Adrienne and Tom welcome you to the series “reimagining HR”

Let’s begin this conversation with some thought starters from Talent Development thought leaders.

First, we zoom out. A core axiom of Leadership Beyond is that holistic people profit is as important as business profit, and though the two profits are ever challenging to align, they must not, need not, be antithetical.

We kick our quotes off with a soulful compass in our quest:

“Unleashing our full potential at work will begin when our jobs touch and inspire our hearts & souls.” – Dr. Orly Maravankin, Global Business Executive Coach, Senior Advisor to Fortune 100

We asked for conversation, and right off the bat, we get it. Two brilliant people leaders, who have not yet met (may soon in an expert panel) shine the light on two sides of the same coin – Seek first to understand, then to be understood. The late, great Steven Covey listed this as one of his Seven Habits. We concur, but before the Covey organization sues us for co-opting one of their powerful habits, please remember St. Francis said it 12 centuries prior. 😊

We are reminded by the following quotes of a fundamental element of good improv. Rather than yes, but..., we say yes and.

“HR leaders must learn the intricacies of the business. it is not enough to have vague familiarity with the financial statements. For deeper effectiveness we need to understand – not just know – the methodologies, processes of how the work gets done. be embedded in the business to create solutions that yield more measurable outcomes that gain credibility.”

– Jackie Kaweck,
Experienced People Leader, Providing HR Consulting Support as she seeks her right fit role.

“I agree wholeheartedly that HR professionals should understand the key levers of the business. I do not think the burden should be 100% on human resources, however – understanding should be a two-way street. A business leader who takes time to understand his organization’s “people levers” and the value HR can provide (beyond the nuts and bolts of hiring, compliance, reductions-in-force, etc.) will be infinitely more impactful than one who takes a more transactional approach with their HR partner. HR is often brought in at the tail end of decisions because leaders may not be aware of the people implications of the decision – and how these will ultimately impact the business. Yes, HR needs to understand the business, and business leaders need to educate themselves about human resources and people strategies.”

-Lisa Padden, Founder & Principle, Big Toe Consulting

Yes, we have heard, “leadership is not a position”. And we agree. Still, functionally it seems that leadership and culture are often treated like a project, assigned, replete with check the boxes, events. Ah yes, we did that “leadership thing” a couple of years ago.
Leadership and culture are all our responsibility.

“A gap I’ve seen over the years in multiple industries is leaders putting all of the onus of leadership development on the HR team- ODL, HR Director, etc. Instead of focusing on straight leadership development for the manager through VP levels, I’ve started to deliver training and feedback about what the exec team member can do to influence organic leadership development to their direct reports. I’ve seen it nicely cascade then to the Directors to managers and starting to get some traction from the managers to supervisor level.”

-Eric Zemaitaitis, Regional HR Director, Amita Health

Empowerment needs to be more than a corporate buzz word. Thanks to Dolores, we have an acronym to guide us.

“Organizations that give their employees “People Power” to address current issues and avoid future pitfalls recognize that its brain trust is their PEOPLE. This calls for “Reimagining HR” and HR to possess a LOCAL mindset.”

-Dolores Priegnitz, Change Management, Program Management, Human Resources consultant, life coach

[LOCAL is an acronym] to guide us in this process. Dolores has agreed to an interview to deep dive this practice. Stay tuned.

Thank you for contributing these powerful thought starters.

Adrienne and Tom have some next steps in mind, interviews, panels, and more articles. Please let us know what would be most helpful to you in your leadership journey. And, please put your voice in the leadership mix.

The sail is set, our compass points to True North, People Power.

Cheers to cultivating A Leadership Beyond.

Together.