett, CEO at Dayshape
The future of resource management is being shaped right now—and your insight, initiative, and influence can help define it. Consider this your inspiration—and your opportunity—to elevate your role, your impact, and your career.