For some reason, I have been up later and later. Not being able to get to sleep. Not for the wrong reasons. Not for worries or issues with the day. Not problems with work, contracts or developing ideas. I have been up late lately simply because my mind has been filled with ideas. A few of those ideas are about HR (I know, I am a dork). Been spending a lot of time thinking of solutions to issues that we create ourselves and differentiating them from what the environmental barriers are presented for us to face and conquer.

The topic on my mind now is “Why can HR not be considered as important as Marketing, Sales and/or Operations?” These are areas that have been traditionally looked at as revenue generators for the business. While HR helps in, what I call, the 3 D’s – Direction, Delivery and Development of talent and business strategies; the business does not give the function as much weight as the others. Why even ask the question. This is a big question. It is a question that should be asked and followed with steps and actions put in place to address, improve and change the typical business perception.

I ask because we should care and we want to have an effect. As professionals within the field, we should care in order to have a true impact on connecting the HR practices and strategies to the overall business strategies. Like a marriage, these principles may be happy and dysfunctional, but it is the hope that the marriage will last.

The History of HR did not start with the mindset of Henry Ford, wondering why people so often brought their heads and hearts, when all he needed was their hands and feet. In my opinion, and based on history, the true aspects of HR started with the idea out of concern for the worker and the business. That basic personnel management functions - employee selection, training and compensation needed to be addressed.

Whether I am right or wrong, I believe we do not sit down enough with the RIGHT leadership. We do not encourage the WRONG leadership enough. Proving to both with evidence of how HR can be right for the organization. Some of you may not have the positional power to demand or drive this strategy. Whether other parts of leadership use HR in a transactional way agree with our expertise or not, HR should be in the vehicle to drive discussions and even make arguments to help increase the effectiveness of the all people, processes and strategies involved. I mean we help direct, deliver and develop the people right. Ultimately driving the impact of the business. So I simply ask, what actions will you take to help your position make an impact and change the perception? Change the perception. Become legendary!

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