Name: Ingrid G Wilson

Title: Founder and Principal

Organisation: GridFern Strategic HR

Ingrid Wilson, Founder and Principal at GridFern Strategic HR She is a Global Human Resources Executive & CHRO and People-Centric Leadership Strategist, with over 30 years of experience in corporate, healthcare, insurance, and public sector human resources and inclusion and equity practices.

Ingrid is a recipient of the Top 25 DEI Person of the Year Award, 2021, The Canadian Multicultural Group and LINKEDIN DIRECTORY OF 1000+ WOMEN WHO INSPIRE THROUGH THEIR WORK, July 2022, TOP 100 HR Professionals, National Diversity Awards 2023, BMI Female Mentor of the Year 2024, Finalist, 2024 Women Changing the World Awards in the category of Woman in Corporate & Public Sector, co-author Flourish: A Workbook for Social Innovators and Winner, 2024 Women Changing the World Americas Awards in the category of Woman in Corporate & Public Sector.

Ingrid has pursued excellence in human resources, board, and leadership strategy through the CHRP and CHRL designations, and through programs at Queen's University and the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Ingrid also currently serves as Vice Chair of the Appeals Regulatory Committee, Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA), and as a member on the HRPA Speaker Bureau. She also holds several EDI certifications in areas such as leading for equity and inclusion, anti-racism, and accessibility and inclusion, and holds the Inclusive and Ethical Leadership certification.

She serves on non-for-profit, community and advisory boards and committees, including as Project Lead, The LINC Bust Project; Board Director, Humber River Health; Board Member, AIDS Committee of Toronto; Community Member, Region of Peel, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Committee (DEAR); Board Director, Governance and Audit at the Canadian Association of Black Insurance Professionals (CABIP); Founding Advisory Committee Member, System-3 Inc., and Advisor, Governance and Human Resources Committee, Black Opportunity Fund (BOF) and has previously served as Board Chair and Vice Chair on other non-for-profit boards.

She is also Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certified and holds a Workplace Mental Health Leadership certification. She has pursued several EDI certifications, including in areas such as Leading for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education and Adult Learning, Anti-Racism Specialization, and Disability Inclusion in Education: Building Systems of Support. As a facilitation lead, instructor, and writer, she has curated and executed on interactive webinars, programs, and series for several years, designed to develop strategies and meet the workspace, leadership, and organizational environment of clients and boards in areas such as more recent publications below. She is currently a seasonal faculty member for the Osgoode Certificate in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Workplace.

Within the community and in her professional space, she respectfully challenges the status quo with the intent of developing alternative strategies, leading to the achievement of success. On a personal level, she volunteers in the community which allows the opportunity to be part of the equity and inclusion journey, lifting up racialized communities for financial sustainability, growth, and development through a focus on employment equity, gender equity, health equity, women in leadership, wellness, education, and development.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Ingrid's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

As a leader, building trust is an intentional and authentic process that requires taking the time to understand each of the individuals you are leading, partnering or collaborating with. This includes employees, customers, and stakeholders. This involves actively listening to the needs of these groups and being honest about how best you can collaborate, partner,r and work with each of these groups. Trust building takes time and intentional effort.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

My personal mission is based on a quote by Maya Angelou: "Without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue consistently." As a senior HR professional and a member of a regulated HR body, practicing human resources over the last thirty-plus years requires resilience and courage to meet the needs of diverse peoples, communities, and groups as the future of work evolves, driven by AI and hybrid environments. This requires a people-centric and systemic approach to practicing Human Resources.

My vision is to help other HR professionals and people leaders understand the value of a people-centric and systemic approach to leading people functions and practices and to remove systemic barriers that prevent individuals from thriving in the workplace, ultimately impacting organizational and business deliverables.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

Empowering people as a leader requires building trust through active listening, respectful and collaborative curiosity, cultural awareness, an awareness that we as leaders are also human, and ultimately the courage to lead. Authentic and empathetic leadership is also key.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

To respond to this question, I actually want to highlight the individuals that I mentor and/or coach through both formal and informal programs. Watching these individuals stepping into their own space and achieving their goals, to me, reflects the value of influencing others as a leader. One such individual started with me as a mentee and has now become a trusted colleague and friend.

An individual with whom I now collaborate on a regular basis in the Human Resources space, building on and developing meaningful programs and people-centric practices to support other HR professionals and people leaders in creating fair and equitable workplaces for all.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

Reflection needs to be embedded as a leadership competency. The ability to reflect on actions that may have resulted in a negative leadership impact and the ability to learn and grow from these actions and/or behaviours to become a better and more inclusive leader is required.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

Planning is an adaptive process for me for every project and every timeline. I have a tendency to make lists, noting that I have learned over the years to prioritize within these lists to address not only the critical timelines and deliverables within a project, but also working on balance and preventing my own burnout, as this also detrimentally impacts my productivity. This is still a work in progress for me.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

First, it is important to understand the project and/or goal deliverables and set clear role expectations with the team. Delegation requires building trust with team members and understanding the capabilities of the team. Assigning tasks to team members can be based on (1) the current skillsets or knowledge base of the individuals within the team or (2) providing development opportunities to allow individuals within the team to learn or develop new skills.