Leadership that cultivates talent

In this Next Gen series, Deloitte Partner, Kevin Butler, speaks with Linda Jordan, Executive Director of Human Resources in Eli Lilly. Linda shares her leadership journey and experiences leading a variety of different teams, from never turning down an opportunity to the importance of spending time with your team.

Executive Director of Human Resources in Eli Lilly, Linda Jordan, tells Kevin Butler, Deloitte, how from an early age the satisfaction of a job well done helped her to hone skills she would use throughout her career.

Launching into Leadership: The Beginning of a Journey

My Leadership journey started way back in my college years, when I started a Supervisor position in Centra in the city centre. Even at that early age, work was something which I wanted to excel at, for no other reason than to do a good job, and go home feeling I had done my best.

Being a supervisor of a diverse group of people, many times working late shifts into the night, brought a sense of responsibility which I loved. I relished the fact that I was able to run the shop, open, close, perform stocktakes, manage cash and banking transactions etc. I also realised I was good with people, they listened to me, I was able to build trust easily, and motivate my team to be the best!

As I reflect back these were skills that I have come to realise are important in all careers. After getting my BSc in Accounting in UCC, I completed my Chartered Accounting training. As a trainee, I struggled at the start, being back to a place where I knew very little, and the learning curve was steep. Through some wonderful mentors and management support I received along the way, about a year into my training, everything just clicked.

I started taking on work independently, leading audit teams, and supporting our newer intakes on their journey. Throughout my time training, what I loved most was watching our newer team members come up the curve, developing them to deal with more complex matters, and tougher stakeholders.

A Pivotal Move

After a few years of travel, I heard about Lilly in Cork setting up a Global Solutions Centre in Cork. Knowing what a strong brand Lilly had in the local and global market, I decided to apply.

This was to be the start of an amazing and exciting Leadership journey for me, as I joined Lilly in 2010 as a Financial Analyst in the General Accounting department. About a year later, I got my first taste for management, within the Purchase to Pay organisation. This was a relatively small team, and included managing an Outsourced partner.

There were a lot of changes happening at the time, both technically and structure-wise, and I brought a level of detailed focus which was required for the role. However there were learnings for me too. I could have delegated more, as many of my team were extremely strong, in both technical knowledge and issue resolution. What I have learned on my Leadership journey is, you need to trust your team, provide Strategic guidance and guardrails (if needed), and you will be pleasantly surprised with what comes back! Building trust with your team has to start with a meaningful connection. Through spending quality time with your team, getting to know their strengths and development areas, being genuinely interested in them, you will build a positive culture, where everyone is engaged and striving towards the same goals.

Taking On New Challenges

After my experience in Purchase to Pay, I’ve had some amazing opportunities to progress and develop. I was always very clear with my managers on what I wanted my career to look like. I would utilise my 1:1 time as best I could, providing pre-reads for any topics to be discussed, and making sure we found time to discuss my personal development too. I did not restrict myself to staying within Finance either. I took on roles within Strategic Projects and Compliance, which provided me a broader view of the organisation, expanding my network and knowledge along the way. I would always encourage people to be brave and take the leap into something new when the opportunity arises.

I recognise I am also very lucky to work for a company like Lilly, where everyone’s development is taken seriously, and Lilly does not restrict development only within your core role/competencies. There is an openness to trying new things, if you demonstrate a hunger and energy to take on a new challenge, you will certainly find one here!

One of the pivotal moments in my career was back in 2019, when I took on a large site wide Strategic project, around our Flexibility model in Cork. This involved linking in with all leaders across the site, understand their business needs, their people needs, and how we could balance the two. This resulted in the rollout of a successful Framework for our employees to be able to avail of a number of new and enhanced flexibility options. This project really helped me to understand how our Leaders operate, what is important to them, and how I could help them achieve their goals.

Of course, what is important to every leader did not waverit is our People. This is why we are in these leadership roles, to help our people thrive, feel fulfilled and energised in their work, and see them achieve their career aspirations over time.

Working Hard and The Journey Ahead

Right now I am the Executive Director of HR for our Cork, Kuala Lumper and Mexico sites. Stepping into this role from Finance was so exciting, I am learning so much, and feel I am having a direct impact on our People and Culture.

Looking back on the last 13 years, some of the elements which helped me be successful include working hard first, no matter what the role or topic, to achieve the best outcome. For me, that is still a fundamental part of my approach to work. I want to come in and do a good job every day, and bring 100% of my focus to my working day. I am very much a self-motivator, and can bring energy and passion to whatever I turn my hand to. I’ve also been flexible throughout my journey, never turning down a new opportunity or development role.

I trust in my wonderful management team to help me navigate my career. And who knows what the next 13 years may bring!

in association with Deloitte