Danelle DiLibero is Augury’s new Vice President of People. Here, she explains why she thinks she’s in the right place at the right time. “It feels as if we were on parallel roads that have now come together.”
(From left to right) Augury Co-Founder/CTPO Gal Shaul, new VP of People Danelle DiLibero, Chief of Staff Eliza King, and Co-Founder/CEO Saar Yoskovitz are watching the total eclipse together.
That First Phone Call
I should have known from my first phone conversation with Augury CEO Saar Yoskovitz… Once it became apparent the job aligned with my earlier experience in IoT and manufacturing, our talk went deeper, faster than usual. My boxes around people, culture, sustainability, and all-round relevance all got ticked. And like any good story, there was that extra spark that you can’t put into words. I was intrigued…
“The timing was right in another way. Not only was I at a pivotal moment in my professional life, but so was Augury. The company had gone from zero to 1, and now we were both ready to go from 1 to 2.”
Timing Is Everything
Recruiting isn’t just a science. You also need the stars – or the moon and the sun (see above) – to align: the timing has to be right. For the first 20 years of my career, I was primarily focused on talent acquisition and employee experience, and it was about four or five years ago that I became the head of HR. This wasn’t a traditional path but one that I was entrusted with and excited to take on. And now, it was time to bring my best practices and learnings to a different organization.
The timing was right in another way. Not only was I at a pivotal moment in my professional life, but so was Augury. The company had gone from zero to 1, and now we were both ready to go from 1 to 2.
And Yes, I Made The Right Decision
As a lifelong talent acquisition professional, you spend much time focused on the candidate experience. You want to ensure the candidate always has a good experience and knows what to expect and when to expect it. Their time is respected. And there’s a feeling that they are interviewing the company as much as they are being interviewed. And in this respect, Augury again ticked all the boxes.
Augury took the time to interview me but also allow me to interview them. We both took the time to establish a relationship. I met many different Augurians along the way and our meetings weren’t just zoom calls or Q&A sessions. We met for coffee, we enjoyed a meal together, we texted, etc… If they were going to be my colleagues, we wanted to have built a foundation – which, in turn, would make my onboarding that much easier.
Indeed, thanks to these introductory conversations, our first official meetings proved to be immediately impactful – we could cut to the chase and make some decisions. The rapport was already there. We could get to work.
“‘Women in Manufacturing’: I wish this wasn’t still an anomaly but here we are…”
A Woman In Manufacturing
“Women in Manufacturing”: I wish this wasn’t still an anomaly but here we are. Yes, we need more of them – like we need more diversity across the board, from the C-suite to the factory floor.
As a woman, there have been times in my career when I have indeed been the only woman in the room – and this is also likely the experience of anyone from the BIPOC community or other marginalized groups. It’s important that when we recognize this, that we do something about it. We must use our position to bring more women and diverse perspectives to the room.
I am happy to report that Augury was already on this path long before my arrival. Just look at their leadership page.
“I also feel fortunate that I began at Goldman Sachs. It was there I learned the formal rules of the game. After all, you don’t mess with a 150-year-plus institution…”
Practically Speaking
I feel fortunate that my career journey has been a “jungle gym”, one that has been diverse, encompassing various roles up, down, and sideways (even internationally), allowing me to gain knowledge and expertise across multiple HR areas.
I also feel fortunate that I began at Goldman Sachs. It was there I learned the formal rules of the game. After all, you don’t mess with a 150-year-plus institution. But when I left and entered different companies still building their own more formal foundations, I could bend these rules to the situation without them snapping.
And I look forward to testing the limits with Augury – in the name of building our own durable institution. It’s time to go from 1 to 2 together.
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