Meet Diane Spiegel, Cultural Expert, Executive Coach at Leaderology, adjunct faculty at University California Irvine, and Culture Curator. I had the pleasure of working with Diane when she was Chief People Officer at Opus Bank and I was Chief Innovation Officer there. During our time as colleagues, we talked about a lot, but we spent hours on many trips talking about the ins and outs of culture. With 2020 being the year it has with the way we work, the way we connect, and the way we communicate all changing, I thought it would be a great time to reconnect with Diane and discuss more about culture.
Culture encompasses a lot of things from hiring to firing to the way a company lives and breathes on a daily basis. Culture is the DNA that makes up a company and attracts talent, it is what makes people feel passionate and comfortable. Listen below as Diane and I discuss the different components of a successful culture and what financial services can do specifically to improve.
#TechTuesday Highlight #72: Diane Spiegel, Cultural Expert
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How/why did you get into your space?
Talent development and culture have been key career drivers as I have always been interested in what occurs when people work together. I see the connection between the two as culture is created and sustained one person at a time. My career began in Learning & Development, which led to Leadership and Organizational Development with mostly large companies providing the opportunity to do this work along with other talented professionals in my field. I have had the privilege of being both internal and external and I think this mix has supported an informed perspective, (what does it feel like to be an employee of a company?) along with that external eye allowing for an open mind and no agenda.
Though I consider myself a practitioner, I am informed and influenced by research and academia and have always kept current with ideas and thought leaders. There is much data and information about talent and culture, keeping up could be a full-time job!
What role do you play in the tech ecosystem and why is that role important?
The role I play in an organization’s ecosystem is to support the growth of talent and culture. Attracting, retaining and developing talent are key to a brands growth and when dealing with gifted and high potential employees, they are especially vulnerable to being poached by a competitor, we need to be vigilant in their employee experience within the company as well as having a clear focus on their growth and development.
How has technology impacted your industry and why is this important?
As I work across a variety of industries, technology has had an impact on every aspect of both the employees experience, as well as on customers and consumers. Keeping pace with this impact is critical as change does not come easily to all, we need to manage the change process, communicate and lead it as we can become “change fatigued” from so many new implementations and technologies.
What do you believe is the most exciting tech trend for 2020 (as it relates to your industry)?
The trend from a talent perspective for 2020 is the process of how organizations effectively lead through this pandemic, how they communicate and keep employees feeling safe, how they plan for what could be a rebound to protect jobs, keep customers and employees invested in your brand and future.
Who is a person that inspires you in the space and why?
I follow Dr. Brene Brown, her books and TED talks inspire and talk about emotions, vulnerability, joy, leading.
“We desperately need more leaders who are committed to courageous, wholehearted leadership and who are self-aware enough to lead from their hearts, rather than unevolved leaders who lead from hurt and fear.” Dr. Brene Brown
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into your space?
Working with talent and culture is a focus on people, processes and environments. Be curious, ask questions, see what motivates people, what gets in the way of developing talent? If this is of interest, ask to:
• support a new hire through their onboarding process
• mentor an employee
• work on a stretch HR or talent project with your Talent/HR team
• check out courses, there are many online as well as workshops, and articles
I am happy to have a conversation about this, please reach out.
Anything else we should know about you or you want to include?
I am researching for my next book which is about the impact of toxic people and welcome the opportunity to interview those who have been impacted by the effect of a colleague, boss or stakeholder. Send me an email at: diane@the-end-result.com
#businessunusual #talent #culture #hr #leadership #womeninstem
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Have thoughts on this week’s trends or questions for me or Diane? Post your thoughts in the comment section or share them on Twitter. Please include the hashtag #techtuesday and mention me @ScarlettSieber! Until next week. 🙂
You can connect with Diane on LinkedIn.
