Let’s Get Personnel: Anne (Gonzalez) Caceres-Gonzalez

I am not product-based, I am people-based.

Location: New York, New York

Current Role: Associate Director, HR & Diversity at BBDO New York

AG: Anne Gonzalez / MH: Michelle Hernandez

MH: Alright. Let’s get started! Thank you again for making the time! My first question to you is — how long have you been in HR, and have you always wanted to pursue a career in human resources?

AG: So, I will start off with the back half of the question — no, this wasn’t a career I dreamt of pursuing. (laughing) That was not where I started initially, but I think that my first work experience is what got me here. In 2005, I had an internship with L’Oreal Paris; it was an internship opportunity that I had obtained through a program called Inroads, which is very similar to MAIP, Ad Futures and other multicultural programs that help students from underrepresented backgrounds get their foot in the door. During the internship, we interacted with Maria Morales, who was spearheading the internship as an HR Manager. I’m always going to remember her name — she was so warm and awesome. She really cared about our experience, so that started to tell me (and I had gone there as a marketing intern) that she was in charge of what success looks like for all of the students coming through this program. And, so, for me, I was like, “Well, this is awesome.” She’s somebody who was shaping the company in a completely different way. She may not have been touching the work directly — as in, she wasn’t a marketing partner — but because she was a People Partner, she kind of informed the creative output by way of getting the right talent in the door. So, I stood on as a marketing intern learning all that I could for about a year and a half. Unfortunately, I did not graduate in time to get the full-time marketing role, and that forced me to look at other opportunities once I did graduate. It was then when I said, “I’m going to look at HR jobs. What’s out there? Let’s see.” And, so, in 2007, I started working part-time as an Employee Relations Assistant at Tiffany & Co. In this role, I was filing personnel files of employees that had been at the company for 20+ years, and sending them to an iron mountain for archiving purposes. So, it was just filing paperwork at first and other admin duties and I was not sure if this was the thing I wanted to do, but I kept at it. The more that I proved myself, the more I was able to get my hands on more HR work within Tiffany & Co. Then, in 2008, I was converted to full-time HR Coordinator, and from there, I supported the recruitment function, which allowed me to understand how we were setting up candidates and soon to be employees for success, in the same way Maria Morales had done at L’Oreal.

MH: That’s awesome. So, was the encounter with Maria Morales like your eureka moment? When you realize this is what I want to do.

AG: I think so. I think seeing her get up there in front of the interns every week during our internship — experiencing all that she knew about L’Oreal, it’s key stakeholders and it’s products, and also showing up for us interns to inform our success — showed that she cared about the company and our experience, and I wanted to do something similar to that. Her role was grounded in the people that created and the product, and that affirmed me — I am not product-based, I am people-based.

MH: Yeah! Can I quote you on that, later? “I am not product-based, I am people-based.” So, good! Next question. Do you have a specific concentration within human resources, or do you consider yourself to be a generalist?

AG: Currently, I consider myself to be a generalist growing into a specialization. In the beginning of my career, I was deeply focused on the admin aspects of HR. Later on, I supported learning and development, which led me to develop my career as a generalist, and that of course spans across all of the things HR. I think over the last three years, I have been drawn to the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s important for us as People Partners to be tapped into that world, and it’s sometimes frustrating for me to not see those two functions run a little more in parallel. I think diversity threads through all aspects of HR — belonging, growth, retention, you name it. Employees that don’t feel psychologically safe are less likely to produce their best work. So, when I’m coaching managers on how to best support their team members, or up-skill them, I often consider the diverse experiences and intersectionality of the employee, so that we’re not defaulting to a “one management style fits all” approach. So, yeah, I would say at this moment, I’m growing into the DEI space and I hope it becomes my trajectory.

MH: Great! I look forward to seeing more of what you’ll be doing within the space! It’s gonna be awesome. What do you enjoy most about what you do?

