VP of HR discusses metrics, leadership development and 'listening sessions'
In 1836, in a small confectionary shop in the heart of Zurich, Switzerland, David Sprüngli and his son began producing chocolate. Little did they know at the time that this tiny operation would grow to become one of the best-loved chocolatiers in the world.
Now with over 14,500 employees, taking in sales of CHF 5.2 billion a year, Lindt is a household name.
Lindt Canada has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Lindt & Sprüngli since 1994, headquartered in the heart of downtown Toronto. Lindt Canada also supports a team of over 800 employees across the country.
Sitting at the helm of Lindt Canada’s leadership and people strategy is Erin Gordon, Vice President of Human Resources – who tells HRD that she began her career at Lindt Canada by fully immersing herself in the entirety of the business.
“One of the first things I did was really invest time in terms of understanding the business and looking for the opportunities where you can dial up culture and the role that people can play to make a difference,” she explains.
This commitment to reshaping HR's function aligned with recent CEO transitions, which opened the door for the HR team to contribute directly to Lindt Canada’s strategic planning. By ensuring a "strong people component" in these strategic discussions, Gordon and her team transformed HR’s role from tactical to integrative, weaving it into Lindt Canada’s business objectives and vision.
“Typically, when you say [chocolate leader], it has such a commercial connotation to it, but we are very intentional to say for us, that means being a Top 50 Great Place To Work. [Our vision] isn’t just the commercial side – it has a very strong connection to the culture too. And I think that continues to reinforce the elevated role that the function plays in the business.”
However, it’s not all been rainbows and sunshine, with Gordon acknowledging the inherent challenges that come with aligning HR and core business metrics - particularly when combining qualitative elements like employee engagement with hard data.
“One of the challenges... is that we do have some quantitative metrics, but often the qualitative ones are important as well. And it’s about ‘How do you strike that right balance of KPIs and metrics when you're talking about the people function? How do you come up with data that can create a compelling business case?’ And in my experience, it takes both the quantitative and the qualitative to deliver that.”
Bridging the gap between quantifiable and qualitative measures remains an ongoing challenge, especially when aiming to craft a business case that includes elements not easily reduced to numbers. And, navigating periods of organizational change—like the recent CEO transitions—has also been a critical component of Gordon's strategy. Listening sessions, especially with new leadership, have proven to be invaluable.
“It’s one thing to have the listening sessions and get the data...the missing link, I think, that sometimes people forget is about summarizing those insights and really feeding back the key messages so that people feel like they were heard and had a voice,” she explained.
These listening sessions go hand-in-hand with another approach Gordon has encouraged: creating informal spaces for dialogue. The kitchen, affectionately dubbed “the melting pot,” serves as an informal hub for conversations that might otherwise be stifled in a traditional meeting setting.
“Our team organizes things like potlucks and informal drop-ins where we come and we talk about something going on in the business,” she said. “It's not a structured, formal meeting. It's just an informal opportunity for employees to get really curious about what's happening in the organization. And they work exceedingly well for us.”
Essentially, for Gordon in her role, leadership is an evolving journey that she ties closely to values. Selecting leaders based on potential and values alignment is integral to her strategy, with a particular focus on candidates who are “curious about the business,” willing to take risks, and genuinely invested in connecting with others.
“They're the ones that volunteer for projects - they're the ones that really want to communicate their points of view in meetings. They're the ones that take the time to recognize others in the business. And for me, that's a real trait of a future leader - someone that recognizes the value in really celebrating the successes of others.”
