don robertson northwestern mutual
Before Sutherland he was SVP of HR for HP Enterprise Services. Therefore, you become an environment thats known as developing talent. /A << Thanks, George. A lot of the ways I test your intellect are the way you answer questions, the vocabulary you use and the way you think because I cant make you smart. Thats what I found in my career is that because I can attend to think and talk more like a business person who happens to know HR rather than an HR person who is trying to understand the business, it gives me an ability to accelerate a lot of times to a stage of making an impact versus spending a lot of time trying to convince people that I can help them. endobj I recruited them both. About Northwestern MutualNorthwestern Mutualhas been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Career Journey Coach | Development Enabler | Talent Management | Learning and Development at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. It isnt just a case where the company gets what it needs from the employee. We had pages and pages. /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] /Type /Action People Also . >> We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience to help our clients navigate their financial lives every day. What would you recommend to the small to medium business that wants to be a Northwestern Mutual and the A-player on the block and leading the industry? /Resources 14 0 R These were some capable people. "He understands the importance of the employee experience to our company strategy as we work to transform the financial planning experience for our clients.". ,,0 XA`@Z>\8)Uj3OtsFz2'4B bK;X&,= iK"0jDaJPbpMZ6kQ; # Georgia Public Defender Council. She recognized that I had a strong affinity for HR but also had the business and what I would call agility that she needed to help her transform the HR function at HP. Im going to start teaching that. Northwestern Mutual Appoints Don Robertson to Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Meghan Greco, 1-800-323-7033, mediarelations@northwesternmutual.com. Northwestern Mutual. John M. Grogan is responsible for the strategy and performance of the company's insurance businesses. An example of that is sometimes how it can be difficult. We reconfigured our leadership structure. /Title ( N o r t h w e s t e r n M u t u a l A p p o i n t s D o n R o b e r t s o n t o S e n i o r V i c e P r e s i d e n t a n d C h i e f H u m a n R e s o u r c e s O f f i c e r - A u g 2 1 , 2 0 1 8) One of the things that, for those people reading, talent acquisition wasnt at the table in enterprise services until you came along. Don J. Robertson is responsible for the company's employee experience and he leads the Human Resources organization, as well as teams that manage the company's campuses, events and employee digital experience. Im going to give them both to you in advance because its not a got you. I also look for somebody who has got the agility to me and flexibility because, oftentimes, youre going to need to pivot. If I get back in the game, Im giving you a call. /GSa 3 0 R See Profile. There are two sides to this coin. endobj Subsidiaries includeNorthwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC(NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). But this wasn't the case at Northwestern Mutual. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Email . >> Robertson will. Extremely gratifying to see Northwestern Mutual selected by Forbes as one of America's Best Large Employers. /CSp /DeviceRGB Previously, David was an . Executive VP & Chief Human Resources Officer . There are a number of people. endobj David Robertson is a Substitute School Bus Driver at Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District based in Jamesville, New York. Schlifske joined Northwestern Mutual as an investment specialist and later led a variety of the company's investment operations as well as different parts of its business operations. They engaged our employee population to understand how they were feeling and why. I could give you the standard things with leadership, Be honest and humble, but I thought I would try to give you things that were a little bit unique, maybe to some of the experiences. Ive used the analogy for those people that are pro-football or soccer but there are not too many soccer fans, except Mike Cirelli, who reminds me all the time. I advised him to do the same. Im on email eighteen hours a day, and he still outpaces me. I try to get to know the person at an authentic level. Northwestern Mutual Recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Large Employers Tracy taught me a lot about interacting with boards at the board level and those levels. The company manages more than $125 billion of client assets through its wealth management and investment services. << Don also serves on the Boards of Directors for the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Wisconsin Humane Society, and the Milwaukee Public Museum. /Type /Annot James Wesland Robertson is an Insurance Agent of NM and NLTC. /S /URI Additionally, he spent 14 years at Hewlett-Packard Corporation, where his last role was senior vice president - HR Global Technology & Operations, leading a team of more than 300 HR professionals responsible for all HR-related matters for a global organization of 100,000+ employees. By doing that, youll also demonstrate to them how much you care about them and theyll stay. Before that, three great leadership pearls of wisdom? /URI (http://www.prnewswire.com/) 3 Dividends are reviewed annually and are not guaranteed. /SMask /None>> When youre looking for talent, tell us what youre digging into if you have to interview a person. 7) Phone . What do they want to be?, Its not what they want to be when they grow up because its not about a specific job, Do you want to be a senior leader? When I was working with you, talent was always on my brain, How are we doing it? Youve had some amazing insights. Here at Northwestern Mutual, we built and now consistently maintain 80%+ employee engagement levels across all our business units, across genders, across race, across tenure and more. The number one thing I would leave you with is diversity and inclusion cannot be a hobby and a separate thing. When they first approached me on it, it was predominantly because HP at that time was having some challenges in how they were doing sales, sales development, learning new development and Cisco was cleaning their clock. 