Hello 2020...

I have recently completed my 1-year anniversary as regional Head of Talent for ServiceNow, APJ and it’s been an adventure! My anniversary coincided with our regional offsite where my newly formed regional talent team and I are in the process of mapping out our journey from good to great over the next few years.

It’s been a moment of reflection and wonderment as I take stock of the journey this team and I have been on this past year.

In 2019, the role felt scary cool, as I walked away from the comfort and familiarity of LinkedIn ( a company I still greatly admire),  to build culture and employee experience at a fast growing company in the fastest growing region of the world.  

There were huge positives as I get to work with a fantastic group of peers and a visionary Chief Talent Officer, Pat Wadors;  to build and deliver an exceptional employee value proposition and culture; work with a diverse and dynamic leadership team; travel the world and grow my leadership skills in myriad ways.

The opportunity of enhancing culture while building my team; experiencing tremendous organization growth and learning a new business felt a lot like flying a plane while building it. Being a traveling parent, daughter and spouse tested out a new set of capabilities - physical, emotional, logistical.

As I look back at this 1 year, here are my lessons - 

Team matters - When I started, the business had grown tremendously, and as a people function I felt we could do better to address the scale of our growing organization. I rebuilt the leadership on my team using the philosophy of “hire people smarter than you”. Along the way, there were a few individuals who left because they weren’t bought into the new way of thinking. While it’s always sad to lose talented individuals, it does present an opportunity to bring in stronger, new thinking that can raise the bar. A year later I can see and feel the fresh energy, enthusiasm, and intellectual stamina that this team has and it’s rocking! 

Just say “no”- I made ambitious plans and I was so excited about the build! However, a healthy dose of realism along the way made me realize that my plans needed re-tweaking and sometimes needed to be cancelled altogether in favor of basics. There was a moment when several of our key positions were unfilled and the team was feeling the burnout, so we regrouped and reprioritized and just said “no”. Best decision ever! As it gave us permission to pause, gather our energy and focus on essentials only.

Leaning into a growth mindset - It’s been a continuous learning environment for my team and I as we brought change to the region with our talent practices. We had to give and receive feedback, make mistakes, reinvent and find ways to take the lessons in the chin and continue running. 

Being kind to myself - Vacation has never felt more important in my life as this past year. When working at this pace I would find myself losing energy every 2.5 months or so. Adding just 1 extra day to a long weekend rejuvenated me immensely so I could bring my best to my business, team and family. I became intentional with my breaks seeing it as a place to recharge my empty batteries.

Managing my family -  this has been the most challenging one to balance as I feel the sandwich or responsibilities with  ageing parents, young kids, a spouse, all of whom want my time and energy. I had to let go of a few time honored responsibilities - like homework routines, parent teacher meetings, meal planning and replace them with new routines like whatsapp video dates with my kids & parents; substituting quantity-time for quality; letting my supportive spouse take over completely and be comfortable with his choices. And after an initial period of feeling uncomfortable things more or less fell into place. Everyone adjusted into new routines and some amazing things emerged - e.g. my kids learned a new level of responsibility and some life skills. My spouse and I found joy in simple routines like walks in the park, a coffee date and a joint workout when we were in the same place.

Health matters - This role requires a hectic travel schedule, and includes frequent time-zone changes. I needed a new way to build my stamina. I ensured I worked out using a combination of trainers, youtube classes, self motivation and diets. Flight plan management became a design of experiment where I found the right formula to help me stay ahead of jet lag.  E.g. I do yoga while waiting for flights and hydration has become a mantra; I managed to stay high energy and keep my sanity throughout the year.

These are just a few reflections of my journey over last year. I am excited to see what new routines, challenges and lessons 2020 will bring.

Check back with me in a few months and I’d love to share more of my journey