Exploring the professional and personal faces of leadership
Welcome back to another instalment of our blog series ‘Leadership Stories’, where we explore the professional and personal faces of leadership and embrace the inspirational power of storytelling.
In this episode, James Hudson, Former Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Nike, shares his personal story with us, as well as his insights on authentic, vulnerable and transparent leadership.
Originally from the UK, James has lived in California for the last 7 years.
Professional
What are or have been the greatest challenges as a leader for you?
I stepped into leadership roles quite early on in my career (in my 20s) and so I learnt much of my leadership style on the job. At the beginning, I learnt what NOT to do from bad managers, because of the way they made me feel. Later, I was super fortunate to work for brilliant leaders and learn positive traits from them.
For me personally my biggest battle has been finding my own authenticity and own voice. See the video below for more on this….
What do you believe will be the most effective leadership style in coming years?
In my field of work (so I’m talking specifically about chief people and recruitment officers) the best leaders that I have worked with are highly commercial. They understand how the enterprise operates end to end; the structural economics, the levers of profit and loss, product-market fit, the competitive set and the macroeconomic environment. The best people leaders speak the language of the organisation as fluently as they do as well as the language of HR.
This is best paired with an authentic leadership style rooted in bravery. See the video below for more on this….
What is the key to encouraging diversity of thought when building teams?
Living in America has been my lifelong dream, and I feel so grateful that I’m here. But it’s also bitter-sweet as in the last year or so there is starting to be widespread opposition, especially in right-wing media, to diversity, equality and inclusion. All of the data shows (time and time again, in large and small studies, cross-sector and across the years) that diverse teams always deliver better business outcomes, whether that is increased revenue, increased profitability or unlocking shareholder revenue. It’s scary that right-wing media have been able to spread this erroneous notion that DEI is about quotas. No DEI programme in any corporate environment relies on quotas, that is unlawful in America and in many parts of Europe. DEI is the outcome, not the process.
Personal
Is there a moment that you feel changed the course of your career?
As I mentioned, I always had this dream to come to America. I had a few opportunities in my earlier career, but I was never brave enough to ask for it and I didn’t think I was worth it. It was only when I was 35 and I started a role with Levi (HQ in LA) that I finally realised my dream.
I was based in Brussels, but after being seconded to San Fransisco for 12 weeks they asked me to go back for another six months. My boss in Brussels said, ‘say no to six months, tell them you’ll only do it if it’s permanent, because that’s what you want isn’t it?’ I thought ‘oh my god, I can’t do that!’ I didn’t feel brave enough, but he pushed me, and I am so glad I listened to him. Back then I didn’t feel worthy, because I hadn’t healed trauma from my past. I can’t believe it took someone else pushing me, for me to ask for something I already knew I wanted!
Can you tell us about something that happened at work that made you feel included or excluded?
I try to make people feel included, because I know what it feels like to be excluded, and I don’t want to perpetuate that.
What advice would you give your younger self?
If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
Find out more about James’ journey from bleak 80s northern England to sunny, liberal California…