Hello! My name is Kevin and I joined Harbinger in April 2023 as a Sr. People Engagement Specialist. In true Harbinger fashion, I’d like to think that my introduction into a new setting is an impetus for growth, positive action, and meaningful change.
Thanks for the introduction Kevin. Can you tell us more about your role here at Harbinger?
My role as a Sr. People Engagement Specialist involves a few exciting aspects! On a regular basis, I enable, support, and guide our clients to progress towards their change management and enablement goals – both at the organizational level and the individual level. This involves working with our clients on their communications, engagement, and change management project activities at both a strategic and tactical level. I also play a similar role on our internal Harbinger projects including marketing, training, and administrative initiatives.
I see that you have experience across different roles such as Talent Development, Coach, and Consultant. How does this help you as a Change Practitioner in your current role?
‘It takes a village to raise a child’, and a community to lead and sustain change in an organization. As a Change Practitioner, I would add that it takes a variety of experiences and a complimentary skillset to effectively support clients managing change. Working in Talent Development gave me the tools to help track the progress of individuals, especially as they adopt and commit to change. Being a consultant honed my analytical and critical thinking skills to provide clients the best recommendations and solutions to help them reach their goals. And finally, coaching clients through projects has taught me how to meet them where they are, and to be of value and service based on their change goals.
What excites you the most about working in the field of Change Management?
The fact that Change Management is both a professional field and a skillset is what excites me most! The current and future landscape of work is marked with constant change and transformation. As a professional field, Change Management is applicable to every industry and sector that goes through technological, process, and people-oriented change (which is all of them). In the next decade, one change that every working individual will need to adopt is how to use and work with automation and artificial intelligence. Being at the forefront of adopting new changes and helping others adapt is one of the most exciting things of working in this field.
What is a professional success you’re proud of?
One of my first Change Management projects that I worked on from beginning to end was the implementation of SAP ERP at Weston Foods at its 50 bakeries across North America. To manage and enable the change of a system in a large company - from the very first bakeries to the very last corporate teams - taught me about how different stakeholder groups can all go through their own individual change journeys so uniquely yet so similarly at the same time. The experiences I had in this project mirrored changes happening in my own personal life. Being able to experience the journey both professionally and personally, and to successfully come out the other end solidified that as something I’m proud to have gone through.
Do you have a motto you live by? Why?
"Trust the process". Change is a process; life itself is a process. This motto has allowed me to contextualize the events of my life as steps towards greater outcomes. It’s enabled me to also help others and enable them to take charge of their own change journeys.
What do you hope to accomplish or contribute to in your time here at Harbinger?
I’d like to help our clients navigate transformational change, whether the changes are resulting from new technologies, new cultures, new processes, or other factors. I’d also like to lend my own ideas and experiences to build on our own internal processes and value offerings through the Change Enablement Academy and thought leadership in the industry.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I’m an avid Latin dancer (Bachata), gym-goer, and meditation / breathwork practitioner.
Author
Teresa Cimino
Change Enablement & Learning Specialist
Toronto