Navigating Turbulence

10.01.19

Tech exec and founder of the Zoe Foundation, Kim Hammonds shares some of the challenges she’s faced navigating turbulent times at companies she’s led. In particular, she talks about a time when she needed to keep things running smoothly while reducing staffing by 30%. Listen to what mattered most to her during this difficult time.

Summary:

Tech exec and founder of the Zoe Foundation, Kim Hammonds shares some of the challenges she’s faced navigating turbulent times at companies she’s led. In particular, she talks about a time when she needed to keep things running smoothly while reducing staffing by 30%. Listen to what mattered most to her during this difficult time.

Kim Hammonds talks with Keith Krach about some of the challenges leading organizations through turbulent times. What’s telling is to see what Kim says about what mattered most to her when things got difficult.

Keith_Krach

Keith Krach

Tell us about a time when, you did really challenge the existing, status quo at a company. I mean, you had to because you worked with four Fortune 100 companies. So tell us about one of those things and what it was like and how did you do it.

Kim Hammonds

I would say, every industry that I've worked in has gone through turbulent, like call it great times, and turbulence. And, so, I have loads of exhibit examples from each one of those industries. Towards the end of my time at Ford Motor Company, I remember having to come up with a plan to release at the time, the group that I was leading, 30% of my staff. And, it was keep everything running and operationally working, but, come up with a game plan to reduce 30% of your staff. And I just remember waking up, I wasn't worried about necessarily the job content, but I started really worrying about people. So I would wake up at two in the morning thinking, I know this person, I know some of the personal things they're going through, or are they gonna be on the list? So, as a leader, you really internalize that because at the end of the day, you're only as good as your people. And I've learned that over and over and over again, that you're only as good as people with you. End of story.
Keith_Krach

Keith Krach

Right.