"How our Talent will support improving oral health worldwide"

As HR takes on a particularly important role during times of change, Spotlight spoke with Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Maureen MacInnis to learn her views on teamwork, talent development and her hope for the future.

What do you think is really at the heart of teamwork?

An organization is made up of individuals working toward a common cause. Trust is at the heart of any team and is imperative in any working relationship. That means being honest even if it entails being vulnerable at times – asking for help when help is needed or genuinely recognizing when the best idea isn’t even yours. When we align around a common cause that is larger than independent results is when teams truly thrive.

One of the core values is about living and breathing high performance. How do you define the qualities of a high-performing employee?

It starts with a willingness to take risks by setting challenging goals and then committing to accomplish those goals despite obstacles. It is also important to exemplify high performance in some of the less visible or glamorous aspects of our jobs and to keep our customers in focus. I recall visiting one of our manufacturing sites where I met a woman who had the responsibility of completing final reviews on the assembly of our product. She said to me “These don’t get out the door without me checking each and every one of them for the highest quality. These are going to be used on someone’s child or mother and I want to be certain that they are safe.” That to me is high performance.

Where do you see our organization in terms of talent development and culture three years from now?

As part of the Culture Integration, we supported 200 employees to become Culture Champions across Dentsply Sirona to encourage values-based behavior to their teams. As a Steering Committee, we are committed to support this community. I’m confident that we will be fully integrated as Dentsply Sirona and taking advantage of the passionate talent we have globally. We have already built a strong foundation through the Global Leadership Development program, the European and Asian Leadership Development programs, Women in Leadership Network, and Sales Excellence among others. There are additional opportunities to harmonize and globalize these initiatives, and Dentsply Sirona University will be a key driver in this. I’m sure our culture will continue to be guided by our values and exemplified by everyone around the world.

Tell us about what motivates you personally and/or professionally.

I’m motivated whenever I see others grow and achieve their goals. It genuinely gives me a sense of pride and satisfaction knowing that my work is helping to make the Company stronger by developing our future leaders. My parents were and are one of my most motivating forces. As a scientist, my Dad was part of a team that made industry-leading discoveries in energy and lighting. His face lit up when he talked about his work, long after he had retired. My Mom was an operating room nurse whose care for the health and wellbeing of others directly influenced their quality of life. She brought true caring and compassion to her job each day. Both were incredibly modest about their accomplishments, talking less about their roles than about the results that impacted others. Their influence and examples are with me every day.

What do you want for the employees of this Company?

I want employees to feel and know that their work today will impact generations to come. By taking care of ourselves today, we can take care of others. Most of all, I want all of our employees to have a sense of pride and purpose, knowing they are doing rewarding work that impacts oral health both locally and around the world.