A Day in the Life: Carleen Haas, Chief Talent Officer, Humana Inc.

Editor’s Note: This is Part five in a series of blogs by Humana associates on how CSR is integrated into their daily work. These posts give us valuable insights into how one company is implementing responsibility as a key business strategy and a core function of every associate’s job. For jobseekers and career changers, these posts will provide not only insights into alternative career paths, but also tips on how you can pursue a career that aligns with your values as well as those of your employer's.

I came to Humana 11 years ago thinking the company would provide an interesting experience and a unique location. I had never lived in what I considered the Midwest (my job assignments in the recent past had taken me to Washington D.C. and San Diego), but much to my surprise, my husband and I fell in love with Louisville. We learned about the company and the city simultaneously, growing more enamored with each as years passed.

My role at Humana has changed and grown, and I am currently the chief talent officer for the company. My days are filled with variety, and no two are ever the same—a wonderful benefit.

Today, my focus was on a case competition that Humana is organizing for the first time. We started putting this together in August and have invited teams of students from MBA, MPH, MD, MPP and MAH programs around the country to join us in Louisville to show off their thinking.

8 a.m.: The first order of business today is to welcome all of the teams, talk to them about Humana and our journey from being a health insurer to a well-being company. As a Baby Boomer, I love our desire to create a better world. Helping people to belong, have financial security, [work in] a good environment and improve their health is certainly part of that higher purpose.

9 a.m.: Back to the desk to process some of the work done earlier in the week. We spent time at the Learning Innovations Laboratory sponsored by Harvard University. There, member companies grappled with the question, “How do we weave wisdom into organizations?”

We discussed things like: What is wisdom? What are the conditions that can be created in corporations to generate it? With those questions as the backdrop, what kinds of practical things do we need to think about in our quest to hire and retain the right talent? Can some corporations act wisely–or is it only about individuals?

11 a.m.: Return to the case competition to announce the morning finalists and talk to the judges. The lunch provided includes water in non-petroleum-based bottles and compostable plates, and we also made sure that our lunch selections gave choices to a variety of dietary preferences. I love the inclusion message that sends to all of the students and associates who joined us for lunch.

11:30 a.m.: Get the senior leadership team situated and familiar with their judging responsibilities for the afternoon presentations. Only two teams to present, with cash prizes as the reward. The two presentations were energizing and fun. Our executive team was engaged and excited about the talent they saw and the rigor of the research presented–all completed over the last 48 hours. Go team!

1:30 p.m.: Basking in the glow of a new idea successfully launched, it's back to the desk to catch up on emails and other projects awaiting my attention. Kudos to the team for attention to detail and splendidly representing Humana.

2 p.m.: Review news outlets to stay abreast of what’s going on in the marketplace. 2:30 p.m.: Attend a senior leadership CSR meeting. This group, which represents various business functions, meets quarterly and provides strategic guidance to the core CSR team and the CSR Council on how we achieve Healthy People, Healthy Planet, and Healthy Performance at Humana. This meeting is also an opportunity for our CSR team to update leadership on its successes, like Humana’s ranking of No. 72 in Newsweek Green Rankings–up from No. 317 in 2010 and 392 in 2009.

5 p.m.: Prepare for the following day. I can’t wait to see what we get to do tomorrow. In the meantime, I get to review what we have in mind to drive more inclusion and diversity results here. It just doesn’t get much better than this.

5:30 p.m.: Head to Humana’s on-site fitness center for a quick workout, then home to my family.

Carleen Haas is Chief Talent Officer at Humana Inc.

Related:

Day in the Life: Tom Noland, Sr. VP of Corporate Communications, Humana
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