This month, I’m reflecting on letting go of my first company, Lisa Isaac HR Professional Services, and consciously choosing to do things differently with Owl Insight HR, incorporating lessons learned and employee recognition to shape better outcomes for clients and teams.

Early in my career, an Elder reminded me of the importance of taking time to build bridges: to give space, offer support, communicate effectively, and protect everyone’s dignity in the process.

Today’s blog is an introduction to Performance Management for your team. For context, I’d like to start by sharing part of my journey here. As an Inuk HR professional, I must admit that I am used to being pulled into a situation due to my ability to see both sides of “the problem.” Admittedly, this also means that I can get pushback from one or both sides. From the employee’s perspective, they may feel targeted or even threatened when in difficult feedback discussions.

If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be back in school in my 40s—older than my professor, surrounded by classmates half my age—pursuing a new career in Human Resources, all while raising kids and working full-time, I would have thought you were out of your mind. But here I am, doing exactly that.