The Game Changers – Workforce

May 14, 2020June 29, 2023

Don’t be afraid to try new things: Jay Fortuna’s journey through HR

Jay Fortuna, a 2017 winner of Workforce’s Game Changer Award, is now the head of learning & development at FinTech company Rewards Network. As someone who’s been recognized for his achievements in human resources, Fortuna answered some questions for Workforce.com about his career path in L&D, the latest trends and innovations in HR and advice he would give his younger self.

Also read: How technology fits into an HR manager’s job description

Workforce: How have you grown professionally over the course of your career?

Jay Fortuna: I have been incredibly fortunate in a career where I have often been given the chance to raise my hand to take on more. Because of this, I have had the opportunity to take on the philosophy of being a life-long learner as it needed to yield results quickly.

I graduated college with a marketing degree and knew that it wasn’t the exact niche inside the business world where my passion truly was. I spent the early part of my career working hard to make chances and opportunities present themselves around learning and development.

WF: How has your career changed?

Fortuna: I was provided with an opportunity early in my career to move from sales into L&D, and I have not looked back since. I entered the L&D world as a facilitator and continued in that role in some capacity for years while I worked hard to master instructional design and transform into the leader I am today. Because of my willingness to learn more and make myself better I have been afforded the opportunity of becoming a well-rounded learning professional and because of my success while doing so I have been able to elevate in my career at an accelerated pace.

WF: What are some of the trends you’ve seen in HR over the past few years?

Fortuna: Over the past decade or so the biggest transformation — [other than] the continued growth of the use of technology, which will always be a constant — is recognition [of] that true and deep impact proper learning and development can have on the business. L&D has earned a seat at the table.

WF: What advice would you tell yourself five years ago?

Fortuna: In 2017 when I received the Game Changers award I was leading a small but mighty team, and we were attempting to change the landscape of an industry that had been struggling with organic growth for over a decade. At that point I didn’t think about anything else except accomplishing the goal in front of me and thinking about how I was going to attack the next five beyond it.

I wish I would have told myself then enjoy the moment and spend more time with the people that were there supporting me. I have always had a “Superman mentality” and because of it I missed out on some chances to enjoy the successes.

WF: What have you learned over the course of your career in HR?

Fortuna: The most valuable lessons I have learned over my career in HR are to be willing to raise your hand and never underestimate your ability to make an impact. Being willing to raise your hand for a project, even though you may have never done it before, will allow you to live the concept of being a life-long learner. When you are forced to learn a new skill on your accord, you often look at the task differently. It becomes a growth opportunity versus a task which was demanded of you.

WF: What do you foresee in the future of HR?

Fortuna: With the changes in learning happening so fast, I foresee the future of learning to continue [its] rapid shift to just-in-time learning. This type of learning mixed with programs designed with hyper job focus could make it possible to get learners to a point of proficiency at an unprecedented accelerated rate. When you take these two approaches and properly mix them with blended learning, the sky’s the limit.

May 6, 2020June 29, 2023

Always be curious: Khalid Raza’s journey through human resources

Khalid Raza, a 2016 winner of Workforce’s Game Changer Award, is now a talent acquisition leader at EY. As someone who’s been recognized for his achievements in human resources, Raza answered some questions for Workforce.com about his career in HR, the rise of data analytics and the importance of constant curiosity for a well-rounded talent professional.

Also read: How technology fits into an HR manager’s job description

Workforce: How have you grown professionally over the course of your career?

Khalid Raza: Career is not a destination but a journey where evolution happens with each experience. The growth of a professional is a story of continuous transformation stemming from experiences, interactions, reactions and self-reflection. Success and failures contribute to the depth of learning.

I had the luxury of being surrounded by visionary and compassionate leaders, talented team members who always set the bar higher, and my family which stood by me at all times. My professional growth has been fueled by curiosity to learn, do and achieve more.

WF: How has your career changed?

Raza: [As] someone who gets bored of [the] mundane, I moved roles within HR frequently, allowing me to appreciate and inculcate an understanding of every function and role. The organic accumulation of knowledge has helped me be more effective at all times. I am fortunate to not have a unidimensional career.

WF: What are some of the trends you’ve seen in HR over the past few years?

