ne of the biggest betrayals I have felt to date is when I
Orealized that there is no 'making it.' I was told as a child that once you have completed school, once you have graduated from college, once you have your job and so on – you have made it, you can settle. I don't know why but naïve, gullible me took it to mean that there would be no more struggles like there were in school or college. Stupid, I know, but we all have these preconceived notions of how the world works and realizing that it doesn't feels like a betrayal.
Covid-19 was one of those events where everything we think we knew about how the world can function was turned upside down. People and businesses discovered new ways to operate. In the two years of the new normal, some got comfortable with the remote working style while others longed for the good old-fashioned inoffice working model.
Even with the pandemic declining and offices opening up experimentations in working models continue with the hybrid working style and the four-day work weeks. Resignations abound as employees look for more flexibility and work satisfaction instead of just a bigger paycheck and perks. Meanwhile, businesses scramble to keep up with the changing labor market and wish for the stability of things as they used to be.
The tide of change shifts the sands beneath our feet, and no one knows how things will settle.
“There is magic in the old and magic in the new; the trick is to successfully combine the two.” A.D. Posey.
The HR leadership has an opportunity here – to balance the old
and new ways of working, to find a compromise that works for both the employee and the employer. The path ahead is full of trickery as clarity is lacking at many points and the tide of changes isn't out yet.
Insights Success got in touch with human resource leaders who have been navigating this wave of change at work successfully. In the edition, 'The 10 Most Influential HR Leaders To Follow' we talked to HR leaders working across industries about the journey they took to become the leader they are today, the challenges they faced along the path, the skills they needed to learn to succeed, and how they are dealing with the changing workplace expectations.
There are also informative articles written by our in-house editorial team that give insight about the shifting work environment, don't forget to give them a read through too!
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Featuring Person
Aimee Kennedy
SVP of Human Resources
Alexandra McGroarty
Managing Partner, Author, and HR Consultant
Deyemi Adekoya Global HR
Jon Dawson Group Director of People Development
Jabbar Sardar HR Director
Jim Dunn
Strategic Executive Leader in HR Operations
Kathie Patterson
Chief Human ResourcesOfficer
Battelle battelle.org
Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries
McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC mcgandcompanyconsulting.com
IPT PowerTech iptpowertech.com
Lore Group loregroup.com
Mcgroarty & Co. have a deep expertise in people practices, DEI-B and Coaching.
PT PowerTech Group delivers specialized solutions to the power, industrial and telecom sectors in the Middle East, Africa and neighboring countries.
Lore Group is an international hospitality company that designs, transforms, manages and operates hotel and food and drink concepts in notable cities
BBC Studios bbcstudios.com
BBC Studios is a production company with a world-class distributor,that creates, distributes and commercialises worldclass content.
Atrium Health atriumhealth.org
Ally ally.com
Neil Laughton Founder Laughton & Co Ltd laughton.co
Sally Jackson Chief People Officer
Sheffield Hallam University shu.ac.uk
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care
Ally Financial is a digital financial services company offering financial products for consumers, businesses, automotive dealers and corporate clients.
LAUGHTON & CO LTD is a management consulting company.
Sheffield Hallam University creates knowledge through research and industry partnerships that provide practical solutions to some of the world's greatest challenges.
Kenneth Kee CEO Origin Integrated Studios originistudios.com
LAUGHTON & CO LTD is a management consulting company based out of SOUTH COL HOUSE HENFIELD ROAD SMALL DOLE, WEST SUSSEX, United Kingdom.
At Atrium Health, we established the Returning Citizens (REEP) program, which moves individuals into livable wage jobs while considering talent from unconditional places, including the recently incarcerated.
Have you come across a strategic executive leader and an innovative problem solver with solid business acumen? Meet Jim Dunn, who has more than 30 years of driving positive outcomes in strategic human resources operations, organization development, and advanced employee and leader engagement strategies. He is an expert in creating and sustaining high-performance organizations that deliver measurable and bottom-line results.
Jim is the Strategic Executive Leader in HR Operations, Organizational Development, and Culture Enhancement at Atrium Health. Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education, and compassionate patient care. It provides top-ranked pediatric, cancer, and heart care to patients and specialized musculoskeletal programs and organ transplants. It seeks to improve health, elevate hope, and advance the healing process for anyone and everyone who needs it.
