Great change means great opportunity. These are exciting times for HR. Now that the economy is on the verge of recovery, HR can determine what needs to be done, drive the required change, and make sure everyone from the most junior staff to Board members have bought into the new direction, understand why it's important and know what to do.
Many leading-edge human resources executives are true business partners reporting to a CEO and working closely with the Board. However, according to a recent survey (Accord Management Systems, Thousand Oaks, CA), five hundred CEOs indicated their disappointment in the HR departments because, in their opinion, HR rarely brings a strategic initiative to the "C-Suite".
But HR is in the best position to initiate strategy because HR is in charge of people. Selecting the right talent for the right positions moves the company in the right direction. People are a company's largest expense. Convincing others on the management team to do the right thing regarding people is HR's job. HR should not be the last to know, but should be initiating moves, as many HR people are.
Our panelists will address why the opportunity exists and the steps that still need to be taken. Come away inspired and prodded by the informative, prestigious and diverse panel. Our team includes:
• Diana Lee, former Senior Vice President, MTV Networks/Viacom, has the perspective that a golden opportunity exists for HR because of the recent failures of businesses and organizations. The near onset of a global depression is forcing businesses to look inwardly and become more reflective. What went wrong? What can be done better? The climate is ripe for HR leaders to take a more activist role in the company. Not only should HR press on with its agenda in talent management, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, etc. but also look at new opportunities where it traditionally has not been involved. How can HR expertise in job design and staffing help with the make up and effectiveness of Boards of Directors? Diana discusses this in addition to how HR can get in their own way while trying to accomplish this work.
• Marc Hodak is the founder of Hodak Value Advisors, LLC. Mr. Hodak has advised dozens of companies, public and private, on value-based management. Marc argues tha, most corporations, despite their lip service to the contrary, have given up on HR as a genuine source of competitive advantage. The CEO typically looks to the chief of marketing or sales, top deal makers, or the CFO for strategic initiatives. HR is relegated to finding ways of achieving strategic goals at a minimum cost, or as a place to cut costs when things get tight. It doesn't have to be that way. HR can drive investment in communicating the link between activities and the value-creation results that the CEO and board hold dear. HR can develop pay structures that drive teamwork, and give the firm a competitive advantage. But to become a genuine strategic partner, HR will need to learn the language of value creation. Marc will demonstrate how "best practice" in HR is often just a code for common practice, and how to adopt and instill an 'owners mindset' that enables HR executives to champion experiments in value creation for their organizations.
• Marsha Haygood is president of StepWise Associates. She is a motivational speaker and a certified coach with The Five O'Clock Club. She is also author of the forthcoming book, "The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of leadership for Black Women." We all remember that Fast Company article (July 2005), "Why I Hate HR." Yes, HR is often thought of as the department that sits on the sidelines waiting to be invited to the table, and then offers "feel good" measures rather than strategies when they are asked. HR professionals need to work continually to change the perception of HR. Marsha will present strategies that can be used to demonstrate alignment with the overall business strategy of the organization. It's time to move out of your comfort zone and Marsha will show you how to do it!
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Her Business Acumenby photoshopguru132 views
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