Imagine You’re an HR Leader

You’ll have a range of different titles, and there may be nuances in the precise role you lead.

At your level, your job will swing from the extremes of long-term strategic thinking and planning, through mid-term issues of structures and new opportunities, to ensuring short-term goals are met.

These will relate to delivering corporate goals, including - but not limited to - financial results, culture, inclusion, engagement, pipeline planning, terms and conditions and more.

You will endeavour to split your time appropriately between the blue-sky visioning time, and the day-to-day transactional activities, where you seek to deliver those important short-term measurables, upon which there will be regular and consistent scrutiny.

To drill down into these tactical deliverables, the impact you have will almost always be through others, for your role is stretched by the ideals and dreams of those above you in the hierarchy, and those beneath, in the sharp-end delivery for today, this week, this month and those persistent fiscal milestones.

Quite a challenge indeed!

Yet, you know (even though you might now always get the credit), that you have your finger on the light switch. You as an enlightened HR professional, are the enabler.

Usually, you will not have direct line responsibility for these people, and yet you will often be expected to deliver results which depend on them.

A recent poll on LinkedIn shows that one of the biggest challenges for leaders is employee turnover. This a huge issue that keeps local managers and HR leaders from a peaceful night’s sleep.

And yet, it is one of the most easily solved problems.

When you know what to do.

In your HR leader role, appreciating that well-worn industry statistic that 70% of employees leave because of their boss, and 30% go because of other reasons, including, but not limited to, the reward package on offer. For some just leave for personal reasons, as we have seen recently in the Great Resignation.

This offers great opportunities - and great frustrations too.

To say that 70% of employees could be retained by better leadership behaviours is an amazing opportunity. Brilliant. Because for each employee leaving costs, at the very bottom end of estimates, around 6-9 months’ salary - or around £20,000. Minimum.

We’re not going to save everyone, but if one leader tweaks their own behaviours such that one person stays who might otherwise have left, it saves £20,000.

Wow!

If HR leaders can seek ways to help local managers be better at what they do, this leads to. . . 

• A lot less recruiting
• A lot less training
• A lot more experience and expertise retained
• A lot less £20,000s wasted

All of which adds up to a lot more profitable, in a culture which is much kinder to be a part of.

The solution is to give your sharp-end leaders the skills to engage better, to be the kind leader their people would follow. So that employees want to contribute more fully, and are more motivated, challenged and fulfilled in all that they do.

They love the work and the growth-focused environment  - and WANT to stay longer.

This begins with the leader being kinder to themselves, controlling their own decisions to change their own behaviours a little to move forward, building on what they do already. Being kinder in how they commit their time more precisely, and ensuring they themselves lead in a stress-free, fulfilling way too.

By being more people-centric, where they spend much of their time connecting with their people. Focusing on helping them realise their own potential. On helping them be more engaged and motivated. Encouraging them to stay longer, contribute more, through the commitment they now have because they feel valued.

And that is of great value to everyone.

Once engaged, and their contribution is regularly recognised, the individuals in the team move forward to work collaboratively together. Creating a whirlwind of synergy that is so very productive.

That’s all well and good, I hear you say. . .

And yet most often, such idyllic dreams fail because leaders find reasons/excuses not to tweak their behaviours. They don’t have the time; they are too busy, and so are their people.

They’re doing ‘OK’.

So, one of the most productive roles of HR is to seek out and provide a way to help them, hereby meeting their own goals, through others.

To find and share a simple learning and development activity which is:- 

• Easily accessible
• Straightforward to use and implement
• Available in video, audio and written form, all downloadable
• Takes a minimum amount of time
• Is cumulative learning, week on week
• Focuses on experiential learning in the day job
• Is inexpensive
• Easily scalable worldwide if necessary
• Hands-off
• Makes a difference from Week One - and beyond

How would that help?

In over 30 years of hands-on leading teams of people and training and coaching thousands of leaders, I know that leadership is not difficult. It does require an understanding that escapes so many. Tweaks in their behaviours.

That’s all.

From the brand new, to the seasoned old(er!)-hands too.

To help them be fulfilled, joyful, stress-free leaders who love the work they do and be proud and grateful for the potential they draw from their people.

All whilst delivering exceptional results. Not to mention helping you, in your role, influence the people who can really make a difference, in a kinder way of leading both their people - and themselves too.

Let me know if I can tell you more.