How Lloyds Builds Leaders for the AI Era
In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Sharon Doherty, Chief People and Places Officer at Lloyds Banking Group, to explore how Lloyds is preparing its leaders for a world where AI and culture change are happening at the same time. Sharon shares how Lloyds focuses on substance over noise and why leadership behaviour matters more today than ever.
She breaks down how the company is helping senior leaders go all in on AI, using global learning trips, reverse mentoring, and safe spaces where executives can learn without fear. Sharon explains how AI, used well, can strengthen culture, improve feedback, and give people better insights instead of overwhelming them.
If you care about leading people through constant change, this conversation is for you. It shows why purpose, honest leadership, and real learning are the foundations that keep a culture strong when everything else is moving.
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Chris Rainey 0:13
Sharon, how you doing? I
Sharon Doherty 0:14
am fantastic. I'm here at unleash with you, meeting you for the first time. I know 2000 2000 podcast, and you're only getting to me now?
Chris Rainey 0:23
No, that's because you've been avoiding me. Yeah. So I think that's really loved. I have to say, young man, I'm gonna find all the emails I sent you inviting you on probably.
Sharon Doherty 0:32
And I said, No. I said, No, I'm shy. Yeah, I
Chris Rainey 0:35
know this is really random, not on our questions, but I've seen you do a lot more public facing podcast events. Is that intentional? Something that you and your team have said, Hey, let's get out there more and
Sharon Doherty 0:47
yeah, so look, I've worked for different companies, and I like to do something that's meaningful first, so Vodafone, finastra, and now Lloyds. And then, when you've got something to talk about, then to get out. So I sort of believe in substance rather than just form. No, if people just want to do form, I'm loving it, yeah, but I like to have something that we're actually doing that's making a difference, and then to think about how we share the learning.
Chris Rainey 1:19
Yeah, and you did a great session with I had a couple of your other panelists on culture as a superpower. Yeah. How was that?
Sharon Doherty 1:26
Yes, it was great fun. There was a, there was a robot on the side of the stage. She, I think it was, was a bit freaky, really, twitching
Chris Rainey 1:35
whilst you're talking through, oh my god. So you're like, yeah.
Sharon Doherty 1:38
So I have this sort of cool or creepy test, when, whenever I see anything, where am I about technology? And I think she had a name. I was backstage, so I couldn't hear it. So definitely creepy. But the panelists were amazing. George, our host, did a great job. He also loves sneakers, so as do I love it? Yeah? So I'm a sneaker girl, yeah? So, yeah, no, great. A real privilege to be here. And I think I'm getting an invite back for next year. So can't wait
Chris Rainey 2:10
now you're gonna moan because you're gonna get a million inbox, yeah, and
Sharon Doherty 2:13
I'll say no to all of them apart from your life, yeah, because I know who you are.
Chris Rainey 2:18
What was some of the takeaways from the conversation that you had that you really walked away with. Yeah.
Sharon Doherty 2:24
So look, we talked about leadership, we talked about culture, we talked about AI and how all of those things are really critical to organizations and all of them we've got to change for the future. Yeah, right. Just a few things, yeah, just a few things, just small things that are having no impact on our function
Chris Rainey 2:43
well, on that point then, like this is a good segue. Like, how do you ensure culture remains a strategic asset, rather than just being diluted by the automation of AI? And that's been a common theme in part of my conversations the last two days. Yeah.
Sharon Doherty 2:56
So look, I think there are two things I'd like to say. One is senior leaders, role modeling is really important. The second, actually, AI can be a friend or a teammate, so we can hold both, you know, both of those things, if I talk about how important leaders are, because they set a tone in an organization. So so they've got to be all in on AI so they can figure out how responsibly you utilize AI to serve your customers and to make your organization as amazing as it can be. So over I'm at Lloyds Banking Group, so hopefully I'm not going to embarrass you and say, Who do you bank with? But I'll cry if it's not Lloyd, I'm gonna say I played a fifth. Okay, yeah, you terrible person. You, yeah, I'm only gonna come back on if you, if you open a Lloyd's account, yeah, to
Chris Rainey 3:51
be fair, personally, but our business account, Lloyd's, Oh,
Sharon Doherty 3:54
love it. Love it. High five, yeah, any account will have a have. But So about two years ago, we took our lead, and that had been quite early in so we took them over to Silicon Valley and Seattle, a little bit salesy, but actually very early on in Satya, blowing up Microsoft, and in six weeks saying, or, you know, all of our engineers now are AI engineers, so we just went in right at the beginning of that. Then last year we went to Canada. Actually, that was a much better experience for our executive team Canada, the home of AI, much less sales, a much more understanding how, particularly healthcare, was utilizing AI. So it was great to see a pretty advanced use case. Then we've had some folks go to over to Singapore, and we're just heading off to India. So the top of the house, very outside in clearly we're talking most them. Yeah, exactly. So, because if you understand it, you can see the potential in the risks. Yeah. Then our top 300 we took them. Back to school. Cambridge six month program for them, all of them have an AI ninja. So, because sometimes you're a senior person, you think you know it all, and actually we don't know it all, you need to go back to school. So having normally young people that know much more than you, and in a quiet way, you can ask stupid questions, really helpful. So, so you
Chris Rainey 5:21
mean by AI ninja? Yeah, exactly, yeah. I was like, what's an AI ninja?
Sharon Doherty 5:26
So, reverse mentoring, so, so top of the house need to be hands on all in, because they've got to figure out how you navigate and and grab hold of the opportunity. But what I would say, I said, you know, AI could be a friend and teammate. Actually, I think AI can, can supercharge a culture. And just a few examples nudging in feedback. Yeah, we know our leaders aren't as good at feedback as they need to be. So Nudge, nudge, nudge. The technology is there? Personalization for induction? Ai absolutely all of that. Absolutely data it's scraping in all of the surveys we do. So you know, rather than having loads of people spending ages in a in a heartbeat, suddenly you've got data even before you then put it into all the workflows for your people. So actually it gives you loads of time, massively better insights, so that your people, your leaders, everyone in your organization, can use their time to actually drive culture in a much more meaningful way. So, so actually, if used, well, there's tons of upside, and if your leaders know what they're doing,
Chris Rainey 6:33
yeah, what's been the feedback from your leaders? Is it easy to bring everyone on the journey? Or, you know?
Sharon Doherty 6:40
So look, you know, you're always going to have early adopters. You're probably going to have some people that are like, this isn't for me. And then you have most people, if you can take them on a journey, we'll go with you. I think they massively appreciate the investment that we're giving. Because I think the worst thing you can do is say you need to know everything, but it you know, over to you. And we haven't done that. What we've done is we've said, Right, we're holding your hand, we're right by your side. But we have said, by the end of 26 you really need to know this, yeah, so that's a clear Yeah. So you know, go back to school. Here you go spend time with your ninja experiment. But you've got, you've got to get hands on with it, and you've got to get your business strategy. Otherwise you just, you're not, you're not moving forward with the future.
Chris Rainey 7:26
I love the reverse mentoring. You're the first person to bring that up. Oh, really, yeah, I don't know. It seems so obvious that I know you said it like it's so great, but there needs to be an element of humility, yeah, leaders,
Sharon Doherty 7:37
and also a safe space for them. Yeah, to, you know, just say, hey, look, I don't understand. It's tough.
Chris Rainey 7:43
Like, you don't want to say that someone else in the team, right? Hey, I don't get it. Like, whereas, yeah,
Sharon Doherty 7:48
I mean, you know. And look, people get senior and they know a lot, but we know it's not about knowing a lot, it's about learning a lot. Now, isn't it? Oh, oh, there we go.
Chris Rainey 7:56
Right back. What would you say? Then the cultural elements you must remain sacred. In such a fast changing digital world, you can't even have a conversation here without talking about AI and transformation and skills. It's a lot going on.
Sharon Doherty 8:11
Yeah? So look, I think there are three things that there's so many things in culture, but three things that I'd pick up. So one is, you got to hold on to your purpose, but it's got to be purpose and profit, yeah? Because purpose without profit doesn't as, you know, as a businessman, yeah? So a person that's built his own business a few times now, the second is how your senior leaders show up, and we've just been talking about that, and I think the third is how your individual line manager shows up. So those three things, you've really got to hold on to them. In your culture, it is a really uncertain world, whether it is politics, economics or actually technology coming at all of us, including the people that work for us and and I think in that place, leaders need to show up in in a really honest way. So I don't think we can guarantee jobs anymore? Yeah. I mean, those days have gone probably a long time ago, and what we need to say is, okay, I'm going to work so hard to make you really employable.
Chris Rainey 9:11
Yeah, yeah. 100% These are the skills.
Sharon Doherty 9:15
These are the skills. Yeah, and maybe you carry on working in this company, or actually, maybe you don't, but actually you've got a lot to offer. And so, so those three things purpose senior leaders embracing technology and using it to create a different culture, and then the line manager just showing up as a real human being that's right by the side of their people, but, but in a really adult way? Yeah, you can't, you know, you can't be all things for everyone. People have got to take responsibility.
Chris Rainey 9:47
Yeah, I love the fact that you brought up purpose. Because, you know, a few weeks ago, we did a workshop with 50 CHROs talking about leading with purpose and how you connect the business, the purpose back to the business, individual, right down to the individual. All that we miss it. I feel like we're eroding.
Sharon Doherty 10:02
Yeah, CEO, it. And everyone has different things they really love. We're in the UK. There are 2 million people that do not live in good homes, and I was one of them that Yeah, yeah. So you really understand that, yeah. And we know from all the research, if you don't grow up in in a safe, warm home, then your life chances are very, very low. Yeah. And I'm so pleased that you broke, you broke out of that, yeah. And so we're trying to say, Okay, how in how can we use our power to, in the decade, build a million affordable homes. Wow.
Chris Rainey 10:44
Last question, how can HR leaders protect, or, let's say, future proof their culture so it continues to drive the performance that you're just describing? Yeah.
Sharon Doherty 10:53
I asked chat GBT this. I just thought, why not? Yeah, and it said, you can't future proof your culture. It would be like waterproofing fire, wow, yeah. So I really good answer, yeah. And then I thought, I don't agree. Yeah. I think
Chris Rainey 11:10
it's a good analogy, because it does need to evolve. Okay, let me hear your perspective first, yeah.
Sharon Doherty 11:15
So, for sure. So, so what I'm going to say is, there are some aggressive It is, yeah, there are some evergreens, yeah. And then, and then, I think there are things, okay, yeah. So, so you're with
Chris Rainey 11:27
this, there's things that stand the test of time exactly, no matter what technology, what transformation they are Foundation, exactly, there will be elements that need
Sharon Doherty 11:35
to change. And look, I think, I think the three for me that stand the test of time. One is you have got to be high performing, and so you have to create a culture that that delivers, yeah? Because, you know, whatever sector you're in, I think secondly, you have got to be there for your customers. You've got to solve customer problems or delight them. And I'm in a bank, so we've got to be trusted, yeah. And then thirdly, you've got to be a good employer, yeah. You've got to be there for your people and create an environment and a culture that helps them thrive. So I think those are your evergreens. Yeah, I'm sure we could debate with some other but yeah, on stage here i i talked about old horse, new tricks. Yeah, so Lloyd's 300 years but to still be here 300 years on, clearly we've been reinventing ourselves, yeah, and, and I need my workforce to take that next step on running towards technology. I feel really confident that we're there. Everyone's co pilot service now in the workflow. But you know that that sort of it isn't just AI whatever the next wave of technology is, we go grab hold of it and figure out how we can use it to, you know, serve our customers even better.
Chris Rainey 12:49
I think, like, I agree when you're saying and I think the the change of transformation, we're going it's just a way of working. It is that makes sense. Like, there's no, like, Oh, we've got this new transformation. No, that's just work. It's always going to be the change agility needs to be just built in to the way in which we work and the way work is done, as opposed to, it's a transformation we're going through. It's always going to be, there's always going to be
Sharon Doherty 13:11
something else. And this is why it comes along young people, yeah, because young people in their life just using whatever the language, yeah.
Chris Rainey 13:20
I don't go, Oh, I've got to switch over. I just naturally, you're just doing it's like companies that also need to allow and create an environment that creates that curiosity. Yeah, I agree, because you can't expect that from people when they don't have psychological safety, or they're not rewarded or incentivized to even do so in many, in many companies, actually, sometimes they're incentivized the opposite, but you're asking them to go that way, but they're incentivized to
Sharon Doherty 13:41
go that way. We're saying all all in on running towards new technology,
Chris Rainey 13:46
but you're also making the investment. We are no excuses. Yeah, exactly. But listen, thank you so much. Coming on. It was super fun. Glad we finally met.
Sharon Doherty 13:54
So proud that you've done so well.
Chris Rainey 13:57
Amazing. Great story. Thanks a lot. Bye.
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Sharon Doherty, Chief People and Places Officer at Lloyds Banking Group.