Seven Steps to HR Heaven

Great to feature a guest blogger this week! Introducing Juliet Hammond from our partners in leadership, LIW. Juliet is LIW’s Business Impact Research specialist. We are grateful to have her expertise on our blog.

 

Both business and HR leaders rate HR’s current ability to deliver business impact at just 6 out of 10 . Why don’t business leaders place more trust in HR and what would it take to change this situation? Is it really ‘OK to be OK’ in HR, as one business leader asserted, or do HR leaders need to start investing in their own leadership skills?

The future of work presents many opportunities for businesses to adapt and grow exponentially – and for employees to find new levels of engagement and flexibility. HR is needed more than ever to accelerate us into this new age. The question is, will they?

Everyone is rightly bored of talk of HR having (or not having) a seat at the table. LIW wanted to know if the problem was that businesses don’t offer HR a seat – or that HR isn’t taking one that is being politely (and patiently) offered.

In our research, we talked to senior leaders in HR and in the business to find out more about the role of HR from both sides. We presented our findings in this paper and recommended how HR leadership needs to change if HR is to lead us into this new world with our seven steps to HR heaven.

Seven steps to HR heaven  

  1. Build a team that’s fit for purpose

You will need a team that includes both tactical and strategic people.

  1. Get the basics ‘right enough’

Put your house in order and then stop – it’s tempting to keep refining!

  1. Be in the business, not in HR

Eliminate the separateness: mind your language, structure for the business, mirror the organisational culture.

  1. Learn the business

Spend time with business leaders, get out to the front line, ask good questions, and understand their business and their objectives.

  1. Prove HR value

You have expertise to bring to the business: focus on the strategy and play an active role in using what you know about the future of work to make it happen. Don’t be afraid to own execution!

  1. Learn to partner

This is a core leadership skill and it’s not taught on HR programs in universities. It includes setting shared goals and purpose, creating a collaborative environment, establishing clear roles, setting up a cadence of meetings and giving feedback to each other.

  1. Challenge!

This is what the business wants and you have now earned the right. Voice a different view and stretch the business to achieve more. The future of work brings opportunities for productivity and agility that others may not see so challenge convention!

I wish you and your team well as you move towards HR Heaven.

Author: Juliet Hammond from LIW


Powerful stuff!! It’s great to be partnered with LIW who offer HR leadership programs for individuals and intact HR teams.

REGISTER FOR OUR WEBINAR HERE to find out more about LIW’s unique approach to leadership development and how to create measurable business impact with their new leadership maturity model.