Changing perspectives and making a direct impact – meet People Director Simon Schumann-Davies

Working with a portfolio of ambitious SMEs has enabled People Director Simon Schumann-Davies to see results quickly and learn that he can have a great impact on clients no matter what their size.

Tell us a little bit about your working background before joining People Puzzles?

I have had a mixed career blending corporate roles in larger organisations with a more recent history of working as an Interim Consultant either through my own business or on a full-time basis.  I have worked across a range or organisations and sectors.  Having originally started as a gamekeeper in Scotland and then as an Officer in the RAF, my first commercial role was in property management and I have since worked a lot in infrastructure services, specifically highways management and environmental services and civil aviation.  Over recent years I have worked with an IT software developer, in FinTech, for a major plumbing supply business and a telecomms/fibre AltNet provider and all that before joining People Puzzles.

How did you find the recruitment process?

For me it was very quick and easy.  From the first conversation with a People Director, who told me about People Puzzles, to actually starting my Induction, it only took about 8 weeks and was incredibly smooth.

How did you find the first few weeks / months / first year? 

Initially it was slow and I was itching to get going.  As is often the case, it was a case of baby-steps for the first few months.  I had an initial Discovery with a client who, after consideration and a lot of work, decided that the People Puzzles offering was not for them.  I then had a very small client who wanted only a few days of activity in total.  Thankfully that changed and I was fortunate enough to be introduced to three clients who kept me reasonably.  The transition from running around the planet with my bum on fire, in the old corporate world, to having more time on my hands than I knew what to do with, was a major adjustment.

Why move from the corporate world / consulting to People Puzzles?

In the November before first lock-down, I woke up one morning and thought I’d had a stroke as the whole right-side of my face had collapsed!  I was working on a long-term contract in a very corporate role for a major company. I was over-worked, over-stretched and over-stressed.  As I recovered from what turned out to be Bell’s Palsy and in light of the changed COVID world, I evaluated my life.  Initially I took 18 months out, firstly managing the Chester foodbank delivery operation and I then took a role as a Christmas seasonal postie.  14 months later I was still pounding the streets of Chester with a sack on my back, two stone lighter and much happier.  I knew I would return to the HR world at some point and the call from the People Puzzles People Puzzles came at exactly the right time with the right offer.  The change in work/life balance was crucial to me.  Plus, I have always been really rubbish at self-promotion so having the back-up of the People Puzzles structure behind me gives me the best of both worlds.

Did you have any concerns about such a big change? 

Having a sufficient supply of work is always a concern.  Fair to say I battered my Regional Director, Debs on a weekly basis for more work for several months.  Right now things are looking very positive, but I know that everything may change in a matter of days or weeks.  I am currently working on a big acquisition and integration project for one client which is pretty much full time, excepting one small client with whom People Puzzles have been working for over 5 years; I inherited the client from another People Director.  But the concern that the bubble may burst at any time is always there.  I like to think I have about another 10-12 years left in me and ensuring I have prepared for my future properly is important.  The Interim market is always a gamble in this respect and whilst I love the People Puzzles support network, the reliance of placing your future in someone else’s hands is always a concern.  But so far, so good.

Describe your typical work environment now and what is the best thing about it.

I think every People Director will tell you the same thing, it’s two-fold.  Firstly, the variety.  I have worked with a small same-day courier company, an alarms company based in Dublin, an AltNet provider in Warrington, a company that produces environmentally friendly baby products in Chester and a very high-tech engineering and manufacturing company that does sci-fi type stuff with argon lasers to print 3-D metal parts using a technology that literally no one else in the world can do – fact.  That variety is compelling.  The second element is the impact we can make.  Even as a Corporate HRD, my ability to directly influence the future success of the business was limited.  Now, I am making decisions and advising clients, on issues that determine their very survival in some cases.  That direct cause/effect impact is compelling and extremely satisfying.  It is equally scary in that what we do carries a proportionately massively greater responsibility than anything I could have done in the corporate world.  It is a privilege to be invited into our clients and given that level of influence; that is something I hope I never forget.

What’s the best thing about the People Puzzles model?

Being extremely selfish it is the fact that People Puzzles help me find work that I am rubbish at getting for myself.  Almost all of my work, prior to People Puzzles has come from personal referral from a job well done for someone else.  But no matter how extensive your personal little black book may be, there are always limits.  Secondly, the network of People Directors.  In the North we have a great team ethos; not saying other regions don’t, just that I can only speak for the North.  The ability to ping out an email or Whatsapp asking for advice, support or just to have your theories evaluated, is incredible but only if you trust and value the quality of the advice you get back.  The quality of the Northern People Directors is amazing and I never have to doubt anything they have to offer.

Have you had one stand out moment when you have felt lucky to work for People Puzzles?

I have to say when I first met the engineering client and saw their technology at; the only word I could come up with was “wow”.  18 months later, I still got that “wow” factor every time I went onto the shop floor.  To be involved in a client whose technology is not only world-leading but globally unique is something I am sure I will never experience again and is purely down to the fact that the marketing guys got the messaging right and Debs was able to work her magic on the first intro call.  That would have been an experience I could never have got without People Puzzles.

Do you feel that your contributions are recognised and how is this shown?

