“What gets measured gets managed”. —Peter Drucker

I’ve been in human resources and talent acquisition for nearly 20 years and one of the core bedrocks of my approach in every role has been to clearly understand the metrics that underpin what I’m trying to achieve. 

Developing a solid grounding with your HR metrics gives you the essential base to build on more sophisticated analysis as you develop your capability.

Here I’ll set out a few guiding principles that will make your journey more efficient and provide best practices for ensuring the reliability and credibility of your data.

This is aimed at small/mid-sized businesses that haven’t yet matured their people metrics capability or as a refresher for more established setups. 

We’ll cover:

• What are HR metrics?
• Principles for your HR metrics
• 40 HR metrics you should be Tracking
• How to collect HR metrics
• Best Practices for Presenting metrics

What are HR Metrics?

For me, the best description of HR Metrics is they are discrete measurements of people activity that can be used to indicate performance against organisational objectives.

In other words, HR metrics are the facts of your organisation—they aren’t opinions, they aren’t estimates, they are the facts about the people in your organisation.

Alone they don’t tell a story but, once you combine them with richer information and other business data and metrics, you can build an accurate picture of what drives success.

Why do we need HR metrics?

In every business people are crucial. They’re normally the biggest cost and a critical success factor in the continued success of every business.

As such, as we measure our business growth in terms of the number of customers, revenue, profit and value, it makes perfect sense to measure the people elements at the same time. 

It seems obvious, but we need to know how many people work at our organisations (and a lot about them too). But, as many of you will know already, getting that number accurate every time takes a degree of work.

So, by setting out a number of measurements that you feel represent your organisation effectively, you’re able to give an accurate picture of it.

By doing this you take control of the conversation internally and, by sharing this information in a way that invites feedback, you’ll also learn what else the organisation wants to know about.

So, going back to our definition of an HR metric (each one is a fact that there can only be one correct answer at a given time) the most important lesson I learned is that you need to be clear on the calculation method. 

This sounds straightforward but it comes with headaches…

A quick aside

I’ll now divert into a quick story about how I ended up first becoming interested in this field.

I once joined a company to set up and grow the talent acquisition function. For the first six months, I gathered as much data as I could on our hiring practices: source/cost/time/location/function/role type—all of the typical hiring data you might expect. 

I put this in various presentations to make the case for the changes I felt were necessary. Then, one day, we had a problem. 

On an investor call, someone asked a question about our headcount because the numbers didn’t look right. Guess what, they were right and we were wrong!

The problem landed on my desk, I can’t really remember why but probably because I’d tried to use data to drive action. But what I do remember is sitting in a very hot meeting room for what felt like a week (but was probably only a couple of days) tracing through what data was sent to our finance team, its origin, and its accuracy to try and find out how it could be incorrect in our public statements.

It came down to 2 very simple problems:

1) We sent them data from our HR system (our very old, very rubbish HR system) on a set date and it transpired that people updated the old, rubbish HR system with new starters and leavers in time for payroll and not in time for this report. So the data was never correct, it couldn’t be.

2) We sent them aggregated headcount that included contractors (as that was the report that had always been sent) and nobody, as far as I could tell, ever questioned or asked what the numbers meant.

There were a number of other headaches as well but these were the two key points. This led to us refreshing our on and offboarding processes, redoing how we calculated the headcount that we shared, and unifying those processes.

I know this seems very basic but it’s a good example of how easy it is for these things to go awry.

So, story over and we can draw out some…

Principles for your HR Metrics

1) Be clear about what the metric is.

2) Be clear about how it is calculated and what your data sources are.

3) Be clear that you understand and can audit the processes that feed into the metric.

Once you have a stable set of metrics, you then have the opportunity to combine and interpret them to create a picture of what’s happening in your organisation and what you might want to do to change them. 

For example, if ‘time to hire’ and ‘recruiter’s average number of job requisitions’ are climbing, are more recruiters a potential solution?

40 key human resources metrics you should Track and how to assess them

Headcount

This is the most obvious one. Aim to show the number of employees you have (permanent and contractors if that’s relevant for your business), where they are based, in which office, and in which executive department they sit.