AG: I think at the root of all, it’s connecting to people. I have always been a people person. I have always been really outgoing. I think besides that, I love just learning about team members and their intersections. It’s being able to interact with team members from multiple disciplines, and understanding how they got here. I find myself learning from all of these folks and understanding what drives them, what inspires them to do their best work. And that, in turn, gives me the intel I need to support their growth at the company. I’m totally 100% for the people and stand by the people. (laughing)

MH: Totally. I would say what you said exactly is why I am doing this. Cool. Are you learning anything new at the moment?

AG: I think we’re all learning something new right now, right? Just as HR professionals who are navigating the pandemic together. I think so much of this moment has been new to us. I’m not sure any of us have experienced a pandemic and what that means for the workforce. I think that this moment has definitely given me some challenges and has pushed me to grow and approach our HR strategies differently. How do you make sure that folks feel supported and seen from home, right? And, how do you make sure that we stay connected thoughtfully? So much about being in the office is about feeling connected to the people and culture, and that inherently impacts the work. So, for us, as People Partners, we’ve been presented with that challenge because we haven’t been able to connect with people in the ways that we normally would, for instance by way of watercooler chat. Normally, we get anecdotal data on who’s growing and who may be struggling, and all of the in betweens by just connecting more informally. We’ve had to be very flexible to this moment, and in many ways, we’re making ourselves more available for those kinds of conversations, a lot of them coming to us as scheduled hangouts or Teams chats — the calendar is always full. We’re learning to be much more nimble and working outside of the parameters we as HR people create (laughing) and that’s definitely been a huge learning for me.

MH: Yeah, totally. Question five. When you think about your career overall, what are you most proud of?

AG: I am most proud when folks come to me personally and say that I, in some way, shape or form, inspired their next step. Whether that was helping them tackle a difficult conversation with a colleague or manager, or empowering them to advocate for themselves or for their growth; or providing guidance on how to coach or mentor a team member. Servicing the HR function can be a thankless and transactional job at times, so I really love it when I feel like I’ve made a deep impact on the humans that I’m connected with daily. I think those are the moments that certainly keep me going in this career. It’s fulfilling to hear team members say, “You were a mentor to me and I don’t think you knew that.” When folks are able to name that for you and say that you in some way, shape or form, transformed their lives, that’s special.

MH: Couldn’t agree more. Speaking of the pandemic…any thoughts on how you see the workforce changing post-pandemic?

AG: I think we’ve learned a different way of working. We learned that most of our functions can be done from home. While challenging, we can still be very, very creative, and extremely effective. There were so many rich campaigns that were produced from home this year. It’s awesome to see that we were able to transform remote work into a space of endless creativity. The challenge, of course, is operating outside of the peripheral queue of colleagues — I think we all kind of thrive from that human connection and energy, and hopefully we figure out a way to connect more without having to add more time on the calendar.

MH: Totally, right!

AG: I think that’s it, right. We’re becoming much more creative, much more nimble, much more entrepreneurial I would say even. I also think it’s nice to be able to integrate parts of your personal life to the work day, and experience flexibility. We have a lot more control and autonomy than we have ever imagined.

MH: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Question seven. For those that are interested in pursuing a career in HR, what advice would you actually give them to break into the field?

AG: I would say connect with as many HR people as you can because everyone has a different experience — good and bad. I think everyone is drawn to this work for different reasons.I know for me personally and this is true of you, Michelle, it’s the people that keep us grounded in this work, right? If you can find the thing that drives you, then you’re going to be a phenomenal HR Partner. HR has so many tentacles so it’s important to find the thing you really love about the function and let that evolve. You also need to flex in performing things you may not like. Things like payroll or benefits for me. (laughing) I think it’s just about finding your niche.

MH: Awesome! What do you think are the most important qualities and/or characteristics when it comes to being a successful HR practitioner?

