What keeps you awake at night?
It can be hard for HR and business leaders to get onto the same page. They do actually want the same thing, but they see it from different perspectives. What worries them the most?
This is a powerful question to ask your stakeholders so that you can then make the people links that aren’t obvious to them.
David Green has been celebrating HR’s achievements in organisations where the CHRO has truly become the CEO’s best friend – and partner in business success.: “By blending mindset, technology and data, HR can not only provide more value to the business, but to the workforce too. Our mission is to drive business success in parallel with making our organisations healthier and more humane places to work.”
Technology and data are indeed key ingredients in a successful formula. Powerful data helps HR to illuminate the links between cause and effect, between people and profit.
The mindset piece is harder to quantify and to shift.
Many HR leaders are burdened by the legacy of being under-resourced and under-valued.
This often plays out within the HRBP role. Learning how to partner more strategically is the behavioural element of HR’s transformation, at every level. Conversations between HR and business leaders have to change.
It’s worth the investment to equip your HR leaders and BPs to raise the level of their conversations. Imagine how much more HR could achieve if business leaders were convinced to put their full energy and commitment into their leadership and people activities.
Business acumen and data are key here, but it takes more than that. ‘HR must be One Team’ says Asad Husain, 4 x CHRO. Moving from transactional to transformational demands strong leadership and a clear plan.
The first stage in that plan is collaboration. Asking business leaders what they want from HR and building that into a shared purpose. Aligned goals, workstreams and measures follow.
We support clients in creating strategic clarity with business leaders about HR’s priorities, followed by collaboration about how to move forward. Contact me to discuss your own vision for your HR team.
You’ll find a free self-drive version of our Strategic Roadmap here:
