Two Things That Shaped My Role as an HR Executive
One of the most common questions I get as an HR executive is how I got to where I am today. It’s a tough one to answer, given that my career path has been a series of twists and turns, successes and setbacks. I owe many important learning moments to managers I had earlier in my career, because without them I wouldn’t have found my way to my role at Workday. Most of them embodied great leadership qualities such as approachability, respect for others, and the ability to inspire interns and CEOs alike. While I strive to be all of those things to my team, there are a couple of specific lessons I’ve learned along the way that have significantly influenced how I view leadership. All Roads Lead to the Customer Early in my career, I worked on the floor at Home Depot. As part of my management training, I rotated into an assistant store manager position, and the team I found myself leading was full of highly experienced master-tradespeople. I quickly realised that my lovely college degree was of zero use when customers wanted to know how to fix their leaky faucets or install new light fixtures. No amount of friendliness could overcome the fact that I simply couldn’t answer those questions. Yet, our experienced associates were helping customers find exactly what they needed. That’s when I realised all that truly matters is how you service your customers. Companies have a lot of smart people doing impressive work, but … Continue reading →