Raza: Equipped with data and analytics, HR now takes more informed decisions and provides measurable business solutions.

WF: What advice would you tell yourself five years ago?

Raza: The only advice I have is to be more curious about the business we work for. HR exists to support the organization. Isolated efforts yield amputated outcomes.

WF: What have you learned over the course of your career in HR?

Raza: People are the key to success. Organizations that understand this theme continue to grow through tough times, too. Humans are not resources. The most successful teams are [successful] because of the people driving the transformation.

WF: What do you foresee in the future of HR?

Raza: I see more real-time analytics impacting outcomes [and] more open organizations, allowing leadership to tap and leverage mutual knowledge of all the employees. Those days are gone where a bunch of suit-clad executives decide in a boardroom what the strategy of the company should use, oblivious of the fact that the next big idea may come from a desktop engineer.

Impact of changes need to be understood in real-time through sentiment analysis.
Tailored bouquet of compensation structures.
Skills and value-driven compensation and growth.
More focus on inclusion than diversity.

WF: What are some things that you value most about your career field/position?

Raza: Talent or HR as a function deals with people, and as I alluded earlier, people drive companies to success or failure. I value the impact HR makes to the organization’s growth.

WF: Do you have any advice for HR professionals?

Raza: Yes, I’d [like to share this] guidance to HR professionals:

Be Curious.
Strive to learn more at all times — people, experiences, struggles, success, and failures — there is always a lesson to be learned.
Don’t network. Build relationships. Adding random people on a social network is of no use unless you have built relationships with them.
Always find a mentor who can guide you — be it a career mentor or a skill mentor.

Also read: HR 101 for new human resources managers

October 24, 2019June 29, 2023

Inclusiveness Is Not a New Leadership Competency

In most organizations today, leadership competencies are being revised due to the impact of the changing dynamics of globalization, technology advancements and demographic shifts.

Among these revisions, there is a significant focus on inclusiveness as a distinguishing leadership competency.

It is my contention that inclusiveness is not a new leadership competency. Leadership hasn’t fundamentally changed, and inclusive ways of working have always been a part of the traits and skills that leaders need to exhibit.

Many aspects of inclusive leadership are connected to more traditional leadership competencies:

Open-mindedness: Inclusiveness is characterized by having a mind both open and attuned to differences. Inclusive leaders value differences, exhibit curiosity to know more about the world around them and are not opposed to being proven wrong in the spirit of learning.

This is not very different from the learning agility that we expect leaders to demonstrate, in terms of quickly grasping and adapting to changes. Understanding the limiting nature of beliefs (whether their own or that of others) helps leaders be open to change and more diverse experiences that can expand their beliefs and views.

Freedom to dissent: The role of a leader is critical in fostering an inclusive climate at the workplace. This entails creating an environment where employees feel safe and empowered to dissent with and challenge each other.

Not surprisingly, this has always been a leadership requirement as it promotes divergent viewpoints that are fundamental to sustaining innovation and creativity in the organization. The courage to question norms and the freedom to take risks is also a characteristic of teams and leaders that zealously guard their integrity.

Awareness and understanding: Inclusiveness begins with a better understanding of self. There is a need to be conscious and mindful of our biases (conscious and unconscious) and mental blind spots.

Checking for biases is not just good for a healthy work environment. Biases are threats to clear judgment, and any decision-making or critical thinking competency has an aspect of developing awareness of one’s biases.

However, enhanced self-awareness is not enough. There is also a need to accept and respect others’ beliefs and choices. Respect is a fundamental leadership trait that cuts across several competencies like collaboration and interpersonal effectiveness.

Empathy: Empathy is the ability to view things from different perspectives. It is a step above acknowledging or respecting differences. Authentic inclusiveness stems from an ability to place oneself in someone else’s shoes to understand their point of view and their approaches and challenges.

This is a fundamental trait that helps people relate to each other on a deeper level and is a building block of effective communication. Even with a homogeneous team, an empathetic leader is likely to connect with the team members more effectively than an unempathetic one.

