Variety, agility and professional growth with People Director Michelle Lustig

“There is a depth and richness to my relationships which both client business leaders and I value.” Meet People Director Michelle Lustig, a deeply experienced strategic People Director who joined the People Puzzles London team in 2016. Discover why she loves working with a portfolio of ambitious clients and what drew her to join the People Puzzles team, and to stay long term.

In what way has People Puzzles helped you to thrive?

Partnering with such a diverse range of businesses has led to my own professional growth both in terms of knowledge and experience. I have had, and continue to have, several long-standing client relationships with dynamic, smart and capable CEOs, COOs and CFOs that I truly enjoy. There is a depth and richness to my relationships which both business leaders and I value. I am an authentic and pragmatic person and that seems to marry well with my clients.

I have become very agile as I have developed this portfolio career. I have become skilled at managing multiple clients and gaining energy and vigour from them. This agility is a brilliant skill to hone, both for professional and family life, and the portfolio operation of People Puzzles really allows that to shine. The range of clients that I partner with across diverse sectors has enabled me to learn about so many different industries which is 100% an energy giver. Also, because I am continually growing this enables me to offer fresh approaches, thinking and tools to my clients to ensure their growth plans are realised. By being immersed across a breadth of industries I stay current and relevant.

The wider team is brilliant, and I really enjoy collaborating with the People Puzzles community. There is the more intimate London team with meet ups and What’s App chat and the twice-yearly whole Company conferences. We are an able, intelligent, and thoughtful group of professionals and it is great to share both worktime and down time together.

A curious, but incidental win is that I continually discover new parts of London which I love – a quirky street, a great independent boutique, and an excellent coffee shop. I genuinely love being with clients in their offices and just immersing myself in their culture.

What have you found most meaningful about your work with People Puzzles and their clients?

When I am working with a small to medium sized business, I have the ability to make a genuine impact on the day-to-day experience of both the owner and the employees by helping to create a better working environment. I can get to the nub of an issue quickly and come up with a variety of options and solutions that will be a win /win for client and employee. I always have everyone’s interests at heart. Every stakeholder matters.

What areas are you passionate about outside of your work?

Being with my teenagers. Let’s be honest – not all the time because that’s usually about being a taxi driver, launderette service, chef and the rest. Thank goodness for the dog for a sanity reprieve when the teens are testing that sanity! The ideal weekends will involve long walks, spending time with the people I love and being creative in my kitchen. The benefit of a flexible portfolio career is that is allows me the flexibility as and when I need it. I can take a bit more time over the summer and be with the family and blend that well when clients are having quieter downtime.

What excites you most about the next 5 years of your career with People Puzzles?

I think probably just more of the same. I have been with People Puzzles for some time and we have professionalised enormously over this period. As a group of talented HRD’s we have all contributed to this professionalism, so I look forward to continuing my professional development. This means that I will continue to grow, and I can impart my know-how to my lovely clients!