Throughout our conversation, Deanna Fortson reflected on her 17 years of work at BST Global, from HR representative to leading the company's intersection of people and data. Her analytical curiosity doesn’t just apply to others. She shared something she learned about herself at every step of her HR journey: her eagerness to pour over resources and learn, her service mindset, the care she has to bake in for herself in a challenging role.
We connected with Deanna through the HR Technology Systems Strategy Cohort by Sapient Insights Group. The cohort guides HR leaders though a hands-on approach to building an HR systems strategy that delivers measurable and tangible results – from concept to business case to buy-in. As Deanna’s company grows, she’s excited to expand her responsibilities, blending one-on-one employee care with data driven changes.
I’ve never heard someone describe the value of a human resources leader so succinctly: “I'm the integration point for all of our systems… That alone isn't enough, I need to understand the why behind it, the person behind it, what their processes are and what ways can we be more efficient and more collaborative with one another.”
Read for more on how Deanna became the “techie” one at work, how she creates the space for others to be strategic in their own positions, and her BIG accomplishment last month!
Deanna: “Deanna Fortson (she/her), and my title is HRIS and Benefits Manager at BST Global. What that means is that I am responsible for the technology in our human resources (we call administration) area. I'm also the benefits manager so I handle our health benefits for the employees.”
“I've been there 17 years. Prior to that I was mostly like customer service roles and then it led to more like claims customer service type issues and insurance - so there's your benefits part that comes in.
Then I transitioned down to an HR area from understanding how the business worked. I would start keying in resumes and all that. We didn't have like a HR system what you know of today but in the sense it was still a database.
So that's when I figured I kind of I like this HR thing! It's still very service oriented, but I get to work with data. I get to see what's going on, a different picture. I consider myself being [a person] that like[s] people, and I like my alone time as well.
I think that working with the data… you know all about people, even if you don't know them, right? So you feel like you do. And then that opens me up so that when they're in front of me and we have the interaction, I feel much more connected with them.
And I like to tinker with things. I think you put that all together. And I ended up here.
At BST Global, it wasn't always this role, but it got to be this role. I think the back-story was always there.
I had a really awesome co-worker and mentor that secretly made me like it even more when I didn't think I would. She saw some strengths and she capitalized on that, and that totally, totally worked for me. So that's where my love for engaging with the systems - my, like, gadgetness in my head, I guess - started coming out, so.”
Ash: “That's so cool.”
Deanna: “And then it was default from there, ‘You're the techie one.’ [referring to herself]. I’m like ‘Great!’”
Deanna: “I really like to read and research. I didn't know how much I did until I started sharing with my family about stuff and they're like ‘okay…’ I don't know why, I just gotta share it!
Being able to share it in my HR world, the software has kind of been an outlet for me. I just still want to learn and I want to soak everything up. I take notes on everything and even conversations that I have with people… there’s something I can glean from that, from a conversation. I'm on webinars as much as possible. I like reading research papers and being in surveys and doing things like this.
I am a part of two professional HR organizations and I got involved with the Sapient Insights Group Cohort really to learn more about what this role could evolve to be, because you know it's brand new at our organization but what is it out there?
It’s really scary but it totally helped me, totally helped me what my responsibilities could be and actually uncover things about me that I did not know that are useful in this space. With that, it also helped me kind of get the nerve to go for my HRIP certification, which by grace of God, I just obtained last Friday…”
Ash: 🎉 cheers 🎉
Deanna: “So yes yes yes… all of that plays a part in it and as I discover more about me I'm being more confident about me.”
Ash: “Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations on your certification. That’s amazing.”
Deanna: “Thank you. Thank you.”
Deanna: “I'll probably say I haven't had one, but if I thought about it…
Ash: “Of course you have!!”
Deanna laughs: “I think just with each small thing, I did something different with it. Like upgrading our HRIS to the next version, it was a major upgrade because we were a little bit behind, but thinking that [process] through… I noticed that they [employees] notice when things changed. They remember that we had done upgrades. We're in the software business and sometimes, you know, it's hard to see that HR is doing something like that. One employee said the other day, ‘we just did an upgrade, right?’ Later when they found a process that did not work, they helped me test, and we found that there was a bug… something that the vendor help[ed] us with.
And so just working with other stakeholders who are my clients, right? My employees. Seeing ways that can make things better for them.
Another lesson I learned is by engaging with our interns… That process a few months ago was one big for me when I think about it, because I was more organized and I was more engaging with others. And I took more of a leadership role with it.
