I had the pleasure of interviewing Brennan O’Leary, Senior HR Professional at Willis Towers Watson on the successes and challenges at work. Brennan is in charge of onboarding and new employee training.

He is the ultimate interview guest. And shares numerous strategies that work as a Senior HR Professional. Additionally, he has a great sense of humor that creates a PERFECT interview.  Enjoy the video and please add your comments to continue the conversation.

 

What challenges at work do your colleagues experience?

Our work is driven by clients. They expect a quick turnaround. There are times when client projects come in all at once. As a result, this leads to exhaustion for our colleagues. And we know that this is the business we are in and that we need to deliver. We do what we can to help out colleagues deal with burnout.  

 How does leadership help colleagues deal with challenges at work?

Consulting can have erratic hours. We need a balance. Our leadership gives colleagues the opportunity to get balance. They know it isn’t easy at times. 

Everyone works at home. Before we had happy hour and social community outreaches. The team enjoyed these events and appreciated our efforts. This has stopped since we are working at home. Our culture has helped us get through a tough year. We still have the work. Yet we are not getting together face to face. 

At times colleagues take on too much. Leadership encourages them to stand up for themselves. Some don’t know how to set boundaries.

How have you dealt with bullies in your life?

We have to be adaptable and work through the situation. The bully won’t go away. We need to figure out the best way to deal with him or her. It helps when we put ourselves in the bully’s shoes.  What’s going on in their life? See why they are acting out. 

What strategies do you use when you work with new hires to reduce challenges at work?

We have honest conversations. And give them the opportunity to speak up first. The new hire may feel intimidated if the Senior person talks first.

I love lifting others up. That’s what good leaders do. Get others involved so they have a voice.

It’s great to hear their suggestions when we ask them, “What can we do better for next year that we are not seeing?” We tell new hires that the onboarding is based on feedback from new hires. And we fix the challenges from their feedback.

We take for granted what is obvious to us because we’ve been working here for years.  The basic tasks are not obvious to new people. Such as technical issues and knowing where everything is located. Leadership communicates that after time, they will feel more confident.

We encourage them to use their voice so they feel heard.

If we met for coffee, what burning question would ask me?

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self if you had a time machine and you could go back?

I told Brennan, “Never let obstacles stop you. How dare you take that negative advice and believe it. Just continue – no matter what. And, don’t let anyone discourage you.”

I asked Brennan the same question and he replied, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Stop dwelling on something negative that happened.  Everyone feels stupid at times. Learn from the stupid mistake. 

{Hey dear readers, do you now see why I’m sharing Brennan’s interview with you? :)}

What topics would you like me to cover in future videos?

What are the biggest challenges at work that HR Professionals will face in 4 years?

Let’s Stay Connected

Thanks to Brennan O’Leary for such an engaging interview. I will be collecting the newest information from all my interviews and sharing the video and content with you. Topics will cover the successes and challenges at work. And, you can learn from the best HR professionals in the business!

Please share your thoughts about Brennan’s interview. How does it resonate with you?
You can share in the comment section or send me a private email HERE.

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Until Next Time,

Joyce Weiss, M.A., CSP, CVP
Communication Coach
Queen of Conflict Resolution

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