Skills

Having strong communication skills and continuously keeping diplomacy in mind has aided my career growth immensely. I know I can rely on my interpersonal skills to effectively form and grow really mutually strong new relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders alike. These days, networking is vital, and whether it's through speech or the written word, through actions or general demeanor, I believe I have the communication skills to allow me to fit in and adapt easily in essentially any environment.

Further, tactfulness in People roles is vital - you're dealing with human beings (who, if you didn't already know, are complex and multifaceted) on a daily basis, from very different backgrounds, cultures, traditions, languages, communication styles, and ways of doing things. That diversity is part of the beauty of working in my field, and my communication skills help me immensely in being successful in the People space.

I'm lucky that I have a high level of self-awareness and know myself very well. I'm naturally adept at maintaining tight control of my emotions, which has proven highly important in stressful situations in the workplace, as well as a huge benefit in serving properly in People-related roles. Emotional Intelligence (EI) also involves taking (often subtle) social and emotional cues from those around me, practicing empathy on a daily basis, and knowing how and when to lend a hand and when to focus inwards.

It's important to remember that, working in People Operations, those around you are not resources. They're human beings. They have their own lives, their own struggles, their own aspirations, their own loves. They're motivated in different ways. They're inspired in different ways. And they're working alongside you for various different reasons. And a lot of that you're probably not going to be aware of - perhaps ever. That's up to them to decide. Even as a manager, they're going to decide to be as transparent with you as they decide to be. And that's their right.

What's important when working in the People space is to be approachable. To create a safe space for anyone to be able to reach out to you if they want to. There are no stupid questions. There are no "too much information" situations. If you have something you want to raise, you go right ahead and raise it. We'll work on it together. Because I care about you on behalf of the company, in the capacity of my role. But also, because I care about you as a fellow human being. That's my committed approach, personally and professionally, in life.

I've always put open-mindedness high on my list of ways to describe myself, and for good reason. It's one of my core values. I've never been the type to say I know something if I'm not sure. I've never claimed to be the best at any particular thing, and close myself off to someone else perhaps having a better way to do something. I've never been someone who remains fixed in their ways, even as information is updated and society changes around them. You need to keep an open mind and keep up with the times. That's not part of the job. That's just part of being a responsible human. That's my opinion, at least.

The world is full of so many wonderful, different kinds of people, each unique, and each special in their own ways. And there are so many opportunities for learning and personal growth by engaging with people different to yourself.

By being open to, and interested in, all personalities, cultures, ways of thinking, ways of communicating, and ways of doing things, regardless of how similar they are to my own, I allow myself to reflect on who I am, and importantly, on how I can improve. Because I want to keep growing. There's no end to that in life. I may have a core set of values and an ethical code by which I live my life (and stick to), but aside from that, I'm continuously being molded by the world and people around me, and that's a beautiful thing. I'd hate to be closed off to that.

We never know who our next colleague, client, or business partner will be, nor do we know what their story or history is. Everything's so globalized these days, and I enjoy being able to appreciate and learn from the differences in those around me, while still remaining authentic and true to myself. That last sentence should give you a really good sense of the kind of person I am.

At a macro level, I've been the sole "People Ops/HR person", leading continuous processes and improvements, across the entire employee lifecycle, for a diverse, innovative, dispersed team of 65 wonderful individuals at a VC-backed, SaaS tech startup with global operations. I did this while also maintaining and devleoping a fantastic culture and leading by example when it came to company values, so as to attract and retain great talent (which is not always easy to find).

I'm exceptionally used to, day-to-day, making incremental improvements, iteratively, to processes, so that they match a company as it grows, and team compositions and personalities as they change, naturally. I'm also very used to managing numerous vital business processes, company-wide, with near, and in many cases, complete autonomy. Those include managing/leading:

