Fords Chief Talent Officers Take On Finding Balance Is One Youll Wish Youd Thought of Sooner

Fords Chief Talent Officers Take On Finding Balance Is One Youll Wish Youd Thought of Sooner Julie Lodge-Jarrett may have a demanding career, but that doesnt mean balance is lost on her. In fact, her take on what it means to achieve balance is quite inspiring. Balance to me means living one life leid trying to simultaneously manage multiple different lives (such as my work life, my life as a mother, my life as a spouse, my life as an individual who needs to care for herself, my life as a community activist, etc.), she says.As Chief Talent Officer at Ford Motor Company, Lodge-Jarrett has a lot on her plate at work. Yet shes been able to manage that work alongside her personal commitments because of Fords Put People First mentality which she herself has had a role in shaping. ur Culture Transformation is creating experiences for ur Ford gruppe that enhance their lives on a daily basis, Lodge-Jarrett explains. Were creating experiences that enable people to bring their whole selves to work and to work in roles that are adding value to the business, and were lebenspartnering together as a ONE Ford family.Tell me a bit about yur current role. What are your priorities? My current role is serving as Fords Chief Talent Officer. I have global responsibility for Talent Acquisition, Learning Development, Organization Development, Diversity Inclusion, Talent Processes Experiences, Talent Analytics, Talent Systems and Culture. My priorities this year can be summarized into three main areas of focus the redesign of our business, our culture, and our HR transformation.How has your career with Ford evolved? Where did you start on your journey and where are you now?I joined Ford Motor Company in 1998 through the Ford College Graduate rotational program in Human Resources. Im an HR Generalist with significant experience in labor relations and negotiations, HR business partner roles in several functions across the business, as well as assignments in HR strategy and global lea rning development.My family and I had the tremendous opportunity to go on international service assignment in Shanghai, China for nearly five years, where I served in both a regional Asia Pacific role as well as the HR VP, Greater China. All of these roles have helped to prepare me for the role I currently holdWhat does Put People First mean at Ford?Our belief at Ford is that freedom of movement drives human progress. Putting People First means that whether were talking about our customers, employees, partners, or communities, we obsess about the wants and needs of people and see this as critical to the success of our business and society as a wholeWhat inspired Ford to implement the Cultural Transformation? How did they decide which efforts to implement (employee feedback, research, a thought leader, etc.)?When Jim Hackett joined Ford as our CEO in 2017, he recognized that our industry would change more in the next decade than it has in the last century. And while there were so ma ny elements of our existing culture that would serve us well into the future, there were also elements that we needed to be reinforced or even fixed if we want to win in this future world. As the Chief Talent Officer, I partnered with our CHRO and our executive leadership team to lead this work for the company. We spent time honoring our 116-year journey to fully understand where weve been and how our culture has evolved over time. We conducted considerable internal and external benchmarking to bring an outside-in perspective. We engaged our employees and our leaders to identify what aspects of our culture they felt we should carry forward, and what behaviors we needed to lock away. We conducted a series of Culture Hackathons around the globe, and all of these inputs helped shape our evolved values and behaviors, known to our employees as Our Truths.How does Fords Cultural Transformation help its employees?Our Culture Transformation is creating experiences for our Ford team that e nhance their lives on a daily basis. Were creating experiences that enable people to bring their whole selves to work and to work in roles that are adding value to the business, and were partnering together as a ONE Ford family. The cultural shifts were seeking will also drive improved business results, as we know a positive shift in behaviors drives a positive shift in results. When Ford wins we all win How have employees responded to these efforts?We have engaged our employees throughout all stages of our journey, which was critical Overall, the vast majority of our employees are energized and engaged in this transformation, and we have thousands around the world who have volunteered to be members of our Culture Street team and are helping us bring this to life in their markets/functions. Given the vast population, we have some employees who are not as far along on the change curve and are resisting change. This is to be expected, and we are ensuring we bring all of our employees with us through a diverse set of actions and experiences that will demonstrate the change is real AND improvedAttaining work-life balance can be challenging. What people, resources and tools do you rely on to get it all done?I have a great team at work who I empower to make the right decisions, and a supportive family at home I rely greatly on this two-way support system I am diligent about my calendar, and make sure Im protecting time for both work and home and giving myself permission to say no to meetings and interactions that dont serve me or help me be my best.What does balance mean to you, and in what ways do you feel like youve achieved it? Balance to me means living ONE life not trying to simultaneously manage multiple different lives (e.g. my work life, my life as a mother, my life as a spouse, my life as an individual who needs to care for herself, my life as a community activist, etc.). This approach has been freeing and has allowed me to prioritize whats most important in my one life at any time and to ensure Im always spending time with who and what matters most. Whats the No. 1 piece of advice you would give to other women who want to excel both professionally and personally?Cut yourself some slack Practice loving kindness, as life is too short to not be happy and accepting of yourself. Surround yourself with people and work that bring you joy. And, finally, be grateful for all of your blessings and dont try to over control or predict your success. Be confident, and know that the journey youre on is exactly where youre supposed to be --Fairygodboss is proud to partner with Ford.Find a job there today