1 2 . That still resonates with me. Thats when our teams got to work. The second to the last question is your three best leadership tips or three best lessons. Youve done all the things to get ready to make a first impression. "Don is a seasoned business leader who has delivered strong results at both digital and blue-chip companies," said John Schlifske, chairman and CEO, Northwestern Mutual. 15 0 obj Youre assembling A-players, and no doubt I walked into a bunch of A-players with the reputation of Northwestern Mutual. Unless theyre right out of college, theyre lying because I dont know anyone that has gone through life and never had a failure. This button displays the currently selected search type. Not all products and services are available in all states. Ive had the great fortune of having some amazing guests. You cant ignore any piece of that. Get Contact Info for All Departments Northwestern Mutual Org Chart by Seniority Marketing (509) Lee Hurley This is a people business, and I can't think of a | 17 comments on LinkedIn Don Robertson on LinkedIn: Northwestern Mutual Recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Large | 17 comments I dont know if he listened to me. endobj Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance is a financial services company that provides its clients various insurance options and investment opportunities. /Producer ( Q t 4 . Thats one thing. How can you assure that you have the best talent for your company? If you want, give us a thumbnail. There are a number of things we could tell ourselves if we went back in time. You are taking five slides to say what you could say in one. Measured by 2020 revenue. We took those precious pillars of our company off the table. "He understands the importance of the employee experience to our company strategy as we work to transform the financial planning experience for our clients.". I appreciate it. Did they have to twist your arm or were you like, This is the next new challenge and frontier where I can impact? What was it for you? /Type /Action Fractional HR Interim HR HR Gap Assessment Policies/Process/Systems Culture Scaling, Smart move"offered coaching for each of our managers on how to have effective career and development conversations with their team members." When I was in finance roles, a few times, I had HR reporting to me. I was in sales before I went into HR. 6U.r6F(>9lf1Q())#eyj_]5wjwikOQ16~FT39SlQPPG1F~F ix`1OgM I+;|m7F3'GWWuVG oDFky>F b9"xl|O /Contents 12 0 R I was talking to a big client. I know your schedule is busy. She said, This is not crisp. You mentioned diversity. . the last 20 months have been among the most successful and productive in Northwestern Mutuals history. endobj Youre right. MILWAUKEE, Aug. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Northwestern Mutual today announced the appointment of Don Robertson to senior vice president and chief human resources officer. I havent stopped counting yet. We are very proud of the outcomes we have delivered but we know that we must keep going. She makes me leave the phone in another room when were sleeping. Its a skill Ive developed now but it wasnt one I had in most of my career and it would have benefited me tremendously. The faster you recognize what you need from a talent standpoint and put your talent on that, the faster you can accelerate your priorities. /Length 13 0 R The more that weve had experiences in life that allow us to master certain types of skills, the faster youre going to be able to assimilate to whatever new environment youre in. Our challenge was helping employees reconnect with our mission, rediscover that few pursuits are more noble, and recognize once again the significant impact they were making in real peoples lives every day. E+J%ASc5]5&r|&y; Ultimately, what we have to do as businesses is to get away from requisitions and more instead of creating talent pools. If youre in the business of constantly having to acquire talent because youre losing them or youre not attracting them, youre going to eventually fall behind, whether its in how quickly you do things, the quality of what you do or the ideas you come up with. Don, when you and I came into contact with one another at HP, you were already a seasoned executive but like few others, youre one of the few people that had a business acumen that I hadnt seen in CHROs. /Annots 15 0 R We want to get you the right exposure., What I like to call it is career conversations with an intention. Yes, correct. I love it when my son tells me, Do you dont understand, dad? Im like, I dont. There are a lot of things you can learn by getting together people. Where you lose most of the time is your 5 to 10-year rock stars who look ahead and they dont see the opportunity and somebody calls them. The more time you give yourself to have those levers be enabled, the more options you have available besides just hiring. Northwestern Mutual ranks 104 on the 2018 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2018. Were pretty close to the same age, although I stopped counting at 50. Oftentimes, companies are simply thinking about the talent they need to deliver for them but if they dont create an environment that allows the employee to benefit from that experience and grow and develop, youre not going to develop and grow your talent. I know that youve carried that on because youve carried so many people up the climbing wall of the career ladder with you. Its a long story how I got into HR. We all know that when people go to do interviews, its almost like a first date. >> If you know yourself as a leader, I didnt think they were super tough but they werent things that people necessarily prepping for an interview would know. I was thinking of the great Caroline Atherton, if you remember her. Robertson joins Northwestern Mutual after serving in human resources leadership roles at companies ranging from Fortune 50s to maturing start-ups. Youre playing catch-up to try to change it around. The company manages more than $125 billion of client assets through its wealth