Leadership Columbus: Spencer Harris

First Posted: July 01, 2012 - 12:21 am Last Updated: July 01, 2012 - 12:22 am

Date of birth: Oct. 31, 1955.

Place of birth: Providence, R.I.

Lives in: Elizabethtown.

Job title: Vice president of human resources at Faurecia Emissions Control Technology’s North American operations.

Job duties: Include payroll, benefits, responsible for HR at 13 sites, management development, career and succession planning, recruiting, talent sourcing and training.

Education: Master’s degree from Bowie State University (part of the University of Maryland system), “which I got in Europe while in the military.”

Family: Wife, DeeAnn; three adult children.

Hobbies: Spending time with family, traveling and college football (especially the University of Alabama). “I plan to attend the Alabama vs. Michigan game on Sept. 1.”

Noteworthy: Knows how to fly Huey and Black Hawk helicopters.

Q: What was your first job?

A: At 9 years old, I was a pin boy at a bowling alley in Bonnet Shores, R.I., where I set a record for setting the most pins in one week.

Q: What was the main lesson you learned from that job?

A: Responsibility. To be there. To be available.

Q: What other jobs have you worked?

A: I worked on my grandparents’ farm when I was 12, as a grocery clerk at 16, and two summers at University of Alabama I mopped floors of the cafeteria. I’ve worked as a night clerk at a hotel, in an ice cream factory, and I sold books door to door. I also was a ski bum in Colorado before I joined the Army.

Q: How did you end up in human resources?

A: After the Army I did a skills assessment and landed in the manufacturing sector, working at several companies in several capacities including production supervisor, factory manager, and finally HR manager. I joined Faurecia in 2005.

Q: What are some of the biggest leadership lessons you’ve learned?

A: Be careful what you focus on. Leadership is about selfless service. If you focus on yourself, you’re not taking care of people that you’re leading. Seek responsibility and always continue to improve, but do it within the context of being patient with what’s going on around you. Don’t have the same expectations for everyone. Be patient and understanding with those around you.

Q: What’s the No. 1 thing you expect from your employees?

A: I expect them to give their best effort with integrity. If the intent is pure, mistakes are a learning opportunity.

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