S4 E125 | CXR Podcast: Terra Doyle Talks About Transformation

Announcer 
Welcome to the CXR channel, our premier podcast for talent acquisition and talent management listen in as the CXR community discusses a wide range of topics focused on attracting, engaging and retaining the best talent. We’re glad you’re here.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 0:23
Hi everybody, welcome to another CXR Podcast show. I’m Chris Hoyt CareerXroads president and your host for the next 15 minutes or so. We’re just going to talk about some stuff. But luckily, we’re going to do that with one of our favorite people in the space. Terra Doyle. You’re today’s guest, how are you?

Terra Doyle, Roche 0:38
I’m good. How are you?

Chris Hoyt, CXR 0:40
Great. It is wonderful to see you. It’s always great to have you on the show. Thank you. So Tara, for those who do not have the privilege of knowing who you are ever having met, you want to give us the quick escalator pitch of sort of who you are, where you’re at what you do, and maybe how long you’ve been there?

Terra Doyle, Roche 0:58
No, love it. So yeah, happy to be a part of this. So thank you again for the invite. So Tara Doyle, based out of Indianapolis, Indiana, I have spent the last gosh, I need to readd the years because I think I might be now at the 19 mark. So we’ll say 18 plus years in talent acquisition space. Currently, the Holy Trinity worked for RPO agency, most of my experience has been a corporate recruitment. I’m currently at Roche, and we are headquartered out of Basel, Switzerland. But again, I sit here in the Indianappolis office space working remotely. I am the area of practice lead for recruiting across the Americas region. And I’ve now been at Roche for almost four years in March. So time is moving on. So it’s been a good ride, but it’s a space I love. It’s why we’re kind of talking about a hamster wheel earlier. Recruitment is going to go on and I keep coming back for more.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 1:46
Watch out for the pencils. Anybody who missed the last podcast? So let me ask you. So you’ve been there four years. They’re based out of Switzerland? How many chances have you had to go to Switzerland?

Terra Doyle, Roche 2:00
Oh, man, I’m fortunate and blessed to a lot. How much is a lot? Well, I don’t know. Well put it this way. I had eight global trips alone, the year before pandemic hit. So I’d say I’ve probably been over there about 10 times would be my guess. Best guess.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 2:17
I’m really jealous. I’d love to go.

Terra Doyle, Roche 2:20
Yeah, it is gorgeous. If you haven’t had a chance, I would highly suggest it. Europe is just pretty in general. But yeah, it’s it’s really great location, there are a couple of pharmaceutical organizations that are based there. So it’s a really good place to get some talent.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 2:33
Thanks. Great. So then I’m guessing in the last year or so, things have changed?

Terra Doyle, Roche 2:37
Yeah, just a little bit. In fact, it’ll be two years in February since my last official business trip, which was to Switzerland, funny enough, but yeah, so we’re still in a place where, you know, we not all of our affiliates are back to campus operations in terms of like receiving, say, guests. You know, we have just like most adapted to a virtual work environment, and I’ve done it incredibly successfully. Yeah, and I think it’s, there’s a lot of benefits. And I know, we’ve had conversations before Chris, and then on panels of, you know, what did you learn and what’s gonna stick around, and there’s just a whole lot it’s gonna stick around, but I miss the travel. I may have complained about it before. But I’m ready. I’m ready to get back on a plane.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 3:18
Yeah, let’s go. So if you’ve got to let, instead of talking necessarily around just what’s changed, because we all know that how we interview has changed how we hire has changed, things are still up in the air with regards to where and how we work. All that sort of falls under the umbrella that I think is our loose topic. For this conversation. That’s transformation. Right? So talk to me a little bit about what what the term especially within the world of TA what the term transformation means to you Terra.

