Liberty Mutual Insurance VPs Loralie Thostenson & Shawn Tubman
Episode 188: Show Notes.
The talent organization is often seen as a business within a business, but sometimes it is seen more as an expense than a massive contributor to the bottom line. Today we are joined by Liberty Mutual\u2019s Shawn Tubman, who is the head of talent acquisition, and Loralie Thostenson the SVP, technology talent officer.\xa0Our guests provide insight into how the operation of the huge talent organization at Liberty Mutual is structured before we discuss how the talent team is seen as an expense center, and how to put into dollars and cents how it is profitable. Tuning in you\u2019ll hear about the transactional lens and the global lens through which Shawn sees ROI for talent processes, as well as the pros and cons of the qualitative approach versus the quantitative approach to proselytizing the value of HR to an organization. Later we talk the very important role of strategy in HR, how our guests determine what specific things a talent organization needs to do to meet the needs of a business, how understanding these needs informs the process of decision making, and why you should ask \u201cA year from now, what are we going to regret not doing?\u201d Listen in today to find out how to balance trying to reach a high headcount goal while also being strategic, the importance of scheduling time for strategizing, and Shawn and Loralie\u2019s advice on how to build your career and be deliberate about your own growth.
\xa0
Key Points From This Episode:
\xa0
- How Shawn Tubman has managed to stay at Liberty Mutual for so many years.
- Loralie Thostenson\u2019s thoughts on how the job may stay the same, but unique challenges provide diversity.
- Insight into how the operation of the talent organization at Liberty Mutual is structured.\xa0\xa0
- Thoughts on how the talent organization is often seen as a business within a business and how this compares to other departments.\xa0
- How Shawn and Loralie put into dollars and cents how HR contributes to the bottom line.\xa0\xa0
- The transactional lens and the global lens through which Shawn sees ROI for talent processes and how they differ.\xa0
- Thoughts on the qualitative approach versus the quantitative approach to proselytizing the value of HR to an organization.\xa0
- How our guests determine what specific things a talent organization needs to do to meet the needs of a business on a macro-level.\xa0
- How taking the time to understand what the organization really needs informs the process of decision making.\xa0
- Why you should ask \u201cA year from now, what are we going to regret not doing?\u201d\xa0
- How to balance trying to reach a high headcount goal while also being strategic.\xa0
- The importance of scheduling time for strategizing.\xa0\xa0
- Loralie\u2019s advice to make sure that you always understand how you\u2019re adding value.\xa0
- Shawn\u2019s advice to not be afraid to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and the importance of self-awareness.
\xa0
Tweetables:
\xa0
\u201cYou can\u2019t put a price on making the best hire because one hire could really change and shape an organization.\u201d \u2014 Shawn Tubman [0:13:46]
\xa0
\u201c\u2018Nothing really happens in an organization until you make a sale,\u2019 right? You\u2019ve got to make the sale and then everything comes after it. \u2014 The thing that came to my mind was, \u2018Nothing happens until you hire the person that makes the sale.\u2019\u201d \u2014 Shawn Tubman [0:14:17]
\xa0
\u201cI think one way of thinking about it is data often times is your \u2018what\u2019 and the anecdote is the \u2018why\u2019. Having the \u2018what\u2019 and the \u2018why\u2019 paired together on any topic really makes the connection and gives the whole picture.\u201d \u2014 Loralie Thostenson [0:17:50]
\xa0
\u201cThere is a balance between the transactional piece of recruitment, which is working with a hiring manager to fill a singular job and then having that overarching strategic approach. I don\u2019t think one could live without the other.\u201d \u2014 Shawn Tubman [0:22:56]
\xa0
\u201cA well-thought-out strategy, it has to be part of all recruitment organizations, whether that exists on the individual recruiter desk or whether it exists on the leader level for a large organization. Time and intentionality has to be spent in defining that strategy.\u201d \u2014 Shawn Tubman [0:23:51]
\xa0
\u201cMake sure that you always understand how you\u2019re adding value to the business regardless of what level talent role that you\u2019re at.\u201d \u2014 Loralie Thostenson [0:30:46]
Links Mentioned in Today\u2019s Episode:
Shawn Tubman\xa0