What is Agile HR?

Think of the most frustrating part of your job, and/or the thing that your stakeholders complain about most – and imagine how great it would feel to fix it. What would be at the top of your list of hassle factors that you’d like to sort out? Here are some of the things that I’ve […]

How can HR help a new CEO?

‘Don’t make it about you’ is some of the guidance to a new CEO in a recent article from McKinsey & Company. The careful rephrasing of questions below seeks to rebalance the strong ego that any CEO is likely to have. Imagine how helpful you could be to a new CEO as they seek to […]

Adopt a people-oriented focus to increase employee contribution

Here’s some powerful research by McKinsey & Company to use with your business leaders to make the case for investing in the conditions that help people to make a stronger contribution. I’ve picked out a few quotes – you’ll agree it’s worth it. The ‘P+P Winners’ here are those who make smart investments in BOTH Performance and […]

Managing hybrid teams

I recommend this really practical article from Norm Smallwood and The RBL Group that recognises that ‘Managing hybrid teams is fundamentally different than managing traditional teams.’ This does seem to be a tough time for some: ‘Many frontline leaders are struggling to effectively support their team members and optimize their teams’ efforts.’ Trying to balance the productivity conundrum while […]

What’s your perfect image of successful and rewarding partnering?

For HR people it’s probably less stress, more appreciation, getting onto the front foot and going home at the end of the day feeling that you’ve really added value. Oh, and not leaving you out of the social get-together because people think (wrongly) that you’ll report back. That’s the sub-text of our workshop – HR […]

HR Budget and Efficiency Benchmarks

Do you wonder how your HR function compares to others? A recent report from Gartner aggregates the data to provide global benchmarks. I’m guessing direct comparisons are unhelpful as sectors and markets vary so much, but it’s still interesting to do a quick calculation on your own costs: Key findings: The average HR functional spend […]

Middle managers: your most precious resource

Middle managers often feel like the meat in the sandwich – pressure from above and from below. Yet their impact on managing and developing talent is critical. In a report from McKinsey & Company recommend that they spend: ‘More time on talent.’  Agreed. ‘Organizations can help managers who are stuck spending time on planning and […]

Do your business leaders know what HR can offer?

Are you brave enough to ask your stakeholders what they think of HR’s activities? When we’re working with our HR clients, we often find that they don’t get the support they need from business leaders. It can be patchy, at best. It’s like the conversation gets stunted. Everyone’s so busy. Like having a talented chef […]

What does successful business partnering look like to business leaders?

What do they need from it? We have to find out – learn from them and work it out together. One HRD knew she was getting results when a business leader said to her ‘I look forward to my meetings with my HRBP because I know we’ll be talking about the future.’ Another HRBP was […]

Is the conversation getting easier about balancing people with profit?

This article from McKinsey & Company is their most-read in the last quarter. This must mean that it’s caught the eye of CEO’s as well as HR leaders. It’s got some compelling data: ‘A dual focus on developing people and managing them well gives a select group of companies a long-term performance edge.’ Maybe your CEO […]