Terra Doyle, Roche 3:49
Yeah. For me, it’s just really doing things in a in a different ways to like keep done, right? It’s probably a textbook answer. But thinking about ultimately, what you want to achieve and finding a different way to get there. That is some of the buzzwords more efficient, more customer centric, in a way that kind of maximizes your brand in a way that utilizes tools and resources in a more networked way. But in general, it’s it’s getting there in a way that is more collective and together and showing up in a different way. So it’s everything from how you organize to what you use to obviously hire people in our space of talent acquisition, and really is also how you engage with your other people culture or HR partners, but most importantly, also the business. So it really is all around what kind of service delivery you want. And how are you going to get there in a way that is better than how you do it today. So if I was to narrow it down that would be my explanation.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 4:46
Yeah, and Terra I think since I’ve known you, you’ve always been an agent of change, right? You’ve been a fan of like being more awesome more quickly. But the pandemic really turned the intensity knob all the way to right, I get really fast forward and stuff. Was there some? Was there some sticker shock? Was there really just sort of an adjustment period for you? Or you were like, Alright, now now we’re really getting it done to chip, did you jump right in? Or was like, Oh my God, what’s happening?

Terra Doyle, Roche 5:14
Yeah, you know what I think we jumped right in. And you know, for me personally, I obviously kind of started this by saying I lived in Indianapolis, I’ve, with the exception of Roche, I’ve never worked for a company that’s based where I sit. So I’ve been kind of a fan and worked in that virtual way, for quite some time, the change really is just the business hasn’t necessarily operated that way. So hiring people without seeing them, you know, onboarding in a way that’s virtually never come on campus, that I mean, that was unique, I think, to the business, but it was something that everyone, there was no other way. And people embraced her really quick and early, I think, for us. And going through our own transformation journey, really, the only difficulty we had is that you really want you know, you can work well, in a virtual way, there are just still some elements that you really miss in getting kind of collective minds together in the room with a big old whiteboard, and just kind of putting things down. Like there’s still tremendous value of that. So I do think in the future state, finding the mix of that’s going to be really incredibly important for us and for all companies.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 6:12
Yeah, it’s been an interesting sort of, I’ve had a number of conversations with leaders like you, and they have proven that they can absolutely work successfully 100% remote, even if they don’t want to all the time. And even though there are instances where I think you’re right, like I think a real whiteboard in a meeting is certainly different than you know, this virtual, whether it’s teams or zoom, or you know, at other, you know, sort of pop ups that we’ve been using,

Terra Doyle, Roche 6:40
Well, and the other thing I would say is, you know, for us in our own Transformations is we’re really kind of breaking down what we call silos and barriers that were you know, based on affiliate or location. And now if we’re in this more global network, now you open up things like, Hey, I’ve got two peers that run recruiting in other parts of the world, and we’ve got a 13 hour time difference. So how do you really accommodate that in a way that has a sharp I’m not the sharpest person at six in the morning, but I’ve had to become that and just like, my peer Lily might feel the same way. And she’s having calls at nine or 10 at night. So it’s I think finding the balance, too. And that’s, again, the luxury when you’re rooming together, you take all of that away. So it’s a little bit different. But that’s one thing, certainly, that we’re still working through is to make sure that you find the balance between getting work done and talking about the strategic elements you need to while also ensuring you’ve got the kind of work life balance, but those timezone variances.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 7:30
What do you what do you think you would tell yourself 20 months ago, like if you could go back in time, knowing what you know, now with regards to being an agent of change with regards to transforming how the business runs, like, look, buckle up? I mean, is it that?

Terra Doyle, Roche 7:47
Honestly, probably so I think in when I think back, like some of the like top three or four things that I’ve learned change management is one of them. And again, I think people would say, Well, of course, wouldn’t you just expect to that? Well, yes. But I think the level, even when people are on board, and they’re buying it, it’s information overload. So I’m bringing them along in the journey and having to have the ability to co create and really just finding yourselves where they’re at. And it’s not that you ignore that, and the people don’t do that. But you need to be far more intentional. So I think it’s really check in more frequently asked more questions, really get those sounding board buy ins and all different levels that I think that could be helpful for anybody. But I’d like the seatbelt analogy, because not only is transformation tough, but then like you said, it’s all the other things with the pandemic and you know, COVID mandate, vaccination, the all of the things that just adds into the mix of really how companies are needing to kind of react now and meet the talent where they’re at.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 8:45
Yeah, that’s a good point, Terra, you embody, I have, I have a number of conversations with Gerry and I do with up and coming leaders and leaders who are trying to make the jump right to more senior role or those who are trying to break through into a director level role. And they’re like, I’m doing cool stuff. I’m doing great work. And one of the things I think that we typically tell them is it’s not enough to do great work. A director leader takes people with them on that journey. I think you’re one of my favorite leaders, because you embody that the people go with, you know, just go do cool shit you take people with you to do. I’m kind of wondering like, what would you tell somebody who’s looking to get into an organization, and then is all in on transformation, but But there isn’t a whole lot of transformation going on, right? because not a lot of people have been lucky issue and some of the other leaders and that they’ve had organizations who’ve embraced the change, right, and really leaned in buckled up and leaned in. Some are kind of stuck in organizations that are being a little stubborn. Is there any advice you might give somebody who’s sort of looking to, you know, become a change agent?

