An Intuitive Leader Who Empowers Employees

An Intuitive and Empathetic Leader
Most
Inﬂuential
LEADERS IN
HR
The
Mara Schär
Vol 03 | Issue 11 | 2021

Adapting to
Uncertain Times
he business world is continually evolving with
Tinnovative solutions and companies are adapting to
these changes. What stays valuable is the culture
built by the company. It is the work culture that can make
or break any business.
This is where HR professionals come into the picture, as it
is these people who introduce the culture of diversity and
inclusion in any business. HR leaders are surrounded by
training, hiring, and conducting activities for the
employees. With their kind gesture, they fill the workplace
environment with positivity and energy. Their role is
defined by solving the issues of the employees, maintaining
relationships with the employees, and much more.
HR leaders understand the importance of teamwork and are
aware of the importance of team spirit to bring motivation
among the employees. It is because of their quality of care
because of which any company creates a healthy working
culture that delivers great results. Constantly trying new
things, new skills and techniques help to keep things
updated and moving in HR.
There is always a difference between leadership and
management and HR leaders work on managing both
aspects. And, that is the core of leadership. Finding the right
talent at the right place at the right time makes things
happen. HR leaders discover and support employee talents
where employees can enjoy the working in company. They
actually strive to make their companies a better place for
people to work by supporting them to fulfill their dreams.
We are blessed to have HR leaders around us with their
creative and inspirational ideas which inspire the employees
to work with ethics. Often, we face challenges in our
personal and professional lives, but building a healthy
environment and putting a smile on our face is really a great
strength of HR leaders. The enthusiasm to take
Editor’s Desk

responsibility ultimately helps to achieve the success
of the organization.
Today, HR management is going through a change,
especially with the covid norms, work from home,
and digitalization workforce is emerging. This affects
the way HR leaders' processes, but they are keeping
the work organized for the company and the
employees superbly. They are now more involved in
taking care of the physical, emotional, and social
care of the employees. They have well adapted to
this change as their strength of communication skills
becomes crucial in these times.
It is because of these HR leaders that employees get
new opportunities to grow as they keep a happy
workforce and clear communication with the
involvement of the employees. Whether in the
company or outside, one thing they teach us that with
humbleness, care and support we can keep humanity
alive in this volatile world of technology as well.
Being aware of the responsibilities of such HR
leaders and understanding their contribution to the
industry, Insights Success shares their journey in its
upcoming edition of “The 10 Most Influential
Leaders in HR”. Featuring on the Cover Story of
this edition is Mara Schär, CEO and Founder of
Joy Corporate GmbH. Mara is an exemplary leader
with a human touch who is contributing so much to
the lives of employees and making a difference.
Lastly, while turning into more pages do not miss to
read about the CXO standpoints by the industry
experts and the informative articles written by our in-
house editorial team.
Have a Lovely Read!
sourabh@insightssuccess.com
Sourabh More

Contents
Cover
Story
Article
08
MARA SCHÄR
40
Leader’s Viewpoint
Role of PR in Crisis Management
26
Evolution of HR
Rethinking the Role of HR Leaders
During Pandemic

16
20
28
32
36
44
48
Alan Price
Leading With Courage and by Example
Andrea Brogger
A Shining Example of HR Leadership
Dr. Megan Leasher
A Celebrated HR Leader
Eugenio Pirri
An Embodiment of Adept Leadership
Gordon Tredgold
A Leadership Expert Who Makes
Leadership Simple
Henry Stewart
Creating Happy, Empowered and
Productive Workplaces
Karin Volo
Transforming Business Through Culture

sales@insightssuccess.com
March, 2021
Editor-in-Chief
Senior Sales Manager Business Development Manager
Marketing Manager
Technical Head
Technical Specialist Digital Marketing Manager
Research Analyst
Database Management Technology Consultant
Hitesh Dhamani
Managing Editor
Anish Miller
Executive Editor
Sourabh More
Assistant Editors
Jenny Fernandes
Visualizer
David King
Art & Design Director
Asha Bange
Associate Designer
Shubham Dali
Kshitij S Peter Collins
John Matthew
Sales Executives
David, Martin, Sagar
Business Development Executives
Steve, Joe, Aidan, Binay
Jacob Smile
Aditya Marry D'Souza
SME-SMO Executive
Amol Wadekar Frank Adams
Circulation Manager
Robert Brown Stella Andrew David Stokes
Co-designer
Copyright © 2021 Insights Success, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any
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Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.
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We are also available on :
Kartik Balapurkar

Brief
Company Name
Evoloshen
evoloshen.com
Karin Volo
Chief Joy Bringer / CEO
Evoloshen is an international corporate training and consulting
company that provides a unique approach to Cultural
Transformation.
BrightHR
brighthr.com
Alan Price
CEO
BrightHR is an award-winning HR software and support
service for small business owners.
Joji Sekhon Gill
Strategic HR Director
DuPont South Asia
dupont.co.in
DuPont is working with industry leaders in safety, healthcare,
electronics, mobility and construction, creating technology-
based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform
industries and everyday life.
Gordon Tredgold
CEO and Managing
Consultant
Gordon Tredgold
gordontredgold.com
Gordon has always had the unique ability to assess difficult
situations, determine what could be done differently and then
create simple, easy to understand and easy to implement
solutions, which deliver sustainable results FAST.
Joy Corporate
joycorporate.ch
Mara Schär
Chief Executive Officer
Joy Corporate was named TOP 10 Employee Wellness
Consulting / Services Companies in Europe by HRTech
Outlook for the second year in a row . In order to show the
landscape of employee wellness solutions more clearly, the
editors of HR Tech Outlook have identified the top 10
employee wellness solution providers.
Kris Dunn
CHRO
Kinetix
kinetix.com
The Kinetix managed service operates as if we were your
internal IT department, with incentives fully aligned with
yours.
Andrea Brogger
Chief People Officer
TrueBlue
trueblue.com
TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) is a leading staffing, recruiting and
workforce management company.
Eugenio Pirri
Chief People &
Culture Officer
Dorchester Services
dorchester
collection.com
Dorchester Collection is a luxury hotel operator owned by the
Brunei Investment Agency, an arm of the Ministry of Finance
of Brunei.
Megan Leasher
Chief Solutions Strategist
Talent Plus
talentplus.com
Talent Plus is the premier global human resources consulting
firm and the leading partner in building and sustaining high-
performing and fully-engaged cultures through talent selection,
development and analytics.
Henry Stewart
Chief Happiness Officer
Happy Ltd is an award winning Learning and Development
organisation.
Happy.co.uk
happy.co.uk
Featured Person

MARA SCHÄR
“Flexibility is key, especially in
challenging times like these. As
such, we constantly invent new
ways of providing our services
and support to our clients. I
believe in hard work and high
standards.”
COVER
STORY

