Five minutes with... Wendy Robertson

Transition consultant Wendy Robertson talks herbal tea, HR funding, and dinner with Sheryl Sandberg and Kate Middleton.

Name, title and organization: 
Wendy Robertson, Human Resources Consultant, Robertson Consulting
 
Why HR?  
Because I love bridging the gap between organizations and individuals

How would you sum up HR pros in three words? 
Knowledgeable, talented, committed

How would you change the industry?   
I would improve the perception of HR by asking it to be a positive influence on organizations to help them achieve their goals.

What’s the most important thing an HR pro can do to develop their business?  
Connect with as many influencers as possible and educate others about leadership and HR in general.

If you were Prime Minister for one day, what would you do? 
I would grant organizations funding to hire HR practitioners to help them achieve their goals.

What has been the highlight of your career?   
Supporting start up operations in Alberta and the UK.
 
What’s your favoured style of coffee?  
I quit drinking coffee about 1.5 years ago and gained 1-2 hours of productivity in every day.    Does tea count?  Mostly herbal these days.

Hockey, football, baseball or other? 
Baseball -  I managed to secure funding for a women’s amateur softball team in one organization. The female employees invited me to join their league and I learned a lot about baseball that season.  The following year, I declined to sign up again and I’m sure that they were all relieved!

If you could invite three people to dinner, dead or alive, and excluding family and friends, who would they be and why?
 
Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In – because I think that she would be very interesting to speak with.
Jim Flaherty – because I love loyal Canadians and recent news reports have indicated that he was one of the best.
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge – because she’s on the cover of Vim and Vigour that I’m reading currently.

Complete this sentence: If I wasn’t in HR, I would be…
A Transition Consultant (which is what I do but people may not know what that means unless they’re in transition) – I help people transition from one job to another, from one career to another, or from work life to retirement life.   My previous HR background allows me to support the quest for what individuals are seeking these days. 
Or a Gardener – I love to garden!
 

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