Terra Doyle, Roche 9:48
I mean, I think you’ve got to be a disrupter. I mean, if you really are working for an organization that might be reluctant to change or just a little conservative, I guess in in their approach. Traditionally, when you come in, you are an expert at what you do, right? So if we’ve got someone the T space, you know, recruiting now, a lot of people think they know recruiting, and we all know that it’s just a very different game. So you got to find and bring your voice in and be that change agent in a way that really educates. Because I think that there are just some assumptions that are made. Perception is our reality to manage, but you can help drive that narrative. So if you’re really a big part of saying, Here’s what could be, and here’s what is and finding a way to navigate how to get there together. I don’t know I, I don’t want to say that. It’s simple, because it’s not. But that’s at least your starting point. And I think a lot of times, especially if you’re a new leader, it’s hard for people to find their voice there. And you really want to, like, what do you want to hit your post on? Are you possibly going to put it on the wrong thing? So I just think you have to be bold and go for it.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 10:48
Yeah, just just lean right in on your own? Yeah, yeah, right. I love it. Good stuff. Well, Terra, you got it. You’re gonna take us out here? No, we’re right before the holiday, your background is putting me to shame. It looks way more fun. I love it. I did I have a poinsettia upstairs? I should have just drag that down here.

Terra Doyle, Roche 11:03
You really should have.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 11:03
You got plans, wrapping up the new year, you’re taking some time off? Obviously not going to Switzerland, but

Terra Doyle, Roche 11:12
I’m not Unfortunately, yes. Doing some local things. I mean, I believe in supporting the local arts, attending some holiday, you know, plays that are happening at some local places in the orchestra that so for me, it’s spending the time with friends and family, incredibly important. So just giving a pause moment, because we all know that as crazy as this show is still going to be the same thing. So 2022 is kind of getting getting really ready and refreshed in your mind and a place that’s ready to hit the ground running. So that’s what I’m gonna do.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 11:42
I really appreciate you not saying 2022 is going to be our year. I think everybody just slow down, walk softly walk softly into 2022. We’re not over promising anything.

Terra Doyle, Roche 11:54
Exactly.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 11:54
Alright, Terra. It’s always great to see you. Thank you so much for wrapping up one of our last podcast of the year. We really appreciate your time and joining on the show. It’s always wonderful to have you on.

Terra Doyle, Roche 12:02
Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it.

Chris Hoyt, CXR 12:04
You got it for those of you who are online and for those are listening, if you listen to time, we’ve got a couple more meetings coming up last real meeting of the year is our EMEA recruiting. We’re going to do a connector on December 15. So that is right around the corner. Anybody within CXR who isn’t a media member is going to be able to join them Raskin, you could bring a plus one as we close out the year. So even if they’re not a member, we’re inviting them to that conversation. That’ll be a lot of fun. And then also on December 15. It’s a busy busy day, we’re doing a live Community Update, kind of give a State of the Union if you’ve missed the other three. It’s kind of boring, it’s just me there’s no guest but I’ll rattle through a couple of the changes and updates we’ve done this year. And then lastly, I want to share December 17 If you are not a member of our book club, shame on you, you should be it’s open to anybody but we’ve got a funny one that we’re coming through. It’s still not too late you can join us it’s Holidays on Ice a little bit of an essay short stories. So you can join that and have a lot of fun with us coming up so until then we hope to see everybody at CXR.works in the community site and any of our social media platforms and we wish everybody a fantastic and super safe holiday season. Thanks

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