From the Housing Projects on the South Side of Chicago to Global VP of HR — Career Insights from Al Duff

by Alan Collins

We are pleased to launch our Superstars in HR Interview Series with Al Duff, VP Global Human Resources at Norgren, Inc.

In this series, we’ll feature career advancement insights from HR executives who have distinguished themselves or those who have reached the top of the HR profession in their organization.

We’re excited that Al has agreed to help us get this series up and going.

Question #1: Al, we know you’re busy.  Thanks for helping us launch this new series and congrats on being selected as one of our Superstars in HR.  Tell us a little about you?

I’m honored and glad to help launch this series.  To begin, I grew up in humble beginnings on the south side of Chicago, I found early on that I had a competitive spirit.  I took to athletics throughout my school years where I competed in football, springboard diving and track.

Upon graduating from high school, I accepted an appointment to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.  As a graduate of West Point I received a commission in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant.  I had the honor of serving my country for seven years where I culminated my active duty as Aviation Detachment Commander for the 10th Special Forces Group flying Blackhawk Helicopters.

After leaving active duty, I started my HR career with The Quaker Oats Company as an Employment Supervisor.  Throughout my career I have been asked how an Army Aviator was attracted to HR and how I made the transition.  Upon graduating from West Point with a General Engineering degree I also had an area of concentration in behavioral sciences and leadership.  From my early days at West Point, I have always been intrigued by the ability of leaders to inspire their teams to overcome insurmountable odds and achieve success.

My interest as an Army Officer and HR leader has always been to understand how I can be a better leader for my organization and how I can help others attain a higher level of leadership effectiveness.  That is what has motivated me over my career and continues to motivate me today.

Since starting my HR career, I have held 8 different HR and operations leadership roles where I have been able to use my analytical skills in assessing the needs of an organization and then partnering with the senior leadership teams to create an HR strategic plan that enhances the business.

In my current role as VP, Global Human Resources, I have the pleasure of providing overall HR leadership to an organization with over 6,500 employees with over 50 multinational sites.  During my career I have been blessed to have been allowed to lead successful M & A activity, create a global HR function where none existed before, implement comprehensive succession planning processes, integrate 23 separate US insurance plans into a common approach and lead global efforts in defining the culture and leadership competencies necessary to achieve long-term business goals.

Question #2:  As a current VP of HR, what would you consider to be the top two priorities for HR in corporations given today’s economy?

Today’s economy is driving some of the best and worse behaviors in individuals and companies alike.  During times of great stress, people will behave in ways that tell you a great deal about their character. There’s no hiding it, we have all seen people and organizations who unfortunately take the low road all for the stated purpose of cutting costs.  Two priorities for HR during this time of great economic challenge are:

1.  To help the organization cut and contain costs in an honorable manner

2.  To strengthen employee loyalty

On cost cutting and containment, companies across the planet are faced with economic headwinds that many of us have never seen before. As sales in some industries drop in excess of 50%, it’s not uncommon for many businesses to face a drop-off in sales of 30%.  In this kind of environment companies must shed costs as quickly as possible to have any chance of holding any level of profitability.  In these situations, HR is in the unique position of providing cost cutting ideas and processes that are both effective and equitable.

It has been very telling in many ways the approach companies have taken to get their cost structure to align with the dramatic drop in sales.  Some companies quickly went to cutting the workforce knowing that workforce levels and costs make up a large percentage of spending.  The expectation is that if sales dropped 25% the company would cut 25% of the workforce.

Unfortunately, with this kind of approach an organization would lose a great deal of expertise and subsequently redistribute the remaining workload to fewer employees.  In many cases, the remaining people were often asked to take on two jobs with no additional consideration for compensation or recognition.

I have seen many examples where employees are willing to sacrifice compensation and benefits if they know the sacrifice is equitable across the board.  Hard feelings develop when employees perceive their sacrifices are deeper than their colleagues.

In times of economic difficulty, you strengthen employee loyalty when your employees perceive that the company has done everything it can do to minimize loss. The key here is that companies have to treat employees consistent with their values statement. There will come a time when the storm clouds of this recession will pass, the sun will shine and companies will begin to hire again.  It’s important to any company to be viewed by their employees, as well as the community, as an honorable company.

I’m always encouraged when I see or hear of companies and their leaders who decide to lead by example.  A good friend of mine has explained how his CEO of the company when faced with a 20% drop in sales did not cut the workforce by 20% as the financial analysts expected.

Instead, when the Great Recession hit, he led by example and took a 25% pay cut then asked his entire global organization to take a 10% pay cut.  This is what leadership is all about!  Doing what needs to be done and not asking your teams to do something you have not done or are not willing to do yourself.

Question #3:  Tell us about you as an HR leader – what’s your leadership philosophy and the qualities that are important that HR leaders demonstrate?

My philosophy on HR is simple.

I believe that HR exists to enhance the performance of the business.  Period.  We don’t exist to advance the profession of HR, as noble as that may be; we exist to ensure the business is moving forward.

