Traron Moore: Member Spotlight (October 2017)
October 1, 2017
Anthony P. Howard: Member Spotlight (December 2017)
December 9, 2017
“I’ve worked in three different industries thus far and the ability to transition from one industry to another is possible, but not something people believe can happen successfully. I believe the management and leadership of people transcends industries.”
-John G. Holly, Human Resources Executive / Consultant
Imagine…
You’re on your game. You’re making the rounds in your field. You came out of college as a Recruiter finding new college graduates for one of Georgia’s most recognized brands, Georgia Power. Heck, you even began working at the company as a co-operative education student before you accepted the regular full-time role, so you’ve been doing this for a while now and you know your stuff. You’ve moved around a little bit and tried on some new HR hats for size; HR Business Partner, EEO, Employee Relations, Benefits, they all fit you well. You take the tools that you’ve amassed along your professional development journey and try them in a few new industries like Food Services, Retail and Communications. Your sharpened tools serve you well. You’re a rockstar! While most of your career time has been spent working in Atlanta and other companies in the Southeast, you feel that it is time to move beyond those borders and raise your challenge bar yet again, you accept a Human Resources VP role at Cox Communications’ in the New Orleans, Louisiana region. Things are going well until about 4 months in, tragedy hits, and her name is Hurricane Katrina.
As an HR professional, my role changed completely in regards to what it meant to take care of people. Clothing and feeding people also became a part of what it meant for me and our team to take care of our associates. What that experience did was help me to grow in terms of managing unplanned circumstances. In this field, you have to manage situations that are not always pleasant. It’s a challenge delivering bad news to people, but when dealing with people, two things you’ve got to have are compassion and Emotional Intelligence; helping people to see change not as a death knell, but as the opportunity to do something different and grow.
Those were the words of NAAAHR member John Holly as he was asked to recall one of the most challenging moments in his career. In speaking with John, you come to understand that he does not shy away from a challenge if it affords the opportunity for growth.
I like to be challenged and be excited about any opportunity. I told myself long time ago that every couple of years I need to do something different; whether that means changing companies or accepting a new role within the same company. I spent eleven years at Cox, nineteen and a half years with Georgia Power, accepting a new role roughly every two to three years while there. I’ve worked with union and non-union groups in three different industries thus far and the ability to transition from one industry to another is possible, but not something people believe can happen successfully. With each successful transition, I proved that it can be done successfully due to my knowledge, experience and skillset. The management and leadership of people transcends industries.
Being able to transition with fluidity through the maze of Human Resources is not the only skillset that John has been able to master. A little-known fact about John, he recently added voice over work to his list of skills. What are some of the voice over projects that John has worked on? What is John’s current focus on within the field of Human Resources? –and what about the future? I invite you to come out next week and ask him yourself at our November Chapter Meeting, where you can meet John and other professionals from various industries. Click here for more information on the November Chapter Meeting and to register now. Remember: Advance Registration=Cost $avings, so don’t delay…
