The Power of Project Leadership in HR Transformation

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been leading high-impact HR programs that drive real business transformation. From conception to delivery, seeing a program come to life is exciting, especially when it touches various business units and supports growth.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years:

1. Collaboration is Key
   Working with cross-functional teams like Finance, IT, and Legal ensured that the HR initiatives we implement are not only strategic but also sustainable

2. Clear Objectives=Strong Results
   Setting long-term objectives allows teams to stay aligned and focused, driving the success of multi-year projects

3. Data-Driven Decisions
   Leveraging data and metrics has been essential in making informed decisions and ensuring programs meet their objectives

What’s been your biggest takeaway from high-priority projects?

Change Leadership: Building Resilient Organizations

As we approach fall here in Rhode Island, it’s exciting to look for the first signs of change: crisp mornings, changing leaves, and pumpkin making its way to every cafe menu. It reminds us that change is inevitable. And successfully leading change requires a strategic mindset and strong communication skills.

In my experience as a program manager, I reached into my change management toolkit often. Here are the three foundations that I kept in mind when tasked with managing change for a new initiative:

1- Developing organizational change strategies
Change should be intentional and planned with a clear vision. If the vision isn’t clear, ask questions until it is.

2- Effective communication
Leadership teams need direction, and the workforce needs transparency, which makes communication at every level critical. Map out your stakeholders, develop a communication plan, and follow-through on the plan.

3- Adoption and buy-in
Leading change is more about people than processes. Ensuring adoption and engagement across teams is key to a successful transformation. It’s important that employees are given the knowledge, skills, abilities and support to implement the change.

What’s your approach to fostering organizational change?

Driving Success Through Cross-Functional Collaboration

HR programs are at their best when aligned with the broader business strategy, which requires strong cross-functional collaboration. Throughout my career, I’ve partnered with teams across Finance, IT, Marketing, and Legal to ensure that our HR initiatives are integrated into core business processes.

Here’s what I’ve found to be most important in those partnerships:

1. Strong relationships make collaboration seamless, and that’s where the magic happens

2. Aligning on common goals ensures everyone is moving in the same direction

3. Diverse perspectives lead to innovation. Some of the best ideas come from collaborating across functions.

What’s your favorite aspect of working with cross-functional teams?