Legacy
Tearing up with a drawer of documents?
In preparation for a move to a different building on campus, I got to review drawers of documents that brought me back in time. As I read through the pages, I reconnected to the some of reasons that I have chosen ExxonMobil for 26 years. The brilliant leaders, knowledge and level of expertise that has built the company thus far.
Those documents connected me to that moment when I had my first conversation with Tom Harrison, a wise HR leader. This conversation was out of coincidence, as he came looking for who was my supervisor at the time and picked into my office asking how I was doing… He took the time to stop and chat. Through his kind listening and care, he ended our discussion by sharing that there was someone he would like me to meet…
Tom was the bridge and connection that opened the path to the role that transformed and grew my HR expertise and more to a level that I could have never imagined… That someone I needed to meet was Chuck Kearney, an extraordinary heart centered HR leader. His ability to know his team, match the right people to the right job, influence at all levels in the company and make things happen was unique. I was blessed to be coached and mentored by Chuck. He helped me take my HR expertise to the next level. This entailed putting all I learned over 18 years of career into supporting the leadership team and building HR processes from scratch to enable new business development into countries where the company doesn’t have a presence.
That role brought me to experience Vietnam, Tanzania, Romania and Guyana. This last one, the country that allowed me to blend my HR technical and Human Development expertise. All those years of preparation inside and outside the company came together in service of ExxonMobil and Guyana.
No mission is complete until we record the What, Why and How so the next generation of HR professionals can use it as a foundation for the next new country entries. I did my part and the Guyana start up is recorded and ready to support other HR professionals…. However, the genesis of all this are those documents in the drawers that made me tear up. They helped me prepare for Guyana. I learned by studying the collection of expert guides, prepared by many HR professionals under Chuck's leadership and inspiration: building new country entry operations from scratch.
I am who I am, thanks to all my supervisors and colleagues that took the time to share and grow together. Reading the documents remind me of the meaning of excellence. Writing things down, in a way that documents speak on their own, is the best way to build a legacy. In the case of Chuck, even after being retired for a few years, through those documents, he continues to help shape the future generations of a business. I am honored to take Chuck's legacy, adjust it to reflect the current HR processes, so that we can keep alive that competitive advantage of starting and building new operations.
Thank you Tom and Chuck for being those inspiring HR leaders, keep enjoying your retirement and know that, you continue to be an example to follow…
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