• Annual performance and compensation review processes for all employees (including negotiations and benchmarking),
• Benefits administration for a geographically-dispersed team (including for stock options and medical insurance benefits),
• Labor legislation research and compliance across numerous jurisdictions simultaneously (including in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Spain, Venezuela, Malta, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Canada,
• Interpersonal relations (industrial relations) processes, including disputes and conflict resolution, as well as coaching and mentoring managers and Team Leads through difficult and/or awkward situations pertaining to their direct reports (such as Performance Improvement Plan development and implementation),
• Global hiring, onboarding, and offboarding, across 6 teams, for both technical (software engineer) and non-technical (numerous) roles, including for in-office, hybrid, and fully-remote employees,
• Company-wide HRIS and ATS systems, including keeping all sensitive employee information up-to-date, and in line with requirements for payroll and externally-conducted business audits.
• The building, improving upon, interpreting, and explaining of People/HR policies and processes to all employees, in 3 different roles, at 3 very unique companies - one based in South Africa, one based in the United States, and one based in Canada, and
• Serving as the approachable, reasoned, calm, stable, and friendly main (first) point-of-contact for any People/HR-related queries, for all employees.

Aside from that, on a more micro level, there have been numerous times during the course of my career thus far that I've had to step up and take the lead on a major project. You can read about some practical examples across the tabs in my 'Google Sheet of People Operations Experience'.

These instances not only involved my needing to execute a particular company or person's vision, through delegation and effective management, but also involved needing to bring together many different internal and external stakeholders, who often had very different views and communication styles to one another.

Ultimately, these opportunities have helped me grow in leadership roles, and have helped me learn when to take the reins, when to step back and/or delegate, and allow others to use their expertise so that they can truly shine and thrive, as well as learn and grow too, and how to inspire and motivate those with whom I'm collaborating in order to get the job done. That includes cases where I'm inspiring and motivating people who have very different views, communication styles, and ways of doing things to me. Doing that, and doing that well, is a fine art. It's refined, through practice, paying attention, and actually caring about your role and responsibilities (and their impact on others), as a leader and manager. And I care deeply about the work that I do, and those around me.

And I do maintain a very collaborative form of leadership. That's not to say I can't step up and make an executive decision if I need to, but more to say that I know I'm not perfect, and I know what I don't know. Taking input from others is an intrinsic part of being a good leader, whether that's for just one project, or permanently, as a manager, with your reports.

There have been, and most likely will continue to be, many changes in both my personal and professional life that have required me to adapt and grow. Being able to pivot comfortably and seamlessly in the face of new surroundings, new projects, new methodologies, new colleagues and clients, new research, and new external forces, is not a bonus, it's a necessity. Especially when working for startups and in tech, as I have. You need to have a "I'll do what needs to get done, and if my priorities shift, I'll run with the new plan" kind of mentality, always. I have a plethora of examples wherein I've successfully embraced change, viewed it as a learning experience, and come out stronger on the other end.

Also, change is an opportunity to learn. Whether that's about myself, about others, or about the world. And I absolutely LOVE learning.

It's extremely important to me that I remain true to my morals of being honest and trustworthy, and my values of being authentic and open-minded, transparent and modest.

If I've said something, I meant it. If I mean something, I'll say it. If I've committed to something, I'll stick to it. Those things shouldn't change depending on the environment I find myself in, because they're at the core of what makes me who I am. And just as I know that, it's important for others to see it too. For that to be tangible. It's important to me that everyone, no matter whether you're a colleague at work, or a cashier at Pick n Pay, is left with a, "yes, that's who Quintin is" impression. And that that impression is consistent. Because integrity, morals, and values are not malleable. If they were easily influenced and changed all the time... what's the point of having them? They're meant to guide me.

Whenever I've received feedback that I've acted in a sincere and fair manner, I've known I'm sticking to the right path.

If you'd like to learn more about my values, you can do so on this page.

I find it just as easy and enjoyable to work as part of a team, as I do to work independently. I've had many projects wherein I took the lead, and others where I was a collaborator. I've also had a wide range of simultaneous responsibilities in numerous of my roles thus far, where I was working as an island - with a huge amount of autonomy and trust - and I was very comfortable with that too.

There are benefits to both, and I'm happy and fulfilled either way. I've had just as much success thus far in environments where I've needed to work closely and cross-functionally with colleagues, ideate, experiment, as well as formulate solutions and come to consensus together, as I have in spaces where I've been a "Team of One", needing to (and succeeding with) being self-motivated, highly organized, and taking ownership of all of my own responsibilities, and sometimes, when required, those of my teammates.