To ensure the business is moving forward I think it’s important that HR leaders create annual plans that supplement the business plans and objectives.  As an HR leader, you lead the HR function of your business.  That means you stay current with the latest thought leaders and journal articles on your profession.  You read business books and you attend workshops to “keep the saw sharp.”

Staying current in your profession of human resources is as important to your organization as a pilot staying current in the aircraft he flies. You wouldn’t expect a pilot to get behind the controls of a jumbo jet who hasn’t flown the airplane in 12 months.  Nor should you expect to leave a function as important as HR to someone who hasn’t kept up with changing laws and trends.

As an HR leader I have also made it my business to create metrics around the deliverables we have created. It’s not enough to simply say we have these five objectives to accomplish this year.  You must create metrics that have tangible results that can be shared with the other business leaders in the organization and tracked as part of a standard set of key performance indicators.

Most functional heads are held accountable for the results they produce. It should be no different in HR. HR leaders add credibility to the HR function when they can chart out a course, describe the actions to get the organization there, provide measurements along the way and finally, declare victory when the goal is achieved.

Question #4:  What would you attribute your personal success in HR to?

There are two personal qualities that have served me well regardless of the organization and industry I have been associated with.  The personal qualities I refer to are a “drive for results” approach to my duties and servant leadership.

Having grown up in a low income housing project on the south side of Chicago with only my mother to care for us four children, I knew what it was like to have limited means.  I’m not exactly sure when it all clicked for me, but early on I realized that I could achieve things in life if I was willing to work hard and persevere.  It would have been easy to give up and follow the crowd.

Drugs, gangs and crime were prevalent in the “projects,” where I lived, but I saw that I wanted something different with my life and that if I worked hard in school and worked hard in sports, I could achieve. It was that connection between hard work and achievement that I saw as a young boy that has served me through a lifetime of accomplishments.

Organizations have always appreciated and rewarded individuals who get things done.  Leaders who have the ability to achieve results regardless of the challenges in front of them are highly valued by the organization.  Its one thing to identify the obstacles ahead or to point to limited resources, as reasons why things cannot get done, but a person who approaches their duties with a “can do” attitude and then creates a plan to achieve the goal is one who is truly valued by the organization.  Of course, the manner in which a person achieves these results is also important and leads into the next personal quality, servant leadership.

Of all the lessons I learned while at West Point and in the Army, the one that still stands out today is the lesson of servant leadership. I define servant leadership as leadership which is focused on the needs of its people and in so doing you, as leader, bring out the best in people.

In the military this servant leadership approach was exhibited on a regular basis as leaders would first wait to ensure all their soldiers were fed before they ate. When moving into a defensive position, the leader would ensure all positions were correctly set up and that soldiers had proper cover and concealment before the leader rested for the evening.

In the corporate world servant leadership can be seen when leaders ensure their people receive proper training to accomplish the tasks they have been asked to do.  It could also include ensuring that when bonuses are paid there is some consistency across the organization so that leaders aren’t the only ones who reap the rewards.

Servant leadership is about allowing the people who were hired to do a job have the authority to make decisions.  Servant leaders understand that the success of any company is based on having people deliver at a high level of performance.  As servant leader they create an environment that brings out the best in their people in order to attain this high level of excellence.

Question #5:  What two accomplishments in your career are you most proud of?

The first accomplishment I feel proud of has been the work associated with my current role as VP, Global Human Resources.  When I was asked to join this organization, there was no global HR function in place.

In the first 90 days on the job I spent a great deal of time meeting with our global business leaders and their HR teams. The approach I took was to conduct extensive interviews with leaders of the organization across all of our seven business regions and sectors in order to better understand where their pain points were and what specifically they wanted from their HR group.

My next step was to assess the organization and its capabilities based on the feedback I received in these interviews. The next phase of my 90-day plan was to begin to create the HR strategic plan with the input of the HR leaders across our businesses.

The last step was the final plan presentation to the senior leadership team of the organization. With this presentation came the expectation that the plans we created would be supported by the business leaders so we could further enhance the business and deliver on our promises.

Over the five years we have had a global HR function in place, we have added significant shareholder value and improved the overall performance of the company.

The second significant contribution I feel proud of is the development of the global HR team members into professionals who were highly respected by their client groups and subsequently provided promotional opportunities both inside and outside the company.

These HR leaders have commented numerous times how they have appreciated and benefited from the opportunities they had to grow and develop.  The approach I used was one where we established an HR framework from which we created annual goals, established metrics and then had members of the global HR team accountable for delivering these results.

Team members were then required each month to report progress to their respective regional businesses.  In addition, in a few cases, where some of the HR leaders decided to take promotional opportunities outside the company, these HR leaders commented how they were able to take what they learned and use that knowledge to help them in their new roles to be more effective.

In general, I find no greater sense of satisfaction in life than to equip others with skills they need to advance themselves and their organizations.

Question #6:  What were the biggest disappointments or setback you’ve had in your HR career?

