Leading an HR team isn’t a walk in the park. Beyond mastering hard skills like HR tech and complex topics like benefits and compliance, HR leaders need a whole toolkit of soft skills like empathy, communication, organization, and leadership.
That’s why today’s HR leaders are way more than just payroll experts and recruiters. They’re strategic partners working hand-in-hand with managers and execs to drive the business to success.
How to Step Up and Become an HR Leader
You don’t need to have the title of Chief Human Resources Officer to be a leader in HR. What really sets an HR leader apart is their mindset and approach. Here’s how you can develop these essential abilities:
1. Master the Basics
HR leaders have always been the go-to for things like labor laws, benefits, compensation, and policies. But the best HR leaders today also dive deep into organizational psychology, employee engagement, and DE&I best practices.
How to do it:
Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest trends, research, and developments in HR by reading global publications like Harvard Business Review and Bersin by Deloitte. Don’t forget to stay on top of local labor laws and community changes too.
Network: Attend industry events and mix with colleagues from other organizations. You’ll swap tactics, solve problems together, get vendor recommendations, and explore new ideas.
Continuous Learning: Keep an eye out for degrees, short courses, diplomas, lectures, and online learning opportunities to boost your (and your team’s) knowledge.
2. Embrace Data
With remote and hybrid work on the rise, reliance on SaaS technologies has surged. This has led to more collaboration between HR and IT. Organizations need to integrate people processes that collect and analyze data to drive strategic decisions and boost performance.
How to do it:
Automate Processes: Speed up hiring and onboarding by automating these processes.
Measure Everything: Collect data on productivity at all levels, from speed and effectiveness to cost and profit.
Prevent Turnover: Be proactive about predicting and preventing employee turnover. Set up programs to re-engage or replace employees smoothly.
Choose the Right Tools: Do thorough research before selecting tools to transform your organization’s data collection and analysis.
Train Your Team: Make sure your team knows how to use any new tools you introduce. Design training sessions or bring in experts.
3. Be Innovative and Strategic
Great HR leaders think outside the box and embrace design thinking. These skills help you adapt quickly and shape a positive organizational culture. Design thinking uses tools from the world of design to understand human behavior, helping avoid risky decisions based on gut feelings or outdated indicators.
How to do it:
Learn from Other Industries: Treat your employees like customers and apply the best practices from sales, marketing, and design to engage and retain them.
Collaborate Across Departments: Work with other departments to tackle organizational issues from the get-go.
Build a Strong Culture: Define and nurture a culture that keeps people engaged, healthy, connected, satisfied, and performing at their best.
Move Beyond Administration: Shift from the old HR-as-administrator model to a vision of HR as the source of knowledge about your organization’s most valuable asset: its people.
The Evolution of the Modern HR Leader
Skills a Great HR Leader Needs
Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s zoom in on what makes a good HR person. Here are the most important skills:
Agility: Stay open to new ideas and adjust policies and strategies as needed. Keep up with the latest tech trends to optimize processes, save time, and stay ahead of the curve.
Empathy: HR is all about people. Emotional intelligence and empathy are crucial for offering the support and guidance your team needs.
Problem-solving: Every day brings new challenges in HR. Whether it’s resolving conflicts or tackling tricky strategy problems, you need to think quickly and strategically to find effective solutions.
Communication: HR interacts with almost everyone in the organization. Effective communication is key. Use active listening, open dialogue, and transparency to build trust and avoid misunderstandings.
Ethics: As an HR leader, you handle a lot of confidential data and sensitive information. Uphold high ethical standards and follow the latest security practices to keep everything private.
What it takes to be a great HR leader today
HR has come a long way, and with that comes a mix of new challenges and exciting opportunities. To really shine as an HR leader, stay engaged, think ahead, and focus on building a great work culture. Embrace your evolving role, invest in your people, and always look for ways to boost performance. By doing this, you’ll not only keep up with today’s fast-paced workplace but also help steer your organization toward long-term success.
Great HR leadership is all about making a real impact on both your team and the business. Keep learning, stay flexible, and lead with empathy—your team and your organization will definitely appreciate it. And remember, the journey to becoming a standout HR leader is ongoing, so enjoy the ride and keep striving for excellence.
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