Attrition and retention rate

• Turnover rate. How many people are leaving and from which location/executive department/demographic?
• Why are they leaving—voluntary/non-voluntary? 
• Average tenure of leavers 
• What is your attrition rate? (and your calculation needs to be consistent here). My suggestion for attrition is: 

Number of leavers over last 12 months/((permanent headcount 12 months ago + permanent headcount today)/2)

Many people prefer to have attrition measuring just voluntary leavers, both measures are needed and you can choose what is the headline method.

• What is your retention rate? Normally calculated annually.:
  
  Number of individual employees who remained employed for entire measurement period / number of employees at start of measurement period x 100

Recruitment metrics

• How many people are you hiring and in what location/executive department?  
• How long is it taking you to hire someone for specific roles? 
• What sources of hire are most successful? 
• How costly is hiring? Could be the average cost per hire
• Vacancies per recruiter
• Number of applications 
• Number of interviews
• Job offer acceptance rate (%)  
• LinkedIn (other social?) followers 
• Glassdoor rating.

Demographics – who are your people? 

• Gender split
• Nationality
• Tenure
• Other diversity measures such as age, education level, or ethnicity. Can further split this by location/executive department depending on what you have today and what’s important to your organisation.

Organisational measures

• Percentage of managers
• Span of control
• Number of people at each layer in the business
• Number of open vacancies
• Growth over time.

Absenteeism

• How many holidays used and remaining by individuals and by the business
• Sicknesses
• Work from home/abroad arrangements 
• Taken/left from holiday allowance.

Training

• Hours of learning
• Number of mentorships
• Mandatory training completion
• Type of learning (online vs classroom)
• Training budget spent.

Performance metrics

• Percentage of employees with goals
• Performance/potential/loss impact rating by location/executive function.

Compensation

• Total payroll expenditure
• Payroll expenditure as % of revenue
• Gender pay gap
• Benefit participation rates.

Engagement

• Employee engagement score by location and executive department. This depends on what tools (if any) you have in place for engagement and the score is dependent on that methodology. 
  
  There are a number of different engagement metrics you can use e.g intent to stay or net promoter score.

These may not be the perfect set of metrics for your organisation but they’re a starting point to get you thinking about what’s right.

Whilst some of these have very obvious calculation methods others are open to interpretation and that’s fine. The main thing to be wary of is being consistent and being clear when you’re communicating how something’s calculated and therefore what it means.

How to collect HR Metrics

All of the data that you have is likely to sit in different places e.g. your HRIS, learning management system, employee engagement software, applicant tracking system, or maybe even spreadsheets.

As stated above, for each of your metrics you need to be clear about what it is, what the data source is, how it’s calculated, and how we would audit the underlying process that supports it.

So if we take ‘number of leavers in a month’ this could be:

• What is it? Permanent employees leaving location/function/company/team in a given calendar month
• Data source. HRIS report: leavers by month
• How it’s calculated. Permanent employees leaving from the 1st to the last day of month (garden leave calculated as last day of employment). Any leavers who are missed we recalculate for previous months and make a note in the metrics pack.
• Underlying processes. Check payroll is aligned with leavers, any leaver checklists you might have, and redundancy lists. Revisit any mistakes from previous months with clear trails back to the source so you can see what went wrong.

By ensuring you have this level of rigour with each metric you will build strong, stable underlying data and processes that support the development of a more mature analytics capability in the future, as well as solid processes that underpin the whole HR team.

Presenting HR metrics

The next challenge you have is how to share this information.

Visualising your data is critical because as you gather this data and share it over time it tells a story. Are you growing as an organisation, are you growing quickly enough? Is your gender pay gap widening?

These are all comparable measures that are only possible by collating and reporting on this data regularly.

In terms of how to best visualise the data, here are some pointers.

• Use graphs rather than a table of numbers where possible, Excel is a great tool here
• Set it up so you can see progress over time (monthly or quarterly)
• Use your company colour scheme and presentation layout
• Add simple commentary to the presentation to explain anything that isn’t clear or to contextualise change.

Wrapping up 

To summarize:

• Agree on your metrics based on what makes sense for your organization
• Be clear on calculation and make sure it’s auditable and consistent
• Display them clearly
• Repeat consistently.

If you do this, you’ll build credibility in using HR data and set your business up for more detailed analysis. The complex analysis can only be done on good data—following these steps will set you up perfectly for that.

