Sarah Deans CMHRNZ

What led you to a career in HR/ the position that you are in currently?  

I’ve always loved working with people and in a people-centric environment. I started my career with a commerce and management degree, and worked in hospitality for many years learning all sorts of things about people and how to get the best out of them. I moved on to working as a recruitment consultant and found the engagement I had with inhouse recruiters and HR teams really interesting so I went back to University to do a post-graduate diploma in human resource management and moved in to my first real HR role. It was the natural next step for me.

My current role was of interest having reported to and worked with the board in my prior role and loved that level of engagement and the strategic thinking that goes on. I was super keen to get closer to that. This was also an opportunity to take on my first executive team role, so being a part of the leadership of an organisation was a good step up for me. It was pretty challenging at first – but it’s been a cool experience and I feel I’m in my happy place right now.

What do you love about working in HR? 

The interplay between strategy, people and systems and how a business can get all three humming and working together in harmony is what I love. It’s really important for me that the organisation’s strategy and purpose is really well articulated and the organisation is then structured in a way that it can deliver on that - how the systems are set up, the roles and responsibilities people play, and the attitudes and skills that are needed all have to gel – that’s not always possible and we have to be able to deal with friction from time-to-time so you need to be a real problem solver too. I’m at my best when I can have an influence on all these things and get a real buzz out of seeing them working like a dream.

Are there any specific highlights of your career that you wish to share? 

I can say it was the successful launch of this system, or that policy, or this new structure but what’s been a real highlight for me is working with and for great managers. They have all taught me something – whether it’s a skill or helping me discover more about myself, they’ve supported me and given me courage and opportunity to grow and try new things. Right from my early days working in hospitality when I went in to business with my managers from Cafe Astoria and feeling the trust they had in me, to my manager in my first HR role at Beef + Lamb New Zealand who was so supportive and encouraging, to my current manager KP at the IoD who is a real trailblazer and an inspiration.

Of course you can’t do all the good work you do without a great team behind you and I’ve also been blessed to have led and been part of really amazing teams who like to work hard, do cool and innovative things and have fun while they’re at it. It’s the people and the teams and being part of building a great culture that are the highlights for me.

I’m also pretty stoked about the way the Institute of Directors adapted as a business during Covid and the way we looked after our people through that. I’m really proud of that.

What are your thoughts on Chartered Membership? How do you feel about being a Chartered Member?  

I think it’s critical to growing a human resources profession that is committed to upholding and driving the highest of standards, and continuing to learn, adapt, innovate and grow. HR’s remit is so broad these days – if you are not committed to learning and continual professional development you will become irrelevant. I never want to be irrelevant!

I’m chuffed to have been recognised with my Chartered Membership – thanks HRNZ for making it such a painless process to go through.

What motivated you to work towards becoming a Chartered Member? 

It’s been on my plan for some time now. But then Covid hit and like all HR people we got pulled in a million directions and I just didn’t have the focus or energy for it. But these past 6 months when life has felt a little more under control, I’ve regained some energy and decided it was a good time to give it a go. Pulling together my CV and reflecting on all my achievements, skills and what I offer across all the HR functions was a really good and affirming experience. So much so that I have included rewriting my CV on my development plan for this year so I can bake in that time for reflection.

At the Institute of Directors, we place great value on being Chartered for our members – it’s a big deal and celebrated by us and our members and their peers. I’ve seen the positive impact that having experienced and quality directors can have on an organisation. I felt I needed to put my money where my mouth was. In other words, if I am working and representing an organisation that believes in lifting the standards of their profession and truly believe that makes a difference, then I should be striving for the same for me and my profession.

People need to be proud and visible on what they know, what they can do and what they’re capable of – we’re a pretty understated bunch in HR, often shining the light on others instead of ourselves so recognising and celebrating our own achievements is pretty important. Chartered Membership makes it official!

What are your next steps in terms of your career now that you are a Chartered Member? 

Gosh – that’s the million dollar question isn’t it! The workplace and the workforce has changed so much these past few years and the pace of change is only going to speed up. We’ve got younger people and such diversity of experiences and different needs joining the workforce – the pandemic will have a marked impact on our young people so that will be something we’ll need to grapple with. It’s our job in HR to make sure our workplaces are geared up for that. My mission is to stay fresh and relevant, keep innovating, keep inspiring and keep doing what I can to make work a great place to be.