They were able to help me, not just change these colors on the site, but explain why. There's rules behind, you know, how things should look from an accessibility standpoint. I learned from the young people. And I was proud of them. I was proud that they felt comfortable, you know, enough to help.
Ash: Yeah, that's really cool. It sounds like you also built out a really successful intern program based on what you're sharing now.
Deanna: We did and that was none of my doing, but I love supporting it! I wanted some kind of way to engage with it, because I mean, if I can give back… that was done for me, organically, that was there for me.
And if I can make somebody leave my office smiling, some kind of way, even if it's not the best news in HR, whatever it is, they got informed in some kind of way. They were able to get something done. And that's the goal. So when it came to interns, I said, yeah, I want to work with them. I never dreamed that it would turn into a couple of hours worth of fun, so that's good.
We're more than just like processes and tasks. I mean, those are important things because you know, you got to get paid. But we're more than that.
We're the partners. We are peers. We have projects in HR like they do out in the field. You know, our value is shown in many ways.
Some of that, for me, is shown in their happiness, you know, or their understanding of something. If I can give them insight into a situation, if I can alleviate their time, their mental state, some kind of way… their emotional state, by listening to them, by just being there, or giving them something tangible to help them. That's the impact that I see.
It frees them up so they can be more strategic for the business, so that they can execute and meet those OKRs that they need to do.
We've all been in there together. We all drive success from one another's development and for the business. We're their partner from the start through alumni status.”
Deanna: "So that's just really hard. Like this whole thing's been hard because I'm not used to talking like this. But I appreciate it, because that's one thing that I do notice: we are always there for others and we don't think of ourselves and that care for ourselves. It's a very stressful job. High turnover, right? We can change that by you guys highlighting those things about us. So thank you!
Being for real, integrity, is a big thing and not just the data integrity but like my authenticity as a person. If they know what I stand for, that's not going to change no matter who the directive is coming from. And I find that really important. So number one, I got to know who I am, right? So that they know who I am. So I need to represent that effectively.
People [knowing] that you want to help them, it totally lowers their stress level for sure.
That has helped me make connections. Like I said, I could sit in front of a computer screen and be okay because I know all about you and I feel like we're friends, but that doesn't that doesn't help the whole picture. I actually have to get on the ground and get to know a person and engage with them and find out what makes them tick.
I've grown in that. It’s helped me to be more personable. What do they do, you know? How does their job work? …and then in my mind I'm totally trying to figure out a way that I can help make that better for their function, which in turn reflects our whole department.
Again in my job I touch all of our areas (being the with the systems), and so I always say that I'm the integration point for all of our systems, because they don't necessarily talk to each other. That alone isn't enough. I need to understand the why behind it, the person behind it, what their processes are and what ways can we be more efficient and more collaborative with one another.
So that's been what I've been trying to do and ways to get that to happen. Again, that is brought out a lot in me.
And have some gratitude for others and what they do! All of us come to work, you know, my name is not on our building. So, you know, come to work because I choose to, and I want to, I want to do a good job for those that trust me with it. I just want to make everyone else's experience really good, no matter where.
Deanna: "Okay, let's see. I'll go with two. I've got so many…
Okay. I did mention the coworker that, you know, used her, you know, HR psychology on me. Now, that would be my friend, my friend Celeste, Celeste Adams. She's retired. She is still there for me and encourages me. And I mean, she's just an awesome friend.
Also, I'm going to say a coworker Evelyn, Evelyn March. She is our Director of Talent and Training Management.
And there is nothing she cannot do. If she doesn't know it, she gets it enough to know it. She’ll come back a couple days later, and you would have never thought that she just found out about this. She has a way of just grabbing this and just putting it together, and it just makes so much sense.
She can explain the heck out of anything in a real world scenario, and her passion is to help people get it. Whatever that is. is. She will take it from start to finish. And you might be like, okay, I didn't ask for all this, but you're happy you didn't ask for it, because you didn't even know to ask for it. Like, you had no clue that you needed that, right?
Ash: “Yeah, yeah. And then it changes your life.”
Deanna: “Right. Right. But it would be like, you know, weeks later, you're sitting in a meeting, and they randomly bring up something that has nothing to do with you, and you understand it from the conversation you just had with Evelyn, like, when we were getting water in the break room. You know it's just phenomenal.
And sometimes, I don't think people realize, and she doesn't realize how, how much she brings to the person and then, of course, to the organization.
So much value: she can design the product, she can sell the product, she can train on the product. But she can do it all and I just, I just appreciate her because it's not one person that I've come across that has not said something wonderful about how she impacted their lives."
