Crina Ilie, EMEA HR Leader of Genpact: HR is not for HR. HR needs to be in the service of business

Development and inspirational pinpoints in developing a strong career

Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, and possessing the right prior expertise, are some of the pinpoints that marked my career. I had the chance to enter the business services industry at its very beginnings in Romania, in 2006.

My initial role at Genpact was as a recruitment manager for Romania. I had the amazing opportunity, along with my team, to recruit a significant number of employees – around 700 – in just one year. We were real pioneers in the industry. Starting with this industry, growing with it, seeing its numerous stages over time, and then having this outstanding opportunity to work for a company which values motivation and grit over previous experience. It provided me with multiple job opportunities and professional rotations in various areas of HR. This is what kept me in the industry and made me return to Genpact after a short break.

Among multiple aspects, I value the impact on the business and our clients. I deeply believe HR is not for HR. HR needs to be in service for business, and if the business is having good results, then everyone benefits – the employees, the shareholders, and society at large. Therefore, working closely with the leadership and sales teams in pursuing various deals, presenting how our talent strategy is a valuable service to our clients and prospects, and ultimately delivering on our promises, has beenmy most significant professional accomplishment so far.

Values and empowerment

This is a topic very close to my heart.

Genpact has an amazing set of values which keep us relevant while pushing us to reflect on how to be agile, resilient, and adapt in this fast changing environment. Our values are: curiosity, courage, incisiveness, inclusivity, and integrity.

In a rapidly changing world, the invitation to be curious, step into the unknown, acquire new skills, explore new roles, and experiment with different client setups is what makes us constantly evolve and develop. Naturally, this requires courage. Incisiveness invites us to form and articulate a point of view, which internally or externally we can sustain,  speaks about encouraging healthy debates and also developing deep expertise so that we have a say; we are appreciated for our contribution.

The business evolution

When I look at the business evolution for the company and for us, the EMEA HR team, I would say the trends which are in front of us can be summarized in three categories.

The first one is pursuing this amazing vision to become an AI-first company for our clients and for our employees.

The second one would be ensuring that we drive real value for our clients through real transformation and not just productivity gains.

The third one is to establish partnerships with our employees and provide them with opportunities to bridge skill gaps. It’s crucial to support those who are eager to evolve, develop, and stay ahead of the curve by embracing the changes around them. This would be the three trends which in my opinion are relevant for us and I would say also for the industry in 2024.

Applying the situational leadership

Nowadays we work with multiple generations. Luckily, each and every generation brings a different flavor to the table. They respond to different motivators, to different needs. Therefore, there is no single leadership style we should use.

This invites us to go back, revisit and practice the situational leadership approach which actually offers us the possibility to tailor the style based on the individual we’re interracting with. In some situations, we need to act as trainers, in others as coaches or mentors.

We need to inspire, to focus more on strategy or, be much more focused on management execution driving results. Switching in between various styles depending on the persona, and the context is something which I would say is the need of the hour, considering the diversity of the population which we have in front of us.

In terms of leaders who have inspired me, I consider myself very lucky and grateful to have had the opportunity to interact with various leaders, both inside and outside Genpact. I’m inspired by people who lead without the title. For me, those are the experts who, by raising the bar, doing their job with care for the client and with care for their own professional brand, are actually creating the positive will of others to follow them and maintain high professional standards.

Professional fulfillment equals to having a sense of purpose, seeing my job and work as integral parts of my identity. Having the internal motivation to do the best for both myself and others, ensuring that each day I strive to do my best and bring my best self to work. Obviously, there are tough days and challenging situations. I believe that by approaching our profession with care and attention we can find greater satisfaction. This has been working very well for me so far.

Advise for careers starters

I would say I learned from my daughter, who is about to enter the workforce.

We should calm our advice monster and refrain from offering unsolicited advice. What worked for me when I was at the beginning of my career was to experiment.

Simultaneously, as I explored different domains and industries, I strived to excel in each position I held. Once I selected a domain, I delved deeply into it, I developed skills, built capabilities, nurtured relationships, and remained open to be pushed outside my comfort zone to foster growth. Remarkable careers are not happening in the comfort zone.

Power words for 2024

When it comes to the power word for 2024, for me it is “balance”.  We find ourselves amidst numerous conflicting priorities and threats. We must find the balance between embracing AI while keeping humans in the loop. We have to strike a balance between creating values for the shareholders and driving financial results, and consider the wellbeing of both employees and society. Moreover, we must find equilibrium between leisure, private life, hobbies, and the demands of our jobs. When we learn to achieve this balance with ease, grace, and the wisdom to manage our energy and tensions within our control, we will not only succeed but also find satisfaction in our professional lives.