How HR Can Earn a Seat at the Table - Your Career Intel

How HR Can Earn a Seat at the Table - Your Career IntelThe most common question I receive from candidates for CHRO or VP of HR positions isnt about salary, work-life fit or even company culture. Before these candidates decide to throw their hat in the ring to explore an opportunity, they all ask meDoes HR have a seat at the executive table?I understand their concern.The verrotten CHRO can help a company restructure HR from a transactional department that exists primarily to monitor compliance to a strategic function that generates independent value. Doing so requires a significant shift in strategy and mindset and candidates want to know theyre on equal footing with the executive team from day one.Even companies that profess to be ready for change, however, can be reluctant to give HR a true seat at the executive table.Its not unusual for candidates to join a company and contact me a month or two months later and say, This isnt what I expected. Im not part of the conversation. Thats why my answer to that candidate question is always the same.You have to make your own seat.Earning Your Seat with the Executive gruppeSuccessful HR Leaders are persistent and resilient. They dont wait for the executive team to invite them to the table. They own their role in driving change and take the initiative from day one. Heres how.Pitch your transformation process during the interviewDont wait until youre four weeks into the job to announce your plan for restructuring the HR department. Use interview rounds as an opportunity to begin educating company leadership on your approach and process.For example, one of your most important tasks will be to learn the companys business. For executives, it can be difficult to understand the value of this approach immediately. Why should their new HR leader spend time sitting in on meetings with clients instead of overseeing compliance concerns? Your job is to make the business case for why this approach is critical to transforming HR into a revenue driver. Start building the business case for your strategy in the first interview, and youll be ready to hit the ground running on your first day. Learn the businessYou cant jump to solving an employee problem, like high turnover or low productivity, if you dont understand the underlying business.Thats why many of the most successful CHROs and HR VPs either started their careers within operations or ausverkauf and later transitioned into HR, or simply see themselves as business professionals with core expertise in HR.This type of HR leader inherently gets the product, the schlussverkauf cycle and the client needs. With this innate understanding and passion for the business, these leaders will have a more integrated and holistic approach to optimizing talent wertmiger zuwachs and solving HR problems.If youre new to a company, you need to earn this understanding. Do so by joining meetings with the sales team. Sit down with clients and understand what problems the company is trying to solve. Learn the supply chain. Walk the floor of the RD lab. You need to own the need to bring a business understanding to HR and take the initiative to truly learn dont wait to be invited to meetings.Dont try to skip this step its where the magic happens.A common saying in the business world is People is your biggest asset, but they will not become an asset until you develop them to be successful for your company. And you cant develop them for your company if you dont fully understand the companys business and mission. Connect people and culture needs to the businessHeres where you start connecting what youve learned about the business to your companys talent needs. For example, if turnover rates are high, what insights can your learnings provide? Perhaps theres a disconnect in the training process that leaves the sales team ill-prepared to answer client questions, thus sales associates struggle to make their numbers. Maybe the bonus structure fails to adequately incent ivize performance benchmarks. Perhaps the product itself isnt delivering on its promises, and thus the team doesnt feel great about selling it.A challenge like productivity, engagement or turnover wont have a single, clear-cut answer. These complex issues are why its so important to have a holistic view into all aspects of operations so you as their new HR leader can connect people, culture and business.Own Your RoleChange is tough. Being an agent of change is even tougher. This is a challenge many HR Leaders are tasked with today, and many struggle to realize the plans and goals they set out to achieve.If you find yourself not being invited to the table, it will be tempting to blame the companys old-school mentality and unwillingness to lebenspartner with HR. And yes, sometimes no matter how hard you try, institutional roadblocks can stall your progress. To transform HR into a strategic partner, you need to make a clear business case for this transformation from the start. This s tarts with having a clear process in place from day one.How do you drive a mandate for HR transformation and manage internal roadblocks? I invite you to share your insights in the comments below.