Again, both scenarios are equally satisfying. Perhaps what's nice is having a balance of the two. I think People roles provide that naturally, although of course that's company-dependent.

I've been happy, and thrived, working in roles that have had various styles, with some being fully in-office, some being hybrid, and some being fully-remote.

Being organized and managing my time well have been key requirements of all of my previous roles. I've fortunately always found it easy to juggle a wide variety of different tasks simultaneously, prioritize (and quickly re-prioritize based on changing business needs day to day) as necessary, and maintain a solid record of my contributions to reflect upon (and build upon) later.

There's always room for improvement in any position in which you find yourself, and I think being naturally organized means I'm able to plan ahead, get things done ahead of time, and therefore have time for contingency plans, as well as reflection and learning. All very important in roles like the ones I enjoy serving in.

One of my colleagues once complimented by ability to remain "calm amidst the storm". And, even my ability to make others feel that way too. It's some of the best (and kindest) feedback I've ever received, and I believe it to be true.

I find it easy to remain patient and calm in times of stress, and use that natural ability to help those around me get there too. As valid as our emotions are, sometimes we just have to maintain a clear mind, exercise patience, and push forward with what needs to be done. Especially in People-related roles. The fact that that comes naturally to me really is a bonus for working in my field.

I'm fortunate in being able to say I have a naturally high level of self-confidence. I'm able to project my voice well, present my point/s in a convincing yet diplomatic way, and don't shy away from public speaking. I've had to give many a presentation in my time, whether that was presenting my proposal for my Master's thesis to a panel of academics, hosting live webinars to global audiences, or presenting the brand-new hiring funnel I created for a tech company to senior leadership. I've always enjoyed presenting. And that includes recording training material!

I've thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities I've had thus far to conduct training and facilitate presentations. Whether it's representing the company at an exhibition stand, delivering a brief to a business partner/vendor, hosting a live webinar on a new business development, or conducting a training session for colleagues as part of a platform roll-out process I'm leading, I enjoy teaching and helping others.

I've worked in the People Operations/People & Culture space for numerous years now, and it's a great fit for me! (I use those terms interchangeably, by the way, to refer to the new school methodology that's seemingly, fortunately, gradually replacing HR). The field is a really good blend of my natural people skills and organizational skills. I consider myself personable, yet confident, and you need to strike that balance well in order to be successful in my field, which I believe I do, consistently.

Thus far, I've gained an extensive breadth and depth of experience in People Operations, which I think I can attribute to two things; my never-ending quest for learning, and having worked in tech and for startups, where I've had tons of simultaneous responsibilities, and lots of autonomy ("wearing multiple hats", as the saying goes).

I've got People Ops experience that includes managing hiring (and improving the candidate experience across the entire hiring funnel), onboarding, offboarding, and performance review processes. I've also worked with, maintained, and rolled out new people systems (HRISes and ATSes); worked alongside finance managers to support smooth and efficient payroll; and developed (from the ground up) and improved upon numerous existing, impactful People policies and processes for companies with global operations, and teams comprised of people residing all over the world.

I'm big on great cultures. Without a good culture, you don't get good people. And without good people, you're not going to achieve your goals as a company. It's that simple. I've been a culture advocate, representing the values of numerous companies, and setting an example for others to follow; and I've improved upon existing cultures to enhance the employee experience. I also have experience with employee relations; conflict resolution; and coaching and mentoring managers and other employees on matters related to performance and cultural issues, among others.

In addition, I've managed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) surveys and contrasted data to ensure improvement in this regard; administrated benefits (such as healthcare and stock options) for a global team; and served as the main point-of-contact for general People & Culture-related queries for entire teams, in multiple roles, and those teams included individuals from many different countries, cultures, traditions and language backgrounds. I've been told I'm worldly, and have a knack for understanding accents, which is very useful when you're interviewing people from all around the world, and have colleagues who grew up in countries all over the world.

Thus, I have a very global, diverse lens through which I work in the People space, and I'm very used to working with many very different people, and fostering and improving positive cultures wherein there is cross-functional stakeholder management with many very different personalities and ways of doing things and communicating. I'm also very used to attracting and retaining talent to support those cultures, and iterating on my approach to People work, because there's always room for improvement, and I really care about the work that I do and the value it adds. The company's mission is my mission. We all win together.

