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#110 - Derrick Menezes | New Beginnings: How Parental Leave Sparked a Career Shift
28 Plays5 hours ago
Derrick is a strategic HR leader with extensive experience helping high-growth global tech companies scale and transform. Over the years, he has worked across multiple geographies, scaling businesses, and partnering with both small and large companies in the eCommerce, delivery, mobility, and the ad tech sectors. His expertise lies in driving talent strategies, leading change management initiatives, and fostering leadership excellence to fuel business success. He works closely with C-suite executives to align people strategies with business goals, building organizations that are future ready.
Shownotes
00:00 - Intro & Context
07:30 - The Dilemma: Career vs. Parental Leave
15:45 - Embracing Uncertainty: Taking a Risk on a New Career Path
22:10 - The Power of Self-Belief and a Strong Support System
Guest Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrickjmenezes/
Yeliz Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeliz-castillo/
Yeliz e-mail: yeliz.castillo@pplwise.com
pplwise: https://pplwise.com/
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Transcript
A Life-Altering Moment: Career and Personal Insights
00:00:07
Speaker
This topic is important to me because I think it was a life-changing moment that that I was experiencing and it it transformed the way that I was thinking about myself and my career. And and it was not only a professional thing, right it was also on the personal side that things were changing dramatically.
00:00:30
Speaker
And as a result, it did get me to think completely differently that that than I thought in the past.
Introducing Derek Menezes: Career Transformation Journey
00:00:39
Speaker
Hello, everyone. This is my first episode and I'm really happy to welcome in today's episode or in my first episode, Derek Menezes to join me for a very interesting conversation. He is the Global Head of Talent Management at BOLT. And we'll talk today about his transformation journey and how he changed his career path after coming back from parent to leave.
00:01:07
Speaker
And we'll share his challenges and um with the changes that he had to go through. Really excited to have you here today. and Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks for having me here. You're very welcome. and So my first question would be, why is this topic important to you?
00:01:28
Speaker
Yeah, ah this topic is important to me because I think it was a life changing moment that that I was experiencing and it it transformed the way that I was thinking about myself and my career. And and it was not only a professional thing, right it was also on the personal side that things were changing dramatically.
00:01:53
Speaker
And as a result, it did get me to think completely different than I've thought in the past. Okay. So it has also affected the way you then worked with people around you. Is that what you're saying? Or was it more like your own mindset?
00:02:11
Speaker
um Potentially, it also changed the way that I worked with people around me because yeah life life changes and and life is it's it's not simple, it is complicated. right So when when you transform yeah yourself, it's not only about a professional transformation, it's a but personal transformation as well. And I think yeah this this experience did have an impact both professionally as well as personally.
00:02:42
Speaker
Absolutely. Great. So i would you then share with us your story and what exactly happened? Yes, absolutely.
Strategic Parental Leave: Timing and Decisions
00:02:50
Speaker
So this was October of 2023 and that's when, and ah just taking ah a little step back before that, I was blessed with a baby boy and ah I did not, I decided not to take my parent to leave immediately because I realized that parent to leave potentially needs to be taken in a more strategic time. And the time that I planned was when he was going to turn around one year old. So that was the time that I planned for a parent to leave. So it was October, 2023. And that was the time that I had decided that, okay, this is when I'm going to go on parent to leave.
00:03:31
Speaker
um And it's not an easy decision, right? Because on the person side things, you can plan things, but on professional side things can change on its own, right? And exactly at that point in time, what was happening in in the organization that that I was in, there was a restructuring that was going on. ah And that was a point that I knew potentially when I come back from parent to leave, things might drastically change for me.
00:03:59
Speaker
So it was a decision that, okay, should I delay my parent to leave because this can impact my career or should I go ahead with my parent to leave and and protect my career? um And this was a very lengthy discussion with my wife and we talked through it because it was not only a professional choice, it was also a personal choice. And I decided to make a decision to go ahead with my parent to leave because it does,
00:04:28
Speaker
ah You can't lose those moments in life. and It was a time that I really wanted to be around my child. I really wanted to experience him growing up at that point in time.
00:04:39
Speaker
and that was so That was the time when the child actually starts opening his eyes and starts exploring the world. right Because as an infant, they don't do much, but around the year of one, that's when things really start happening. And and I didn't want to miss that opportunity for the world. right So I said, okay, I've done a lot in my career so far. Potentially I can ah think about it and see where it leads.
