The transition into management has historically been an under-supported step in the professional journey, with learning and development resources typically focused on more experienced leaders. But companies increasingly see new managers as vital to an engaged and satisfied workforce. As learning cultures gain popularity, more organizations are seeing the change from individual contributor to manager as a critical moment for the employee in transition, the team they will manage, and the organization as a whole.

When individual contributors become managers, it’s often because they excel at the technical requirements of their previous roles. While this proficiency will continue to serve the manager in crucial ways, the day-to-day work of management relies on a different set of skills, human skills, to get the best results from their people over time.

The leap from individual contributor to manager has never been more challenging than it is today. Managers of 2022 will have to navigate teams through ambiguity, polarization, and a constant threat of change that we could not have imagined a decade ago. In this Hudson Coaching Conversation, we will talk with learning and development experts about the skills today’s managers need to lead effective teams.

Pam McLean, Ph.D., will host Li-Ming Pu, People Partner Lead at Google, and Matt DeJordy, Senior Director, Learning & Development at Foundation Medicine, Inc., to discuss the skills today’s managers need to lead effective teams.

---

The Panel

Pam McLean

Cofounder & CEO, Hudson Institute of Coaching

A preeminent authority on coaching, transformation learning, and transition and change in the adult journey, Pamela McLean, Ph.D. has been at the forefront of the field of the emerging field of coaching for the past 30 years. As Founder and Chief Knowledge Office of the Hudson Institute of Coaching, Pam oversees and ensures Hudson provides the highest-quality coach training to seasoned professionals and leaders, as well as consulting to organizations worldwide.

Pam is the author and co-author of several books, articles and white papers focused on coaching, human development and transformational learning. She most recently authored The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching and is the co-author of the well-known book on transition and change, LifeLaunch, A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life, and most recently Self As Coach, Self As Leader.

Li-Ming Pu

People Partner Lead at Google

Li-Ming is a strategic people advisor and executive coach, driving business impact through being a trusted partner to senior leaders in fortune 500 organizations, start-ups and social service organizations. She has worked across multiple sectors and industries and has a range of clients at different levels. As a Lead People Partner at Google, she and her team develop and drive the people strategies in partnership with business leaders for a large function. Her collective experience as a former Wall-street Analyst paired with her background as an executive coach, a frontline HR leader, consultant, and Head of People Development allows her to tackle problems with a breadth of experience from multiple perspectives. Li-Ming is also a deep subject matter expert in people development, organizational development, change management, talent and succession management, manager and leadership development, executive development, and career development.

Li-Ming is a certified executive coach, coaching managers and leaders from behind to make meaningful change. Li-Ming is particularly passionate about women’s initiatives and helping Asian leaders find their voice. While at Google she has led the internal “Career Guru” program, the cornerstone of Google’s internal coaching program. She was also the co-creator of the first cross-functional women’s executive program, Sustaining High Performance for Women Directors, which was board recognized. Li-Ming’s coaching sweet spot is supporting individuals through change and transition. 

Outside of work and her coaching practice, Li-Ming is a mom of two young daughters, striving to teach her girls community-oriented values, resilience and empathy. She enjoys a good cup of coffee (made from scratch), walking, pilates, and cooking.

Matt DeJordy

Senior Director, Learning & Development at Foundation Medicine, Inc.

Matt is a senior L&D leader skilled at aligning L&D solutions with the performance necessary for people to achieve key organizational results in ways that shape an exceptional company culture. The early phase of his 20-year career were spent in human resource management and business partnering in both corporate roles and within strategic business units. Over the past 10 years, Matt has grown in various L&D roles, enabling greater employee, people manager, and leader effectiveness globally. He has a reputation for leading inclusively, balancing strategy and execution, thoughtfully collaborating, and energizing others in the pursuit of bold ideas.

Matt’s professional mission is to make L&D indispensable to the execution of business strategy, where learning is seen as a true competitive advantage and source of transformation. He’s passionate about leading teams to discover the many factors that contribute to individual performance, recognizing that a correct diagnosis is the path toward sustainable and measurable improvement.

Matt lives on the northern seacoast of Massachusetts with his wife and three school-aged children. His goal is to inspire his children to grow through passion and perseverance. He also wants to retire early and go back to the love of his life and the focus of his grade school and college years…playing the drums! (Yes, he’s serious.)