Over the past few years of my career, I have become accustomed to performing in myriad administrative roles, including managing core People/HR processes for entire diverse, talented, global teams, and taking the lead on numerous major People projects, essentially being the oil in the background that keeps the machine running smoothly, which I think is a very fitting analogy for my line of work.

I've worked in roles with lots of trust and autonomy to just get things done. "Hey Quintin, here's the goal, I'll see you at the top of the mountain. I'm busy working on my own goals. Let me know if you get stuck. Otherwise, I trust you. Enjoy yourself!" I'm very used to that approach and style of working.

That's not to say I haven't done tons of collaborative work too, because I have. And I've enjoyed that just as much. But, I've got my fair share of experience in an administrative/leadership capacity, across the roles I've served in up to this point in my career. And I've thoroughly enjoyed doing so. And, (from multiple colleagues) I'm proud and happy to say that I've received very positive feedback on my particular leadership skills and methodology.

With my passion for technology, I have built up considerable tech-related skills over the years, on both the hardware and software sides.

In terms of software, I've researched, recommended, and led the rollout for numerous platforms of various kinds, across my roles, inclusive of training colleagues (senior and junior), and developing training material for future use. And on the hardware side, as a hobby, I enjoy keeping up-to-date with tech releases and developments, and have built numerous PCs in my life.

As such, I'm able to troubleshoot problems for myself and my colleagues easily. The tech skills section further down this page details the software suites I have considerable practical experience with.

(Random fact: my average typing speed is around 90 words per minute. If you have a few minutes free, you can test yours for free on this site).

Taking everything from my grammatical ability to my vocabulary into account, I have a very strong command of the English language, as well as a deep respect for the power of effective communication, both in the workplace, and in general.

All of my work experience and studies have been conducted in English (my home language), and I have Afrikaans speech skills and decent Afrikaans comprehension skills, as a second language.

I have the ability to easily craft a convincing narrative in my role; research complex topics, such as interpreting labor legislation, and then distill salient information for leadership; develop a People process or write a People policy in such a way that considers all those it impacts (and will impact in future); as well as engage with colleagues and external business partners alike in a way that makes them feel comfortable, valued and respected. I also have a proven ability to coach and mentor managers and junior employees on an array of People-related matters.

Whether it's a concise summary or a lengthy, granular explanation that's required, I'm confident in my ability to provide it, and provide it effectively and tactfully, taking my audience (and their culture, way of communicating, and way of interpreting things) into account, which is a very important part of communicating effectively.

(As an aside, I love that we have so many different languages in South Africa (at least 35, with 12 being official languages), and so many different languages uniting and working together, especially here in the Western Cape).

I hold a Master of Business Science degree from the University of Cape Town. I have thoroughly enjoyed the research I've been able to produce during my 6 years of tertiary studies. It was an absolute honor to contribute to the world of research by publishing my thesis at the top-ranking university in Africa.

I have a strong theoretical knowledge of business, and have kept myself up-to-date on People role-related developments through my own research in more recent years, during my full-time work. I love gaining knowledge, and putting it to good use.

I've written from the ground up, as well as improved upon existing, People policies and guidelines for processes, across numerous roles. I'm very used to building policies and processes in an iterative manner, constantly assessing and improving, whether that's from scratch, or using someone's existing work.

I'm also very accustomed to writing and editing contracts (for various roles, across numerous jurisdictions around the world), offer letters, contract termination letters, exit interview notes, and typing interview notes while simultaneously conducting an interview as the lead panelist (a skill that I've refined over time).

Now, I've got the ability to ask questions, pay attention to answers, assess candidates for role and culture fit, make applicants feel comfortable, and take comprehensive notes for myself and my colleagues, all simultaneously. That's something that comes with practice.

I also have experience with proofreading corporate documents (including those of a legal/contractual nature) and handling employee information of a sensitive nature.

Furthermore, I have experience (through my early career work as a transcriptionist) with transcribing both English and Afrikaans audio in a variety of accents. That often involved transcribing highly sensitive material, such as, for example, proceedings from high-level political meetings.