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Driving Results – the Road to Success for Goodyear’s New HR Leader

When Joe Ruocco, senior vice president for human resources at Goodyear, made the decision to leave a 23-year career at General Electric (GE) to lead the tire and rubber company’s global HR function, he didn’t take it lightly. He crafted specific criteria to guide his next career move.

"I wanted to lead HR in another well-respected, global and growth-oriented company that placed a high value on ethics and performance," he explains. A tall order—but Goodyear emerged as a natural fit.

Now, Ruocco is using his experience and passion for results at Goodyear to improve the company’s performance, drive growth, and increase productivity through smart people strategies.

"The thing I enjoy most about leading the HR function," said Ruocco, "is driving change that makes a significant and long-lasting impact for the business and employees."

23 years at General Electric

A 1981 graduate of Cornell's ILR School (B.S. Industrial and Labor Relations), Ruocco began his career at GE through their HR Leadership Program (HRLP), where he subsequently earned his MBA at Syracuse University. At GE, Ruocco held a series of HR leadership roles of increasing responsibility and breadth in the company's Aircraft Engines, Medical Systems, Plastics and Corporate operations.

In 2002, he was named an officer of GE, and in 2003 took over as vice president of HR for GE Consumer & Industrial, a $15 billion business with 70,000 employees in over 100 countries. Three years later his role expanded to include human resources responsibility for GE's Industrial segment, which at the time had nearly 100,000 employees worldwide.

“My work over the years at GE provided me with significant opportunities to rally cross-functional teams around common goals and achieve good results,” he says.

Moving to HR at Goodyear: Paving the Way for Success

Ruocco notes that a familiar corporate culture and set of values made his transition to Goodyear especially comfortable. "The culture at Goodyear is similar to that of GE’s," Ruocco says. "It’s based on meritocracy, performance and teamwork."

Not surprisingly, given his corporate DNA, Ruocco’s plans for HR at Goodyear are focused on results. "Our long-term vision is to have a world-class HR function that is both a value-added business partner and trusted associate advocate."

In the near term, that vision translates into an HR plan tied to Goodyear’s current business priorities:

  • Raising the performance bar by attracting, retaining, and developing the best talent
  • Driving growth in emerging and mature markets
  • Reducing costs through standardization and process improvement
  • Increasing productivity through an engaged workforce

Already, Ruocco has hired three senior HR leaders from Fortune 200 companies to complement the experienced talent currently on Goodyear's HR team. He also has established a leadership program for entry-level HR recruits and an internship program.

"Goodyear is a great place to start a career," says Ruocco. "It’s dynamic, positioned well for the long term, and seeks out those who have a thirst for change. Also, in 2008 Goodyear was named one of America's most trustworthy companies by Audit Integrity Inc. and Forbes Magazine, and the world's most admired motor vehicle parts company by Fortune Magazine."

Having seen the ILR School expand its HR and business curriculum, and now serving on the board of the ILR School's Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS), Ruocco is eager to build an ILR talent pipeline for Goodyear HR.

“The ILR School continues to provide a group of very talented individuals who can be developed into very good HR leaders,” he says.

Managing Globally

Ruocco emphasizes that in a global company like Goodyear—with approximately 75,000 associates in 25 countries—any long-term vision must be met using diverse short-term strategies. "You have to be creative and have a game-plan focused specifically on each region, while still having a framework and values that cut across all regions," he explains. "A cookie-cutter tactical approach to global HR will not work."

Ruocco depends on his strong leadership team to drive the company's values throughout the organization. HR directors of each business unit report both to the business unit leader and to Ruocco, who is based at corporate headquarters in Akron, Ohio with his small corporate staff. 

Working with his extended global team is critical, and Ruocco spends significant time communicating with them. He travels to each region at least once per year, holds twice monthly conference calls, quarterly staff meetings, and daily conversations with regional HR directors.

"The key to being a highly effective global team," says Ruocco "is to lead in a way that puts the company first before any business unit or functional goals."

The Road Ahead: Leadership Challenges

Looking ahead, Ruocco sees short- and long-term challenges for Goodyear's HR. For example, seven North American plants, with a little over 11,000 employees, will be part of a master labor contract negotiation this summer with the United Steelworkers.

Longer-term, Ruocco is moving HR toward a more customer-centered approach. He feels HR needs to answer more to external customers like Goodyear dealers, and internally, to drive employee engagement through its advocacy role while helping achieve business goals.

Ruocco believes HR needs ambidextrous leadership to weather the current economic downturn. "On one hand, we need to control costs by reducing discretionary expenses and improving processes," he says, "while on the other hand, we have to grow the business. That means HR professionals need to be business leaders first with a specialty in HR."

Ultimately, meeting these challenges means sustaining the effort to recruit and retain top talent—an effort fully supported by Goodyear's chief executive and senior management.

"During these extraordinary times, nothing is more important than having 'exceptional leadership' and highly motivated and talented associates," says Bob Keegan, chairman and CEO of Goodyear. "Under Joe's leadership, the HR team at Goodyear will play a critical role in helping make sure we have the capability and the energy to win big as our markets rebound."

Ruocco often comes back to the theme of HR being the enabler that drives change and makes things happen for the business. Certainly, he and his team are focused on enabling Goodyear to impact business results—no matter the economic climate.

"It’s even more important to have the best people in place during turbulent times," says Ruocco, "because you’ll need them again to lead the way when things turn around."

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