We've all seen the scathing articles that
claim "HR doesn't get it." "HR doesn't
deserve a seat at the table." And many of
their points, sadly, are well taken. This summer I
read "New Competencies for HR" by Robert J. Grossman in
the June 2007 issue of HR Magazine, and I think the
concepts in that article could help us all improve our
ability to really "get it." The author described the
evolution of SHRMs competency model for HR
professionals, and I was particularly struck by what
their studies showed to be the top indicator of success
in the field: the
ability to be a Credible Activist or "to do HR
with an attitude."
I think this is a great description of the
differentiating factor between HR professionals that
"get it" and the ones that don't. The credible
ones are the people who are truly up-to-date both
on
developments in the HR profession and in their
industry as well.
They build trust by making absolutely sure they
deliver what they promise on time and within
budget. And
the activists don't equivocate when making
recommendations.
They combine their business acumen with their
knowledge of the human factors that drive performance to
make decisions and state their views with
confidence.
And they don't allow the curmudgeons who view our
profession as soft to back them down.
I have the pleasure of working with a
number of credible activists in my consulting work with
Avilar.
Here are some things they do that can help you
build your competence in credible
activism:
·
Spend some real quality time in the
trenches.
Stop talking, observe, ask questions and
listen.
· Join
a professional organization related to your business,
attend their educational programs and read their
publications.
· Take
an honest look at your delivery track record. How many
deadlines have you missed? Where have you
overspent?
Where have results been less than you
promised?
·
Examine the presentations and recommendations
you're intending to make. Are you beating
around the bush or vacillating between options? How would the
CFO calculate the ROI of your recommendation? Have you clearly
made the business case?
·
Think about taking a break from the HR world
and take a
turn at operations management, marketing or another role
to really get a real feel for your
business.
Whether you're a rookie just getting
started or a proficient practitioner aiming to build
additional expertise, I wish you good luck in your
quest. And
I'd love to hear your thoughts on credible activism in
the HR profession.
Send me an e-mail at
hipple@avilar.com.
Cheers,
Chris
Are YOU a
credible
activist?