Creative Chaos HR: Loren Rosario-Maldonado - The HR Interview

I've been fortunate enough to connect with great Human Resources professionals around the world. And as I learn more about them and their career path, I've come to admire a few of them for their attitude toward life, both professionally and personally. Loren Rosario-Maldonado is one of these people. Read the interview below to get a sense of why I've chosen to make such a statement. If you want to learn more about Loren you can find her on LinkedIn or Twitter.


Who are you and what do you do?

Loren Rosario-Maldonado, Business Concierge. I provide Business and HR concierge services to small to?mid-size businesses across the globe.

How do you help your clients reach their strategic objectives?

I help my clients achieve their strategic results by being an extension or replacement of their HR Department. What I have found that the services that I provide always exceed what they are expecting.

How do you scale your operations to satisfy a client?s service needs?

I scale the operations by utilizing sub-contractor resources according to the project needs. Some projects are straight forward and don't require outsourced resources. However, major projects (projects over 3 months) do require outsourced resources.

What prompted you to create a business focus around the topic of work/life balance?

What I did realize was that after 15 years in an extraordinary career I reached an unprecedented executive level that most HR professionals only dream of. However, I wanted to make an impact in a different way. I wanted to change my lifestyle around the priorities in my life:

1. God
2. Family
3. Business

Being in a corporate environment was not going to allow me to do that. This is the new economy now and we do business very differently. Most HR departments are not prepared to business in a different way because they lack the resources they need in order to do deliver. That is where I come in. I help fill the gap between where they are and where they want to be through the development of streamlined and automated systems and strategies.?

What?s your top 3 business concerns at this moment?

We don't have concerns we have focus areas! This is true; our services are geared towards exceeding expectations. In order to do that, we have to focus on the following:

1. Quality of the services we provide - Let?s face it, customer service has gone out the window and very few companies today make this their #1 priority. This is what makes us different. We have to be 10 steps ahead of the client and to do that we have to focus on our service and the resources required to provide it.
   
2. Sustainable growth - The business arena is growing more complex every day. The last thing that an executive wants to worry about is their inefficient HR processes. This is where we come in. MOST yes, MOST, HR processes are out of date, costly and not aligned with the organizational strategy. In fact, this is one of the places where companies bleed the most money. We help businesses leverage technology in order to meet and exceed their operational needs and make HR profitable.
3. Branding Strategy - Our branding strategy is very important because we have to be as disruptive as possible. Without a quality branding strategy, this is impossible.

What is the #1 misconception people have about your role or Human Resources in general?

That we don't know THE business. What ever the industry you are in, you MUST know your business inside and out. What drives it, what is trending, what is the forecast? Without this knowledge, you can't deliver no matter how many resources you have. Without this knowledge, you can't apply HR strategies correctly. Every non-HR professional I speak to (across all levels of management) concur.

How do you overcome that?

Commit to Kaizen. Continuously develop your knowledge of both the business you are in and the HR strategies that will help YOU individual company succeed.

Where is the Human Resources profession headed? How do you feel about that?

HR professionals are at a crossroads and I strongly believe that we have been stuck for quite some time now. The business world is progressing faster than ever while legislation is impacting that progress each day. HR professionals have to be savvy and develop their skills accordingly so that they stay relevant at all times. Automate redundant administrative processes and implement the ones that will help you be MOST strategic to YOUR organization.

How did we meet?

We met through HR Nation, an HR networking group based in NYC. While we have never personally met, I was invited to join the group via Terry Thomas, a former colleague of mine from NYC.

You were a part of Project: Social HR, a multi-contributor blog and mentoring program. You wrote 2 blog posts describing the frustrations of, as well as opportunities for, job seekers. What inspired you to write it?

At the time, I was "in transition" as HR folks like to call it. I felt that it was an opportunity to write about how backwards some of the things job seekers go through that no one talks about. That process also helped me find my voice in a very noisy world. I took the time to really understand what I wanted to do with my life and turn what most see as a misfortune into great fortune - Wisdom!!!

What are some of the ways in which you keep up with current business or HR related news and info?

Webinars, articles, seminars, informal networks. I am naturally curious. I am constantly reading articles, attending seminars and webinars, and local conferences. the most beneficial method has been networking with other HR professionals and business executives. My network consists of attorneys, brokers, law enforcement, HR sales reps, and consultants who provide a wealth of information to me at all times. When in doubt, I call one of them to help clarify things for me.

How will the US Presidential election impact your business?

It will definitely impact the way we do business by increasing the complexity of what we do therefore driving revenue through the increase of retainers.

What?s the next challenge for you, professionally speaking?

My next challenge is growing my consulting group into an international endeavor. I am happy to say that we are not only national but international as well which is a MAJOR accomplishment for us. Remaining as the Business and HR Concierge Service of choice it key for us.

Source: http://www.victoriomilian.com/2013/01/loren-rosario-maldonado-hr-interview.html

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