Jim's journey as a business leader was by no means linear as he began his career as a research scientist and occupational epidemiologist. The complete transition into HR occurred while working for an Atlanta-based research and development center with BP/Amoco Corporation. He went on to increasingly responsible roles with President Jimmy Carter at the Carter Presidential Center and the American Cancer Society, both in Atlanta.
In 2008 is when he transitioned into acute care through HR leader roles with Texas Health Resources, Cleveland Clinic, and Parkland Health System and is now associated with Atrium Health since 2018.
He says, “I have had a couple of challenges that I recall having to overcome along the way, and the first was related to the transition in mindset from my early career to HR. I am often reminded of one of my favorite books by Marshall Goldsmith, “What Got You Here, Won't Get You There.” I needed to learn and develop a new set of skills to be successful, and that took a good deal of personal refocusing on how I viewed the world and those around me. I enjoyed many of the more technical aspects of the HR role, but I realized that I was not a good listener and was not sure I even liked people.”
Learning to engage with every person in whatever way was most authentic towards meeting and understanding where they were, has been the most phenomenal individual growth as part of his business leadership journey. The other part of the journey was never attempting to stop learning. Every role is different because the character of every organization is culture, and that determines the culmination of symbols and behaviors. This is why he learned to approach every new HR leader role as a unique human operating system.
Jim has learned that every role is different, and therefore, the needs, desires, and expectations of the HR leader vary by each Board, CEO, and organization. He tests himself by asking, “Did I make things better because I was there?” He attributes this question as the litmus test as to whether he feels he made a unique difference or not to any organization.
Atrium Health's
vision is to be the national leader for health, learning, and community.
The organization's mission, vision, and Culture Commitments were developed with input from hundreds of teammates and community members, grounded in its history and aspirations for the future. It is the way the mission, vision, and Culture Commitments make Atrium Health different from other healthcare organizations.
The Culture Commitments include:
We create a space where all Belong. We Work as One Team to make great things happen. We earn Trust in all we do. We Innovate to better the now and create the future. We drive for Excellence – always.
As the Atrium Health enterprise grows and combines the unique cultures of other organizations, it has established the desired culture for the entire enterprise to create a
workplace where all can thrive ultimately! As part of this initiative, the team members have identified new enterprise values, leadership imperatives, consistent succession planning, and talent reviews, enhanced their performance management processes, and created recognition programs aligned to their culture.
In addition, they are “Atrium Health Proud” – this concept is deeply woven into their culture. Their teammates make connections to their purpose every day, and they love sharing the stories of what makes them proud to work in the organization.
Technologies continue to equip the HR sector with powers to withstand any future calamities and help it to bring about a significant change. Several that they use daily are:
1) Meeting and Technology – maximizing the effectiveness of virtual meetings and training. Leveraging all technology in the zoom, teams, etc. –particularly as a significant percentage of its workforce is now working remotely.
2) HR Analytics – Adding scientists to the team who use sophisticated data modeling software to allow it to identify trends and opportunities quickly.
3) Recognition and Rewards – as the enterprise grows and continues to experience challenges such as the pandemic, it establishes cultural platforms for all leaders and teammates to show their appreciation quickly and easily for each other.
Jim further explains, “I do not believe the often referred to, Great Resignation to be a provisional activity caused by the pandemic. Instead, it has awakened new workplace realities or expectations, if you will, around issues of flexibility, fairness, and belonging. Organizations and HR leaders not focused on how these desires play out amongst the overall employee experience will continue to see increased turnover as employees move to organizations that offer a value propositionthat better aligns with their desires.”
At Atrium Health, the team recognizes that a diverse workforce in health care is crucial and improves access to high-quality care for the medically underserved, which leads to better outcomes. They are responding with a strong commitment to reducing financial barriers to
Jim Dunn Strategic Executive leader in HR Operations Atrium Healtheducation and training, intentionally developing pathways for underrepresented students, and identifying arrangements to academically support and professionally develop students towards progressive careers in healthcare.
Atrium partners with local school districts to prepare, recruit, and hire young adults into healthcare careers. Once hired, participants enter the system as certified nurse assistants and receive one-on-one career coaching, free continued education benefits, and other wrap-around services to continue their career journey within the organization. At the end of the program, participants receive a free associate's degree and move into a job role that pays anywhere from $60 to $80K. It creates solid career paths for young adults and is often life-changing for their families.
