hr influencer
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over my time and work than I would as
an employee.
As a small business owner with a vary-ing
workload, I have developed a small,
highly engaged and enthusiastic team of
consultants dedicated to exceeding the ex-pectations
of my clients, and I reach out to
them when the workload becomes heavy.
They are a constant source of inspiration
for me.
What are the challenges you
experience in your job?
CGB: Working for yourself can be a
challenge because you must be motivat-ed
and organized. Being self-employed
also means that you need to be self-driven
in finding the work, so there’s an element
of risk to that. It’s not for everyone, but
for me the benefits of my work and the
satisfaction I derive from it have out-weighed
the challenges. I manage a very
small practice and therefore must rely
solely on a few professionals to serve a
large geographical territory.
At times, when working on a project in-dependently,
I miss the camaraderie of
peers. I seek out opportunities to connect
through social media such as LinkedIn.
Active involvement in associations such
as the Greater Sudbury Chamber of
Commerce and HRPA is so important.
Networking with other HR professionals
and business people keeps me connected
with the community and others in my field.
Another challenge is the ebb and flow
of business and it takes trial, error and ad-justment
to strike the proper balance with
staffing and resources as an entrepreneur.
What’s key to leading HR during a
difficult time for a client organization?
CGB: Leadership is key – you really need
to engage your workforce when navigat-ing
through difficult circumstances. At
times of turbulence, HR has a critical
role in terms of the impact of the change.
It’s critical that HR leaders utilize their
knowledge and experience in navigating
change to advise, coach, communicate and
support an organization’s senior leaders
and staff. The nature of the workforce is
changing and HR must inspire and moti-vate
people to adapt to new environments,
roles and circumstances.
What skills are important
for success in HR?
CGB: HR is so multifaceted. There are,
however many foundational skills that span
the boundaries of the profession, includ-ing
resiliency, analytical skills, verbal and
written communication skills and busi-ness
acumen. As well, individuals need the
ability to look at the big picture. HR pro-fessionals
need to be adaptable and take the
time to continuously learn through their ca-reers,
not only about HR but also about the
business and the industry.
HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ APRIL 2017 ❚ 43