C
aring for employees is the most important part of any organizational growth. Appreciation, care, support,
and encouragement empowers the employees, and it improves the productivity of the employees. Therefore,
having an HR leader in the organization who understands human values and nurtures the positive emotions
in employees is essential for any organization.
An employee who feels cared for is much more likely to feel happy and engaged at work. Ensuring employee
satisfaction creates a more efficient and productive workplace and increases employee retention.
More and more leaders are becoming aware of their responsibility and understanding that they must contribute to
health and well-being—physically as well as psychologically—in the workplace.
Mara Schär, CEO and Founder of Joy Corporate GmbH is one such an exemplary leader with a human touch
who is contributing so much to the lives of employees and making a difference.
The 10 Most Influential Leaders in HR

Below are the highlights of the interview between Mara and Insights Success wherein she shares
her notions of an employee centric leader and also a few insights into her journey as a Founder and
CEO:
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader.
I would not call myself a leader. I do not lead people; I work with people. And I am learning every
day from them. My journey took me to different countries, cultures, corporate jobs. I worked as a
journalist and in the corporate field for many years. I experienced myself as an employee in
different professional situations.
Getting things done from the team is just one part of the job of a leader. You cannot survive as a
leader if you become good at just giving order. I believe great “leaders” become great because they
receive and offer great support. And this point is valid not just for leaders, but for almost anyone
who is looking to grow in professional and private life.
When I chose the people I am working with, I always have a strategy in my mind, and not just look
at their certificates or achievements. I even would say I use intuition as my first counselor. I “feel”
them and try to understand them.
Intuition is part of our human resources strategy. We have clear concepts, directions, and big goals.
Right now, I must say that I'm very proud of my team. We are working since many years together
and we are doing great. I'm myself in a continuous learning process. I'm learning to provide
guidance, feedback and be direct while still showing empathy. Some days are difficult, but some
days are great, and it is truly rewarding to see the growth and evolution of our company.
Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe
someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life?
Yes, for sure. It is my husband. He believed in me as a leader and entrepreneur first. He was one of
the very few people that sustained me in leaving my corporate job and creating a company.
Support, especially from a significant other, is crucial to the success of a business. One should be
able to go to his or her spouse and express ideas, and the spouse must provide emotional support
and constructive criticism to produce a successful business.

For female entrepreneurs it is probably even more
complicated because women are still, to a degree, expected
to prioritize building a home and family, especially in
Switzerland, which is a very conservative, traditionalist
country. I also learned a lot from my husband's vast
experience as a businessman. I think we are a good team,
and we support each other not only in business, and this is
not a matter of course.
According to you, what are the highest-value
opportunities for improving talent management?
The highest-value opportunities for improving talent
management are therefore a consolidated human resources
strategy. It should be clear in which direction a company
concept will develop to find the right future personnel.
Therefore, strategy development first requires a strategic
analysis to correctly determine the number and quality of
talents.
The strategy should include the merging of different
functional areas of a company, as well as the exchange of
current specialists in the field of feasibility and
development. Regular communication regarding new ideas
and related key qualifications for implementation should
also be part of the strategy.
What values are important to you as an HR leader?
Communication is key. HR leaders need to be great
communicators, an essential trait that is crucial for success.
Clear, effective messages can boost morale, increase
loyalty, and even save the organization money. And with
outstanding verbal communication skills you can help your
workforce to understand better their roles in driving
organizational results and motivate them toward peak
performance.
HR professionals need to think strategically, connecting a
HR function with an in-depth knowledge of their
organization's core business issues and aspirations.
An HR professional should practice value-based and ethical
behavior. Because HR professionals often lead the process
for fair and equitable treatment of all organizational
members and thus help to internalize and demonstrate
organization's values and ethical behaviors.
How according to you has the COVID-19 pandemic
affected the HR industry?
Countries, regions, and industries are affected by the
pandemic in very different ways. While doctors and nursing
staff do hard work, many other companies fear for their
existence. The crisis is also accelerating changes in the
personnel environment. For example, there has been a trend
towards the home office for years. The pandemic forced
companies to let their employees work “remotely”.
HR must therefore quickly adapt to the changed framework
and ensure the continuation of the business. Companies are
required to assume social responsibility. The aim is not to
cut jobs, but to develop alternative options. Companies
must also ensure the health protection of their employees
and keep an eye on their well-being.
The pandemic had a tremendous influence on the well-
being of all people everywhere around the world. We don't
need a huge team of specialist in order to understand this.
Increase in loneliness, depression, and fear, and decrease in
happiness are there.
Happiness Research Institute, Copenhagen, published a
study on subjective well-being, loneliness, worries, and
behavior in the age of the corona virus pandemic. After
several years with only slight variations in life satisfaction
on a population level, life satisfaction decreased drastically
in almost all European countries in 2020.
At the end of October, more than half of the people
surveyed by the Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) rated the
mood in Switzerland as bad or very bad. We can extrapolate
this of course to the organizations. If we consider a few
important aspects as fear, loneliness, and social isolation,
they all have dramatic and substantial effects on quality of
life.
Certain media sources affect fears and worries too
throughout the pandemic. And we all know that a happy
workforce is also an efficient and productive one. So, it is
time for leaders to develop programs and make
recommendations to protect people from the negative
effects of the pandemic going forward.
Our company offers online courses and webinars which
treat themes like “Mind Well-being”, “Healthy Sleeping”,
“Communication”, “Conflict Management” etc. We offer
also online yoga, ergonomics, and mindfulness webinars for
the employees. Very important in this critical phase is a
continuous and clear communication and involvement of
employees.
What are, in your opinion, the most important
characteristics of an HR leader?
Leaders need the ability to support when necessary,

especially in times of crisis. They need a clear value system
and clear goals. They should know how to motivate
employees. Top executives want to achieve a high impact.
That is why they regularly question their actions. Because
they know: A top performance- also in the area of
leadership- can only be achieved in the long run by those
who strive for improvement. Accordingly, they are willing
to learn and change.
What advice would you like to give to the emerging
leaders?
Be open and keep learning your whole life. By learning,
you can develop new perspectives and skills. Keep a special
focus on communications skills, they are vital for your
success as a leader. While you develop your strengths,
remember to keep your integrity. Good leaders seek out
advisors and coaches to help them learn, change, and grow.
A mentor can give valuable insight on the business.
What are your future endeavors/objectives and where
do you see HR industry in the near future?
HR management have been in a profound change process
for years, due to digitization and automation. Some jobs are
becoming superfluous, while at the same time completely
new job profiles are emerging. The change also affects the
way people work and collaborate. And the pandemic has
dramatically accelerated these changes.
Remote work has become reality and a necessary way to be
able to continue to work. HR departments need now stable
processes and efficient tools to face the challenges. Remote
working, home office and agile working methods should be
technically and organizationally anchored in the company-
this allows a fast and flexible response to changing external
conditions.
Structured further education and training and the holistic
development of one's own talents are a matter of course.
Employee training is essential and should be done in
webinars and online courses. Workshops should be
proactive and help employees reach their full potential at all
levels: physical, emotional, social, and intellectual.
Joy Corporate GmbH
Thiersteinerallee 17
4053 Basel
Tel: +41 (0) 765 604 155

Alan Price,
CEO,
BrightHR
16 | March 2021 www.insightssuccess.com

Leading with Courage and by Example
Alan Price
G
reat leaders are courageous to try new things,
stretch boundaries, and have never give up
attitude. The most successful HR leaders know
that there's always room for new ideas. They have the grit
and determination required to take a business idea from just
an idea and transform it into a profitable business or
product. They find that drawing on creativity can help drive
improvements and growth for everyone’s benefit. Alan
Price is one such leader.
To foster such creativity, Alan frequently collaborates with
various teams across BrightHR. He likes to lead by
example. He as a CEO steps actively into this role and
facilitates workshops, mentoring, or planning day sessions
to see how he can become a more active conduit for
innovation in his work environment. He says that well-
connected mentors and experienced peers helps one set on
right course for career development.
In an interview with Insights Success, he shares about his
journey and contribution through BrightHR as an influential
HR leader.
Below are the highlights of the interview between Alan
Prince and Insights Success:
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a
proficient leader.
In 2003, I was appointed to her Majesty's Court and
Tribunal Service in the UK, and I was one of the youngest
judicial appointments to the Employment Tribunal Service,
which I continue to hold. Since then, I have become a
leader at the Peninsula Group, which provides employers
support, namely HR, employment law and health & safety
transformation, to over 75,000 businesses in the UK,
Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. I am
responsible for the Group's operations strategy, presiding
over 125,000 client monthly service interactions and client
experience engagements. I hold several non-executive
positions across the 11 Group companies while maintaining
a Group operational overview and Group responsibilities.
My current project is overseeing the global rollout of
BrightHR, which is an HR software and employment law
advice firm and is the Group's human capital management
and software as a service proposition supporting over
44,000 organisations and over 500,000 users worldwide.
As well as my work as a leader at BrightHR and the
Peninsula Group, I am proud to be a Chartered Fellow of
the CIPD with 18 years' experience in employee relations, a
Chartered Manager and Fellow of the CMI, a certified
practitioner and Fellow of the AHRI (Australian Human
Resources Institute), and a professional member of SHRM,
Canadian Human Resource Professional Association and
British Columbia & Chartered Professionals in Human
Resources. For the last four years, I served as a charity
trustee and Non-Executive Director for the world’s second-
largest HR professional body, the CIPD, representing over
140,000 HR professionals worldwide.
17
|
March 2021
www.insightssuccess.com

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
Here at BrightHR, we are always looking at new ways to
disrupt the market and create meaningful products that are
beneficial to our customers. The creation of the furlough
navigator, back to work navigator and VaccTrak in response
to the pandemic has shown us just how quickly we can
respond to a huge pivot in customer demand.
This motivates us to continue to be allies to small business
owners and keep them at the heart of everything we do in
the future. By offering employers such innovative software
products, we have retained clients and attracted new
business. We are not slowing down yet either. Recently, we
launched BrightSafe globally. It is complete online health &
safety software that helps existing customers through the
COVID-19 crisis and beyond. We know that it will provide
small businesses with much-needed support as they get to
grips with new health & safety processes and work to
reopen their businesses.
According to you, what are the highest-value
opportunities for improving talent management?
At BrightHR, we do a lot to share our employer value
proposition (EVP), focusing on our fantastic office, modern
benefits, and a fun and focused working environment. To
develop talent, we deliver an in-house 12-month
management development programme providing
opportunities for operational staff to learn about
management and leadership and make the transition into
management and leadership roles.
The programme is endorsed by all senior management and
provides a structure of monthly one-hour virtual classroom-
based sessions which include practical scenarios, role plays
and discussion on the application of the topic, alongside out
of classroom assessments and project work. The training is
centred on two principles, ‘Application’ and ‘Impact’. This
is considered across the business, our teams, our clients,
and themselves as aspiring and developing leader.

What are your future endeavors/objectives and where
do you see HR industry in the near future?
As a company, we think big, and our ambition is for every
single small business owner to receive end-to-end support
in running their business and managing their employees.
And we do this by listening to what small business owners
and employers want and continuing to create and develop
software and support services that respond to this demand.
One of the biggest ways we will support employers this
year is by continuing to roll out our COVID-19 tools to
help them get their businesses back on their feet as
lockdown restrictions ease. This will include pushing out
our BrightSafe health & safety software and advice to help
employers make their workplaces COVID-secure and keep
their staff safe if they are working from home, as well as
our new VaccTrak tool as more and more people, get the
vaccine.
We are also developing Blip, our award-winning app that
lets staff clock in and out of work using their mobiles.
Using smart geolocation technology, employers can see
where and when their staff are working, which has become
even more valuable during the pandemic now that so many
people are working from home — we have already had
almost 8 million clock-ins with Blip globally.
Some people want
it to happen,
some wish it
would happen,
others make it
happen.
— Michael Jordan
19
|
March 2021

ANDREA BROGGER
Chief People Ofﬁcer
TrueBlue

An effective HR team must drive
business results through creative
and agile people programs
fueled by data-driven decisions.
To remain competitive and agile, you need connected
and engaged employees and a future-focused HR
leader. Andrea Brogger, Chief People Officer at
TrueBlue Inc. is someone who keeps the company’s
mindset of being a force for good at the heart of her work as
she galvanizes and engages TrueBlue employees. In an
interview with Insights Success, Andrea shares the
importance of building a strong collaborative relationship
across all levels of the organization. Below are the
highlights of the interview:
Take us through your journey to becoming an HR
leader.
For me, part of being a proficient leader is self-reflection—I
enjoy reflecting on my journey and the key learnings I’ve
gained along the way.
Ÿ Increase your emotional intelligence. There is a tight
connection between effective leadership and emotional
intelligence.
Ÿ Continuously focus on self-improvement. We cannot
grow and learn without admitting mistakes, and more
importantly, learning from them.
Ÿ Be open to feedback but also actively seek feedback on
your work. This is essential to evolving as a leader and
achieving your best results.
Ÿ Dedicate yourself to knowing the business. Mission
matters, and to be successful, you need to connect to a
ANDREA
A Shining Example of HR Leadership
BROGGER
“
21
|
March 2021

take pieces from agile tech and adapt them to support
businesses and people. The agile approach represents an
essential shift and an opportunity to provide a better
framework that keeps HR connected and focused on the
business outcomes while also creating programs catered to
your people. Personalized and scalable solutions should be
reflective of our dynamic and diverse people. We need to
focus on robust and holistic solutions to any issues while
always remaining agile and ensuring that we have the
resources to adapt.
What values are important to you as an HR leader?
Several core values are in the fabric of how I operate as an
HR leader: self-awareness, empathy, accountability, and
growth.
Knowing my strengths and weaknesses and how each of
them shows up is vital to my growth and allows me to build
on strengths and identify areas where I need to improve. I
often have to make difficult decisions; having empathy is
critical as a reminder that people are attached to every
decision we make.
It is important as a leader and as an advocate for our people
and our people programs that I not only hold my teams
accountable but also hold myself accountable. We must do
what we say we are going to do.
company’s goals and the difference they are striving to
make.
Ÿ Lastly, leadership is not only the action of leading
others; it’s about leading the way through our actions. I
don’t take for granted the responsibility I have of
mentoring and guiding others to meet their full
potential.
How do you help ensure the organization’s messages
resonate with target audiences?
The best way to entice any audience is to understand who
they are and what they want. This may seem simple, but
people just want to be heard and understood. Understanding
what your current and potential employees are looking for
in an organization is crucial to meeting their needs.
Engagement surveys are a wonderful tool to learn what is
on employees’ minds. It’s important to go beyond the data,
to talk to employees, and to understand what matters to
them. This helps to keep your company’s offerings are on
track. I’ve developed numerous successful developmental
and mentoring programs based on feedback received from
our employees.
What are the biggest opportunities for improving talent
management?
I am a big fan of the agile approach to HR. Agile methods

Lastly, having a growth mindset and helping stretch the
business is a vital value that I hold close.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and
develop as an HR leader?
I consider myself a lifelong student. I am constantly looking
for opportunities to learn and grow professionally. I
recently went back to school to get a second master’s
degree, an executive master’s degree in human resources at
Cornell University. There, I had the opportunity to learn
more about the latest HR approaches and built a strong
network of peers I kept in touch with and continue to learn
from today.
I encourage my team to challenge the status quo. I want us
to question how we can do things better, to think outside the
box by looking at the what-ifs, and to overcome hurdles. As
a result, we end up with new and dynamic ideas, and more
importantly, we all learn from each other daily.
Are data and analytics important in your work?
Data insights are essential; they help HR professionals
identify opportunities for growth, learning, and, most
importantly, ways to improve. When it comes to analytics,
the answer is always yes.
What are your future endeavors/objectives, and where
do you see the HR industry in the near future?
My focus is to continue to work towards an agile HR
framework and to ensure that the HR function is a strategic
business partner. I want us to remain ahead of the curve for
talent development and talent acquisition to help the
company meet its goals.
As newer generations enter the workforce, they look for
career growth and an individualized approach to their career
development. Gone are the days of cookie-cutter, one-
sizeﬁts-all HR; we will need to transform into a concierge
department with unique plans as diverse as our employee
populations.
What advice would you like to give to emerging leaders?
Continually seek to learn and grow. Ask questions, always.
Solicit and be open to feedback, input, and guidance. And
remember, you can learn just as much from those you lead
as they can learn from you as their leader. My favorite
questions to ask are “What is working, and what isn’t
working?” They always deliver valuable insight.
23
|
March 2021

It is accepted that organization is made up of people, as
it is them who make things happen. Thus, building a
culture that can result in better employee experiences
becomes of utmost importance. Being a link between
managers and employee workforce, it is an HR professional
who keeps everyone in the organization connected and
contribute to the goal of the organization.
HR Leaders have been instrumental in shaping the future of
the organization. But the year 2020 and the ongoing
pandemic have different plans. While doctors and
healthcare workers are doing their best to save lives, the
worldwide effect of the pandemic can be seen in many
ways. The crisis has brought changes in the working
structure of employees, as remote working or work from
home has become a trend. This has brought a change in the
role of HR leaders and put them to the test to adapt with
current working conditions.
The pandemic has forced industries to let their employees
work remotely. Currently, the challenges that HR leaders
are dealing with lies in solving critical issues like cost-
cutting and employee reductions, while ensuring health
protection for the employees and caring about their
families.
Shoot for the Stars
The pandemic had a horrifying impact on the health of all
people around the world. The world has seen increase in the
cases of loneliness and depression among people. HR
Leaders had to rethink this and do their best not to affect
this to their members in the organization. Hence, keeping
the workforce happy is the big change in the role of HR
leaders.
In many organizations, HR leaders are conducting online
courses and webinars which can help employees to keep
their mind healthy and positive. They keep engaging them
by activities that will keep them involved and in touch with
everyone, which is very important in these critical times.
As HR leaders are great communicators, an effective
training on the same will boost the morale of employees
and help them drive organizational results and motivate
them to give their best. An HR leader needs to connect with
these core business issues. An HR Leader should adapt to
these upcoming roles and responsibilities because, the
employees of the company look upto him/her in such times.
As he is the mediator of the management and the
employees.
HR leaders have been in a change process due to the factors
like the pandemic and digitization. The change has affected
the way employees work and collaborate. Further
development of one's own career in the company is
important as well. HR leaders should be proactive in such
difficult times and help employees reach their full potential
at the physical, emotional, and intellectual levels.
Bringing the Best of HR
As an HR leader, the qualities that one must possess are
self-awareness, empathy, accountability, and growth. Lastly,
having a helping mindset in the growth of business and
employees is of supreme importance.
HR Leaders are the ones who can inspire people to thrive
and encourage, realizing their full potential. Being open and
learning the whole life are considered some of the
important traits of an HR leader, because by learning, one
can develop new perspectives and skills towards life.
Besides, communications skills, stand above all in the life
of an HR Leader.
HR Leaders hold the ability to support, especially in times
of crisis. They know how to motivate employees with a
high impact. They are always willing to learn and bring
change in the lives of the people by encouraging the team to
do better, think outside the box, and overcoming all the
hurdles.
Remember the HeRos
HR Leaders try to remain ahead of the competition by
hiring the best talent in the organization and meeting the
company goals. These HR leaders are building a beautiful
future of diverse workforce and transformation in the
company as well as the society. Finally, these HR leaders
are the people who bring the team together by inspiring,
encouraging employees, and building a growth map for
them. We must put our hands together and appreciate their
efforts by caring for the employees and keeping the
environment positive, with their humble and helpful nature.
Rethinking the Role of
HR LEADERS
During Pandemic

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March 2021
Evolution of HR

Megan Leasher
Ph.D., Chief Solutions
Strategist
Talent Plus, Inc.

Dr. Megan
Leasher
A CELEBRATED HR LEADER
Journeys will
always be disrupted.
We must always
frame disruption as
the capacity to
bring the awesome.
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March 2021

Human resources professionals
play an integral part in the
success of an organization.
Best HR leaders have learned,
developed, and experienced what it
requires to nurture and lead employees
throughout the employee lifecycle.
One such noteworthy HR leader is
Megan Leasher, Ph.D., Chief
Solutions Strategist at Talent Plus,
Inc., who helps employees, teams, and
organizations diagnose challenges,
strategize a way forward and formulate
impactful, holistic solutions.
Megan describes her leadership style
as transparent, individualized, and one
that offers caring, yet fierce protection
of her team.
In an interview with Insights Success,
Megan shared her journey, successes
and future endeavours as an HR leader.
Below are the highlights of our
interview with Megan:
Tell us about your organization,
Talent Plus. What makes it unique?
Talent Plus is truly unlike any
organization I have ever experienced.
At Talent Plus, we know everyone has
talent. When the right talent is aligned
with the right job, both success and joy
happen. Our mission is clear: we aim
to discover and develop talent, creating
a world where people do what they are
good at and enjoy. It is not enough for
us to help our clients as organizations;
we aim for each employee to be great
at and love what they do.
For more than 30 years, Talent Plus has
been working with organizations to
discover and develop top performing
people and build Talent-Based
Organizations ®. With more than 70
scientifically developed assessments
spanning a range of jobs, roles and
industries, no other organization
provides the level of knowledge
around individual potential.
Additionally, with a team of seasoned,
passionate experts, Talent Plus works
closely with its client partners to
continually assess, develop and
maximize talent. As a result,
individuals and businesses not only
thrive, but make a more positive
impact in the world.
According to you, what is the
highest-value opportunity for
improving talent management?
A true dedication to proactive
succession planning. Too often in
talent management, organizations have
moments where a quick, senior-leader
placement decision needs to be made
and they are ill prepared. I feel like
many of us have fallen prey to
experiencing one of these moments.
Getting ahead of those is critical to
confidently, swiftly and successfully
placing leaders, whether in short-term
interim, emergency and/or long-term
talent decisions.
What values are important to you as
a HR leader?
“Loyalty, positivity and confidence.” I
would not be the leader I am today
without these three values. They are
always on my mind and influence
every decision I make and every
relationship I build and foster.
Can you name a person who has had
a tremendous impact on you as a
leader?
There are countless people who have
imprinted positive leadership in my
life. However, the person who has
made the biggest impact on me as a
leader does not fall into this category.
Instead, she was the first boss I ever
had and was a terrible leader. I was 15
and a housekeeper in a hotel and
conference center. My boss was rude
and condescending. She regularly
accused us of lying and shirking our
duties when there was evidence to the
contrary. She took no interest in us as
people and would not even make eye
contact with us. Looking back, it was a
daily laundry list of how NOT to lead.
I feel both sad and grateful that I
learned so much from her.
What are you doing to ensure you
continue to grow and develop as a
HR leader?
I am making sure I spend time to
increase my knowledge about project
management and change management.
Both are incredibly valuable in getting
work accomplished and helping people
successfully transition to be their best
selves and accomplish their best work.
I am also working on my coaching
skills. Specifically, talking less and
last, and asking more open-ended
questions to help people realize and
envision their own ideas. I love being a
front-row witness to seeing the
excitement of someone coming up with
a new idea and their eagerness to try it
out.
What are your future endeavors and
goals?
My future goal is simple; to do all I
can to help people combine their
talents and passions to accomplish
greatness – greatness that helps us
actualize a better world. Whether that
is helping organizations innovate and
create visions, being a strong team
leader or helping individuals grow
when bouncing back from setbacks, I
want to help.

Where do you see HR industry in the
near future?
In the future, I see HR as the ultimate
change agent to help organizations
pivot teams toward accomplishing
goals that generate new revenue
streams, inspire leaders to thrive and
encourage employees to know their
potential – arming them with a road
map of tools to help them actualize it.
What advice would you like to give
to emerging leaders?
Focus on your talents. We all have our
“aces and spaces,” but we must make
an intentional choice to gain the self-
awareness of our talents so we can
leverage them in all that we do as
leaders.
Focus on serving one another.
Relationships are about helping each
other in good times and bad. Being in
caring service to others will keep us
humble, helpful and collaborative.
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March 2021

Eugenio Pirri,
Chief People & Culture Oﬃcer,
Dorchester Collec on

Eugenio Pirri
An Embodiment of Adept Leadership
The role of HR has come a long way. An HR
professional is not just a people person anymore.
Todays' businesses are in dire need of HR leaders
who have a unique balance of compassion, technical know-
how, and shrewd business acumen. By thriving in all the
above aspects, Eugenio Pirri is setting a striking instance
of strategic leadership. Eugenio is the Chief People &
Culture Officer at Dorchester Collection, a portfolio of
the world's foremost luxury hotels in Europe and the USA,
each of which reflects the distinctive culture of its
destination.
A well-rounded professional, Eugenio has been on a 30+
year journey to becoming a 'proficient' leader and he
genuinely does not see an end line to this. He says, "We are
all continually learning as the world around us is ever
changing. As we lead people, this also requires us to adapt
our styles, while staying true to your core values."
Eugenio's career has been focused on the hospitality
industry, which has seen him grow in multiple countries,
brands and varied type of hotels. This exposure to different
cultures and leadership styles has given him the ability to
adapt well. He is always guided by his personal values and
the vision of companies he works with.
Guiding by Kindness
Eugenio states that the very nature of hospitality is founded
in diversity, inclusion and belonging. Dorchester Collection
operates in an industry that is truly global; one that can be
found in every country, city, town and village. One that
believes training is important and all employees and people,
no matter their gender, race, nationality, gender identity or
other statuses, are equally important. The company is
inspired by the idea that when guided by kindness and the
positive spirit of hospitality, businesses can adapt their
offerings to meet all needs, whether through building
meaningful relationships, unique local experiences, varied
food and beverage offerings and so much more.
Source of Inspiration
Eugenio has been quite blessed to work with some amazing
people who have truly inspired him to be better, listen more
and act with a conscience. His first official mentor was an
amazing people leader named Sarah Stanger back in
Vancouver BC Canada. Sarah taught him to trust his gut but
ask the right questions. She instilled in him such a
confidence that he was there for a reason and this has driven
him ever since.
At this stage in his career, his current CEO, Christopher
Cowdray is truly Eugenio's inspiration. Christopher is a
value driven leader who believes that kindness wins the
day. He always takes the time to listen to others but acts in
service to the vision of the company. He truly inspires the
'many' through his actions.
A Take on Talent Management
Throughout his professional journey, Eugenio has spoken
often about talent management in how HR professionals
need to look at it differently. He is of the opinion that talent
pools, grids that box in employees and only looking at
potential 'future' leaders, all needs to change. He believes
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March 2021

that one can have a far greater, successful and profitable
business if, instead of narrowing their views of talent to
simply 'future leaders', they recognize that by placing the
right people in the right roles and give them the right
development, then every single person in this business can
be defined as talented. People are individuals and if
businesses create an environment whereby all people,
regardless of level, were given the opportunity to shine, it
would be a win-win for employer and employee. Therefore,
organisations must help employees truly identify their
strengths, weaknesses and natural talents. That way talent
doesn't become "limited to those who are vocal about their
leadership desires. Nor who meets pre-determined criteria
to gain access to a pool".
Values That Matter
When asked about values important for HR Leader,
Eugenio emphasizes on respect, transparency, passion and
the willingness to take responsibility. The latter also aligns
to integrity in owning faults as well as successes as this is
extremely important in one's growth as a leader. He opines
that as a people leader, respect in how he or she leads and a
true passion for the profession and industry allows growth
to naturally occur.
Involved With Younger Generation to Thrive
Eugenio has always been a big believer in thinking outside
one's own industry to learn and grow. Having spent the last
30 years in hospitality, he feels he knows his sector well.
According to him, by pushing yourself to network and learn
through other people professionals, you realise how much
of what we do is transferable and how you can adapt what
others are experiencing. Thus, he is involved with his local
professional body in growing his knowledge and also shares
what he knows and does as much as possible, especially
with younger generations as they will eventually lead our
world.
Encouraging Budding HR Professionals
Eugenio’s future endeavours are to keep creating
opportunities for people to learn, grow and develop into
inspirational leaders. He believes that the HR professionals
are no longer what they were earlier. They now are truly
operational in what they do and how they can lead their
businesses to success. They are no longer bound by
administrative borders and have become true business
partners. This means that People and Culture will continue
to set the standard in how they operate their business,
interact with their customers, and ultimately achieve brand
recognition and financial success.
In his advice to emerging leaders, he says "You should do
your job like you're not afraid to lose it. This means that
you have a voice and you must use it for good. Do not be
afraid to challenge the status quo in order to elevate the
business. Ensure you support those that may not have the
same voice you do. And, stay true to yourself and your
passions in making them a part of what you do. This means
you take risks and are willing to grow by experiencing new
challenges and contributing to ideas, approach, and
attitude."
Stay true to who you
are and support others
in reaching their
dreams. Help others to
be inspirational.
‘‘
‘‘

GORDON
TREDGOLD
A Leadership Expert Who Makes Leadership Simple
tedxbelfort 2018
Gordon Tredgold
CEO & Managing Consultant
Leadership Principles

eet Gordon Tredgold, CEO and Managing Consultant at
MLeadership Principles, who guides leaders through writing,
teaching and consulting. He has been ranked by Global
Gurus as one of the Top 10 Leadership Experts, Speakers, and Trainers
in the world. One of Gordon's key leadership philosophies is that people
are not afraid of hard work, they are afraid of failure, and as the leader
it's his job to create an environment where they have the tools and
understanding of what needs to be done in order to be successful.
In an interview with Insights Success, Gordon discusses about leadership
techniques which he is making accessible to people so they can practice
and implement them by themselves.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient
leader.
I started my professional career in IT, as a programmer, and worked my
way up to becoming a project leader. I got my break into management
because of my technical and problem-solving capabilities and was very
much a hands-on lead from the front type of leader.
At this time, I would say it was more my technical skills that helped me
drag projects over the line, but as I moved up onto bigger projects with
bigger teams, that was where I needed to make the switch to becoming a
more people leader type of leader. Looking to create visions and inspire
people and get the best out of the teams.
Here I was very fortunate, as I was huge sports fan, and playing rugby
was my number one passion growing up, so I understand the importance
of teamwork, motivation, and how you could take a group of average
players and mold them into a good, and sometimes great teams, and I
was able to start to bring this experience into my role as a leader.
How do you diversify your organization's offerings to entice the
target audience?
As mentioned before I look to Simplicity, when things are simple and
people can understand them, this allows them to take action and become
empowered. The offerings I use can be targeted at any level and be
understood at any level from boardroom to shop floor. The principles are
exactly the same, now how we implement or use them might change,
and the impacts that they have might be different, but the principles are
always the same core principles.
According to you, what are the highest-value opportunities for
improving talent management?
That's an interesting question, I think that leadership is the difference
between success and failure in an organisation; it determines whether
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teams are engaged, empowered and excited, and when
you have teams like that you can achieve amazing
things.
And I think in talent development, especially
leadership development, we have to help empower
people and also teach them how to empower people.
Engagement is great and there is lots of work done in
this area, but if teams are engaged but not empowered
then they become frustrated, whereas engaged and
empowered teams they become excited and highly
motivated.
What values are important to you as a HR leader?
In leadership it's all about results, you have got to be
able to deliver. Doesn't matter how nice you are, how
authentic you are if you don't deliver you will be out of
a job very quickly.
But these other qualities do matter, if your successful
without them, then results will not be sustainable or
repeatable.
So for me the important values are integrity, caring,
personal accountability and the understanding of how
to deliver results. When you have these qualities then
you can build great teams and high performing cultures
that will repeatedly deliver great results.
Gordon Tred gold Magic of Innovation 2

Can you name a person who has had a tremendous
impact on you as a leader? Maybe someone who has
been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person
impact your life?
I think Ken Blanchard has had the biggest impact on my
leadership, his books really helped me to see the value of
keeping things simple, and understanding what leadership is
about, and that good leadership works with everybody. I
think there I a lot of mystique around leadership and Ken
breaks it down to the bare essentials, and helps you to focus
on what's most important.
Would you like to learn more about People Analytics?
I am always looking to learn, and as I mentioned I am a
Mathematician by education, so anything related to data
and analytics is right in my wheelhouse.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and
develop as a HR leader?
Interestingly I find that the more I speak, write and teach
leadership the more I learn myself. In order to share
thoughts and ideas with people you need to understand
them at a much deeper level than you do if you're just a
practitioner. So I will continue to do that, but I also read and
study a lot, looking to see what the latest thinking is.
Although fundamentally good leadership has not changed
for 1000 years in my opinion, it's just how we teach it and
apply it that improves/changes.
I still lead teams too, so I am constantly looking to try new
things and develop new skills and techniques, and also to
deepen my understanding.
What advice would you like to give to the emerging
leaders?
Learn and understand the differences between leadership
and management, and work on developing both of these
areas. Leadership helps you create the vision, inspire your
teams and set them on the right path, and management will
help you ensure that they cross the finishing line.
Too many young leaders get bogged down in management,
and yes, it is important, but you can't manage at the expense
of leading.
One of the most important things I learned was that the
more you lead the less you will have to manage. If you
have clear vision, clear goals, and engaged and empowered
team it becomes so much easier. Yes there will be
challenges that need to be dealt and obstacles to overcome,
but there will be many, many more if you don't set you
teams us for success, and that's the real essence of
leadership.
“
“People are not afraid of hard work
they are afraid of failure. As leaders
it's our job to give people the tools
and knowledge that will give them
the condence that they will
succeed, and if you do that most
people will take that opportunity and
succeed.”
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March 2021

PR
in Crisis Management
Role of
S
ocial media drives communication in today's world.
Brand messaging, news stories and the public
perception of those communications can go viral in a
matter of hours, and negative news travels equally as fast as
good news. As a result, brands need to be aware of negative
publicity challenges. Businesses should arm themselves
with an understanding of how to plan for (and respond to)
any public backlash which occurs due to the company
failing to deliver on its promises; this could be the result of
mistreatment of employees or contractors, supplying a
faulty product, or simply miscommunication in the media.
The public may demand that a brand takes responsibility for
any negative news that arises, and if necessary, issue an
apology where culpability requires it. There can also be
times when a brand's reputation is sabotaged deliberately
(or seemingly deliberately) as a result of a customer
complaint in the social media space; or by a media
organization which has taken a particular stance against a
brand that does conform to its established “issue view”.
Whether allegations are true or not - or whether the brand is
involved directly with this public issue - some degree of
harm may come to its image. This in turn leads to a lack of
trust among customers/ stakeholders.
To protect their reputation, companies should be familiar
with tools and strategies available to them to manage
effective defense of their credibility when crises emerge.
This is where the security offered by Public Relations
representation becomes activated and positively reactive.
Members of the public often believe this to be the primary
function of a PR agency, when in reality, crisis management
should account for a tiny fraction of time spent managing
the brand's reputation. Daily consulting typically ensures
these crises never materialize, as collaborative steps are
continuously taken client-side to optimize the positive
perception of the brand in business and media consumer
markets.
That said, PR plays a critical role in managing crises when
they occur, from engaging media to ensure accurate
representation of the company's communication occurs, to
working with an organization's legal teams to understand
what has happened and plan a response.
Below are some of the roles played by PR in crisis
management:
Ÿ Investigation & Analysis: This involves evaluating
media platforms which are carrying the harmful story to
determine the problems caused by a crisis and its
potential knock-on effects; e.g.- finding out who is
engaged, what is being said by the media/public, the
intensity of the situation/repercussions, and what kind of
Leader’s Viewpoint

Karin Lohitnavy
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March 2021

reaction the brand is receiving from competitors and
non-governmental organizations. With the help of social
media, PR professionals can evaluate the situation in
real-time; an understanding of social metrics and
engagement relating to the crisis is the first step in
formulating a suitable PR strategy. This helps in
mapping communication with stakeholders, an
important step which will be used for creating key
messages targeted at supporting the credibility of a
response.
Ÿ Immediate Response: Key message determination and
resulting crisis response statements can make or break
the company's reputation. With a well-considered PR
strategy, brands can shield their reputation from
negative effects, define and communicate their stance
(and the proofing points which make it true) and
maintain stakeholder trust. Remember too that a well-
prepared crisis comms strategy can get an organization
back on its feet and immediately in good shape. For
example, in February 2018, KFC's biggest nightmare
turned into a reality. The famous fried chicken chain ran
out of chicken due to supplier issues. This resulted in the
company shutting down more than half of its stores in
the UK. The bright side of this story was the exceptional
way KFC handled this crisis, turning it into a positive
PR campaign for the brand. It effectively empowered its
reputation by fashioning a comms strategy based on
transparency and wit, and ultimately maintaining
customer trust.
Ÿ Recovery of a Brand's Reputation: Maintaining a
good company reputation after a crisis is one of the key
factors in determining whether or not customers will
buy a product again, or place their trust in a company's
services in the future. For example, companies like BP
and United Airlines are still operating somewhat under
the shadow of previous mass-market consumer PR
disasters. This is why businesses should always work to
improve reputation, and a simple place to start is with
communicating positives. Through proactive
storytelling, which highlights past successes, a good
track record and beneficial community input, a brand
can recover and give itself a robust platform from which
to grow. Corporate reputation, for better or for worse,
has an exceptionally long half-life; it is therefore one of
the most valuable things a businesses can focus on as a
priority. Investment here in PR representation can yield
lifelong benefits, in terms of cost-out risk management,
and also in creating that robust platform for consumer-
supported growth.
Every organization is vulnerable to crises. This is because
no matter how well we plan for risks, harm,
misunderstandings or misrepresentation, life can throw us
curveballs. If used effectively and ongoing, PR can prevent
a critical situation from resulting in irreparable damage to
the business's reputation and goodwill.

Henry Stewart,
Founder and
Chief Happiness Oﬃcer,
Happy

Henry Stewart
Creating Happy, Empowered and Productive Workplaces
throughout with a huge range of breakouts and other
interactive elements.
Happy’s Recent diversifications also include:
Ÿ Liberating Structures, 33 techniques to provide an equal
voice for all in one’s meetings and events.
Ÿ Brave leadership, a one-year programme for women
leaders.
Ÿ Level 7 Senior Leader: A two-year programme, which
Happy calls the “Happy MBA”, designed to transform
the cultures of those involved to ones based on trust and
freedom for their employees.
Maximizing the Talent of All People
Talent management is an interesting concept. Henry is not a
big believer in there being a small number of people who
represent “the talent” in an organisation. He believes in
Happy people are more productive. When people
are trusted and given enough freedom it
empowers them to do more. The empowerment
that comes through trust and freedom creates a happy and
productive workforce. The focus of an HR leader, or any
leader, should be on creating a framework where this is
possible. Henry Stewart is one such leader who believes
that people work best when they are happy and when they
feel good about themselves. He empowers people with trust
and freedom. He is the Founder and Chief Happiness
Officer at Happy. Henry states that some of his key values,
and Happy’s key values are: Believe the best of people;
Help people feel good about themselves; Delight the
customer; Celebrate mistakes; Make a difference in the
world.
Driven by Servant Leadership
Henry set up Happy back in 1987, 33 years ago. He wanted
to create a company that is principled and productive, and a
great place to work. Over those 33 years he has learnt a lot
about how to do that, but he says that he still has a long way
to go. He says that they have met many challenges over the
period, not least in the last year. He sees his role as that of a
Servant Leader, who supports its people rather than telling
them what to do. Happy’s vision is outlined by Henry in his
book, ‘The Happy Manifesto’. It outlines Happy’s 10
principles to create a happy, empowered workplace.
Creating Truly Engaging Online Events
Over the last year Happy has diversified by moving all its
classroom courses online. What Henry is most proud of is
the way the Happy team did this while keeping the
interactivity. Happy sees many people providing webinars
which are largely speaker-led, with maybe questions at the
end. If you come on a Happy course, you will be engaged
“Trust your people,
give them real
decision-making
power, and step back.
Your role is to
provide the
framework, not to
get involved in the
detail.”
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maximising the talent of all people in Happy. He ensures
that by empowering people to play to their strengths, to
give them the trust and freedom they need to do a great job
and to see the role of the manager as to be a coach (not an
expert who tells people what to do).
Being Inspired by the Greats
In 1992 Henry read a book called ‘Maverick’ by Ricardo
Semler. It told the story of how Ricardo took his father’s
manufacturing plant from a company where there was so
little trust that workers were searched every day at the
gates, to one where staff were given autonomy and able to
choose their own targets, their own managers and even their
own salary.
It was a transformative moment for Henry and for his
business. Happy Computers, as his company was then
called, only had three staff but he still used to call back
from holiday to check everything was ok. The inspiration
that Ricardo provided (and Henry later heard Ricardo speak
in the UK) set Happy on the path to becoming an
organisation based on trust and freedom.
Another key influence in Henry’s life was David Marquet
who described, in “Turn the ship around”, how he decided
as commander of a US nuclear submarine to make virtually
no decisions and instead to coach his people to be their best.
Henry adopted that practice four years ago, when things
were not going so well at Happy. As a result of stepping
back from decisions, and encouraging Happy’s front-line
staff to take responsibility, Happy had two years of 25%
growth and a return to profit. Henry says that being inspired
by great leaders works.
Continuing to Learn and Develop
It is important to continue to learn and develop and Henry
does that through books, videos and attending conferences
and, occasionally, courses. Recently he attended a webinar
that led him to create a new dashboard that gives much
greater clarity to people in Happy.
Henry is currently reading about “nonviolent
communication” a concept to increase empathy and
improve the quality of life of those around you. Henry is 61
but sees himself very much as a lifelong learner.
Enabling Fulfilment in People
Henry sees the HR industry as having different components.
Some focus on policies and processes and a lot of form
filling. Others focus on how to enable the people in one’s
organization to be truly fulfilled. Henry is hoping that the
HR industry will move away from the former and towards
those leading-edge HR leaders who seek to free up people
in their organization.
Celebrating Mistakes
The best advice Henry received was “Go make mistakes”.
It stood him in good stead and even now one of the five
core values of Happy is “Celebrate Mistakes”. Henry
advises future leaders to trust their people. He suggests
leaders to see their role as to show how clever and capable
their people are, not how clever and capable they
themselves are.

Karin Volo
Transforming Business Through Culture
Being trustworthy is fundamental to success of any
organization. Without the culture of trust, leaders
cannot drive a sustainable success of the
organization and its clients. Trust is the foundational to
attract great talent and retain that talent. High trust has a
direct correlation with the productive functioning of any
organization. Caring about people, being trustworthy, and
collaboration are the important values to be a good HR
leader. Karin Volo is one such HR leader who believes in
these values. She is the CEO at Evoloshen Academy.
Karin is an expert in culture, employee engagement,
personal and organizational development. The person that
always comes to Karin’s mind the one who has made huge
impact on her is her grandfather who was a very famous
Swedish photographer and published 100 books in his
lifetime. He instilled in her early on about going for one’s
dreams and making things happen.
Maximizing Potential of People
From headhunting, mentoring and coaching, to writing an
international bestselling book called Engage! this became
the catalyst to the work Karin and her team does now at
Evoloshen Academy. All of Evoloshen’s programs and
training have been created in direct response to the market
and its client needs. Karin’s purpose is bringing joy to the
workplace. She and her team accomplish this through
cultural transformation and trainings focused on employee
engagement, purpose, and building trust. She states that
they know how to maximize the potential of the people at a
company and reach higher productivity and profits by
creating a highly engaged workforce.
Culture of Trust and Care
Evoloshen’s work falls under a Culture Umbrella. Culture
holds the company together through good and especially
challenging times—as everyone has experienced in 2020!
Karin states that there are three key elements to creating an
amazing company: 1) Employee engagement—turning
one’s employees into raving fans that love the company and
are highly productive and joyful 2) having a bigger purpose
as to why you do what you do that is clearly defined and
attracts the best people and customers to you and finally 3)
building a high trust organization where people truly care

‘‘
“At Evoloshen Academy
we see a major shi
happening globally and
by deliberately crea ng
an amazing company
culture that focuses on
the people, planet, and
proﬁts, everyone will
thrive.”
49
|
March 2021

about each other since high trust has a direct correlation to
the bottom line.
Investing in Development of Employees
Karin believes that when one has done the “inner work” on
a company with the values, purpose, and vision, which are
clearly defined and living inside of the organization, one
can create an emotional connection to the employees. She is
aware that companies that invest in their people’s
professional and personal development build a pool of
talent within and can significantly increase loyalty. She
considers that culture is not only the glue that holds a
company together, but it is also a major attraction factor to
bringing in top talent. So, working actively on culture
solves or helps many issues within a company.
Tapping the Untapped Potential
Karin states that people are incredible human beings with
huge untapped potential that one can bring out. She says
that trust is so vital to any organization and is the
foundation to make all other things possible. She says,
“Without trust, a company will not flourish and can easily
become toxic. With trust, companies will easily pull ahead
of their competition and thrive.” Karin considers
collaboration is the way of working in the future. Coming
together on projects and co-creating based on passions and
talents is something will be the norm in the future.
Outcome Driven Methodologies
Evoloshen Academy’s proven outcome-driven
methodologies and frameworks help organizations
significantly increase cultural engagement and develop
more effective trustworthy leadership. Evoloshen
collaborates with top leadership experts, neuroscientists,
and large organizations around the world to deliver cutting-
edge research and solutions.
Being Aware of Latest Trends
Karin invests a lot in personal and professional
development. She reads up on the latest research and trends
to see where the business world is going. And she
interviews a lot of incredible CEOs for her podcast
www.theamazingleadersseries.com which gives so much
inspiration and insights to leaders because these CEOs truly
walk the talk when it comes to putting employees first.
Making Culture the Norm
Karin states that it’s been a pleasure to see HR moving
closer to the CEO level as they offer great support. She says
that Evoloshen will continue to help support companies on
their cultural journey. She sees a future where an amazing
company culture becomes the norm not the exception. Soon
we may be able to measure the DNA of a company and
match people tangibly based on values and purpose so that
both employees and companies will thrive. Progressive HR
is at the forefront of this!
Reducing Cold and Impersonal Language
Karin also thinks there is a need to rename Human
Resources as just the description takes out the people
element. She is concerned about the cold and impersonal
business language. She states that there is a need to bring
love and caring into the mix. She advises “Let’s talk about
LOVE as an acronym for ‘living our values every day’
because that’s when one will start to see people and
companies doing great things!”
Encouraging Future Leaders
Karin advises future leaders to know themselves
well—their values, their purpose, and their talents. Then she
asks them to find the right place where they can thrive. She
says that one will give inspiration and set a great example
for others which puts one into a leadership capacity, even if
one may not have direct reports yet. She states that the best
leaders are always growing and developing both themselves
and their teams and they believe in others.

Karin Volo
Co-Founder
Evoloshen Academy
51
|
March 2021

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