He says, “In a tight labor market, now more than ever, inclusion reigns supreme (we cannot afford any part of our workforce to feel undervalued, unengaged, isolated, etc.). At Atrium Health, we established the Returning Citizens (REEP) program, which moves individuals into livable wage jobs while considering talent from unconditional places, including the recently incarcerated.”
HR is a fundamental business capability for all leadership. Jim shares, “We need leaders to understand that no matter their industry, all leaders' first job is to take care of their workforce. I would love to get HR leaders out of the business of doing things for leaders and instead have leaders do them in conjunction with HR expertise. Understanding what engages your human capital is essential to being able to navigate the precarious talent environment we currently find ourselves in today.”
Jim considers himself to be tremendously blessed not to have had a bad job, or boss, across thirty-plus years of working. He considers it a factor to stay in the industry for such a long time. From an Atrium Health perspective, Jim has many longer-term human capital goals that keep him excited and want to continue this journey. He gladly shares, “I'm also enjoying working with one of the strongest executive teams in my career, and while I might not show it every day, I do kind of like them. I plan to serve on a couple of public boards as I believe there has been a historical gap in
driving the right “people conversations” related to strategy and operations within many organizations.'
Jim advises budding entrepreneurs to be willing to partner with non-profit business incubators and accelerators that can help build capacity and introduce them to new markets. Atrium Health is currently launching a Center for Supplier Diversity and Entrepreneurship to amplify these services and make them more assessable and visible to the community and aspiring entrepreneurs. Atrium Health understands that entrepreneurship is key to achieving critical social impact goals related to meaningful employment, food insecurity, and affordable housing.
here is an upheaval in workplaces today. People
Tand organizations are changing how they work by adopting a fully remote working model or choosing a hybrid working style. Organizations are changing their operational norms, and employees face new challenges in working in a virtual environment. The responsibility for handling this shift lies with HR leadership and managers across the globe. We at Insights Success came across one such leader Alexandra McGroarty Managing Partner, Author, and HR Consultant at McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC.
Alexandra is a veteran of the human resource industry. She has worked her way up HR Coordinator to VP of Global Human Resources before leaving the corporate sector to co-found her HR consulting firm in 2021. She went through some of the same struggles in transition that employees and organizations face today. That did little to stop her from leading McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC . McGroarty is concurrently pursuing a certificate in Corporate Sustainability Practices at Cornell, a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership, and recently launched her firstbook- Bridging the Gap: Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace.. As an accomplished HR consultant and savvy leader, Alexandra has used her ample expertise to lead at local and global levels in women's and LGBTQ+ colleague resource groups and as a sustainability representative for HR. Her considerable accomplishments were recognized when she was nominated for the 2021 HR Person of the Year Awards and the 2022 Ragan National Platinum HR Awards.
Below are the highlightsof the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today? started my HR journey in healthcare. A former Director of mine recommended me for a position with DaVita, and I joined as an HR Coordinator, working my way up to HR Business Partner and HR Project Manager. From there, I spent time in Financial Services, and my most recent Corporate Role was VP of Global HR for Clarivate. In 2021, my husband and I decided to launch our own consulting firm, and since then, I have been leading the team at McGroarty & Co Consulting firm.
Alexandra McGroarty Managing Partner,
Author McGroarty
Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.
· Our mission is to help our clients achieve their goals by providing best-in-class Human Resources and Business consulting and solutions. We strive to be seen as valued people and partners to our clients
· We will undertake and deliver on any HR or business consulting project or objective we pursue while building long-lasting relationships
· Big firm expertise with small firm value.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted the HR Consulting niche through your expertise in the market.
I recently published my first book- Bridging the Gap, Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace, and I am a Certified Professional Coach and Certified Diversity Professional. I strive to be seen as a coach and Diversity strategist in our local market.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.
We are a small firm with big firm expertise. Family values and a fun but professional corporate culture drive our team forward.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
It is vital to stay up to date on the newest HR and Employee Experience technologies. AI is quickly driving our sector forward, and being able to advise clients on top resources is key.
What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the HR Consulting sector? How is your company preparingto be a part of that change?
Roe vs. Wade has had a huge impact on the employee experience. Continuing to support our clients through
our diverse knowledge coupled with HR experience will be key.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC?
