hr influencer
What do you love about your job?
TP: I love the complexity and diversity of a multinational,
global organization.
Some people consider those words to be synonymous, but I don’t.
In my opinion, once you start applying similar processes and the
same philosophy across all countries, then you’re global. People are
people are people all over the world. They all want to be treated with
respect and dignity, rewarded and recognized. It just depends on
what degree of those elements they culturally value. Combine this
concept with the existing cultural differences in each area and you
can quickly see the complexity and exciting demands of my role.
What are the challenges you experience in your job?
TP: The HR arena is rapidly changing – not just in Canada but
also in every country that we operate in. It’s changing at different
acceleration rates across the globe. HR in Canada and the U.S. is
far more mature, whereas in some emerging areas of the world,
like far eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific, it’s rapidly catching up.
Laws and procedures are still behind where we are in the Western
hemisphere, so applying certain North American HR practices in
some of those countries, at times, is difficult because they’re not at
that maturity stage yet. But they are rapidly getting there, so it’s an
interesting dynamic.
What skills are important for success in HR?
TP: Besides what I call the “table stakes” of integrity, ethics,
accountability and responsiveness, HR professionals must hone
their root-cause analysis and problem-solving skills. Becoming
adept at this will enable them to partner with internal customers
and be invited to more strategic planning sessions. Also, the ability
to forecast and forward plan are great tools that enable HR to be
more proactive than reactive.
What tips do you have for new grads or those in
entry-level HR jobs who want to move up the ladder?
TP: Accept any and all responsibilities and duties, even if they are
not in your core scope and focus. Take special project assignments
or become a member of cross-functional teams that enable you to
learn more about the overall business. This will only help you develop
an appreciation for other parts of the business, thus making
you a better all-round HR partner.
What’s the future of HR?
TP: First and foremost, HR must be able to adapt, as the definition
of “work” will change significantly more in the next 10 years than
it has in the past 25.
There is much thinking that work will become more projectbased
than employment-based. As such, HR will need to engage
talent that includes more part-time employees and freelancers located
anywhere. In a truly connected world, linked through mobile
devices and on the cloud, work can be done anytime, anywhere.
HR must manage talent in a distributed global workforce and find
agile ways to measure, motivate and reward. As automation, algorithms
and analytics advance, tasks will migrate from people to
machines at a greater pace than ever before. HR will be challenged
to find the proper people/machine balance. n
In a
Nutshell
Best boss and why: I’ve had the good fortune of
having a number of great bosses that never put
restrictions around my career development. They
identified my keen interest in general business
management and developed me in order to assume
broader duties, including global quality as well as
operational excellence. I am extremely grateful and
by far a better HR professional because of the skill
sets gained through this expansion of duties.
Current source of inspiration: I’m inspired by watching
people grow and develop – my children, our evolving
and very talented global HR organization, as well
as the rapid expansion and growth of our dynamic
automotive aftermarket team. It’s extremely gratifying
and motivational.
Best piece of advice ever received: “Never take
anything for granted. When you do, complacency
sets in.”
Favourite music: I’m an old rock and roller. Grew up
with and, to this day, absolutely love Led Zeppelin,
C CR, Aerosmith, Journey and, in general, late ‘70s
to’80s rock. Awesome music.
Last book read: Admittedly, it’s been a long time.
Instead, I’m a voracious business and HR magazine
reader – from the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek,
Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Talent
Management and, of course, our very own HR
Professional – I regularly read them all.
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62 ❚ MAY/JUNE 2016 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL