'My emails exploded with support': senior VP of HR discusses authenticity in leadership, along with celebrating DEI and culture
When Janine Pajot, senior vice president of HR at Bayer Canada, was asked to share her personal experience with depression during the launch of the company’s employee resource group for people with disabilities, she initially hesitated.
“I live with depression, and I was asked to share my story. And at first, I just said, ‘I just need to think about this for a second.’ And when I paused, I thought, ‘You know what, if I can help one person out there. I've done my job.’”
The act of sharing was a turning point for Pajot.
“It was a virtual launch right across the country, and I shared my story about my very dark days and being an executive and through actually navigating it throughout my career. And that was the first time ever that I shared this publicly. So it was pretty significant.”
And her fears quickly dissipated. After the event, Pajot was overwhelmed by the response: “My emails exploded with support. It was all support. And so my heart was full, and I knew that was a changing point for me personally, but it just really showed the power of vulnerable leadership and what it can do for others.”
Vulnerability and authentic leadership
For Pajot, vulnerability is a key part of authentic leadership. She believes leaders who are open about not having all the answers create a culture where people feel heard and valued.
“Truly, the ones who are going to create an environment and a culture where people feel heard, they feel seen, they are part of the tapestry are those leaders who can say, ‘You know what, I don't have all the answers’ or ‘This is how I'm feeling right now.’”
Reflecting on the pandemic, Pajot says it was an opportunity for “tremendous learning” because nobody really had all the answers or a playbook to work with.
“So, to admit that ‘I don't have all the answers today, but together, we're going to work through this,’ I feel it speaks volumes for everyone.”
From sales to HR at Bayer
Pajot’s career began on the commercial side of pharma, in sales, marketing, and communications, before she became senior vice president of the cardiovascular and women’s health division at Bayer Canada.
It was during that time that she decided she needed a “profound shift” in her career: “I was loving every minute, but I did want to do something completely different, and I had always loved the people aspect of my role. I oversaw large teams, and just love working with them for their potential, their development and the like. So it was really for me, it was kind of an evolution to my career.”
Pajot credits her marketing background for her approach to HR.
“Marketing is about understanding people's motivations and listening deeply and storytelling. So, what was profound for me is [deciding] ‘Why not bring that storytelling into the realm where it is all about people?’”
Pajot says she shared her interest with her CEO, and when the opportunity arose, she threw her hat in the ring. Moving into HR gave Pajot a new perspective, she says.
“What it really did is deepen my appreciation for the function. Because when you're on the business side, you see your partners, you see the performance management piece, etc. When you actually come into the function to see the backbone that it provides to the organization, the systems, the data, payroll… how benefits are pulled together, how those plans are pulled together, how compensation plans are pulled together.
“It was absolutely fascinating and such a tremendous learning for me.”
Committed to DEI
One of Pajot’s proudest achievements at Bayer Canada has been advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She took on the lead role of HR during an acquisition in 2018, which highlighted the need for a stronger DEI journey.
“That required a merging of cultures but it also was highlighting the need to create this journey,” she says, citing the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic and murder of George Floyd in 2020.
“It just amped up the necessity and the desire to do something.”
Pajot points to the creation of six employee resource groups (ERGs) and cross-division collaboration as key milestones across consumer health, agriculture and pharma at Bayer.
“To see the three divisions cross-pollinate via the ERGs or via any initiatives that we do supporting DEI, it's not only supporting the initiative, but it's also creating the culture because we're coming together across the divisions, across the silos, so to speak, and working on common goals.”
Bayer Canada employs about 1,200 people, with just under 100,000 globally in 32 countries. And despite pushback against DEI in the U.S., Pajot says the company’s commitment to DEI remains strong.
“We're not pulling back,” she says, citing as an example the U.S. division posting the Bayer cross in rainbow colours on LinkedIn during Pride month.
“Although my team members down there have to navigate these very tricky waters right now, the commitment remains and truly… it's not about words, it's about the actions.”
Culture and leadership at Bayer
Bayer prides itself on an award-winning culture, but Pajot believes that building a strong workplace culture is not just HR’s responsibility.
Instead, it’s about HR being an enabler to help shepherd that culture, she says, using the allegory of a garden, where you might have the seeds and the water, but if the soil is toxic, nothing will grow.
“In order to achieve a strong culture, it really is tone at the top… you could wish for the best culture in the world, but if your leadership isn't aligning to what we agreed on, then it falls short … it's for everyone in the organization, we all play a role.”
Pajot emphasizes the importance of aligning with Bayer’s values and if these are out of sync, getting to the root of what may be hindering the culture.
“In a nutshell, I see HR as a strong supporter for everyone in the organization to create that strong culture.”
Executive coaching to help others
Another passion of Pajot? Learning and helping others unlock their potential through executive coaching, having achieved executive certification at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto in 2024.
She believes mindset is often the biggest barrier to success.
“Fundamentally, I truly believe that every single person has the highest of potential possible, and the only thing standing in their way is themselves. It's our mindset that controls everything,” she says, as people talk themselves out of making changes.
“It’s what's happening up in our mindset that really can set us free.”
