Vice President of People, Four Corners Property Tr
Search every verified Park Allen interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Park Allen, Vice President of People at Four Corners Property Trust, appeared on the "Leadership Live" series on September 17, 2024, where he discussed his approach to people management and leadership. Allen stated that his title reflects a focus on collaboration rather than viewing employees as resources, saying, "My title is VP of People because I'm not about the resource that is humans in a company... it's about how we do this all together." He emphasized listening to employees and incorporating their ideas, noting, "People don't really care about my process; what they want to know about is are they being heard." Allen also described managers as "like the captain of a sailboat," providing guidance while allowing employees to take initiative. During the conversation, Allen shared examples from his career, including a time when he adjusted his approach to performance appraisals after realizing his executive team needed to be invested in the process. He said, "I realized that if I just listen and try to incorporate the ideas of my executive team, we're going to have a product that they're going to be invested in." Allen also discussed creating a learning program during COVID-19 with self-guided, manager-led, and goal-oriented components, and deputizing experienced managers to share expertise in meetings. He advised managers to reflect on whether former reports would "cross the street to say thank you" for their support, and encouraged gratitude toward partners and thought leaders to foster stronger collaboration.
“People don't really care about my process; what they want to know about is are they being heard, do they have an opportunity, are they being challenged to learn, and are they being listened to.”
“My title is VP of People because I'm not about the resource that is humans in a company using employees to bend the will of society or their customers; it's about how we do this all together and that we're greater than the sum of our parts.”
“I ask managers to imagine themselves in five or seven years and whether those who reported to them would cross the street to say thank you for what you did for me and how you supported my personal growth.”
“A manager is like the captain of a sailboat; the manager only needs to provide a little bit of guidance and then the employee takes off.”
“I realized that if I just listen and try to incorporate the ideas of my executive team, we're going to have a product that they're going to be invested in and we're going to be able to do this together.”
“During COVID, we created a learning program with three components: self-guided learning, manager learning, and studying learning as part of our goals, making it an expectation that people find a way to learn and grow.”
“I deputized experienced managers to share their expertise in meetings, which helped engage both new and experienced managers and created a partnership of new energy and experience.”
“When a manager was disengaged and dismissive in meetings, I confronted them neutrally and invited them to participate actively, which led to them realizing they had a voice and valuable contributions.”
“People that feel like you value their opinion and their partnership are more willing to partner and maybe work a little bit harder with you to achieve whatever it is that you're trying to achieve.”
... people management and people leadership and so um Park is now the VP of people at the Four Corners Property Trust but he ...
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