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AI is reshaping leadership, strategy, and the very role of HR. In each episode, the host Barb Bidan explores how AI drives innovation and leadership in HR with actionable insights for the future of work.
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The Human Element - Alan House
Recorded 2026-09-25
Barb Bidan: Today, my guest is Alan House. Alan is the Chief People Officer at OTG Management. Alan has spent much of his career in operating businesses where HR has to stay very close to the work, including having led HR at American Blue Ribbon Holdings before joining OTG in 2020. Today, Alan supports a hospitality business with more than 350 restaurant and retail locations across North American airports, and more than 5,000 crew members. One of the things that Alan shared with me is how much his current work is about raising the capability bar. Some OTG airport operations are effectively $100 million-plus businesses, so those could each be sizable businesses on their own. This places super high expectations on the people who run those businesses, which raises some interesting questions for Alan and I to talk about regarding what strong leadership looks like when the scale and the expectations of the business change and grow. Alan, welcome to The Human Element.
Alan House: Thank you, Barb. It's great to be here, and I look forward to our conversation today.
Barb Bidan: Me too. So Alan, before you got to OTG, you led HR at American Blue Ribbon Holdings. So you have spent a meaningful part of your career in businesses where the customer experience depends very directly on thousands of frontline crew members. What is it about those highly operational, customer-facing businesses that you find so compelling?
Alan House: Thanks, Barb. I think I've always been drawn to businesses where the connection between people and results is visible every day. In hospitality, and in particular airport operations, you can literally see the impact of great leadership, engagement and customer service unfold in real time. A guest really doesn't experience a strategy document or an organizational chart. They experience the employee standing in front of them. What I enjoy most is that these environments create a direct line between people decisions and business outcomes. When you hire the right person, develop leaders, improve communication and build accountability, the operation improves. Guest satisfaction improves, turnover decreases, and financial performance follows. There is something incredibly rewarding about being able to see that connection every day.
Barb Bidan: I hear you. What has working that close to the operation taught you about the kind of HR leader that you want to be, or are?
Alan House: It's really reinforced that HR leaders have to understand the business before they can effectively support it. Credibility isn't built through HR expertise alone. It's built when operational leaders recognize that you understand their challenges and help solve them. I've spent a great deal of time over the years thinking about the same metrics our operational leaders think about: labor cost, productivity, turnover, retention, guest experience, safety and profitability. Once you understand those drivers, conversations become much more strategic. Instead of discussing an HR initiative, you're discussing a business problem and how people solutions can help solve it. I think the best HR leaders I've worked with are naturally curious. They spend time in operations, they ask questions, they learn how the business makes money. They seek to understand the realities facing frontline employees and managers. I think that's where meaningful solutions come from.
Barb Bidan: For sure. There is no substitute for understanding the business that you support. So when you moved into airport operations for the first time, I'm sure there were lots of similarities to past environments, but what surprised you most about the airport environment?
Alan House: I think the level of complexity in the airport environment. You've got someone who not only has to travel to an airport, which sometimes is not centrally located, but you've got to go through TSA lines every day. Just the rigor of actually getting to the job is so much more difficult for our frontline employees. And I think it's important for all of us to understand that there's a complexity with that. And there's a complexity with the demographics of who you deal with in the airport. It's such a wide variety of individuals that come through, at the international airports in particular, and you're dealing with a lot of different socioeconomic types of people.
Barb Bidan: And by the way, I think of that logistical issue every time I graciously and very willingly step aside to let one of probably OTG's crew members pass when I'm in a security line. I just think of how much more complex their day is, getting to and from work, given the location, the security measures, all of that. So it really is a different thing that anyone you hire from other areas of the service industry, and maybe outside of airports, would not have experienced as part of their working day before. So I think it's a good reminder of that complexity, and certainly something for you to manage as well. I always wonder how long, because there are some airports where that could take them a while, right? This is actually a thing that happens in these crew members' day, to get in and out on either side of their shift.
Alan House: Yeah. And not only that. If you think about Houston, I think to go from one end of the Houston airport to the other, it's about 6 miles.
Barb Bidan: Gosh. And I'm only thinking outside the airport. I'm not even thinking about once they clear security and the hike after that. My gosh, that is a lot.
Alan House: There's just the challenge, once you get through TSA, to actually get to where you're going. You're walking maybe half a mile sometimes. And for those folks who deliver product throughout the airport, they put a lot of mileage on their sneakers every day, needless to say.