We are looking to continue to grow and be a leader in our market – my hope is that in the next three years, McGroarty & Co Consulting will continue to be a leader in the HR space, especially in our hometown market.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the HR Consulting sector?
Network, network, network. Join your local chamber of commerce- we have built many solid and impactful relationships there. Always be learning and coaching others that are trying to come up as well.
Over the coming years, we expect pharmaceutical industry models to be reshaped by some forces both from within and outside of the industry - that will demand present organizations to recognize shifting markets and figure out how they will compete in the changing market.
Biopharmaceutical companies will continue to evolve in new ways to treat and cure a variety of diseases. However, in the future actionable health insights, driven by artificial intelligence and big data analytics, can help doctors and patients to identify illness much quicker than the time we require today. In the first place, the newly invented vaccines and other early interventions due to technological advancements could prevent a greater number of illnesses from developing. Other diseases can be also prevented. Changes in how diseases are recognized, prevented, diagnosed, treated, or cured might lead to basically different business models for traditional pharmaceutical companies.
The future of health that we will witness in the upcoming years will be much different from what we have now. Based on evolving technologies, we can be sure that digital transformation driven by big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and through such secure platforms will be key in leading this change. Unlike today, we can expect that care will be streamlined around the patients, rather than around the institutions that drive our current health care system.
In the next few years, streams of healthcare data, combined with data from a variety of other relevant resources will probably merge to create a multifaceted and highly personalized picture of the well-being of every patient. Many digital health organizations have already started to incorporate biosensors and software into devices that can create, gather, and integrate data. Advanced cognitive intensive technologies can be developed to analyze a precisely large set of
parameters and create personalized insights into the health of the patients. The availability of streamlined data and personalized AI can enable much precise well-being and actually real-time micro-interventions that will allow us to get ahead of illness and far ahead of catastrophic or chronic disease. By 2040, health is much more likely to revolve around preventing some illnesses from happening and curing others. Fewer people might have long-term conditions or chronic disabilities with a continued need for medicines to treat symptoms.
The few factors that may be the most important component of shaping the future of pharmaceutical industry can be prevention or recognition and early detection, streamlined or customized treatments, curative therapies, digital therapeutics, and precision intervention.
Prevention and early detection: Vaccine and general improvements in wellness could help prevent illnesses, making treatment for some illnesses no longer essential. Progress in early detection will more likely enable interventions that halt diseases in the beginning stages before they progress to become more serious or chronic conditions.
Customized treatments: Personalised services in medicine driven by data-powered insights can effectively match patients with customized drug medicines or design therapies that will work for just a few people or even a specific person. More customized treatments will be the most important part of the pharmaceutical industry in the future.
Curative therapies: As with prevention, treatments that cure the illnesses can decrease or eliminate the demand for some prescription medicines. Developing, marketing, and costing of these curative treatments may require the pharmaceutical sector to adopt new capabilities and strategies.
The success of any organization is dependent on the staff within it. The HR service plays an essential role in delivering this and it sets the tone for the organization's functionality. HR leaders play a valuable role in improving the workforce and creating a most conducive culture to delivering superior business performance. As an HR Director for BBC Studios, Jabbar Sardar oversees all HR activity to support the business strategy. Jabbar emphasizes and focuses on creating efficient and inclusive workplaces.
In an interview with CIO Look, Jabbar Sardar shares his journey, aspirations, and how he is contributing as an HR leader at BBC Studios.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at BBC. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
My career journey reflects my personal journey and has been built on dismantling stereotypes and mindsets as barriers to breaking into a sector, and using the influence I hold to implement change.
My priority has always been clear – provide the business with the tools to be competitive and efficient AND inclusive, culturally confident, and welcoming. Workplace culture is never static, and in HR, we need to ensure it is constantly evolving, improving, and meeting the highest standards.
Tell us something more about BBC and its mission and vision.
The BBC has a clear mission – to inform, educate and entertain – and clear values about how we expect all our employees, and anyone who works with us, to behave. We are committed to maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable workplace culture, reflecting our audiences across the UK and globally, connecting with new generations and perspectives, and respecting our planet.
We are committed to maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable workplace culture; reflecting our audiences across the UK and globally; connecting with new generations and perspectives; and respecting our planet.
