A Day in the Life of a Director People and Culture at Compass Diversified
A Director of People & Culture needs to be highly adaptable, handling unexpected tasks and shifting priorities, as "your day changes and ebbs and flows". Success also hinges on strong risk management, emotional intelligence to navigate challenging conversations, and a genuine love for working with people, because "every single aspect of the role is keeping people focused in mind".
Adaptability, Risk Management, Emotional Intelligence, People Skills, Communication
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kaajal Ali
Director, People & Culture
Compass Diversified
Santiago Canyon College (Associates Degree) and Chapman University (Bachelors Degree)
M.A. Human Communication at California State University, Fullerton and currently perusing my Executive MBA at University of Michigan, Ross
Communications
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Human Resources (HR)
Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Adaptability is crucial, as the day-to-day tasks and priorities can change unexpectedly.
2. Understanding and managing risk is essential to inform leaders about potential issues.
3. Strong emotional intelligence is necessary for effective communication and connection with employees.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
That's a great question. There are several skills that are really good for this type of role. Number one is being adaptable.
You have to, as I mentioned, you may not have one day look the same as the other. So, your day changes and ebbs and flows, and that's just a huge part of the job. That's part of being adaptable.
Something might get thrown across your desk that you aren't anticipating, so you have to run with it. Being adaptable is critical.
Another thing, as an HR leader, you should have an understanding of risk management. Our job is to make sure that we're letting our leaders know about any risks that could be a potential issue to the leader, the function, or the business. So that's really important.
Also, emotional intelligence. You're gonna have really hard, great, rewarding conversations with employees, and you have to have some emotional intelligence to really be able to connect with people.
Lastly, you have to be a people person. Our job as HR leaders is to be there for the people, be there for the business, and be there for leaders. Every single aspect of our role is keeping people focused in mind. So, you have to love working with and for people.