management and investment services. Without her support, I dont think I would have been there. Northwestern Mutual. She came from the business and then went into HR. Neal Sample is now chief information officer. One of the reasons that I have the attitude about is because I was fortunate enough to work with one of the great talent multipliers of all time in business, Jack Welch in GE. It has to be threaded in your mainstream of what you do for talent. Prior to his role at Northwestern Mutual, Don developed workforces across the world at Hewlett-Packard Corporation, GE Capital, Stanford Research Institute, Apttus, and Sutherland Global Services, among others. Its interesting that you say that youre a business person doing HR because I dont remember whether it was Tracy Keogh or Meg Whitman. Phone . Robertson earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Fresno where he currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Craig School of Business. We changed the way we interview. There are a lot of different levers you can pull. In this episode, George Randle sits down for an insightful interview with EVP and Chief HR Officer at Northwestern Mutual, Don Robertson. Don Robertson is now chief human resources officer. She is also accountable for NM Future Ventures along with digital disruptor, Wyshbox. /Rect [171.750000 684 226.500000 694.500000 ] It has to be threaded in what you do. /ColorSpace << [ 8 0 R 9 0 R 10 0 R ] Its not just acquiring the right talent. What is the workforce planning? I remember working with Maneesh. You also have to be thinking about it from a development, growth and retention standpoint. As a result, we saw a rapid double-digit increase in employee engagement over three years growth we maintained throughout 2021. In this episode, George Randle sits down for an insightful interview with EVP and Chief HR Officer at Northwestern Mutual, Don Robertson. I used to ask myself, Why do you think that is?, Ultimately, what leaders need to hold themselves accountable to is develop the future leaders of that company that that company is going to need. Don Robertson. I wanted to soften the blow of that failure in my answer. Retired Senior Vice President Chief Information and Digital Officer, Eli Lilly and Company. Legal Assistant . Driving and sustaining high employee engagement is essential to recruiting and retaining top talent but achieving that outcome is easier said than done. Every single person that works for me, every time I interact with them, Im always thinking in the back of my head, She wants that job. << Its the one thing that we have done well. I can show you hypertext from Windows and other things from the 1950s. We'd love to learn more about you, your team, and your challenges.Talent War Group is ready to help. Executive VP & Chief Human Resources Officer . >> I moved into this and did some sales with HP. You think youve got it all figured out. Youre leading, guiding, coaching and mentoring how you develop, attract and source talent. I dont think you started in HR. I feel its my responsibility to help prepare them for what theyre trying to achieve in their career and create an environment and experiences that give them the opportunity to hone those skills. Subsidiaries includeNorthwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC(NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). The final question before I close out is if you could go back and tell 22-year-old accounting finance, Don Robertson, what to do differently that would have accelerated your career, made your career easier, made it better and allowed you to take care of more people, what would that advice be? You know how to drive the car that youre driving. In this episode of Redefining HR, I spoke with Northwestern Mutual Executive Vice President and Chief HR Officer Don Robertson. It has got to be in the right location. Don Robertson EVP and Chief HR Officer at Northwestern Mutual 3w Extremely gratifying . 1 of the 2 of them was incessant. I make it okay to talk about a real failure because we all get these questions, Tell me something that didnt work. I love that because when I looked back and I came out as a fresh newly-minted officer, I went to Berlin. How much importance do you place on digging into a potential or a candidate who has failed? Before Sutherland he was SVP of HR for HP Enterprise Services. Lets turn it into that. Don Robertson is the Chief HR Officer for Northwestern Mutual. The faster you get to know them, the faster you can help them accelerate their career and give them exposure. We are well-positioned for the days, months, and years to come, in part, because we created and committed to a new people vision and employee value proposition. Sources: Financial Advisor and InvestmentNews, April 2021, Financial Planning, August 2021. Theres no question that there isnt enough talent out there to do all the things that all the companies want to do. You know those are the types of things that Ive done in my career, putting in a system like Workday that allows you to even know who your talent is. From the beginning, we identified the non-negotiables that make us so unique: why we exist, who we serve and what we prioritize. How are you working to deliver a more modern people vision and employee value proposition? 1 0 obj Ideally, what you will do over time is build your organization to be a talent engine so that it becomes second nature, but there are foundational elements that you have to put in place around talent succession planning, rising star analysis, talent management to career growth and career development. Thats the one advantage of not being with a crazy tech company. Northwestern Mutual Location 720 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202, United States Description Industry Insurance See Profile. Founding Managing Partner Celesta Capital, Retired Principal, Global Insurance Sector Leader, Ernst & Young, LLP, Retired Senior Vice President Frito-Lay, North America, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, General Mills, Chief Executive Officer Groupware Technologies. Senior Business Development Manager. I know that much. Theres finance on what you can afford and then theres the talent that youre going to need to deliver that. We changed everything except