As the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Studios has an ambitious growth strategy that will be driven by an equally ambitious people and culture strategy, which I'm leading. We already have over 6,000 staff and freelancers operating in 16 countries, producing over 2,000 hours of output per year. A world-class business with bold growth ambitions needs a world-class working culture, and our mission is to be in the upper quartile for wellbeing, leadership, inclusion, and performance.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted HR through your expertise in the market.
A few years ago, BBC Studios and BBC Content de-merged from BBC Television (now BBC Content), and in 2017 the teams from our Distribution business (then BBC Worldwide) merged with BBC Studios to create a single commercial entity. I directed both major change programs, enabling the teams involved to build a new commercial culture that has workforce wellbeing and career development. I've worked closely with the former CEO (now BBC Director-General) and the new BBC Studios CEO to ensure their senior leadership teams create and model an honest and effective performance culture, which both nurtures success and challenges everyone at every level when necessary.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
As an HR leader, my priority is to ensure technological advancements are leveraged to improve workforce culture, remove the fear of - and instill enthusiasm forchange. Like most businesses, pre-pandemic, we had not been seriously looking at the future of the workplace and the possibilities offered by technology to create a truly hybrid, mobile, flexible (and happier) workforce. The pandemic forced us to meet an eradefining challenge.
My HR team worked with the Studios executive swiftly and confidently to build a spirit of collective resilience, flexibility, and kindness. A company-wide strategy known as Putting People First really kicked in during those first months, and this has had a lasting effect. The
staff tells us in increasing numbers that they feel respected and supported and that we have enabled them to do their best work by harnessing all the tools at their disposal, technological and otherwise.
What change would you like to bring to the HR Operations if given a chance?
I believe creating a truly inclusive and diverse workforce should be our number one priority. We are making great progress at BBC Studios, but I want us to go further and faster. Any workplace needs to reflect the make-up and aspirations of our society. Career choices and possibilities should be free, fair, and accessible to all. I'm very proud of our success in BBC Studios, and although we're not there yet, our achievements so far include the introduction of inclusive leadership training, the creation of diverse talent pools, and concrete support for staff networks championing diversity of our workforce.
What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the HR sector? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?
So many sectors and industries are now faced with structural and financial challenges which will necessitate a revolution in how HR makes a difference. At BBC Studios, we know we're at our most effective and powerful when we enable and empower, when we see the long-term big picture and the strategic plan, and understand our role in how to help a business grow, change, and in some cases reinvent itself.
We must move away from the misconception of HR as a service provider. HR is about bringing out the very best in people. It is not the department that tells you what you can and can't do – it needs to be at the top table as a trusted guide, critical friend, and strategic partner. Ultimately, creating an organization where leaders are empowered and accountable for making the people's decisions to drive business performance and people development.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for BBC?
I would like to look back in a few years' time and be proud of what my team achieved to position BBC Studios as a world-beating content giant with a brand that is trusted and admired the world over.
Personally, I want to continue making a difference at every level as an HR professional, HR Director, and leader. That means encouraging, in turn, the next generation of HR leaders to encourage the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and role models, in every sector.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector?
Understand the power of clear and inclusive communication. Don't be afraid of failure – learn from things that don't go as planned. Don't tolerate bad behavior at any level. Breathe and reflect before making decisions – even if you only have minutes, rather than days, to pause. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. And remember that you, and all your team, are also consumers or members of the audience. Use that to your advantage.
Technology plays a vital role in determining how we live, work, interact, and connect. It has become the most important part of all business processes. No business can flourish without the adoption of the latest technologies in its business processes. Technology is continuously gaining greater in most of the business processes. The use of evolved technologies in business processes improves the productivity and efficiency of the organizations' workers and leaders. Evolving technologies help leaders manage their businesses in a more organized manner and help them derive maximum profitability.
The streamlining of business processes becomes easy and efficient with the use of technologies. The rapidly evolving innovation in technology is a boon to leaders for availing edge over others. As the role of technology is critical in all businesses, the leaders also need to be technically apt, smart, and capable of utilizing technologies effectively. Knowledge or awareness of the potential of particular technologies and the effective utilization of the technologies or leveraging technologies diligently are important traits business leaders should have in the technology-driven world.
Successful business leaders succeed in their businesses because of their ability to tap the potential of the latest technologies for leading people by example and managing their overall business.
