Jeffrey Johnson has been with Teleperformance since its early offshore years in the Philippines. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Human Capital Resource Management and would like to describe his role as the person helping the company look after its people. The scope of his work encompasses everything related to people and relationships. Jeffrey lives by the five corporate values of Teleperformance– Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, Innovation, and Commitment. Part of his responsibility is to inculcate them to each personnel. What he finds really challenging but also rewarding is getting the message across the enormous number of employees Teleperformance has throughout the Philippines.
He started his career in training where he first learned the ropes. His innate talents, paired with his passion for dealing with people, elevated him to the echelons of the company. He loves his job and considers respect as a cornerstone of his principles in management. Challenges are inevitable in any workplace and as such, Jeffrey goes back to the value of respect. “As long as you approach each situation and person with respect, I think you will be able to navigate any challenge” Jeffrey added.
“I have always believed in the leaders of the company,” was Jeffrey’s immediate response when asked about his impressive tenure. He expressed that his personal goals are aligned with that of Teleperformance’s in terms of vision and values. He firmly trusts the company’s directions and how things are handled in a holistic sense.
There are times when situations are tough, but by observing the company’s values by heart, Jeffrey believes everything can be accomplished.
As Teleperformance’s operations run 24 by 7, he tries as much as possible to be present during the core hours. He normally starts his day in the office at five in the morning. From thereon, it is a series of meetings with all sorts of people – from applicants to government agencies.
He prioritizes his team members and makes sure that he meets with them on a regular basis. Conversely, he proactively reaches out to his superiors to check on how he can offer a hand. Jeffrey can be very passionate and driven at work, and these are the values he tries to inculcate to his team members. He wants the same fire in his people as he remarked, “some people can find motivation in it and some can get burned out.”
Jeffrey visits his home in the US twice or thrice a year, but what keeps him in the country is the bond he has with the people. Asked what he loves most about the Philippines, he replied: “Without a doubt, it’s the people; it’s the connections that I was able to form with the people.”
Reading is one of Jeffrey’s passions, he loves to divulge in a variety of reading materials. In his office is a small library containing an assortment of books – from the labor code to business readings. He admits that he has a deep desire to keep abreast of things and gather as much information as he possibly can. Asked the rationale behind it, he said: “It is something ingrained in who I am; I believe gathering information makes me a well-rounded and better person overall.”
A nice walk to breathe some fresh air is what he does regularly. He is a fan of good food and quite an adventurer as he enjoys traveling to different places. At the end of the day, wherever he is, he always caps off his activities by catching up with the news.
As with any other person in management handling immense responsibilities, busy is an understatement. He wisely manages his time by keeping his calm and the mastering the art of delegation. “Delegation is very important. Don’t get yourself overwhelmed. The challenge is to constantly revisit the things you do regularly and assess if it is productive,” – Jeffrey remarked.
He is keen on strategic execution of tasks. As he is focused on information gathering, this also helps him contemplate on all issues. He stressed the importance of having a complete understanding of the situation prior to taking any action. Jeffrey admits that the most challenging part is making a balanced assessment of the issues. “You can never please everybody, [but] your ultimate goal is to get the job done.”
He, himself, is a part of the early batch of millennials. He professes that his generation has an ardent desire to be part of something big. He added, “What I’m really impressed about is that we don’t have a lot of judgments of other people and their beliefs or needs and this age group is very socially conscious.”
He nevertheless agrees that millennials can be somehow aggressive and may need to learn from older generations, specifically on the virtues of commitment and loyalty. “We tend to be more focused on the right now and forget that the decisions we are making today oftentimes have an impact much later on.”
There are a few points Jeffrey would like to share with his fellow millennials. He has observed that this generation can, at times, be flippant and this could hinder their opportunity to grow. He shared that passion and commitment must be the primary focus in achieving goals.
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