My Biggest Lesson: Alice Robson’s Experience Protecting Others in Time of Uncertainty
Alice Robson is currently the UK group operations director at OLIVER, bringing together her previous three roles within the company - talent, resourcing, and capacity management. She is committed to fostering an environment where talent thrives and operational excellence is achieved through combining strategic leadership, and a people-first approach unwritten with business improving technologies.
Learning and evolving are ongoing processes, and through the years, we gather wisdom that profoundly shapes our careers. For me, this crucial lesson came early in my thirties and was cemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back then, I was thriving at OLIVER in a mid-management role. However, one day in early March 2020, after taking a brief holiday for my husband's birthday, my career perspective changed dramatically. Upon returning, our chief operating officer and chief people officer informed me of an immediate role shift. My new job was to protect people's employment amidst the unpredictable challenges of the pandemic.
I had to review globally those at risk due to client changes and match them with new opportunities arising from unforeseen client needs. This experience taught me my biggest lesson, encapsulated in three key pieces of wisdom:
- Hire on Will over Skill: The potential and drive within people often surpass their current skill sets. Intrinsic motivation and the will to learn are far more valuable.
- Communicate Career Aspirations: Employees should feel safe expressing their career goals, even if it means a different department or industry. Fostering an environment where people can openly share their aspirations is crucial.
- Internal Career Mobility: Before seeking external opportunities, explore how career goals can be achieved within the company. Skills can be developed, but will and desire are intrinsic and cannot be trained.
These lessons were particularly poignant during the pandemic. By the end of 2021, we had successfully redeployed over 300 employees worldwide. Many transitioned into roles where they initially had only 60-80% of the required skills but 100% determination and willingness to learn (and ensuring we were thinking geographically agnostically). This resulted in enriched careers and broadened skill sets for our people.
Interestingly, employees from unrelated sectors, such as banking, who moved into new areas like FMCG design, often emerged as top performers. They thrived by learning, growing, and expanding their skillsets, unlike those confined to a narrow field.
These insights and advice came from the influential figures in my career—my COO and chief people officer—whom I deeply respect. Their guidance that a non-linear career path is not only possible but often beneficial. This desire to protect and prioritise our the people over the skill, countered the conventional belief of a rigid career trajectory.
These revelations have reshaped my approach towards both my career and the people I work with. I now prioritise hiring individuals with the right attitude over those with just the right skills. As I mentor others, I share these principles, encouraging open dialogues about their aspirations and helping them identify pathways within our organisation to achieve their goals.
The only caveat is that individuals must first prove their commitment and performance in their current roles. Securing the trust and buy-in of the organisation is essential before pursuing new opportunities within the same company.
In conclusion, this vital lesson – emphasising will over skill, open communication, and internal mobility – has profoundly enriched my career and the careers of those around me.