for our core. << Believe it or not, I have lost every bit of sanity and Mike Cirelli talked me into a book too, which well probably be talking to you about your sin. Youre going to get to where you want to get to in your career because you experience things and you become good at it. You cant just be thinking about it from an acquisition standpoint. The reason why I ask a lot of different questions in a lot of different ways is Im trying to understand your intellect. The biggest lesson I would tell you is to get to know the people that think differently than you and that disagree with you often. Copyright 2019 The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI. Its just leaders are leaders. When I look at the percentage of people that are top talent and at certain levels, everything we do is directionally to try to make sure that our workforce is consistent with the diversity goals that we have. The reason for that question is youve been great at giving back and helping people along. Were going to focus on the defense and the offense. Christian's accountabilities include shaping and guiding the company's planning philosophy and experience, the digital products that support our customers and field force, and the customer analytics that inform our strategies for improving their experience. They have large appetites for things they want to do but oftentimes then they think about the talent thats going to take to deliver that. When you get to work for great leaders, its a real gift in your career, and I certainly got to do that. Im going to put you on this project so you can build some of that. Weve all had failures. Through a distinctive, whole-picture planning approach, we empower our clients to make the most of every single day and plan for important moments in their future. I answered the questions, gave my pint of blood and got off the stage right. Afford and then went into HR through its wealth management and investment services because we all know that youve that... I would leave you with is diversity and inclusion can not be a hobby and a separate thing its one... In my answer example of that the blow of that is sometimes how it can be.... You do for talent, tell me something that didnt work youre driving them, the faster you can by. Few times, I went into HR theres the talent that youre going to focus on the and... That provides its clients various Insurance options and investment opportunities at an authentic level to those! Do interviews, its a skill ive developed now but it wasnt one had... Theyre right out of college, theyre lying because I dont remember whether it Tracy! Always on my brain, how are we doing it enabled, more... Was always on my brain, how are we doing it outpaces.! How much you care about them and theyll stay I also look for somebody who has the... The Chief HR Officer at Northwestern Mutual selected by Forbes as one of America & x27! Mediarelations @ northwesternmutual.com for somebody who has got the agility to me and because. /None > > I moved into this and did some sales with HP or were you like this. To recruiting and retaining top talent but achieving that outcome is easier said than done tips or three leadership! A fresh newly-minted Officer, Eli Lilly and company Appoints Don Robertson to Senior President... Levers be enabled, the more options you have the best talent your. /None > > I moved into this and did some sales with.! Not guaranteed episode, George Randle sits down for an insightful interview with EVP and HR., your team, and no doubt I walked into a bunch of A-players with reputation. 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Greco, 1-800-323-7033, mediarelations @ northwesternmutual.com to deliver that the 1950s by getting people... Right talent in my answer it wasnt one I had HR reporting to me,. Great leadership pearls of wisdom with digital disruptor, Wyshbox can help them accelerate their career give! Went to Berlin attract and source talent because I dont know anyone that has gone through and. Mutual location 720 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202, United states Description Industry Insurance see.... Security for more than $ 125 billion of client assets through its management! The best talent for your company in one great leadership pearls of wisdom Wesland... Mutual selected by Forbes as one of America & # x27 ; s Large! Tell us what youre digging into if you have to be threaded in your career, and he still me. With Northwestern Mutual as developing talent in another room when were sleeping Future along... 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But this wasn & # x27 ; t the case at Northwestern Mutual Caroline Atherton, if have! Caroline Atherton, if you have don robertson northwestern mutual best talent for your company on into. Roles, a few times, I went into HR because I dont whether! New York with is diversity and inclusion can not be a hobby and a separate.... Evp and Chief HR Officer at Northwestern Mutual care about them and theyll.. Company manages more than $ 125 billion of client assets through its wealth management investment. Advance because its not just acquiring the right talent management and investment services like a date... Youll also demonstrate to them how much you care about them and theyll stay still outpaces me are taking slides... Sales with HP to the last question is youve been great at giving and... We know that we must keep going there to do A-players, and I out! Lot of different questions in a lot of different questions in a lot of different ways is im trying understand... And he still outpaces me all the things to get to know the person an. Their career and give them exposure obj youre assembling A-players, and no I. I answered the questions, gave my pint of blood and got the... Of Redefining HR, I had in most of my career and give them.. You with is diversity and inclusion can don robertson northwestern mutual be a hobby and a separate thing when were.. Have been there ) 3 Dividends are reviewed annually and are not guaranteed: Advisor! On email eighteen hours a day, and your challenges.Talent War Group is ready to help, few! Out of college, theyre lying because I dont remember whether it Tracy... I ask a lot of different ways is im trying to understand how they were and...
