“Stay Uncomfortable”: Advice from ADT’s Director of Talent Management

In this Life at ADT Blog, we’re joined by Nicole Luzi, Director of Talent Management and Employee Experience. Nicole discusses her role in shaping the company’s leadership development initiatives for employees across the business, and shares insights on the importance of building strong relationships and staying uncomfortable to maximize personal and professional growth.

Describe your current role and responsibilities at ADT?

My teams’ responsible for leading the development of ADT’s enterprise talent management & employee experience strategy focused on creating a culture of continuous performance management, growing and developing our leaders, and advancing our employee listening journey to increase employee engagement. Some areas of focus for us include the annual cycle of performance (goal setting, performance check-ins, year-end reviews), conducting enterprise talent reviews & discussing the organizations succession plans, further enhancing our leadership development offerings through our enterprise leadership capability framework, “GROW”, and our employee listening surveys to include onboarding & exit surveys, as well as our annual employee sentiment survey. By listening to employees feedback and understanding areas of opportunities, we work towards helping make ADT an even better place to work.

What made you choose ADT?

The people and the mission. The employees who work at ADT are truly unique: we care about each other, pushing each other to think about things differently and always keeping the customer at the forefront. We also care deeply about the mission of ADT: to protect and connect people to what matters most. We get to help keep people safe for a living. How cool is that?

What has been one of the most memorable or impactful moments in your career at ADT?

Promoting a former employee of mine… As a leader, your success is seeing the growth and development of those on your team. Nothing tops that for me!

What do you think the importance of building and fostering relationships has in your role?

I wouldn’t be in my role today if it wasn’t for the relationships I’ve built at ADT. When this role opened, I didn’t originally jump at the opportunity… I was very comfortable in the role I was in and I had made great relationships with the leaders I supported. I was good at my job, so why would I put myself into the uncomfortable place of starting over in a new role? However, one of my mentors nudged me to consider this role and gave me the confidence to take the leap and apply. I’m so grateful for the relationships I’ve built at ADT and those who sometimes see more potential in you than you do yourself.

What do you enjoy most about your job and about working at ADT?

I love how every day is different, and there’s always an opportunity to make something better. We’re empowered to truly own our work, and are always encouraged to look for ways to enhance our product offerings for our consumers (in my case: our employees).

Share a personal experience or story that has significantly impacted your approach to HR and leadership?

I once had a mentor ask me — not just what I want to do in the future/5-years etc (we’ve all heard the common interview question: ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years?’) – but WHY do I want to be doing that in the future/5 years etc. While a simple question, there’s usually not a simple answer… I challenge everyone to ask themselves this question and really spend time thinking about your answer… because the answer to that question should be the beacon for how you navigate your career trajectory moving forward.

What’s a common saying or piece of advice you give your team?

When it comes to career growth: be curious & stay uncomfortable… you experience the most growth as you lean into uncomfortable situations, and never be afraid to ask questions and challenge why things are the way they are. When it comes to work products or outputs: listen to the voice of the customer and keep things simple! Many times, we often like to overcomplicate things, when the reality is – simple solutions that are easily digestible are often more successful.

As Director of Talent Management and Employee Experience, what do you want candidates to know about being an employee at ADT?

Change is inevitable… You will constantly experience change at ADT and while change can sometimes be uncomfortable, like I said before – being uncomfortable provides growth. The amount of growth you can experience here is unlike anywhere else – there’s a decent amount of leaders at ADT including two current & former ELT leaders who started from front-line positions, working their way to the top. We will support you, while challenging you & asking you to challenge us on how we can think differently and grow together. At ADT, you’ll be given the chance to shape the future of our company while being empowered to own your career, all while working towards our mission: to protect and connect people to what matters most.