Strategic CHRO
Have High Expectations For People, But Also Know When You Have To Bring Them Along
Strategic CHRO
Stacey Hoin, Chief Human Resources Officer at Guardian Life, shares her key leadership lessons on a skills-forward HR strategy, leading through demographic shifts, and adapting to new technologies in this Strategic CHRO interview with The ExCo Group CEO David Reimer and Senior Managing Director and Partner Adam Bryant.
Reimer: As you scan the horizon, what are some issues that are top of mind for you these days?
Hoin: One is the amazing demographic shift that’s going on in the world. We have five generations of colleagues in the workforce at one time now. By 2030, Millennials are going to be leading, and Gen Z will be on the way up. That’s a lot to think about in terms of different expectations at work. How do you think about flexibility? How do you think about careers, purpose, family structures, global mobility, and everything else for different generations?
Technology is another, of course. AI and automation are changing how work is getting done. It’s not so much about efficiency as it is about demanding a greater focus on how we do these tasks. Who does the task? How do things get done? How do we interface with our customers? The kind of work we’re doing is going to change.
When you think about demographic shifts and technology coming together, it creates a real need to focus on skills. We’ve talked a lot in the HR community about building a more skills-based talent-management strategy. At Guardian, we talk about being “skills forward.” That allows us, based on all these changes that are happening, to ask: What are the skills we need? What are the skills we have? Can we develop those skills? Do we need to buy those skills?
The bigger challenge is to create this culture that’s really adaptable, where you can shift the kind of skills that you have in order to work in new ways.
Bryant: As AI evolves how companies think about their operating model, how do you think about the leadership implications of those shifts?
Hoin: One issue we’ve been discussing a lot is, how do you structure intact teams so that they work on a certain problem and, once they solve it, move on to the next problem? That’s less about hierarchy and more about the work that you do.
It can be hard to get people aligned to that idea when they’re used to a very hierarchical structure. But we’re piloting that, creating what we call persistent teams. We’re in this period now where we have to try new things. Some are going to work, and some are not going to work, and that’s okay.
Reimer: It takes a certain kind of wiring and background to not only survive in your kind of job, but to thrive in it, given all the ambiguity and new challenges you face. Where does that come from for you?
Hoin: From a young age, in my family dynamic, I learned to be resilient and adaptable. I learned to step in and take charge when I needed to. My parents had very high expectations that we would be successful in life. They taught us how to be independent and solve problems on our own.
I also went to law school, and in law school, you learn how to spot issues, to see around corners, and then to problem-solve in a way that hopefully is win-win. That was another big influence on me.
A big part of my career was at GE, and if you didn’t learn how to embrace and drive change at GE, you were not going to survive. I learned how to identify my stakeholders and bring them along. I am a driven person. I am a competitive person. I like to win, and I like the company I’m working for to win.
Bryant: You’ve no doubt done a lot of mentoring and coaching of senior executives over your career. When you think about all those conversations, are there a couple of themes that come up more often than others?
Hoin: One is self-awareness and making sure that people understand how they and their actions are perceived by others. It can be around something simple. For example, sometimes I have to send a quick email, and I don’t always include pleasantries, such as “I hope you had a great weekend.”
But I know that’s really important for a lot of people, so I remind myself not to be in such a hurry and take time to connect with people. Being self-aware about all those little behaviors and how they impact other people is an important thing that leaders often miss because they’re so busy.
That leads to the second piece of advice, which is that it’s not just about what you do, it’s how you do it. In a lot of companies, leaders can get so focused on their goals, such as making sure that the P&L is in the right place from a profitability perspective. But how you’re getting there is just as important, and sometimes people need to be reminded of that.
Reimer: What do you consider the hardest part of leadership?
Hoin: The hardest part of leadership is making really hard calls about people when you know that, in the moment, it’s not going to feel good to the person. Whether that happens because of a big restructuring or with one person, it’s really hard, and when it’s not hard, then you should quit because you’re no longer a really good leader.
The other thing for me as a leader is that I always want to be approachable. I always want to have an open door. I want people to feel like they can tell me anything. I want to know what’s going on in the organization, because if we need to pivot or do something different, I need to know what that looks like. That translates for me as sometimes having a hard time saying no to things. Personally, I’m not as good at it as I probably need to be.
Bryant: What has been a key leadership lesson that has shaped your leadership style?
Hoin: This one comes from the fact that I was a lawyer for about 17 years. In my first employment law role, I was supporting the HR team. One of my colleagues let me know that she and her team needed to review a termination with me. I asked her why they didn’t just call me directly. And she said, “Well, they’re afraid of you.”
I had never heard that before. I was so grateful that she gave me that feedback, and it made me much more self-aware. The reason they were afraid of me was that I was constantly asking questions, and they felt like they never had the right answer.
I realized that you need to have high expectations for people, but you also have to understand where people are coming from, what level of the organization they’re in, and how much experience they have. That informs how much you can expect from them versus how much you need to bring them along. It was a really important lesson for me.
Reimer: We talked earlier about all generations in the workforce. What’s your best advice to young college grads who are starting their career?
Hoin: I tell them to turn their video on when they are in Zoom or Teams meetings. One of the most important things you’re going to need to do in your career is develop relationships. It is very hard to develop a relationship if you’re not in person, but you can do it over video.
I also tell them to take risks. You might think you want to do one thing, but something else might come down the path for you, and that’s okay. You’re young enough to take a risk. If you don’t like it, you can go do something else in a year or two, but be open to new and different kinds of opportunities. Finally, be curious. Put your hand up. Ask questions.