The way solutions are delivered to the clients or customers can change drastically with the evolution of collaborative technologies, mobility, advanced big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, etc. Leaders can maximize their capabilities with the use of all these latest technologies. They need to be more aware and be updated with the knowledge and utilization of these technologies. Evolving technology certainly demands the evolving capabilities of business leaders. The current digital era requires leaders who are capable of driving digital transformation.
Technology helps business leaders build capable teams by training them and tracking their progress, even remotely. Business leaders can utilize technology to promote remote work culture. With the evolution of increasing connectivity with many connecting devices, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and cloud services, there are increased possibilities for
fragmented and remote teams to collaborate efficiently and drive profitable business results. Taking care of all stakeholders is possible for business leaders with the use of innovative technologies. Implementing the latest technologies is no longer an option for business leaders; it has become a necessity. Today, it is critical for them to adopt digitalization for the sustainable growth and development of their business and deriving maximum profitability.
The evolving technology demands leaders to be more innovative, more skilled, and more tech-savvy. They should use the key tools and technologies effectively to strengthen the business potential of their organizations. In the current and future times, business leaders have to embrace advanced business analytics technologies to tap the potential of data to get better insights for taking the most important business decisions. Harmonizing understanding of data analytics with analytical tools and business context will give business leaders a huge edge over others. This will be the most common basic norm in the future for business leaders as this will become the most important aspect of businesses.
Collaborative technologies are becoming the most important part of the business process more than ever since the pandemic has fostered the remote work culture. Business leaders should effectively manage the drawbacks of remote work culture for driving the productive and efficient use of all employees' time. In the future, they need to be sharper to take advantage of collaborative platforms to ensure that there is no communication gap with anyone. Leaders need to be more effective in understanding remote work culture and using communication tools diligently for effectively managing people and projects together.
Technology can also be effectively used to empower leadership with more abilities, take the most informed business decisions, and have future insights to avail competitive advantage over others in the industry. Leaders should empower employees and communicate important messages succinctly and concisely to all stakeholders for critically aligning everyone to organizations' common goals. Business leaders who will make the best use of the right tools at the right time will be the most successful leaders in the technology space.
People often say they leave lousy managers, but is it ever asked if those managers were given the support, skills, and information they needed to succeed? Managing employees takes time and demands certain skills. Many business owners lack competence in human resources.
The fundamental difficulty for every Chief People Officer is to figure out how to improve as people managers and leaders so that employee retention, performance, motivation, and engagement may all improve. The real winners are the managers who can give their employees what they want while also giving the company what it wants; they can provide solutions that benefit everyone.
One such manager is Jon Dawson, the Group Director of People Development at Lore Group, a multinational hospitality firm that creates, converts, manages, and operates hotel and food and beverage concepts in prominent European and American cities.
We at CIO Look approached Jon to give us his valuable insights about his achievements and challenges in this edition of "The 10 Most Influential HR Leaders To Follow, 2022."
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Lore Group. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
Prior to joining Lore Group in 2020, I led the Human Resources function and strategy through a significant redevelopment and relaunched the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London and One Hyde Park Residences, which operate within the luxury hotel and residence sectors. I also launched the London EDITION as the Director of Employee Experience and was part of the team that introduced the brand in New York and Miami.
Leading with a Strategic Approach to Employee Engagement Across All Business Constituents part of our identity is the pride e have in people - we endeavor to attract the best talent in hospitality to help deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests.
Jon Dawson Group Director of People Development Lore Group
I started my career with Marriott International, and I am grateful for the strong foundation and opportunities Marriott provided me, including opening the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in 2010 in the role of HR Director. In my current role at Lore Group, I am the group's People & Development Director, responsible for the people strategy for the countries we own and operate hotels within. I was attracted to the group as it displays a start-up mentality with a desire to create more hotels as we continue to evolve.
Tell us something more about Lore Group and its mission and vision.
Lore Group is an international hospitality company that designs, transforms, manages, and operates hotel and food and
drink concepts in notable cities across Europe and the United States. Thoughtful design and interesting use of space are at the core of everything we do as a brand. Our portfolio includes Riggs Washington DC, Lyle Washington DC, Pulitzer Amsterdam, Sea Containers London, and the recently opened One Hundred Shoreditch. We strive to create storied hotels for the long term, both for our teams and our guests.
