Most organizations would say that their people are their greatest asset.
And yet, many people do not feel like they are valued by their employers.
Today we talk to Belinda Winter about the role Human Resources plays in bringing the best out of people at work. We discuss HR and how it relates to performance, leadership and workplace culture.
Belinda Winter is a Human Resources Director Consultant, mediator and facilitator. She has almost two decades of experience as an Human Resources Director before starting her own consultancy.
We hope you enjoy this insightful conversation with Belinda Winter.
You can connect with Belinda via LinkedIn or her website.
You can listen to the episode on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher or Simplecast.
Show Notes
1:34 – what drew Belinda to HR.
3:17 – what people skills did the mentor notice?
4:58 – where did love for people come from?
6:37 – connecting with people who are not like you.
10:12 – HR doesn’t manage people but they have to influence.
12:41 – hiring the right people.
16:32 – getting to know your people.
21:25 – what makes good leadership.
26:51 – bringing your full self to work.
33:26 – what is culture.
34:23 – our actions can impact culture – even unintentionally.
41:07 – people don’t come to work to do a bad job.
46:57 – self-care for leaders.
50:04 – communicating expectations can reduce the team’s stress.
51:16 – change management and communicating restructures.
57:54 – performance management.
1:01:24 – caring about people vs the business.
1:06:21 – Get in touch with Belinda.
Links to References
Barbra Streisand – People – YouTube
“Be Yourself More with Skill” by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
Søren Kierkegaard – Danish thinker on existentialism
The Dichotomy of Leadership by Lief Babin and Jocko Willink
Key Quotes
“Be interested, rather than interesting.”
“It not about you, it is all about them”
“Manager manage people, HR (Human Resources) doesn’t manage people”
“People are people, there isn’t really a text book on people”
“Hiring right is a huge piece….if in doubt don’t hire….Surround yourself with the smartest most capable people.”
“You have got to be yourself…don’t leave your personality at the door…be authentic.”
“I make fast decisions…sometimes they are not right”
“Be open to feedback”
“Isn’t it terrible to think that we needed a Pandemic to change people attitudes to work and life?”
“We need the craving of connection.”
“The old adage that trust is good but control is better has to be gone.”
“Organisations are changing all the time.”
“Culture is an unwritten book with rules of the social game. Culture is not static, it is constantly moving.”
“Fail Fast…if it is not working move on.”
“People don’t come to work to do a bad job. People have good intent, always. People want to have meaningfulness in their life.”
“Everyone develops from where they are.”
” I have admired a number of leaders…who have shared with me things they do to care for themselves.”
“The leader casts the shadow…if the leader is sending emails at 11:00pm at night, it can set an expectation…the leader should say this is me, not you.”
“Change equals loss aversion…dilute the jargon.”
“If you want to walk in someone else’s shoes you need to take your own off first.”
“Performance Management is an opportunity to improve performance.”
“The delicate balance between the People and the Business – The organisation is 51 and 49 for the people…if we don’t have a business to run, then we don’t need the people.”
