Exclusive Interview with Caroline Werner, CPO, LogicGate

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As Chief People Officer, Caroline Werner brings more than 18 years of HR experience to LogicGate. Prior to LogicGate, Caroline served as SVP of global talent at Korn Ferry, with over 8,000 employees across 38 countries. As SVP, she was responsible for talent strategy, initiatives, training, administration, compensation, employee relations, mobility and performance management. Caroline serves as an executive mentor through Mentium and is a member of Chief, the Society of Human Resource Management and the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago. She is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

In an exclusive interview with HR.com, Caroline traces her journey from being an HR administrator to chief people officer, her learnings over the years, and the challenges she overcame, among others.

Excerpts from the interview:
 

Q: What has your HR journey been like and what influenced you the most to have a positive impact on your career?

Caroline: I started my career 18 years ago as an HR administrator at United Stationers in the Comp & Ben department. Since then I’ve held a variety of roles and worked my way up: from benefits analyst to HR generalist to regional HR leader to head of global operations. Most recently I served as SVP of global talent at Korn Ferry, with over 8,000 employees across 38 countries. 

During the pandemic, like a lot of people, I went through absolute burnout — mental, emotional, physical — all of it. It made me think about what really lights me up, where I want to spend my time and what I was missing. I missed the excitement, energy and accomplishment I feel in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and the ability to make quick decisions and have influence. 

When I was introduced to LogicGate CEO Matt Kunkel, it was love at first conversation, as I say. We share the same perspective and foundational views on people, embracing growth, and preparing today to scale for the future. Matt was looking for a trusted advisor and partner, and that is what I want to be for him, the leadership team, and the company. 

As far as what’s influenced my own career trajectory and growth, one concept I’m passionate about is owning my own career. Yes, your manager owns a piece, and yes, your company owns a piece, but it is yours at the end of the day — your career and your life. 
 

People ask me all the time how I have gotten where I am. Of course, many people gave me opportunities. But I also raised my hand, did my research, and took on tasks that weren’t my favorite (or that I had no idea how to do!) — all to learn from those experiences and get where I wanted to be. 

I’ve learned what I like to do and what I don’t like to do. I advise people that it is just as important to understand what you don’t like to help get to what you do enjoy. I also look for this on the talent I bring on to my team and the company: Are you open, agile, willing to take things on and figure it out?

Q: What were your challenges during the early days of your career? What are those today?

Caroline: In the early days of my career there were many bright spots, but also faced consistent challenges as a successful and driven “early career” individual. 

I would say the most challenging was being disappointed in people above me, who were unable to see that I could do and contribute more and differently. It is amazing to move up quickly at organizations, but it can also be a curse as you are often only seen as the person you were when you joined. Add fear and ego of others to that mix and, well … I take it as a learned lesson as to when I look back, those moments pushed me to reframe my own approach, expectations of others, and how I would lead and support top talent in the future. 

My challenges today as an HR leader are focused on effectively scaling our culture and people alongside the company and in support of our business. I’m committed to ensuring the many programs, tools, and systems we have available work together and offer a complete picture of the employee experience from new hires to seasoned managers and leaders. 

How do I help the business get the right people in the right roles? HR is more than paperwork and policy, but it does need to have sound and effective operational foundations. The HR organization and my role have to be directly connected to the business supporting the company’s values and further its mission and customer experience.  

Q: How do you see workplace culture evolving over the years?

Caroline: The way we work is changing, so we need to change the way we work. I heard that phrase somewhere, and I think it’s really apt for this moment. Hybrid work seems here to stay, and I think companies are best served by remaining agile and flexible in all aspects of who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

There will always be benefits and drawbacks to each experience of a hybrid model. In my mind, it is about being conscious and constantly checking in and adjusting. I also encourage everyone to assume positive intent and give themselves and each other a bit of grace as we continue to navigate this ever-changing world. 

The good news? As much as the world has changed — the basics haven’t. Managers still need to listen (listen and listen more) and connect with their employees. Meetings still need to be effective and inclusive. HR needs to be connected to the business. Customers remain at the heart of what we do each day. Those priorities remain the same, and we’re seeing so much creativity around ways to accomplish these in a hybrid world. 

Q: Can you share the top three learnings from the challenges you faced?

Caroline: 

• My first job was at a Hyatt in Chicago, where I completed the corporate management training program and rotated through all the roles at the hotel — I loved it. I ended up in a role where I ran the bar with union bartenders reporting to me. I was 22. It was totally out of my league, but I learned a lot about myself and grew. That early jump into the fire of a challenging role made me learn how to manage people, figure it out, and interface with customers. I learned that you never know what is around the corner, but if you put your mind to it and work hard, you can do anything.  Seeing how essential each role was at the hotel also gave me an appreciation for how to run an organization: It takes all roles and all people for the overall customer experience.

 

• I have lived most of my life with intense chronic pain as a result of severe scoliosis. In my case, scoliosis got worse in my 20s, which is pretty rare. I then spent my 30s having five back surgeries, resulting in an almost fully fused titanium spine with a metal plate at the bottom — all while continuing to build my career. Through these surgeries, I had to relearn to walk and do daily activities several times over, which gave me a tremendous appreciation for and focus on health and the impact of chronic pain on your life. I am incredibly grateful for the resources and networks that I relied upon through this journey — from healthcare coverage and my family to doctors and other leave benefits at the various companies I worked at. This may be a surprise, but I am grateful for the experience, as it is part of who I am. It has shaped my core as a person and a leader of people with heightened empathy, perspective and resilience. Those who know me best know I am truly grateful to get up every day and put my two feet on the ground. The rest is cake. 

