Leslie Austin has spent her entire career working in human resources—though she admits others might find the line of work boring.
“There is no typical day for me and that is what I love so much about it,” she insists in Business Report’s latest Executive Spotlight feature.
Austin was promoted to chief operations officer at HR Solutions last year after having served as director of human resources for three years. The biggest challenge to making the transition to the C-Suite has been “remembering to look at the bigger picture and how all the pieces of puzzle fit together, rather than the detailed workings of a single department.”
“I now have a lot more overall accountabilities and employees to look out for and take the weight of this very seriously,” she tells Business Report.
As Austin continues her journey, she keeps in mind the lesson she learned from her very first job in a lab at the LSU Physics Department when she was 18.
“Even if you aren’t the smartest person in the room,” Austin says, “the willingness to accept new challenges and work very, very hard will pay of and carry you far.”
Read the full Executive Spotlight feature. Here’s a sample of what you will find:
You’ve spent your entire career in human resources. What are some of the biggest mistakes companies make in HR and how can they avoid them?
I focus a lot of compliance and just not getting “dinged” for little things that can be costly. A few examples for employers to check: Having a properly completed Form I-9, utilizing E-Verify, and having an updated handbook with harassment policy. Apart from compliance though, another big one is management training and making sure those who are responsible for others understand how to effectively train, coach, counsel and motivate them.
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