00:05:08
Speaker
So while I was on time to leave, I stopped thinking about work completely cut off, and and i'm i'm I'm grateful that I got the opportunity to do that.
Career Crossroads: Choosing Between Two Paths
00:05:17
Speaker
ah And then when I was closer to coming back on to work, that's when I was reached out by my manager then, and she told me that, okay, we have gone through this restructuring, and there are a couple of options for you on the table. one ah You go back to your previous role, but this role has completely changed and and potentially it's not exciting enough for you. and The second option is that we have a new career path for you. This is aiding talent management for the org. ah This has not been set up in the past and and we have not been able to hire a person in this position. ah so Do you think that you can make this change?
00:05:59
Speaker
so ah Yeah, even though I had talked that, okay, I'll take it as it comes, these changes, of course, they impact you, right? Because I was doing people partnering and heading people partnering functions for ah the last 13 years. And this was a change in my career where I have not had a talent management before. Of course, I've done a lot of things around talent management and programs and talent management with the businesses that I've worked with, but not really let it as a function and got that deep into it.
00:06:30
Speaker
ah So I thought this, and there are two ways to go with it. Stay with what I have done. That's the less risky option. I know exactly what I need to do. I can close my eyes and do the role of people partnering. And the second option is, okay, do you want to jump into the deep end of talent management? Set up this function from scratch and leave this function, which has not been done before in the organization.
00:06:52
Speaker
um yeah Knowing me, if if you know that know me well, I am a risk taker in my life. I have made multiple risks when I feel that I'm settled in my career and when I feel comfortable, that's exactly the point when I take the next jump. It has happened multiple times in the past where I moved from India to Germany and then three and a half years in Germany, I moved to the UK.
00:07:20
Speaker
ah So there have been like massive transformations for me, and ah um I've never done this professional transformation yet because this is like changing your career path. And ah it it might seem simple that, okay, I'm moving just ah one team to the other, but it's not right. It it is a big decision. um But given that I have taken this in the past and it has paid off Substantially, I believe that ah when when you have to take risks and when you have to transform yourself, there is no right time, right? And I thought this was a great opportunity for me to diversify my career, move into a different a stream of HR and also explore that stream.
00:08:05
Speaker
um And i eventually I think, I believe it has paid off because the last one year or has been all about transforming myself, learning about the role, understanding new areas of HR, building a team, an amazing and awesome team that I have
Support Systems: Family and Team During Change
00:08:20
Speaker
right now. And I believe that the last one year has been truly, truly rewarding for me and my career.
00:08:29
Speaker
That's great. And what would you say was like the hardest decision in all of this? Was it choosing between like which path to go to or was it more like facing the uncertainty about the role? What would you say was like the hardest decision or the hardest moment in all of this for you?
00:08:48
Speaker
Yeah, the the hardest decision was the uncertainty, right? Because whenever you are transforming, ah you never know what's on the other side, right? As I've never worked in this career stream before, I did not know what was what I'm headed into. It was a complete unknown. I'm, of course, very grateful to my manager and my team for supporting me through this transformation because Trust me, if you don't have a supportive team and manager, it it will not work, right? And especially when you come back from parent to leave, there is a huge transformation on the personal side. And then easing into work is not easy. I think I am extremely grateful to my organization, my management, my team, and of course, my family as well. My wife was supporting me through this journey because these transformations are not easy for anyone.
00:09:42
Speaker
um And it is an ah it's a huge unknown, you you never know what's on the other side. For sure. And how did you then deal with the changes like after you started the new career? Obviously, then also have the big change in your private life with having then a child who's probably also then more active and needs more attention and all of that. like How did you manage to create like the right headspace for yourself to succeed, I guess, in both the best way possible?
Parental Skills in Professional Growth
00:10:13
Speaker
Yeah. oh So I think parenting teaches you that, right? it's it's When you become a parent, there is no manual or guide to your child. And as you become a parent, you start learning on the job. And you also start learning different skills of how do you ah do things differently? How do you think out of the box? How do you start learning faster? Because you're literally dealing with a child an infant a human being that you need to bring into this world. And I think these are some of the skills that I learned becoming a new parent. And I think that also helped me taking on this new role. It was literally parenting this new role and birthing this entire organization, which did not exist much in the past in in the organization. And I think
00:11:04
Speaker
These were some of the skills that I learned from my personal life, which I brought into my professional life and it just did help me um yeah succeed in this role.
00:11:15
Speaker
yeah Great. And what would you say well like when you then had your first day in the new role, how did you start? like What was the the plan? like How did you think, okay, I'm going to tackle this this way? like What was maybe the first, if I would have been like a fly on the and on the wall, what would i what would I have seen you tackling or how you kind of got into the chapter in your career?
00:11:44
Speaker
Uh, it was, uh, it was a challenging moment because, uh, as I said that I have done, uh, a lot of programs and talent management, but when you're leading this entire function, it's, it's a completely different ballgame. Uh, so I started, um, ah obviously i before I got into this role, I, uh, had a little bit of time, uh, to get in into day one.
00:12:08
Speaker
and And during that time, it was towards the far end of my parental leave. I started researching on talent management. I started networking with a lot of people from my network, reaching out to them, understanding what they are doing in the space of talent management. um I started reading up a lot, talking to friends, understanding what's happening in different various organizations across the world. And that gave me a good insight into how I should plan and organize myself.
00:12:39
Speaker
um Then I started working with my manager on building out the vision, the roadmap and the strategy for the function. And that was a point in time that I believe it's that was my transformation journey, right? Because you don't just jump into the tactical stuff. You need to really plan ah strategically on how do you want to move forward in your career? And this was a strategic move as well for me. So I had to think about it do my research, networks, talk to people, and then ah understand, okay, now this is the team that I'm going to build. What exactly are the nuts and bolts that I currently have in the organization? And what do I need to get in to set this up for success, right? So yeah, it was a very interesting last one year.
Overcoming Self-Doubt: Seeking External Support
00:13:30
Speaker
And yeah, I've learned a lot through this journey that I had
00:13:37
Speaker
right and Are there any failures that you can maybe share with us that would maybe help others in and that space right now? um
00:13:52
Speaker
i think one um I won't say it's a failure. right I think one of the things is you're constantly in doubt ah yourself because and self-sabotaging radical because sometimes given that you've not had that experience in the past, you will constantly doubt your experience. You'll doubt um ah your capability, your potential. ah ah there There are like several things that creep up in your mind constantly. and I think that was happening with me as well. read given that ah I was dealing with things on the personal side as well, which was a massive change. And then on the professional side as well, I was dealing with another set of changes.
00:14:35
Speaker
and it's nerve-wracking, right? So it was extremely hard that period in time. um But what helped me is something that I believe, so I'm a psychology student. I've also done a bit of coaching. So I've certified in coaching and I believe this was the time that I really needed some support, which is not only in my environment, but it was an excellent support. So that's but where I also reached out to a coach. And that coach really helped me through this journey, ah not only on the professional side, but also on the personal side. And that just helped me keep myself together. Because things, it was in a rocky situation, I was dealing with a lot of change at that point in time. And my coach did play a big ah part in in helping me through this period.
00:15:29
Speaker
That's amazing. I think that sometimes it's so easy to underestimate the external support that you can actually get yourself, whether that is a book or a podcast or a coach or a friend or a therapist or whatever it is that can make such a difference to just have, I guess, some sort of guidance or a place where you can go and and you know, be heard or let something out and or gain some new knowledge to the gap that you have in your mind as well or the doubts that you're facing. So I think that's a really good example of, um yeah, to to ask for help when when when you need it. And I think you did that in a very great way. um Obviously it sounds like, okay, you managed it all and then you all sorted it out, but
00:16:14
Speaker
and Even like the self-doubt, I think i can like anyone can relate to that, like whatever you do and that's new and unknown. Same for me with this podcast, for example now, right? Because there's so much self-doubt and so much and overthinking because it's just... um Yeah, the uncertainty, but at the same time, the place to grow, right? So, um yeah, I think that's ah that's a really, really good example. end um yeah is that you And in the beginning of your journey, you you were reading into things and, um you know,
00:16:52
Speaker
like doing your own research kind of. Is there anything in particular that you said like has really helped you? Was it like books or was it anything um like a specific form of knowledge gaining that you say that has really helped me?
00:17:08
Speaker
um So I think it's a bit of multiple things, right? And I think watch what what helped me the most one was actually going deeper into myself, right? So going within understanding what the experiences that I already have, right? Because I think there was a vast amount of knowledge that I already had in the field that I was doubting myself on. And ah I think my manager really believed that, okay, this guy comes with immense knowledge and experiences, and and that can ah make him successful in this role, right? so
00:17:48
Speaker
That was one belief that actually got me going. So I needed to tap into that inner experience, inner knowledge. The second thing was my network, but I think that was also a great support because ah your experiences and knowledge is limited, but your network actually helps you gain a lot more experience and knowledge than you personally would have yourself.
