Leadership Can Be Lonely, So Bring In Your Peers To Help Work Through Complex Issues

Jennifer Saavedra, chief human resources officer at Dell Technologies, shared her key leadership lessons with me and World 50 Group as part of our "Passing the Baton" series. Each interview, featuring HR50 members and?advisors, will include their insights on the critical skills needed for?the next generation of HR executives. Subscribe here for future interviews.

Q. What are the X-factor skills and capabilities that the next generation of CHROs is going to need??

A. Some capabilities have always been important, but the need for them will be amplified in the future. One is the ability to distill a lot of information and create an analytical, fact-based, decision-making model that you can bring to your C-suite colleagues to navigate through unknown situations. There’s no playbook for the challenges we’ve seen in recent years. You have to create options, with pros and cons, and then be able to influence your colleagues to help make decisions with a more holistic process.

Also, in organizations there are always “amplifiers” and “absorbers,” and as a CHRO, you have to be an absorber. You have to observe and be calm and forward-looking. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there, and a lot of issues with many gray areas, like AI. You're not going to have all the answers, but you have to be calm and focused on the path forward and be able to balance needs of the business, the culture, and your people.?

Q. It takes a certain background and wiring to be comfortable amid all this ambiguity. Where does that come from for you??

A. I was an athlete growing up, so I like to be put in the game. I don't like to be on the sideline. And when you see an incredible need in a company, why wouldn't you want to be part of the solution? Why wouldn't you want to be in there trying to make a difference in people's lives, helping the company be successful? I want to help make a difference, and I'd rather do it than not.?

People often ask the question, What keeps you up at night? I try not to be up at night. I don't think that's healthy. And so I am all in when I’m working. I’m very focused, and get everything done that I can. And when I'm done and I'm asleep, I'm asleep. If you lose sleep at night, then you’re not going to be your best for others. I know what I can control. I do the very best I can every day, but I know that the world is sometimes uncertain and nobody's perfect.?

Q. What do you consider the hardest part of leadership??

A. The responsibility. I take it very seriously. When you have to make tough calls, you're impacting someone's life. That's really hard, and the day that's not hard for me is the day I walk away.?

Q. What are some do’s and don’ts that you would share with someone who is stepping into the CHRO role for the first time??

A. Don't go it alone. You have to deal with very complex issues with big implications. Leadership can be lonely, so bring your peers into those conversations. Use them as sounding boards. Don't isolate yourself. It's so much better to work with your colleagues on these tough problems.?

Also, make sure that you're thinking about your long-term plan and be patient. Work on your multiple horizons. Have the courage to stay the course, but also the agility and openness to know when you need to pivot. And you are going to be involved in making unpopular decisions sometimes, but don’t let the criticism define you.?

Finally, develop your brand for how you make decisions. You want to be predictable—not in your answers, but in your process for arriving at decisions. You want to be trustworthy and reliable. You don't want people spending energy trying to figure out who you are, what you stand for, and how to engage with you. You want to spend all your time and their time focused on driving toward outcomes.?

Q. As you look out on the horizon, there are lots of big HR issues. What is top-of-mind for you these days??

A. A big one is about figuring out what you will need from your people, and what they need from you. We are going to need different capabilities and skills in the future and our employees will need different things from their employers. How will AI change the work that employees do? How does that impact how you organize work and people? Lots to figure out, but an exciting and important journey. I’m not sure companies are spending enough time on these holistic questions about the future of their workforce and the work they do. There are huge implications of the decisions companies are going to have to make to answer those questions.

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