A significant part of our identity is the pride we have in people - we endeavor to attract the best talent in hospitality to help deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests. Property-wise, we look for unique
opportunities in major cities which we then bring to life by creating hotels that remain true to their architecture, design, and community.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted Hospitality through your expertise in the market.
As someone who is known for pushing boundaries and trying new things within both the people and hospitality professions, I'm fortunate that I work with a very inspirational CEO and fantastic teams both at our group office and within our hotels. I love the creative side of my job and working to inspire the next generation of hospitality professionals while attracting best-in-class talent to our teams.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
Thanks to technology, travelers and prospective guests now know more about a property prior to staying than they ever did before – in addition to leaving traditional reviews, guests can provide an honest view of hotels via their social media posts. Technology is hugely important to Lore Group; we recently created a new Technology Director role that focuses on ensuring technology is a key enabler for enhancing our guest and employee experience.
What change would you like to bring to the Hotel Operations if given a chance?
For the team at Lore, it would be a combination of a new city for us to open a hotel within and the ability to design and deliver an entirely new concept - something
that would shift the hospitality landscape in a city through design and product and guest experience. It would be the type of new hotel that becomes synonymous with the city's hospitality scene and has a mix of best-in-class, imaginative design, and strong F&B; ultimately, it would come down to our people. Without excellent people in our properties, we couldn't deliver the level of service for which we strive.
What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the Design sector? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?
We are very much a design-driven group, so it's hugely important to us. Jacu Strauss, our Creative Director, and Caitriona O'Sullivan, our Design Director, work exceptionally well with their teams on the conception, design, and launch of new projects. Having the design function in-house means that their work continues post-launch, so our hotels are constantly evolving and being updated. They are not driven by trends; rather, they focus on doing what is best for any property in the long term, in addition to considering the location and the local community.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Lore Group?
As a relatively new group, a large part of our identity is the pride we have in our people - we always look to attract the best talent in the industry to help us deliver extraordinary experiences, and I look forward to leading this for the group in the long term. Our future goals are certainly to be an employer of choice for hospitality professionals and a go-to for travelers looking for unique experiences in some of the most vibrant cities in the world. Our people are at the center of everything we do at Lore Group, and this won't change as we continue to grow and evolve.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector?
The world and workplace have seen significant changes post-pandemic; therefore, it's important to be open to change. Never be afraid to try something new, and you must always be prepared to work hard if you want to create long-term success.
Ellen Voie
What is your initial reaction when you are driving along a four-lane highway, and there’s a tractor-trailer next to you? Do you see smokestacks, diesel engines, and a massive machine spewing fumes into the air? Are you afraid of sharing the road with these massive vehicles?
If so, you need to move your perception into the 21st century. No longer are the tractor-trailers of the past even similar to what’s coming off the assembly line today. The trucking industry has embraced technology faster than many industries, but it’s not just about efficiency; it’s also about safety.
Step into the cab of a semi-tractor, and you’ll be amazed at the number of gauges, switches, and knobs. What you don’t see is an oversized steering wheel and two shifting gears connected to the floor.
In fact, the interior cab of today’s truck resembles your car more than you realize. First, the truck has been designed to be more ergonomically correct for all body sizes, which means women are now more comfortable in the driving seat than in the past. Look at the way the dash slopes to accommodate the view out the passenger’s side. Check out the pedals that are adjustable to better accommodate husband and wife teams when one is much taller than the other.
The creature comforts inside the cab include refrigerators, microwaves, more closet space, and often a porta-potty. Lighted cup holders and even 220 outlets in the sleeper berth make it more like home.
What you might not have realized is how clean today’s trucks operate. Due to EPA standards, many trucks actually leave the air cleaner than when it went into the engine. The addition of DEF, or diesel emission fluid, has created much cleaner exhaust.
The EPA Smart Way program also provides guidelines for fuel economy. From low rolling resistance tires to aerodynamic hood shields, trailer skirts, wheel covers, and “tails” on the back of the trailer, diesel fuel savings in the range of ten percent or more can be realized.
Today’s trucks are also safer than your grandfather’s rig. The opportunities are endless to provide technology to reduce driver error by relying on these devices. From personal safety to safety on the road, there are more opportunities to make our roads safer for all of us.
Lane departure warning equipment, anti-rollover devices, side guards, and speed monitors are all
becoming common additions to today’s trucks. Some carriers are now replacing mirrors with cameras, so the driver has a better view of the space around the 53foot trailer.
