Jason Desentz emphasizes that building trust and influence with decision-makers is the starting point for any successful transformation
If you can’t establish trust and build influence with key decision-makers early on, your initiative won’t get off the ground, says Jason Desentz, Chief Human Resource Officer at Toshiba.
For Desentz, success isn’t about process—it’s about persuasion. And it starts long before anything is implemented. He follows a “listen, learn and lead” model for moving the needle. That subtle approach helps avoid alienating stakeholders who may have built the systems now under review.
“[It’s important to] really listen to understand the current situation, ask questions about why we’re in that situation, and then start to lead and suggest things,” he explains. “My leading part isn't commanding. It's more of a question orientation style; for example. ‘Have you considered this? Have you thought of this?’”
That mindset carries directly into how Desentz thinks about organizational design. He doesn’t start with hierarchy—he starts with tasks. The structure only follows once the nature and flow of work is fully understood.
“Have you organized your work in such a way based on the volume of work and the type of work that you have?” he says.
Compensation strategy is built from that same foundation; it requires accurate, localized job descriptions and clarity around responsibilities and planning cycles then tie that structure to cost.
“When I build comp plans, you always want to use local country source data,” Desentz says. “You should talk about your organization, and you should tie it back to the work you have for that year coming up."
If the shape of the organization doesn’t match the work ahead, change is non-negotiable.
Desentz brings a similar clarity when it comes to decision-making. He relies on an 80/20 rule for execution—particularly evident in his overhaul of Toshiba’s U.S. benefits programs.
“We had multiple benefits plans when I came in, and we were able to get down to one,” he says. “I socialized it in the room and got their feedback. And then I build processes like 80/20 where I try to meet 80% of the needs that I heard. I want you to have in the back of your head the word compromise.”
That framing made cost-saving changes more digestible while improving employee access and reducing complexity. This correlates with engagement and retention, as Desentz emphasizes the need for leaders to be problem-solvers.
“Don’t bring me problems. Bring me solutions,” he says. “If I teach that constantly, people feel like they're learning, and they tend to become loyal.”
Many of those he’s mentored have followed him from job to job. Creating that loyalty takes time, but it starts with making space for input. Once feedback becomes natural, the team can argue, disagree, and still stay aligned.
“[It becomes] like a family you're arguing with. But then, you know, at the end of the day, you're still family,” he says.
That foundation of trust and open communication doesn’t stop at the office door. For Desentz, it’s just as critical across regions. Global teams are no excuse for being out of touch, so Desentz insists on regular check-ins.
“I try to have quick huddles, quick calls, quick meetings, every other day at least,” he says. “It allows you, as the employee, to move faster.”
Those quick touchpoints cut through lag and give employees faster access to decisions and ensure he’s never out of the loop. If he’s unprepared in a leadership meeting, no one wins.
Desentz also pays attention to generational nuance, as ignoring generational needs leads to irrelevant offerings—and eventually disengagement.
“We constantly look through a lens that we assume consists of everybody,” he says. “Are you really hitting on what they value?”
That’s where his 80/20 rule shows up again. “I'll never get it over the finish line,” he says of trying to appease every voice. But it’s not about pleasing everyone—it's about knowing who you’re serving and being transparent about trade-offs.
“What would you recommend?” he asks dissenters, always ready to explain constraints or table ideas for later. And when push comes to shove, he knows where HR leaders fall short.
“Executives need to learn how to say no with a smile,” he says. “Our job is sometimes the toughest job, because I have to tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.”
Saying it with clarity and respect, though—that’s the part he never negotiates.
