BIG IDEA 2014: HR as a Business Partner

In 2013, I conducted several seminars on behalf of NCHRA as a part of the HR as a Business Partner series. Admittedly, the "seat at the table" discussion can be disenchanting, but in 2013 we made this catch phrase a reality.

A few things for Human Resources to consider in 2014:
1. Executive Motives are Not as Complex as We've Been Lead to Believe!
2. Unit Managers actually want to Partner with you!
3. You are the Pipeline from Employees to Executives....

A Challenge to HR
HR wants to partner with Unit Managers. If we are being honest, Unit Managers do not want partner with HR.

Don't Believe Me?

Tell a Sales Manager that you want to assist in their performance assessments and they will probably give you one (or all three) of the following responses:
a. Get Bent
b. I'll Handle My Team's Performance
c. I"ll Contact You When We Are Facing a Lawsuit (so you can clean up my mess)

The Opportunity for Partnership
We have never hired an employee assuming they would fail. Success in an expectation. HR is not trying to manage any team's performance metrics.

Simple Math

Allow the unit managers to manage performance metrics....(but do not allow them to protect silos)!!!

How much does it cost companies who prop up their top performers as keepers of the organizational flame?

A lot!

- Just because someone is a top performer doesn't make them an admirable employee.
- Our best individual contributors should remain individual performers.
- The only way to discover the leaders of tomorrow is by involving HR.

In a perfect world, managers would manage performance metrics and HR would measure corporate citizenship.

What Do We Stand to Gain?
Manager's deflect partnership with HR because they are afraid their process will be revealed. They don't want the performance review turned around on them.

Managers are far too busy to keep people honest to their goal and still celebrate their effort. Here's where our partnership is born....

If HR handles Core Values in the hiring, performance management, and succession planning....while Managers control performance....everybody wins:

HR (core values) + Manager (performance metrics) = Organizational Perfection!

Reality Check
Employees don't leave companies, they leave managers. Protecting one's flock only marginalizes talent and detracts revenue. A great percentage of employees succeed in-spite of their Managers, not because of them.

Those who can't do, teach! 

HR is not a group of secretaries, paper pushers, legal advisers, or narcs...

A great shift is coming to the professional world over the next 5 years. It's called Succession Planning and it involves a whole lotta Human Resources. If Unit Managers think they can continue to ignore HR, they are mistaken.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave