The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 13, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Dec. 8.
Next is HR Executive of the Year finalist Priscilla Lott-Price, who’s senior vice president and human resources executive at Leidos Defense Group. Here, she talks achievements, career advice, proud career moments and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2020/ 2021?
I led the approach to deploy comprehensive and integrated workforce engagement strategies in the Defense Group, Leidos’ largest business area, despite unprecedented challenges posed by the global pandemic.
That included inviting more than 10,000 employees to have intimate discussions with senior leaders throughout a two-week period during the early days of the pandemic in 2020. The discussions continued in 2021, along with sessions designed for leaders, robust communication rhythms, recognition programs and redeployment of more than 500 employees. The engagement initiatives contributed to stable or increased engagement scores in 12 areas of Leidos’ 2021 global engagement survey.
In 2021, Leidos expanded significantly through acquisition and growth. We welcomed 1901 Group to Leidos with just under 400 employees and secured the largest IT contract in company history with NGEN/SMIT. I had the honor of providing leadership, counsel and support contributing to the NGEN/SMIT team, ramping up from near zero to more than 2,200 employees in less than six months.
This included partnering across the broader team and leading efforts to ensure employees were welcomed to Leidos and exposed to our culture and values.
Furthermore, hiring and support for military veterans and their spouses is a core component of both our company’s values and strategic plan. Forty percent of Defense Group employees are military veterans. We hired more than 1,100 veterans this year alone. The HR team is partnering with military transition centers, military associations and veteran organizations to identify and hire separating and retiring military veterans and spouses.
These partnerships ensure the company strengthens its long-standing commitment to supporting military veterans and their families.
Additionally, I led a renewed focus on inclusion and diversity strategies within the Defense Group. Our team placed an emphasis on creating connections and increasing visibility for high-potential talent. Competitive and diverse panels for key roles resulted in increased representation of women and ethnically diverse talent with new hires, promotions and job rotations. The focus also included creating a Group Inclusion Council that is providing resources and support across operational segments.
Finally, I launched defense leader roundtables throughout 2020 and a new cohort continued throughout 2021. Additional development programs were designed to reach deeper in the organization to identify high-potential talent, provide exposure and develop the pipeline for future talent needs through experiential learning and speaker series.
What has made you successful in your current role?
I believe my success starts with my commitment to the mission, investing in the success of others and having a strong team. I focus my energy on how the HR function shapes the future, enables results for our people and delivers business outcomes. Creating an environment where people can succeed is critical.
Our employees solve many of the world’s toughest challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions. Ensuring everyone knows they are valued and making a difference is a top priority for me. I prioritize collaborating with my peers and listen to my team to strategize and operationalize the Leidos vision.
I also emphasize the importance of talent selection for key roles. I’ve always encouraged my teams and partners to really get to know their talent and build external relationships. Knowing talent enables leaders to identify and support strong diverse slates of candidates for positions. It takes influence, time and tremendous effort.
Most importantly, I’m energized by transformation. I believe you must make the time to reflect upon what is happening, to identify headwinds, and to improve organization and team effectiveness.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
I’m most proud of the experience of being a senior leader and contributing to the outstanding growth of Leidos throughout the last five years. That includes the Leidos and Information Systems and Global Solutions integration, numerous mergers and acquisitions, and companies uniting to form a new culture. That is innovation at its best. It has been an amazing journey.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
My primary focus is attracting, engaging, developing and retaining diverse talent to continue to make Leidos an employer of choice and fuel the innovation and growth of the company. Talent and strong leaders are catalysts for us.
My team plays an important role in ensuring we have a robust talent pipeline, and the critical skills to deliver the solutions and mission-critical operational services across land, sea, air, space and cyber domains for our key customers.
How do you help shape the next generation of government leaders/industry leaders?
Shaping the next generation of leaders requires investing in people at every level and opportunity. Mentoring, sponsorship, coaching and development leave lasting impacts on people. That is especially true for female and ethnically diverse talent.
I’ve been involved in public service throughout my entire life, and give back through professional and nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and forums, and employee resource groups.
I’m honored to be one of the executive sponsors for the African American Leidos Network, one of the employee resource groups at Leidos. I am constantly amazed by the commitment of the members as the organization has grown, hosted annual conferences in the last two years, collaborated with other groups and positively impacted the enterprise and communities in which Leidos serves.
I am incredibly proud of the Leidos commitment to inclusion as a value. In my leadership role, I’ve found tremendous opportunities to advocate for all employees through development programs, exposing talent, establishing connections, building communities and continuously partnering with others to create an environment that enables employees to bring their entire selves to work and reach their potential.
Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of?
I’m passionate about enabling the business through talent and developing solutions to business challenges. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to play a role in winning, transitioning and starting a deluge of new programs and business endeavors. That has included evolving business models, charting new territory to expand market share and rolling out new structures, systems and approaches.
I’ve been in several new roles and in some cases a role or project was created or changed as a result of a business case I developed or work that I’ve done.
I am extremely proud of the privilege and the honor to partner with brilliant leaders and incredible talent to make an impact, and to be uniquely me. I’m most proud of the relationships that I’ve built with talented people across the globe. And I’m truly grateful and proud to have a strong personal support system that starts with my family.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
A career is a journey with unexpected twists and turns. My advice is to listen, build relationships and be a student of your business. Ask questions, invest time in developing others, strive to continuously learn and be open to change.
Take on the tough challenges and move out of your comfort zone. I’ve found my greatest development, innovation and accomplishments occurred when there was substantial change and the seemingly impossible became a reality.
Stay grounded in what matters most to you. Faith, family, friends and the opportunity to disconnect are all essential for me. I have dinner with my husband every day that I can, and schedule time to get away for vacations and short trips on a regular basis.
Last, but not least, take charge of your career and don’t let others place limitations on your potential by telling you what you cannot achieve.