With respect I am not sure that is the point of what we do is it?  Yes, I have received plaudits and several of my clients have publicly thanked me for me contribution, which is nice but not a motivator for me.  They bring us in to offer a level of expertise they could not get any other way and as long as we deliver honest advocacy, sometimes not what the client wants to hear but hopefully always what they need to hear, that should be good enough.  I am a bit old fashioned about this stuff and am never comfortable with the whole recognition thing.  If I can go home knowing I have done the best I can to meet my specific client’s specific needs, that’s a pretty good feeling as far as I am concerned.

What is the most important thing you have learnt during your time at People Puzzles and how did you come to learn this?

Two things.  One, there is no such thing as one-size fits all.  The LearnAmp library is great and we all have our own personal LearnAmps from previous careers.  But if you ever think you can cut and paste one solution that worked with one client, straight into another one, you are mistaken.  Number two would be an appreciation that every client’s universe is infinite for them, regardless of how that matches up to any other organisation’s perspective.  For example, I am currently working with one client advising on the future resource plan resulting from a £76m acquisition, big stuff by anyone’s standards.  At the same time, I have just advised my smallest client on a £4k pay rise for a 19-year-old apprentice who has knocked the socks off everyone since she arrived 3 months ago.  Each has an impact that is massive in relative terms even though the actual scales have very little in common.  It’s an important lesson to learn, especially when you realise that in my last corporate role, I was responsible for 5,800 staff in a business that turned over something north of £3.8Billion!  Scale is not related to impact and that is a crucial lesson.  In this job, you have to think about actuals not percentages.  A 5% attrition rate in a corporate may equate to 290 people leaving.  In my courier company, one person leaving equates to a 14% attrition but has an infinitesimally greater impact.  Your perspective has to change when you work with genuinely ‘S’ sized SME’s.

What has People Puzzles done to support you in achieving your professional development goals?

The range of programmes available is superb and I have done a deal of work in this area.  I also benefitted from the discounted accreditation for Thomas.  I confess I could probably have done more to make use of the options available, but that’s my fault nothing to do with People Puzzles.  I have upgraded to being a Chartered Fellow since working with People Puzzles, something I have been putting off for far too long.  A number of the answers to the scenario-based questions as part of the process, were directly linked to my People Puzzles work, so it definitely helped.

What areas are you passionate about outside of your work and how has working for People Puzzles enabled you to pursue these interests?

This is going to sound quite dull but apart from gorgeous wife and family and the completely bonkers dog we rescued this year and who has destroyed our social life and half our house, my main passions are around the church and golf.  And if you play golf like I play golf, you rapidly learn the value of praying to some form of deity or another.  I love travelling; my wife and I have just come back from a fantastic two-weeks in Cuba, an island I fell in love with 15 years ago and continue to believe is one of the most fantastic places on Earth.  My wife has ME/CFS and therefore we have to be careful around massively strenuous activity which is, I guess why I play so much golf.  The amount of times I have to hit the ball to get round means I am out of the house for considerably longer than expected, giving my wife plenty of time to rest.

How do you see your career evolving in the next 5 years?

I hope it’s a continuation of what has happened over the past 22 months and that my People Puzzles career continues as it has, although the way that the past two months has gone, an extra day off each week would be welcome – the old work/life balance has tilted again, but in a good way.  I am not ungrateful as I am loving the work I have on right now and I know it could all end in a heartbeat.  But my wedge-play has definitely suffered not being able to get out during the week as well as at weekends!  On a serious note, I am very fortunate.  I have, more by luck than judgement, had a fantastic career and achieved far more than I would ever have imagined; who thought a young S-D would end up inventing what we now know as National Highways Traffic Officers, or be trained as a trolley-dolly or recruit my future wife only to sack her on our first Valentine’s Day together – bizarre but all true.  I am now privileged in being able to share over 30 years of experience with some great organisations and, in my current major client, to share with a very junior but potentially great group of young HR professionals.  If I can continue to do worthwhile stuff like this for the next 5 years and beyond, I will be a happy chap.

Your advice to anyone considering People Puzzles?

I am not going to be simplistic and say, “Go for it”.  It’s not as simple as that.  You must understand that workflows are intermittent.  It will almost certainly be a slow start as it was for most of the group who joined at the same time as I did.  You must expect that even when things appear to be going well, the skids can be applied without warning, and you can lose work just as fast as you get it in.  My Dublin-based client was going brilliantly until the financial controller left and they found a massive black hole in their finances when bailiffs acting for the Irish Revenue Service turned up on the doorstep.  My contract ended as part of their recovery plan.  On the positive side, I am still in touch with the CEO and the potential to resume working with him at some stage remains very real.  There are massive risks in coming to People Puzzles and no guarantees, especially if you are new to the portfolio market and you must understand these.  On the positive side, there is a fantastic team here and the level of mutual support is enormous.  I’ve been here for nearly two years, and I can honestly say I have never been happier in the work I am doing.  But it is not an elixir to all career ills, and you have to come on board with your eyes wide open.  That said, the benefits certainly massively outweigh the negatives.

What advice would you give a new People Director to getting the most out of working with People Puzzles?

Take part – join in.  There is so much opportunity to learn and grow and an environment where you have over 80 Senior HR Leaders, all of whom are keen and willing to help you is, I would say, unique.  Yes, you can stay in the background and just do your own thing and on occasions I have done exactly that.  But if life has taught me anything it is to recognise an opportunity and if you make the effort, you will find a massively supportive team behind you, be that the field team of Regional Directors and People Directors or the Central Team.  But, in the immortal words of someone much brighter than me, it’s up to you to GOYA – Get Off Your ……