Personal safety is also a concern. Instead of experiencing worker’s comp claims from cranking dollies or pulling the hood open to inspect the engine, we now have devices that raise and lower the landing gear with the push of a button. There is hydraulics that opens the massive hood and even cameras the show whether your kingpin has been secured or not.
Add to all these technological advances the promise of autonomous trucks, and your tractor-trailer no longer looks like a mass of smoke and diesel fumes.
The technology removes much of the physical strength needed to operate a tractor-trailer in the past. This allows us to attract and keep more women as well as men who prefer a less physically demanding job. Even the burden of loading and unloading the cargo has been automated, and the responsibility has typically been transferred to the shipper and receiver instead of the driver.
The changes the industry is making will also help address the need for more drivers. The jobs are plentiful and offer a decent wage, but a shortage of qualified professional drivers continues. The advancements made in the area of technology not only make the trucks and the roads safer; it makes the job safer. Removing as much of the physical component also helps attract a wider range applicants.
The trucking industry has adopted advanced technology; not only to comply with government regulations but to reduce its footprint on our ecological resources as well as make the job much safer.
The next time you see a tractor-trailer alongside of you on the highway, consider how technology has created a new era of load delivery. These are not your grandfather’s trucks today.
Unprecedented time calls for unprecedented, innovative, creative, strategic, and thoughtful solutions, and uncertain challenges and contingencies require an innovative approach to solving the problems. Today, an innovative approach in the leaders is the most fundamental quality to sustain the competency of their solutions in the market. In times of unprecedented circumstances and rapid globalization, the success of businesses is dependent on keeping pace on a global scale by coming up with innovative solutions. Technology trends in cloud computing, social media tools, mobile devices are driving global growth. Leveraging technology changes for availing competitive advantage is essential in an uncertain future. Business leaders need to observe and realize the needs of customers and end-users and deliver solutions accordingly using innovative technologies.
Innovative business leaders strategize about creating a culture that facilitates innovation. They recognize ways to create an impact in the industry by coming up with innovative ideas and innovative technologies or products to meet the evolving needs of users and customers and enhance their reputation as a reliable solution provider. They responsibly plan to build and deploy the technology to serve the needs of the users and customers. They don’t want to stay behind in any way that may hamper the business growth. Instead, innovative leaders have a forward thought approach, and their insights help them think ahead of the time and be prepared to deliver innovative products to meet the needs of the changing times.
Leaders are an extremely important part of any business as they set the tone for the functioning of the
business. The right kind of leaders inspire employees; they keep everyone focused on the right direction and ensure that they overcome common challenges for the sustainable growth of the organization they are leading. While every leader has to face challenges from dealing with conflicts in the office to supporting people from different generations in the organizations, technology leaders have to face additional and unique issues. In the technology space, leaders have to be very up-to-date, precise, innovative, clever, and move continuously at a rapid pace to suit the changing marketplace trends. They also have to ensure high levels of reliability, speed with accuracy, and deliver continuously good performance. Technology leaders have to manage many more things than conventional leaders.
Today’s technology is changing rapidly, and because of that technology, leaders have to face new challenges related to managing their teams and supporting staff effectively. They need the support of staff that is competitive in understanding the need for upgraded technology. They have to train their staff in operating the latest software as well as hardware efficiently. Leaders with special skills and expertise can help them be more creative and more innovative in making sure that they are leveraging technology effectively for the growth of the businesses.
Succeeding in the technology sector means grabbing opportunities as they appear and be prepared to convert opportunities into success. Tech leaders should be able to recognize and evaluate all the opportunities related to their business, especially with a more keen sense of optimism. They should install the latest technologies for meeting regulatory and compliance issues for organizations. They should be able to deal
with a rapid rate of pace and should also ensure precise accuracy. They should be able to handle the pressure, explore new concepts, and come up with innovations to increase the affordability of their solutions.
Technology leaders should have confidence and decisiveness to take clever decisions in the interest of the businesses. They should have an empowering and collaborative nature to promote the cooperative spirit in teammates for delivering good results to all stakeholders. Innovative leaders should also have excellent communication skills and be willing to continuously learn and grow. Innovative business leaders in technology can be highly successful if they have great technical abilities, innovative approaches, and shrewd business acumen.