AG: Fundamentally, and I’m only speaking to the soft skills, a good HR Partner is someone who is pragmatic, practices confidentiality, can distill and create policies and can facilitate difficult conversations without rattling the parties involved. Sometimes, though, HR Partners get caught up in the employee handbook or the processes that hold up how we’re meant to work as a function. As we evolve this function, I think it’s important to shift from an administrative, policy-focused role to one that’s more strategic and innovative. This moment, if anything at all, taught us that we need to be flexible to respond to workforce changes, and that might mean providing solutions that do not exist in current policies.I think even in this moment, and as we push for return to work, some policies and approaches are coming across tone deaf. Maybe that’s why we’re experiencing the great resignation because there’s a misalignment in company values and policies and how employees experience them.

HR Partners should also practice empathy, psychological safety, and develop a deep understanding of identity and intersectionality to avoid being prescriptive, and be able to demonstrate that behavior within their immediate teams (not all HR people are actually great managers to the people they directly support). More and more HR Partners are being called to provide guidance around mental health, equity, belonging, and identity and all of this speaks to how we support our people so that they, in turn, can support the business. We’re HUMAN resources, we’re PEOPLE resources, and we can’t forget that.

MH: What would be your advice to job seekers when it comes to standing out to prospective employers?

AG: Just be yourself. Don’t try to fit in a box and a culture. Your unique experience and perspective is important and needed to make the work richer. Also, be confident in the skills you bring and silence your imposter syndrome. Trust in that you know more than what you think you know.

MH: The next three questions are aimed at just getting to know you as a human, Anne!

First off, what do you like to do outside of work? Do you have any hobbies?

AG: Yeah, so, my hobbies keep evolving. (laughing) I’ve always loved to write; I picked up photography for a little bit; I danced a little. I think it’s all in the spirit of creativity. I love to cook, I love to host, I love to make people happy and cultivate a vibe. That’s still so much of the HR in me organizing around that. I love to learn about people. The more I know about the dimensions of humans, the richer I become as a professional. A lot of my hobbies I would say are creative, but also people-focused.

MH: Very cool! Who would you say has played an influential role in your life and has shaped the person that you are today?

AG: You know, it’s funny. I wouldn’t attribute my success to one single person. I think that wouldn’t be fair, right? (laughing)

MH: It can be as many people as you like, so it doesn’t have to be just one.

AG: I do think it’s the community that has coalesced around me that informs me who I am today. I have learned so much from so many different people! My parents, of course. They’re #1 in influencing me who I am; but, also, my husband. I spent the last 10 years with him and we’ve grown so much together personally and professionally, and he’s who I vent when the days get hard — he’s my HR person (there is no HR for HR). My siblings are the first people I’ve ever managed (laughing) — being the eldest taught me a lot about leadership. My bestest friends. They’re all so different and inspire me to think and see things differently. I’ve been inspired by colleagues. You’ve inspired me. There are so many people to thank in this journey, honestly, I’m really grateful for the people I’ve crossed paths with and have taught me something along the way.

MH: Well-said. Well-said, Anne. Lastly, do you have a personal mantra that you live by?

AG: Yes, I do! This was actually something that was told to me by one of my sorority sisters that I absolutely admire, Vanessa Martir. She’s an author and has one of the most authentic voices I have ever heard in my whole life. I was taking one of her writing workshops about 8 years ago and I was feeling really stuck and a little afraid to present my writing in front of the group. I am definitely someone that strives for perfection and I need to know all of the things and have everything in order before I press go. She said, “You either let fear paralyze you or catalyze you.” And, I was like 🤯🤯🤯.

I never thought that fear could catalyze me. And though I don’t practice that mantra every day, I’m still very afraid to show anything less than perfect. I’m learning to let go.

MH: Yeah, that’s great. So, that’s it for all of my questions and you answered them beautifully. Thank you, Anne, for the time, for your knowledge and for the good vibes.

AG: Absolutely. I have enjoyed this so much and it was so good catching up with you.

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