Having the confidence to be the best you can be at Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is encountering many challenges as it safeguards its future. With them comes a number of opportunities, one of which Kathryn Lynock has grabbed with both hands.

Ever since joining the business, the trained biologist has set her heart on project management, and through the Accelerate programme she got her opportunity, as well as the chance to help other colleagues make the most of their careers.

Drafted in to improve the workforce experience, Kathryn was tasked with helping others make the most of their skills and filling vital roles across the business.

Leading a vastly experienced team, the group addressed an issue raised in Pulse surveys regarding the difficulties people had matching their skill sets to other roles across the business – either laterally or promotionally.

Off the back of this problem the Integrated Career Skills and Performance project began.

For Kathryn, this opportunity was too good to pass up, as she would be able gain some vital experience in project managing, as she explains:

“I have always grabbed every chance with both hands when I can. I snapped this opportunity up because it is an impactful, concise project within a large scope of ongoing work. 

“It was a safe space to learn about project managing as I had the ability to try things out and either succeed or fail. If things didn’t work, we examined and altered it. 

“Having that space to grow meant a lot to me.”

She attributed the psychological safety she felt to the team she had. From the support of twin senior Accelerate leads – Chris Thorp, Responsible Business Director, and Graham Thompsett, Director of People Capability, to the vast experience IT Overseas Manager Richard Wilson, Senior HR Data and Systems Consultant Alice Baerselman le Gros, and Senior Talent Management Consultant Jenny Hume brought to the table.

The experience also gave her a unique insight into the role of project managers, and a new found appreciation around supporting your team throughout the process. 

“You can think that everything is going wonderfully, but if you are not supporting your team, it will all be for nothing.

“Project management is more about building a team and not just about written documentation. When it comes to the nitty gritty that is the part I love most – being able to provide my team the space and tools to create and deliver.”

This gave the working group scope to be both ambitious and realistic. With resources limited, they decided to improve a system already embedded throughout Jaguar Land Rover. 

By making the Employee Profile on SuccessFactors more usable, it allows individuals to showcase their passions and aspirations, their experience, and skill sets. The changes also allow recruiters to find the best internal people for the jobs available.

With all this information, colleagues across the business can quickly understand if they or someone else is a good fit for the role.

Kathryn says: “Pulse surveys showed that people in the business found it quite difficult applying for other roles previously. It required knowing a lot about yourself and the goings-on around the business. 

“We wanted to make the process simpler and we saw potential with the Employee Profile. Our chief aim was to make it more user friendly and act as a source of truth about the people in our business.”

Kathryn proved the new Employee Profile works as she secured her own promotion through the system.

Moving from HR Administrator to a role as a Governance and Planning Coordinator, Kathryn can see the funny side of this happy coincidence.

“It was great to test out the new Employee Profile and be my own guinea pig to see if it is easier to use. 

“It brought the project to life, as I was able to use the deliverables. This project not only helped me acquire a great new role at Jaguar Land Rover, but I also learnt all the skills needed for the new role from leading this Accelerate project.”

Why not give your Employee Profile a spruce up before seeking your next opportunity at Jaguar Land Rover. To help, Kathryn’s team has created a comprehensive how-to guide available on the People Portal.

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