00:18:15
Speaker
So that's where I have reached out to a lot of people in my network to understand how they have built out those teams and functions, and and what are they doing in the space of talent management. And and the third is, of course, researching the barebread. I think that's always there. That's always something that is handy, and and you can do it. And it is extremely ah useful and beneficial. and And currently, we are in the age of AI.
00:18:43
Speaker
so um I won't be ashamed to say that I did use a lot of AI as well to help me understand ah what are some of the things that potentially are missing. And and I think it has also been super, super useful. of So probably AI is a different topic for another day, but I think these are the three elements that did help me um ah structure myself and then plan my steps ahead.
The Power of Community and Networks During Change
00:19:09
Speaker
Yeah, no, I think there, I mean, I think it's it's a great thing to use AI actually, because it's going to be the future and it's going to be, again, it's going to be a topic probably for another episode or it's a topic and by itself, but I think,
00:19:24
Speaker
m and umm I'm just saying this because I think it's very important to encourage people um to use it whenever you do have a need because it is the future and it's going to be more and more integrated in our everyday life. So I think absolutely you get going and you making use of it and knowing how to make use to you, then I think you can move forward way quicker because that's the point of AI, right? Yeah.
00:19:48
Speaker
yeah Yeah, thank you. that's I think that's that's really good takeaway. And I also like the fact that you mentioned what you said about your manager in the beginning that and again, I think it's so crucial to really have someone who believes in you. And sometimes when you doubt yourself that they see that in you, that you maybe can't see, m you know, and of the capabilities you have, or maybe because of the doubt or the the overthinking, but um like the support system is so, so crucial, right? To tackle those challenges or changes or um yeah, the the uncertainty again.
00:20:25
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. means if If you feel you're alone and in in the entire transformation, it can be really hard, right? You really, really need to have a strong ah support system to enable you. And that that is the game changer, right? Because ah as as human beings individually, we have a limited capacity and potential. And what can give you a boost of that potential is is your network, it's your society, it's your entire ecosystem. Yeah, totally agree. And actually, I read ones or like I heard ones, I can't remember where I got this from, but that, um you know, even when you have a lot of changes going on, they're positive, like, for example, moving to a nicer house, let's say having a new car and
00:21:11
Speaker
I don't know having a promotion or like if those things happen back to back or ah you know close within a period of time, even though they're positive, they can still have a negative impact on yourself in terms of you feeling overwhelmed because there's so much change for your brain at once.
00:21:29
Speaker
So it's not necessarily even the fact that you know something good happens, but a lot of change in in in a short period of time can still be very overwhelming and takes up so much energy for your brain and for yourself to to process. So I think that in itself is also um very important to take into consideration that yeah we're just human beings that are constantly evolving. and i think Now, more than ever, there's so much change happening constantly that it just takes um really a a network or, yeah as we said, like a support system to to to get over all of that, um whether it's a positive or a
Managing Transformation: Tips and Strategies
00:22:12
Speaker
negative. so
00:22:13
Speaker
Yeah, great. so Thank you so much for sharing ah your story with us today. and I would have one more question, and this can be general or um you know the way you want to answer it, but what would be your top three tips for someone who goes through either either the same situation or just general who is in a big change?
00:22:42
Speaker
period of the yeah of their life.
00:22:47
Speaker
Yeah, I think the top three tips that I would have is, one, truly believe in yourself, right? Because until you do not believe in yourself, you don't know what you can unlock in terms of potential. And I think it's that self-belief that can literally take you places and ah never doubt yourself during a transformation because that can actually take you down a completely different path, right? And it's it's absolutely not a good place to be in. The second is make sure that you have a strong support system around you. so
00:23:26
Speaker
oh make sure that you are gathering the forces together and yeah you you do not feel you're alone during this transformation, right? Because it's it's that support system that can ensure that you are successful through the transformation journey. And the third is I think you need to have a broader approach to thinking about things, having ah learning on the go and making sure that you're taking in a lot of information and able to process it. So if you're not able to learn during the transformation, it will become really hard. And if you don't have that open mindset, the transformation can take a toll on yourself. So I think these are the three tips that I would have for anyone going through transformation.
00:24:19
Speaker
Thank you so much, Derek, for being here today and all the great tips. Thank you so much for having me here.