As an HR professional, you already wear many hats in your organization, but is strategic partner one of them?
Many C-suite executives are expecting HR personnel to provide business solutions but aren’t necessarily inviting them to the table every time or even recognizing their impact on company growth.
So how can you grab a seat at the leadership table consistently and show that your value is beyond payroll, benefits, recruitment, and compliance?
Here’s how you can become a strategic partner, not just HR.
- Alignment: A common disconnect between leadership and HR is the responsibilities and priorities of HR. Identifying your role within HR and how it connects to business growth and impact can support visibility as a strategic ally. This not only sets the lanes up, but also illustrates your value and what you can bring to the table that leadership may be overlooking or not recognizing.
- Support: When leadership does see HR as a strategic partner, the obstacle of support can come into play. This means that while they may agree with your stance, they may not be as forthright in offering the support to put it into action. Discussing what support looks like and how to ensure it’s there can help you continue to build strong relationships with your leadership peers.
- Time Management: As companies grow, so do HR responsibilities. When growth occurs, administrative burdens can oftentimes leave HR behind when it comes to leadership decisions. And since many organizations do want HR’s input into new business solutions, a process needs to be established to ensure timeliness among their other duties. Discussing what this process looks like is important to ensure you don’t lose your spot at the table and continue to have the opportunity to drive business decisions.
Successful organizations are always aligned and clear on expectations.
If you want a seat at the next strategic planning meeting, but you’re not sure how to approach your leadership or how to discuss the above, let’s chat and I can share some tips for effectively sharing your influence.
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