Insights
Practical perspectives on transformation, digital HR, and leadership effectiveness—drawn from 23 years at Procter & Gamble and informed by Wharton executive education.
Adoption is the real work
Strategy documents don't change organizations. Operating routines, governance frameworks, and systematic leader enablement determine whether transformation becomes sustainable reality. At Fortune 50 scale, the complexity isn't in designing the change—it's in achieving adoption across thousands of leaders in dozens of countries.
ROI begins with simplification
Technology platforms deliver value only after processes are standardized and data discipline is established. Simplify first, then automate—not the reverse. The enterprise technology graveyards are full of expensive platforms deployed before organizations were ready to use them effectively.
Culture is a system, not a slogan
Sustainable culture change requires integrated design: behaviors linked to incentives, cadence that reinforces priorities, and accountability systems that measure adoption. Values posters don't change culture—performance management, promotion decisions, and resource allocation do.
Decision rights reduce friction
Clarity on who decides versus who executes is the fastest lever for improving speed and accountability. Ambiguity in decision rights creates organizational drag. At P&G, we learned that speed isn't about moving faster—it's about removing decision-making friction.
Build capability like a product
Define desired outcomes, design learning journeys with clear milestones, and measure both skill acquisition and sustained application. Capability building requires product discipline: user research, iterative design, adoption metrics, and continuous improvement.
What CEOs expect from HR leaders
Business outcomes over activity metrics. Speed in execution. Credibility with functional leaders. Measurable change adoption. HR as strategic partner, not service provider. The most successful CHRO relationships I've observed at Fortune 50 level share this common thread.
Fortune 50 is different
What works at 5,000 employees often fails at 50,000. Scale introduces complexity that changes everything: governance becomes critical, communication cascades break, and change fatigue is real. Solutions that work in startups or mid-size companies need fundamental redesign for enterprise scale.
Analytics without action is noise
Workforce analytics only creates value when insights drive decisions. Too many organizations build analytical capability but don't change decision-making processes. The goal isn't beautiful dashboards—it's different choices that produce better outcomes.
Resistance is information
When leaders resist change, they're often signaling real implementation problems: unclear benefits, insufficient resources, conflicting priorities, or poor timing. Treating resistance as obstruction misses the diagnostic value. The best change leaders listen to resistance carefully.
From P&G: Lessons in discipline
Twenty-three years at Procter & Gamble taught me that excellence in HR—like excellence in brand management—requires relentless discipline in a few fundamental areas:
- Strategic clarity: Be crystal clear on what success looks like and why it matters to the business. If you can't explain the business case in 60 seconds, you're not ready.
- Consumer obsession (employee experience): Just as P&G obsesses over consumers, HR must obsess over the employee experience. Design for the end user, not for HR convenience.
- Analytical rigor: Measure what matters. Track adoption and outcomes, not activity. Build business cases with the same rigor as product P&Ls.
- Brand building (employer brand): Employer brand is as important as consumer brand. Protect it, invest in it, measure it. Every employee interaction shapes it.
- Excellence in execution: Good strategy poorly executed loses to average strategy well executed. Fortune 50 companies don't fail for lack of strategy—they fail in execution.
Wharton perspective: Evolving HR leadership
Currently completing executive education at Wharton's HR Officer Program, I'm deepening expertise in the evolving landscape of workforce strategy. Some observations on where HR leadership is headed:
- From function to business partner: The CHRO role is becoming more strategic, requiring deeper understanding of business economics, competitive strategy, and operational execution.
- Technology fluency required: HR leaders must understand AI, automation, and digital transformation—not just as users, but as strategic investors and risk managers.
- Workforce analytics essential: Data literacy isn't optional. CHROs need to interpret complex data, challenge assumptions, and make evidence-based decisions.
- Global complexity increasing: Managing workforce strategies across diverse regulatory environments, cultural contexts, and labor markets requires sophisticated judgment.
- Organizational design matters more: As work becomes more complex and distributed, org design and operating models are critical levers for competitive advantage.
Connect on LinkedIn
For ongoing perspectives on HR transformation and leadership effectiveness informed by P&G experience and Wharton education, connect on LinkedIn where I share insights from executive HR practice.