Inclusiveness, then, is not new. Neither is diversity, for that matter. This should be reassuring for leaders and stakeholders invested in employee and leadership development. The focus on inclusiveness is not a fad. It is not a half-baked reaction to emerging workplace developments. It is a fundamental leadership challenge about bringing people together with different personalities, backgrounds, mindsets and ways of working in a way that allows them to contribute their whole selves, leading to significant competitive advantage over homogeneous or conforming teams.

Also read: Inclusiveness is a Two-Way Street

October 21, 2019October 18, 2024

Inclusiveness Is a Two-Way Street

Conversations on developing greater inclusiveness at workplace today are centred heavily on changing the attitudes and ways of working of the groups that have majority representation in the workforce. That makes sense because the onus of inclusion cannot be on underrepresented groups that may not have the power or influence to bring about change.

But that does not mean that underrepresented groups need to sit around helplessly until the work environment changes substantially to make them feel included. There is plenty that they can do, in their own limited spheres of influence, to make themselves heard and even help their leaders make the workplace more inclusive for them.

Also read: Workplaces Should Be Chasing Inclusion, Not Diversity

Bolster your voice – The most obvious idea is to start or participate in employee resource groups. These are groups of employees with shared backgrounds or life stages that come together to support each other by sharing experiences and aiding in personal and professional development.

If your organisation doesn’t have one that meets your requirements already, it is not a bad idea to take initiative to build one. More likely than not, management would be happy to provide resources to help your group interact as it will help them understand more about your group and its needs.

An ERG is not the same as informal corridor conversations with employees of your background. It needs to have a formal structure to provide an effective forum for employees to come together and discuss issues and ways of supporting each other. It can also be a great way to brainstorm further on what actions the group can take to make the workplace more inclusive.

Question assumptions – At the root of all biases and misunderstandings are ill-founded assumptions. It is a human fallacy to jump to conclusions quickly, and we don’t always have the time or mind-space to think through our impressions in detail.

Question these assumptions, both those of others or your own. Ask clarifying questions to others when their behaviour does not seem inclusive to you. “Why do you say that?” or “Is this the reason why you think this way?” Are they operating out of biases or do they have other doubts in their mind? Provide clarifying information to help bust their assumptions and see the other sides of the story.

This is also a good way to test your own assumptions. Are you assuming that the other person is viewing you in a certain light, without checking with them on their actual opinions? Even if your assumptions get confirmed, you will gain more information and insights as a basis for further exploration.

Speak up when you see behaviours that exclude – It is dangerous to be a silent bystander to an act of exclusion. Silence often implies condoning. If you see someone behave in a way that excludes you or a colleague, call it out.

This need not be confrontational. Use your situational judgement to gauge how best to address it tactfully. You can speak in private to the person who acted that way, use humour to diffuse the tension while bringing the person’s attention to their behaviour, or be firm about stating openly that the behaviour was not okay. If you see your colleague at the receiving end of such behaviour, then check-in with them on how they are feeling and how you can support them. At the same time, you will also have to be open to feedback from others on your behaviours that may make feel them excluded.

Interact with different people – Workplace interactions often get limited to departments or colleagues who are physically seated close to you. It is a good idea to walk around and introduce yourself as well as initiate interactions with people from different areas across the organisation.

If this seems daunting to those who are more introverted, then you can also create planned forums to help diverse employees come together. This is the opposite of an ERG, where you are encouraging interactions with people from different backgrounds. Take time to talk about things outside of work in these interactions or forums. This is a great way to understand other people as individuals and build relationships that ease the flow of communication. Being inclusive is easier if we understand each other better and feel more connected with them.

Also read: The ROI of Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

Be a part of a mentoring relationship – Being in a mentoring relationship gives you the opportunity to influence another person’s thoughts and behaviours. It is a fantastic way to share experiences and learn each other’s viewpoints. Irrespective of the topic you choose to mentor someone on, there is always room for you to help them understand what behaviours, in the domain that they are working in, can help promote inclusion. Alternatively, as a mentee, you can take the lead in some reverse mentoring by helping your mentor understand what inclusion means to you.

Inclusiveness is a two-way street. While majority groups have a long way to go in terms of behaving in more inclusive manners at the workplace, it is also important that underrepresented groups get proactively involved in the dialogue so that they feel heard and are able to contribute positively.