Exclusive Interview with Tyana Owings, Director of People, Cloverleaf

 

In an exclusive interaction with HR.com, Tyana shares insights into the evolution of her leadership and management strategies, driven by the dynamic shifts in the workforce and the modern workplace.

Q. How have your leadership and management strategies evolved as the workforce and workplace dynamics have changed over the years?

Tyana: Moving from “command and control” leadership vs. “trust and inspire” leadership used to be seen as a “nice to have”. It was something forward-thinking, new, progressive companies did, but wasn’t something that “worked” for established legacy companies or for larger national or international organizations. 

This is no longer the case. With the significant generational shift in the workplace over the past few years, globalization, and a recent global pandemic that forced us to accept that we truly can and HAVE to trust each other and be open to a myriad of ways of working, we can no longer rely on command and control forms of management and continue to be relevant. 

However, alongside “trust and inspire” leadership, there’s also a movement to lead employees more holistically, leading them as Whole Humans, beyond just their list of roles and responsibilities. We don’t just hire the employees for what they do tactically for the company; we hire their whole selves and everything that they bring as human beings to the role. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Leaders need to understand the strengths, motivators, and behavioral tendencies of each person they lead. They need to be able to adjust their leadership style to meet the needs of each person and know how to coach in a way that leverages strengths and develops those areas that don’t come naturally. This Whole Human approach also has to include acknowledgment and empathy around neurodiversity, mental health issues, cultural issues, etc. 

Q. In the age of remote work and digital collaboration, how do you ensure that the company’s culture and values remain intact and resonate with employees?

Tyana: Our company’s culture is built on aligned mission and values, and we talk about these constantly, at all levels of the organization. It’s incorporated into our daily recognition process (we use Bonusly and love it), it’s discussed in quarterly all-team meetings, and we regularly talk about how business decisions reflect our values and move us toward our mission. Perhaps most critically, it’s not an “HR initiative” - it’s role modeled, discussed, owned, and held accountable by our leadership from our Co-Founders down through every level of the organization. 

We also regularly check the pulse of our people to ensure our culture is where we want it to be. Rather than an annual engagement survey - which only captures the culture at a singular point in time - we do weekly short pulse surveys and include check-ins as a part of our weekly 1:1 cadences between every employee and manager. These processes help us to affirm where we’re succeeding in living out our values and the culture we desire, and more quickly give us information we can act on if there is a need to redirect.
 

Q. What according to you is one of the most overlooked issues facing HR today?

Tyana: While I see a lot of articles about employee engagement, talent acquisition, change, etc. as issues facing HR - and these indeed are real concerns - I actually think the biggest issue is under-resourced HR teams and a lack of organizations valuing People teams as necessary strategic partners versus a “cost center”. Talented HR leaders, with the verbal and resource backing of an organization, can make some of these other “issues” disappear or drastically diminish. A misalignment of expectations, and the resources to meet these expectations, is what is leading to a lot of burnout and HR professionals leaving the field. 

Rather, organizational leaders need to see the importance and value of being a People-First organization and support it strategically as a critical part of the way they do business. As Richard Branson has been attributed as saying, “If you take care of the employees, they’ll take care of the clients”, and then the clients will take care of the business. We can’t proverbially tie the hands of the people charged with ensuring employees are cared for and set up for success and expect them to work miracles, while simultaneously wondering why things like retention, change management, productivity, and engagement are issues. Understanding and respecting the strategic partnership and managing expectations - in accordance with company values and financial means - is a critical balance to strike. 

Q. How do you strike a balance between leveraging advanced HR technology and maintaining the “human touch” in employee interactions?

Tyana: I see HR technology and the “human touch” much more as a tapestry than things that are easily siloed or “balanced”. When done well, technology is woven into conversations, processes, and strategies. For example, with onboarding, we’ve automated some of the pre-hire processes, as many companies have. The human touch comes in the conversations before they’re assigned that paperwork, and afterward to help with things like aligning our core values and explaining benefits. The technology has allowed us to more intentionally focus our time and bandwidth on those human conversations vs. manual processes. It’s leveraging technology such as eLearning to explain concepts but having a human conversation about what you learned and how to apply it later.. It’s referring to coaching software like Cloverleaf for insights on a team member before you meet with them in person or on Zoom. 

Technology shouldn’t replace “human touch”, but ideally help facilitate intentionality in our relationship-building and collaboration. 

Q. Employee well-being is gaining prominence. How has your HR team implemented initiatives to support mental and emotional wellness among employees?

Tyana: We have ensured that our holistic benefits offerings include a variety of employee well-being supports, from medical insurance that covers therapy sessions and fertility assistance to an EAP that provides options to speak with a human 24/7. We also provide a monthly stipend that supports wellness by reimbursing for things like gym memberships, yoga classes, or the purchase of a treadmill or standing desk for home. We bring a strong focus to wellness every August during Wellness Month and have offered workshops on nutrition, beating burnout, and designing the life you want throughout the year as regular touchpoints. 

We also want to make it fun, so we have Slack channels dedicated to a variety of things that contribute to employee well-being: physical activity, travel, recipes, reading, movies/films, gaming, etc. - all things that our employees have voiced are things that help them manage stress and enjoy life. We also have regular ways for people to be rewarded for self-care through our recognition platform (Bonusly) to consistently acknowledge healthy behaviors. 

Q. What do you believe will be the most significant HR trends and challenges that organizations will face in the next five years, and how are you preparing your team to address them effectively?

Tyana: The move toward a Whole Human approach to leadership and employee experience isn’t going to slow down. The pandemic hit the gas pedal forcing companies to see that people were more than their job description, and the generational shift and the shift in values that comes along with that will only continue to move the needle on this. HR will need to continue to support and provide resources for leaders to balance the real needs of the human beings working for them with the needs of the business. 

Investing in leadership development and the tools, resources, and systems that support leaders in becoming better coaches of humans is going to be critical, not a “nice to have”. We can’t ask organizations and leaders to adapt to the needs of their people and help them grow without providing them with the tools and resources to better understand their people, adapt and adjust accordingly, and point their team members in a direction of growth. 

While tactical leadership skills will still be needed - such as delegation, problem-solving, conflict resolution, etc. - additional skills around coaching, managing ambiguity, situational adaptability, and valuing the diversity of all kinds (including cognitive and behavioral) will be critical. 
 

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