Tony Chimera - "How to Be a Business and HR Executive at the Same Time"
Tony Chimera, Chief Talent Officer at Westfield Specialty Insurance, delves into the transformative role of HR in shaping business strategy. Drawing from his experience in entrepreneurial environments, he emphasizes aligning HR initiatives with business goals to drive meaningful impact rather than being seen as regulatory barriers. Tony advocates for fostering curiosity, supporting talent retention, and cultivating a culture of long-term growth. He highlights the power of listening and reciprocal relationships as essential tools for HR leaders to create lasting organizational success.
EPISODE:12 How to Be a Business and HR Executive at the Same Time A Conversation with Tony Chimera Tony Chimera Chief Talent Officer @ Westfield Specialty Insurance
Episode Description Tony Chimera, Chief Talent Officer at Westfield Specialty Insurance, delves into the transformative role of HR in shaping business strategy. Drawing from his experience in entrepreneurial environments, he emphasizes aligning HR initiatives with business goals to drive meaningful impact rather than being seen as regulatory barriers. Tony advocates for fostering curiosity, supporting talent retention, and cultivating a culture of long-term growth. He highlights the power of listening and reciprocal relationships as essential tools for HR leaders to create lasting organizational success.
Table of Contents Introduction to Tony Chimera (1:06) Full Episode (24:35) How Strategic HR Empowers Business Success Beyond Compliance (2:02) Exploring Business Development Roles to Enhance HR Effectiveness (1:26) Strategies on How CHROs Earn a Seat at the Table (1:51) Elevating Connections Through Curiosity and Reciprocity in Business (1:33) Company Culture as the Key to Overall Business Growth Success (3:37) Bridging HR’s Role in Talent and Strategic Business Growth (3:27) Embracing Diversity Beyond Politics for Strategic Outcomes (1:45) Uncovering Business Opportunities Through Casual Interactions and Conversations (2:06) Building a Winning Team Through Strategic Development (1:37) Mastering the Art of Listening in a World of Distraction (0:59) Short - Implementing Strategic Hiring Practices for Organizational Success (0:37) Short - Motivating and Empowering Teams Beyond Salaries and Paychecks (0:43)
(1:06) Introduction to Tony Chimera
Full Episode "There’s strategic HR, but it’s also human resources. If you don’t interact with people one-on-one, you’re just another executive they don’t see. I think it’s a tricky balancing act, but spending time with people where they are—whether it’s their personal challenges, work challenges, personal successes, or work successes— makes a difference to people." 5
Full Episode: Topics Covered 1. Curiosity: The Driving Force of Strategic HR 2. Culture: The Fabric of Organizational Success 3. Listening: The Underrated Skill in Leadership
(2:02) How Strategic HR Empowers Business Success Beyond Compliance
(1:26) Exploring Business Development Roles to Enhance HR Effectiveness "In many environments, culture forces you to stay in a certain lane. But I think the way to get out of that lane is to be intensely curious. Understand more about the business and the people involved. Get out into the marketplace and gain a deeper understanding." 8
(1:51) Strategies on How CHROs Earn a Seat at the Table "You have to earn your seat at the table, and you have to earn it every time. I think part of it starts with listening and curiosity, which may sound amorphous, but in my opinion, so few people actually do that."
(1:33) Elevating Connections Through Curiosity and Reciprocity in Business
(3:37) Company Culture as the Key to Overall Business Growth Success "You have to be accountable for whatever you're saying. If you say you have a culture that listens to everyone, but your executive team is never accessible, available, or interested, then you don’t have that culture."
(3:27) Bridging HR’s Role in Talent and Strategic Business Growth
(1:45) Embracing Diversity Beyond Politics for Strategic Outcomes "The terminology around diversity has become somewhat polarizing, with people taking sides on it. I think it’s cultural. It’s not just a program or a fancy term you throw around because you think it will attract more customers or because it’s a "flavor of the month" trend. It has tobe something that threads through everything you do. I think that’s important, and it’s a time when we shouldn’t remove it from the agenda, though some places are."
(2:06) Uncovering Business Opportunities Through Casual Interactions and Conversations "I think an organization should constantly prospect for ideas, even if they're not necessarily for us. Some of these ideas might come inside our four walls, while others might be something we park and revisit later. But that's what I strive to do, and I always learn something from those discussions." 14
(1:37) Building a Winning Team Through Strategic Development "I’ll put our talent against anyone. Three and a half years ago, we didn’t have technology, we didn’t have claims, and we didn’t have all these groups. We’ve built these groups up, and it’s been the coolest thing ever. They’re out in the market, winning. It’s meaningful to me because I never thought I’d get the chance to participate in that."
(0:59) Mastering the Art of Listening in a World of Distraction "I think listening is the cheat code, and I believe it will make you better. It will elevate your thinking and challenge assumptions that you otherwise wouldn't question."
YOUTUBE SHORT:
YOUTUBE SHORT:
Tony Chimera Tony Chimera, Chief Talent Officer at Westfield Specialty Insurance, delves into the transformative role of HR in shaping business strategy. Drawing from his experience in entrepreneurial environments, he emphasizes aligning HR initiatives with business goals to drive meaningful impact rather than being seen as regulatory barriers. Tony advocates for fostering curiosity, supporting talent retention, and cultivating a culture of long-term growth. He highlights the power of listening and reciprocal relationships as essential tools for HR leaders to create lasting organizational success.
About Eastridge Established in 1972, Eastridge Workforce Solutions is an employee-owned provider of full-service talent acquisition and management solutions for companies globally. Eastridge provides a full range professional / technical industrial of solutions including professional / technical and industrial staffing. We also provide workforce employer of record recruitment process outsourcing management solutions such as employer of record, recruitment process outsourcing, as well as managed service provider programs Talient managed service provider programs. Our services are backed with Talient, a proprietary workforce technology that streamlines every step of managing your extended workforce.
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