In your extensive global experience across various industries, what key challenges have you encountered in implementing sustainable HR solutions, and how have you overcome them?
I’ve been extremely lucky to work in such a diverse portfolio of companies – sometimes in shorter, sometimes slightly longer stints. And I’ve always strived to ensure that once I’ve properly understood the context of where I’ve landed, any solutions I propose are genuinely ‘built to last’ and sustainable as the business evolves (as it will).
The biggest challenge to this is resisting the temptation to implement ‘flavor of the month’ solutions. I want to be a part of something that outlives my tenure with the company – and I’m proud to say I’ve been a part of that in many contexts, and we also have to recognize this path will almost always be harder and take more time. I’ve seen many others around me come in, make rapid, sweeping changes (often replicating something from their previous organization) that ultimately has a lifespan of one cycle.
As a senior HR professional, what strategies do you employ to foster a culture of learning and development within organizations, and how does this contribute to their overall success?
Spontaneously, I can think of 3 strategies that have continued to serve me well over the years:
1. Opportunities to learn and grow for all – If there is a broad perception with your people that there aren’t sufficient opportunities to learn and grow (both formal and informal), that’s a challenge to tackle right up front. Celebrate opportunities and success stories as widely as possible to show your company ‘means business’ about this topic.
2. Build leaders’ capability to talk learning and development – This is a journey we’re on at the moment with NKT and it isn’t so different from what I’ve seen elsewhere. We shouldn’t assume our leaders across the company are equipped to proactively speak about the future with their people. Build their muscle in this area boosted with tools, resources and ongoing skill-building as part of your strategy.
3. Tone from the top – It may seem cliché, but anyone who has been lucky enough to work in an organization where your C-Suite proactively talks about learning, development and growth knows first-hand what a difference this makes in your culture. When you can get to a place where your most senior leaders are asking questions like ‘so what did we learn?’ about both successes and setbacks, and are also playing their part in publicly developing themselves and others, it’s a very special place to be. This is one of the great things we have in place at NKT and directly linked to what we’ll be presenting at HR Vision in London.
What’s the most fascinating talent or skill you’ve encountered in a candidate that completely changed your perspective on hiring and talent development?
Curiosity. When I look back on all the candidates I’ve met formally and informally over the years, those that have stood out to me have been the individuals who asked great questions. And those questions were really focused on ‘what can I learn’ from this opportunity. I have been lucky enough to speak with many university students over the years about starting their careers, and especially early on I would advise you consider the mantra ‘it’s about what you can learn, not what you earn’ – things like compensation, titles etc will usually take care of themselves if you’re ambitious and perform. Instead go after those opportunities where you can learn the most and this will only create even more (and better) opportunities for you in the future.
Can you share a memorable challenge you faced in managing diverse teams across continents and how you overcame it?
Perhaps instead I can share where my experience helped me fairly easily overcome what was a bigger challenge to others – and this has to do with the pandemic. Going back over the last 10-12 years, I had already been working almost on a daily basis using video conferencing technologies to connect with colleagues across the globe. 2015-2017 I led a team dispersed across 7 countries, and most of our team meetings were on Skype for Business – so starting a new role in early March 2020 meant I had to build all of my relationships with not only my team, but also stakeholders leveraging technology and because of my previous experience this was much easier for me than many others around me. The challenge that has been a long dialogue both during and post-pandemic has been the one around can you build culture virtually? You absolutely can – and do with every interaction you have with your colleagues, customers and partners. The trick is to just understand that it’s different – and as a leader requires much more deliberate action and recognizing how to get the most out of the virtual interactions, while also ensuring if/when you can gather physically in the same space, you make the most of that as well.
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