Don Robertson, chief human resources officer at leading financial and insurance company Northwestern Mutual, has a deep understanding of how effective HR leaders align business strategy with attracting the right talent, he told a packed room at the HR Tech conference last week.
While this legacy company enjoyed strong financials and offered high-quality products and services for generations, its leaders wanted to adapt to an immersive and modern consumer world. So they turned to Robertson—who had decades of business expertise before taking on HR roles—to guide its digital transformation, resulting in positive employee outcomes, including a deep increase in employee engagement and workforce diversity.
To achieve similar results, he says tech is a critical enabler. But he adds that the employee should also win when the company wins. Here are some of the key pieces of advice that he shared at HR Tech for balancing technology with the human experience.
Advice to HR leaders: Develop a business-focused mindset
Through his various business roles, Robertson developed his unique perspective on how HR can better support the organization’s strategic goals. HR leaders should strive to understand business priorities and speak the language of business leaders, he advised, adding that no business strategy can succeed if the organization can’t attract and develop talent. “And I think business actually taught me how important people were to the whole thing,” he said.
When companies don’t manage talent properly, they often experience phases of large-scale firing and hiring, he said. “If you’re in these swings, or you’re ramping up, you’re ramping down, you’re probably not doing something thoughtfully,” he says. While acknowledging that changes happen in an unpredictable macroeconomic climate, Robertson said these swings usually occur because the company’s systems and processes haven’t met workforce needs.
Emphasize human connection
While data and technology are important, Robertson emphasizes the need for authentic, empathetic connections with employees. HR leaders should prioritize regular, open dialogue and feedback sessions. “Spend time with people, meet with people personally,” he says, adding that it’s incredible how much HR leaders can learn when they ask employees about their workplace experience. Even if the organization can’t fulfill every request, listening shows that leaders care. “Ultimately, you need to hear directly what matters to people.”
What HR leaders can’t do is “go into script,” Robertson advises. “You can’t ‘town hall’ your way to change. You can’t email your way to change. You do it through connections, but you also have to be extraordinarily authentic.”
Talent management is a must
Robertson, who relies on authentic communication and data-driven decision-making, says that the companies with the best talent win. He believes that organizations should “institutionalize” what they are trying to do in the market from both a business and a talent perspective. Robertson says that while tech and workplace systems play an important role, career development and growth must be a priority to retain the best talent. “HR leaders must truly enable the next wave of thinking,” he says.
Managers who are “talent multipliers”—helping others develop their careers—should be rewarded in the compensation cycle. Although this can be challenging, Robertson insists that if it’s important to the company, this behavior must be reinforced, or it “won’t stick.”
Empower and enable people managers
Robertson highlights the pivotal role of people managers in driving talent development and engagement. HR should focus on equipping managers with the right skills, tools and incentives to be effective “career guides” for their teams.
For organizations to offer a world-class experience for their workforce, “employees and managers are going to have to help them get there,” he says. Robertson believes people leaders are the most critical part of this equation.
Be creative and adaptable
While Northwestern Mutual has a track record of success spanning nearly 160 years, the company still fosters an appetite for change, particularly in offering a digital experience to its customers, he says. Making that happen required hiring the right talent.
Robertson encourages HR leaders to challenge traditional processes and be open to flexible approaches that meet the evolving needs of the workforce. Regarding digital transformation, he challenges the audience to think beyond what HR can do to what every employee can contribute: “How do we create a [digital] environment when the HR team isn’t the only expert on the tech?”
Secure leadership buy-in
While each HR leader and organization has distinct priorities, every company faces hurdles in adoption. Robertson’s success was enabled by having a supportive senior leadership team that prioritized culture and talent.
HR leaders should work to gain executive-level commitment to their initiatives. The next level of buy-in should come from “influential ambassadors” who can gradually win over more people until the concepts become the norm, according to Robertson.
His overarching lesson is that CHROs are in a position to be strategic business partners who balance data-driven insights with a human-centric approach to enable organizational success. Adopting this mindset can help HR leaders drive meaningful impact. “HR people,” he says, “are still the most empathetic people at the leadership table.”
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