Barb Bidan: Right, and they also have to clear security too, right? If you just think of what we take for granted being able to have in our bags and so forth. They're in a secure area after they pass through there, and there are different freedoms that we experience in the outside working world that just make this job more complex. It's super interesting. What do you think has changed most about how you lead since you entered the more complex airport environment in 2020?
Alan House: I think employee and people operations have evolved over the years. We're really starting to focus in more on capabilities, and on defining capabilities. In the past we used to paint with a very broad brush around our performance process, and the capabilities that we needed in the organization were much broader. We're trying to really dig into those so that we know we're getting the right people in the right seats on the bus, as the Good to Great book has talked about for so many years, with the right set of capabilities. And sometimes we have to grow those capabilities and those competencies. That's one thing we're really starting to focus in on this year, in particular on the management side, because with great management, they take care of our crew. I've always been an advocate that if we put the right resources in place, we put the right management in place with the right training, they treat our crew members the right way, and we provide the right resources, including a safe work environment, to our crew members, our guests are going to have a great experience. That means they're going to give us a great review, they're going to come back, and it's all cyclical. So it all really starts with making sure we have the right type of manager in place, not just at the top of the organization, but throughout the entire airport.
Barb Bidan: Right, which would be a large leadership staff across that many crew members. One of the things you shared with me is that the largest airport operation is around $140 million in annual revenue, I believe. So when you frame an airport that way, what does it require from the leader who is at the top of the house, responsible for that business?
Alan House: If you think about it, airports are really a standalone business. When you're overseeing a business that large, you're doing more than just managing day-to-day operations. We call the leaders of our airports airport directors, and they're not just responsible for financial results. They're responsible for customer experience, safety, compliance, stakeholder relationships, labor management and talent development. They have to balance short-term operational demands with long-term strategic priorities. And I think what makes the role particularly challenging is that success rarely comes from individual contribution alone. The role requires leading through others because, as I mentioned earlier, you're stretched out so far. In Newark, for instance, I think we've got 70 locations within Newark Airport. So strong directors really have to build teams, develop leaders, establish accountability and create cultures that consistently deliver results. The ability to influence and align large groups of people becomes just as important as technical or financial expertise.
Barb Bidan: Well, and you also talked about the importance of developing your existing team. And it sounds a lot like the airport director role has evolved over time as airports have gotten more complex and the business operation has gotten larger. What has changed about how you define what is needed from an airport director?
Alan House: As I mentioned, the people operations function has become more complex over the years, but really business in general, that complexity continues to increase. You think about regulations, you think about unions, just the environment that we're in. There are so many stakeholders: the airline, the airport authority, all these things coming together. Business acumen is increasingly critical because leaders are expected to make decisions using financial and operational data, with all these other external components weighing in. So I think talent development has become essential, because as an organization we need deeper leadership benches and stronger succession pipelines. I mentioned earlier our real focus on capability and developing capabilities across the organization. We started at the top of the airports, but we certainly intend to extend our capability assessments throughout the airport management organization. And I think change leadership is another major capability. Whether it's technology, labor changes, customer expectations or economic shifts, leaders are managing constant change in these environments. You never know what's going to happen in an airport. Monday and Tuesday of this week, on Monday there were some air traffic controller issues in the Northeast, and customers were stranded in the airport for hours on end because planes couldn't take off. And then on Tuesday, I think there was a cable line cut that impacted flight operations as well. A lot of these folks get upset, so managing difficult situations, crucial conversations, things of that nature, are also part of what these leaders need to do on a day-in, day-out basis. And finally, these leaders have to be comfortable with data and analytics. We want our leaders to understand the data and manage the operation through data. We have more information than ever. The difference is not necessarily access to data. It's the ability to translate that data into effective decisions, and ultimately into actions.
Barb Bidan: Well, and with the capability assessments that you've been completing, it really sounds like even if a seasoned airport director comes in fully ready for the role, there's enough changing by way of regulatory changes, additional complexity, growth of the airport, that sort of thing, that requires these leaders to continue developing on an ongoing basis. Let alone the fact that you as a business have started expanding the need for additional P&L responsibilities and additional scope, like emphasizing the people operations aspects. So you're doing a ton of development as a result of these capability assessments, and you had said that 70% of the development plan is really hands-on training and coaching. What does that look like in practice in your type of operation?
Alan House: For us, we're really just starting this front-end capability assessment, so it's somewhat evolving. But when I think about capability assessments, one of the biggest benefits is that they create clarity. They create clarity because they show the person who's being assessed exactly where their shortcomings are. And from there we develop an action plan that focuses on the 2 most important areas that we've identified where they're lacking. I think historically, organizations have struggled to define what great performance really looks like beyond achieving results. The capability assessments are going to allow us to identify the specific behaviors, skills and attributes that really define top performers. And once that framework exists, development becomes much more targeted and objective. Rather than telling someone they need to be a better leader, we can identify the exact capabilities that need strengthening. And I think the assessments also create more meaningful career discussions. We want people to be with us for a long time. We want to grow our company, and we want people to be ready to grow into the next opportunity. That's part of what these capability assessments are going to help us do. Our crew members and managers gain a better understanding of where they excel, where development is needed, and what it takes to advance within the organization as a result.
Barb Bidan: And so how do the capability assessments jive with our more traditional thinking around annual performance management? Is it a part of that cycle? Is it separate from that cycle? Is it a replacement for annual performance reviews? How are you thinking about that?
Alan House: That's a very good question. Our thinking here is that it's going to be a part of the annual performance process. There are really 8 specific areas that airport leaders are going to be focused on and measured against from a capability assessment perspective. And those 8 areas are probably going to be part of their performance objectives in 2027. This year they aren't, because we just started the capability assessment in the last 2 months or so. So we see this folding into their annual performance objectives. And what we want to do next year is really start to have a quarterly check-in on each of those capabilities, whether it be strategic relationships, people development, financial and operations literacy, et cetera. So I think the two are going to be joined at the hip, so to speak, as we move through this evolution of how we're measuring our people from a performance perspective.
Barb Bidan: And I love how well you've integrated it, and the more routine check-ins as well. I've definitely seen scenarios where executive assessments are valuable, but I've seen them done and then not necessarily embedded in the ongoing work of the organization to continue to see movement of the leader as they progress with the skills and capabilities that you're talking about in the assessment. So, super smart move there. I'm going to shift us a little, and I want to talk about our teams. As these airport leaders are taking on these bigger commercial and leadership expectations, what does great HR partnership start to look like alongside those more capable leaders?
Alan House: I go back about 4 years. 4 years ago we had a much different look and feel for our HR leadership at the airports. We went to more of a shared service model, with HR business partners at the airports, at least at our larger airports. There was really a whole transition from what they were doing then to what they're doing now. For HR at the airports, great HR partnership really begins with trust. The airport leaders and the other managers don't need someone who simply explains policies, procedures or processes. They need someone to help them think through complex problems and make better decisions. I think the strongest HR partners understand the business deeply enough to anticipate challenges before they become issues. They help leaders evaluate talent, improve organizational effectiveness, navigate change and build stronger teams. We talked about capability assessments at the airport director level. I've created the same assessment for my HRBPs, and we're just wrapping those up, with the airport directors doing those assessments. So we'll have development plans for them in the near term. But I often tell my team and other HR professionals that their value is measured by the quality of the decisions that they help leaders make. The goal isn't just to have a seat at the table. The goal is to contribute in a meaningful way that makes the table better.
Barb Bidan: And as you want your HR business partners to not be the folks that are just the recipients of policy-related questions, that thinking leads to where role redesign comes into play. But also, as you want them to become more business-focused, where does their development come into play? So when you think about the places where you're investing, either in development of the existing HRBPs to meet those business requirements, versus redesigning roles or making changes to roles to get rid of some of the policy-esque load that HRBPs have traditionally carried, how are you reconciling those two things?
Alan House: In my mind, the strongest HR business partners consistently translate our people discussions into business discussions. They understand workforce planning, labor strategies, succession, leadership, org design and change management, but more importantly, they understand how all those disciplines connect back to business performance. I'm not saying we're completely there as a company with my HRBPs, but they have to be equally comfortable discussing turnover trends, operational performance, leadership effectiveness and org strategy. The role has evolved in our organization, and it continues to evolve. I think the expectations of this group of individuals continue to increase, because a strong HRBP who is a trusted advisor to the airport directors can be a direct contributor to the success of the business. Again, those directors are running a good-sized business when you think about it.
Barb Bidan: A very good-sized business. As I shared with you, I've been a CHRO in a business that's smaller than your largest airport operation, so it's absolutely a full, fully skilled business. One of the things we had connected on was the idea of eliminating non-value-add work from our teams and automating more manual processes across HR. No surprise, we had a little bit of a pre-chat about AI. What interests me is what you're thinking about doing with the capacity that you get back. If you can take a meaningful amount of the more manual or repetitive work off your team's plate, where do you want the time and attention to go instead?
Alan House: A lot of our focus is on how we can automate and use AI, moving to that agentic AI organization. I think it does free up more time for people to help build a culture, to really spend time with the crew members on the floor, hearing them and talking to them. Because not only should these HRBPs really know the business, but they are a big driver of the culture. And in our culture, we're a people-first culture, and we want everyone to know that we're a people-first culture, because if people aren't being treated right, we want to know. I want to know. People should be treated with the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated, and that's with kindness and respect and all the other key things that we want people to manage and communicate across the organization. So I think it frees up time to do more strategic stuff that can really drive a difference in the organization.
Barb Bidan: This conversation has flown by. To bring us to a close, we have the lightning round. It's just some quick-hit questions that we ask every guest, so just the first thing that comes to mind with any of these. What is the first thing that you look for when deciding whether a leader can grow into a bigger role?
Alan House: I think the ability to change and to adapt to change is probably one of the first things I look at in their history as a leader.
Barb Bidan: Yeah, your operations have definitely called that need front and center, to be adaptable and evolve with the growing and evolving organization. What is a piece of HR work that you think will look very, very different 3 years from now?
Alan House: The manual stuff that we're still doing. I think AI is going to change a lot of that front-end interaction with our crew members around benefit issues and payroll issues. Again, going to that agentic HR organization, where AI can help us with a lot of the front-end questions. There's always going to be humans involved. HR is really a practice of dealing with personal, human-related items, so I never see HR being completely out of that equation. But I think there are efficiencies that we can build into the organization, which are going to happen over the next 2 to 3 years. To what extent that's going to happen, I think, remains to be seen. We hear a lot of good things happening, but sometimes we hear that they've failed as well. So I think we have to be patient.
Barb Bidan: Yes, we are very much at the beginning of this AI journey. Could not agree more with that. Let me hit you with one more. What is the business metric that you wish more HRBPs understood more deeply?
Alan House: I think what probably comes to mind would be a better understanding of how the business really operates. I guess you'd boil that down to understanding more in the financial realm: how money is generated and how we drive a profitable business. There are a lot of levers, a lot of things that go into that, and my HRBPs have not been exposed to a lot of that. They are more so now, because they do have a seat at the table, but I think there's some basic understanding that they don't have that would help them be a better business partner with the airport leaders and the finance leaders at the airport.
Barb Bidan: Agreed. So I hope I can do justice to what we talked about today. I always try to synthesize some of the information that you shared to give our listeners a few takeaways. I loved learning about how you're approaching capability assessments: the level of thoughtfulness, and the fact that it is a separate but integrated part of your performance evaluation process. I think that's key. It's giving you a ton of clarity, helping you create action around that clarity by choosing a couple of things to focus on, and it deepens the quality of those career conversations in a way that just doesn't seem to happen with our traditional annual performance review cycle. So I loved what you're doing there, and loved that you're expanding it to your team next. I also thought there was a great note on great HRBPs. I loved this: great HRBPs are judged by the quality of the leadership decisions that they help influence. I love, love, love that as a measurement for how our teams demonstrate that strategic capability, their seat at the table and the trust of the leaders that they support. And on your vision for when the manual work falls away, my takeaway there was: how can we invest the time that we gain back in actually thinking through and living out some of the things that we say as an HR team? In your case, it's being a people-first culture. So how do we truly make sure that the things our teams are focused on live that out? And last but not least, you had a goodie in the last lightning round especially. If you want to get your teams focused on one metric first to improve their strategic capability, help them answer the question, "How do we make money as a business?" as a starting point. It's an easy place to start, but very, very important. I have really enjoyed talking to you today, Alan. We always like to leave our guests with the final word, so for our colleagues who have maybe listened to us on their drive home today, what would you want to leave listeners with to keep thinking about on the rest of their drive?
Alan House: For me, it's always be open to change. Get out there and explore. Look for opportunities to improve your organization and to improve yourself, and a lot of that is related to change and change management. So don't be afraid. I think the best leaders fail. We all fail, and we learn. So don't be afraid to fail, but always take the challenge, and just be open to change.
Barb Bidan: Great advice for all days, but these days in particular. Thank you so much for joining me on the show today, Alan. I've really enjoyed our conversation.
Alan House: Thank you. Appreciate it. Take care.