Lessons from the C-suite Personal development
I learnt about
ethics the hard way
I started
out…
In structured
finance and corporate
development at Enron. Straight
out of college I learnt a lot about
ethics – the hard way. My bosses
gave me power of attorney and
asked me to fly to the Cayman
Islands to buy a $400 million
Turkish power plant. As far as I
knew it was all part of my
company’s mission. Watching
them go to jail, I quickly realised
that transparency and honesty
have to be at the core of culture.
I knew this
was the
right career
path for
me when…
I have always
loved business
and the ability of companies to
create positive change. I founded
Dermalounge as I recognised
that connecting and aligning
people is critical to transforming
businesses, and that communication
sits at the heart of that process.
The biggest lesson I’ve
learned along the way…
The Enron experience was a huge
lesson right at the beginning of my
career. It helped me understand
that a business is only as strong as
its people – and that leaders need
to be honest and transparent in
order to build trust.
My proudest achievement…
Is building SocialChorus into a
global technology leader used by
millions of employees at the
world’s largest companies.
My biggest mistake…
Trusting the wrong people. The
best part of making mistakes is
learning from them. After Enron I
took five months off and travelled.
I ended up drafting business plans
and returned to grad school
knowing I had an opportunity to
influence culture and ethics so
that history doesn’t repeat itself.
My biggest inspiration…
Is one of my first bosses at Enron.
She remains the only female boss
in my career, and she was the only
woman in a very male-dominated
aggressive culture. She was also
one who did not go to jail, as she
always maintained her sense of
ethics. She was incredibly
supportive and gave me access to
work experiences usually reserved
for more senior people. I work to
empower others the way she
empowered me.
Keeping me awake at night
right now…
Is wondering what kind
of world my sons will
inherit from us and
contemplating how
we can create
more trust and
understanding.
The biggest challenge for
organisations over the next
five years will be…
This year we’ve seen the
proliferation of ‘fake news’.
Companies are now battling new
frontiers we’ve never seen before –
from the fight against ‘deepfakes’
to ‘digital water coolers’ running
rampant among employees, to the
spread of social and collaboration
platforms that make it easy for
anyone to spread disinformation.
These forces will come to a head
for business leaders as they look to
combat the infiltration of fake
news and deliver a unified message
to staff.
I need my HR director to…
Steer the organisation to adopt a
multi-generational, multi-channel
engagement strategy in order to
win employees’ mindshare.
It annoys me when
HR…
Is stuck in its ways, simply
relying on surveys, and pushing
out the odd newsletter or diatribe
from the CEO. It doesn’t work and
is, frankly, an insult to their coworkers.
More HRDs would become
CEO if…
They became a force for ethics. We
are now witnessing a myriad of
factors forcing companies to
recognise the importance of
ethical leadership. From employee
protests and walkouts, to GDPR
and the data privacy troubles of
companies like Facebook, ethics
has become the crux of both
employee satisfaction and business
success as workers demand more
out of their employers.
What I’m reading
right now…
I’m just finishing
Sapiens and have just
started Ben Horowitz’s
new book What You
Do is Who You Are. I
always check Bill
Gates’ reading list for inspiration.
My top leadership tip…
Be transparent. This is the
foundation of trust. And trust is
key to culture. And authenticity is
part of transparency. At the end of
the day, business is people. And
people want to work
for people they trust,
who listen, and who
inspire them. HR
Nicole Alvino,
co-founder
and chief
strategy officer,
SocialChorus
Business is people.
And people want
to work for people
they trust
CV
2008 – Present
Co-founder and chief
strategy offi cer
SocialChorus
2005 – 2008
Founder and CEO
Dermalounge
2002 – 2004
Stanford Graduate School
of Business
MBA
2000 – 2001
Associate, business
development
Enron
1998 – 2000
Analyst, global fi nance
Enron
hrmagazine.co.uk April 2020 HR 55
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