 

• The pandemic was a challenge for everyone, in and out of the workplace. As an HR leader, I experienced firsthand what my teams were going through as we faced global furloughs, pay cuts and layoffs in an extremely short and high-pressure time. I’m proud of how I navigated my team and the organization through such an unprecedented moment, tapping into my own resilience and empathy more than ever. Just like others who were part of the “Great Reinvention,” as I like to call it, I had to think hard about what I wanted to do, what matters, what lights me up. I knew what to look for in my next role. 

Q: Where do you draw inspiration from? What do you have to say to those who are still struggling to find a place in the boardroom?

Caroline: I’ve gleaned insights from everyone I’ve worked with and all the life experiences I’ve had. And I’ll tell you a secret: I’ve learned much more from the hard times than the good times. Whether it was a bad boss, project or colleague, I’ve walked away with key learnings, helping me understand what not to do in the same situation and how I want to lead, be better and do differently. I’ve also gained perspective from having mentors and from being one. They’ve reaffirmed my ideas and sparked new ones, helped me problem solve and given me opportunities. 

It’s not about perfectly emulating one person you find as we are all unique and different. It’s about picking up ingredients through all your experiences and the people in your life and creating your own recipe for success and happiness. It is also so important to regularly review and evaluate — things change, people change, and you should change — change is good.  

To those struggling to find their place, I would suggest running yourself like a company. A company has a board of directors, strategic and trusted advisors, a leadership team, core values and a mission. For example, I rely on my five best friends from grade school to keep me humble. They mostly don’t care what I do or where I work. Try to identify those people and those values in your own life, evaluating and refreshing them as you move forward in your career and your purpose changes. Nothing is forever — the good or the bad — so be intentional about where you spend your energy.

Q: Where do you draw the line when it comes to work-life balance?

Caroline: This is an interesting and hot topic, especially these days. I think many positive changes have come out of the pandemic (and a TON of terrible things), but a wise person once told me to “never waste a crisis.” Where it has been positive is in forcing individuals and companies to better check-in and hold themselves accountable in many ways, including and especially work-life balance concepts. 

I personally benefited from those changes, as I was no longer traveling and therefore able to commit to taking up an intense Pilates reformer regimen: three days a week for the last 1.5 years. And it has changed my life. I am a better person and leader with that time and work in place to improve my holistic self and general well-being. 

We are all humans first, and that is a priority focus in how I look at situations. But we all also make choices and trade-offs regularly in all aspects of our lives. A company has a job to do for its customers, and we cannot do it without our people. We also would not be here without our customers, so it is all about balance. 

Q: What fundamental change(s) (in terms of culture) have you brought into your company?

Caroline: Although I have only been at LogicGate a few months, I am hoping to already signal a few key things to the company. The team here had many amazing ingredients when I joined, so I already have a great starting place. What I’m really looking to do is shape those ingredients into a story that clearly articulates, both internally and in hiring, how our initiatives are carrying out our values for our people strategy. How do employees’ goals feed into their reviews, and how does that align with how we measure compensation? Are our managers equipped to understand the day-to-day experience of employees, and are we holding them accountable to do that? Ultimately, I want a transparent, comprehensive view of our people strategy and operations in place now so that it can scale with LogicGate, support our growth, and best position us for the future. Everything we do in the people team has to align with our business goals.

Q: What are some major changes you see affecting HR within the next few years?

Caroline: A couple of major areas we will continue to see focus and change in are benefits and learning and development. All of the complications around the pandemic — family and health issues, including mental health — have made people pay more attention to a company's benefits. In the past, people didn’t care about benefits until they had to use them. But we’re seeing more employees who might have been sick or knew someone who got sick or passed away. 

Those employees want to know what’s available in terms of mental health and well-being, medical leave, and generally, how their company is intentionally helping employees navigate accessibility issues — for them and their families. Benefits will be more than a cursory sentence in a job offer: Your people want to know how you’ll help them get the care they need, no matter what form that care takes and with a holistic approach.

Learning and development is another area where the pandemic accelerated change. I used to fly all over the world to conduct training sessions, and that suddenly stopped, as did getting a crowd of people into a conference room for training. Companies have had to find creative and digital workarounds to get teams up to speed and also recognize there is way more to learning than “training.” 

We should be looking for digital solutions as one part of the answer. You can buy groceries, clothes, cars, even a house on your phone these days. We need to make it easier, more accessible, and real-time for people to tap into the learning and development they need. As HR leaders, we need to think outside the box about how to blend outdated training styles with new and empower individuals and their managers. There will always be a place and time for live training, but should everything be a four-hour session or even a recording? We have to think about how experiences shape our ability to learn: There’s so much value in watching someone present or lead a meeting and trying it out for yourself. We need to move forward with more variety, options, and non-traditional learning opportunities to engage our teams. 

At the end of the day, we all want to make an impact. I am hyper-focused on what I want my legacy to be — that is my North Star. I hope that through my leadership, business partnerships, conversations, and relationships I have left a few fingerprints on this world to make it a better place for the next generations of people and leaders. 
 

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