The biggest disappointment in my career was when the president and CEO who brought me as the VP, Global Human Resources was let go.  He along with four other business presidents and regional managing directors were released in a major restructuring of the business.

This was primarily driven by the economy and the significant loss of business.  Unfortunately, with this major restructuring, the parent company moved away from the global structure we worked so hard to put in place and were successful in creating real shareholder value to a more central model.

In total, the experience has been extremely rewarding as we have implemented several key initiatives that have made a difference in the business and in the lives of our employees.  I will miss the teamwork exhibited by the members of the leadership and the friendships established.

Question #7:  What’s the best thing that new HR people can do to advance their careers in HR?

The best advice I can give any person just starting an HR career would be to ensure they get actively involved in the business and engage the business leaders in meaningful discussions about their challenges and issues in their departments. Once they understand the challenges of the organization they must be seen as someone who can solve problems and be available to provide assistance and guidance.

In addition, volunteer for special projects that will provide a wide variety of experiences that will expand your breadth of knowledge.

Early on in my HR career, our plant Health & Safety Manager went out on maternity leave and I was asked to take lead for all plant health and safety issues.

It was a great experience as it provided me exposure to injury investigations, workers compensation, return to work issues, safety training and conducting safety committee meetings with our union.

Throughout my 22 year career that experience within my first year of employment proved to be such a wonderful experience.

Al, thanks again for providing some great perspectives.

Let’s quickly recap Al Duff’s Top 10 career insights for HR professionals from this interview:

  1. During times of great stress, people will behave in ways that tell you a great deal about their character.
  2. HR leadership is about doing what needs to be done and not asking your teams to do something you have not done or are not willing to do yourself.
  3. HR exists to enhance the performance of the business. Period.  We don’t exist to advance the profession of HR, as noble as that may be.  We exist to ensure the business is moving forward.
  4. Staying current in your profession in HR is as important to your organization as a pilot staying current in the aircraft he flies.
  5. As an HR leader, creating metrics around the HR deliverables is critical.
  6. Most functional heads are held accountable for the results they produce.  It should be no different in HR.
  7. HR leaders should be servant leaders. This includes ensuring their people receive proper training to accomplish the tasks they have been asked to do.  It also means ensuring that when bonuses are paid there is some consistency across the organization so that leaders aren’t the only ones who reap the rewards.
  8. The best advice I can give any person just starting an HR career would be to ensure they get actively involved in the business and engage the business leaders in meaningful discussions about their challenges and issues in their departments.
  9. In addition, new HR professionals should volunteer for special projects that will provide a wide variety of experiences that will expand their breadth of knowledge.
  10. As an HR leader, I feel most proud of the development of my global HR team members into professionals highly respected by their client groups and who were subsequently provided promotional opportunities both inside and outside the company.

Al Duff’s can be reached directly by e-mail at alduff1980@comcast.net and you can view his LinkedIn profile here.

Feel free to add your comments on this article by CLICKING HERE.

About the Author: Alan Collins was Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses. He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of: UNWRITTEN HR RULES: 21 Secrets For Attaining Awesome Career Success in Human Resources with TWO FREE CHAPTERS that can be downloaded HERE.

© SuccessinHR.com

6 Responses to “From the Housing Projects on the South Side of Chicago to Global VP of HR — Career Insights from Al Duff”

  1. Yogish Says:

    Hi Alan,

    Kudos to you!! this is really a great start. Al’s Interview is inspiring with excellent message for HR professionals.

    Thank you Alan.

    Regards,
    Yogish

  2. Lima Neal Says:

    Alan,

    Al Duff’s interview was impressive and proves that he is a statesman in his HR profession.

    His “Servant Leadership” philosophy is one that I value and consider most beneficial.

    Thanks for providing great insight HR Al and thanks to you Alan for showcasing Superstars in HR.

    Just A Servant,

    Lima Neal
    St. Louis, MO

  3. Rita Pettiford Says:

    Congratulations on your selection as a Superstar of HR. I just read the article and found it both reinforcing and inspiring. Your story, philosophy, practices and values serve to remind me of what can be accomplished with tenacity, “smarts”, and an indomitable spirit. Thank you for making the time to relay your experience.

    You serve as a model for me and, I am sure, other professionals. With your permission, I will share your success story with others (forward the link) so they too can be inspired.

    Again, congratulations!

    Best regards,
    Rita
    (from LinkedIn Groups)

  4. Suzanne Larsen Balaoing Says:

    This is excellent.

    Thank you!

    Suzanne Larsen Balaoing, GPHR
    (from HR Professionals Worldwide: LinkedIn)

  5. Nemewak Ararsa Says:

    Hello Dear Alan!
    Thank you for your interesting & strengthening grace share, God bless you again & again.

  6. Nirmala Says:

    Hello Alan,

    AI Duff’s interview is excellent and has major takeaways for any HR professional.

    This initiative from you is great. Let such experience sharing keep flowing!

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