Further resources to help you build a well-oiled HR function:

• How To Attract And Retain Top Talent Through The Employee Life Cycle
• How To Approach Human Resource Management In SMEs
• 10 Best HR Analytics Software of 2023 for Actionable Workforce Data

Subscribe to the People Managing People newsletter and receive regular content to help you progress in your career and build healthy, productive organizations.

The post <strong>40 HR Metrics You Should Track And Best Practices</strong> appeared first on People Managing People.

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The switch to hybrid and fully remote working has required training teams to invest their time, budget, and energy into designing, developing, and delivering modern, virtual-first remote training experiences for upskilling new employees.

As an L&D leader with experience at both large-scale enterprises and hyper-growth tech companies, I have seen firsthand the importance of providing professional development to remote workers through online training in order to engage, develop, and retain talent.

In this article, I’ll share my insights and strategies for creating comprehensive virtual training programs that will maximize the potential of your remote workers and grow their skill sets. 

Whether you are a small business owner or a corporate executive, this guide will help you create successful training programs that will translate to measurable impact.

We’ll cover:

• Identifying the specific training needs of remote workers
• Building a remote learning strategy
• Best practices for training remote employees

Let’s dive in.

Identifying the specific training needs of remote workers

First off, let’s begin by acknowledging that old, one-size-fits-all training converted from an in-person, instructor-led format is not going to be particularly effective or impactful for a remote workforce. Your learning materials will have to transform in order to be effective.

Remote workers have unique needs and skill gaps that differ from non-remote workers. As such, it’s important to begin by understanding the key competencies that remote employees need in your organization. Below are a few considerations that are specific to the needs of remote teams as you begin to build out your remote training program.

Assess digital literacy

What is digital literacy? According to Microsoft, it’s “the ability to navigate our digital world using reading, writing, technical skills, and critical thinking. It’s using technology—like a smartphone, PC, e-reader, and more—to find, evaluate, and communicate information.”

This skill is critical to any remote worker and identifying skill gaps in this area should be a priority.

While most remote workers can be expected to have passing digital literacy skills, or will at least develop them with experience, that should not be assumed to be the case for everyone.

Digital skill levels can be easily assessed through the use of surveys, focus groups, and interviews with key stakeholders or a random selection of remote workers.

Provide enablement for the ever-growing tech stack

The rise of remote work has led to a parallel rise in the use of virtual tools for remote-first organizations. For example, the average company deployed 58 new applications or tools in 2015, whereas in 2022 that number has increased to 89. At large employers, that figure is 187 (from a recent Freakonomics podcast)!

This type of investment in virtual tools requires a similar investment of time and resources into training on how to use them effectively, which helps drive adoption and usage rates when implementing a new tool. Upskilling in this area is especially important for new employees who are not familiar with working in remote environments.

Driving remote collaboration skills

Remote workers face unique collaboration challenges due to often being in different time zones, communicating asynchronously, having fewer touch-points with co-workers throughout the day, and having to communicate primarily through, email, instant messaging, or video.

As such, training for remote workers should focus on the following skill sets to help establish and maintain effective communication processes and norms in a remote work environment:

• Communication guidelines—provide structure on topics such as which communication channels (i.e. Slack vs email) to leverage for different types of communication, how quick response times should be across different communication channels, and what time of the day you are available for meetings, for instance. This can also help set expectations and reinforce which communication best practices to adhere to.
• Collaboration tools—shared drives, project management software, shared calendars, design thinking products, and messaging platforms can help remote workers easily share information with each other, allowing them to stay connected and enabling them to partner on work together from across the country or the globe. Tools, if valuable to a team, should be leveraged when possible as they can enhance collaboration. 
• Foster inclusion—one way to practice inclusivity for remote workers is to ensure all your training products can accommodate workers with disabilities, like offering closed captions on training videos for instance. Additionally, people in virtual environments have to be more intentional about encouraging everyone to share their perspectives. Building clear processes on how people can share their thoughts, ideas, and comments asynchronously is one way to ensure all voices are heard. This should begin from day one, during onboarding, so new employees can feel welcomed even when looking at learning materials.

Creating a Remote Training Strategy

Following any initial assessments on what remote workers need, it’s time to get clear on what your remote training priorities are moving forward and how you’ll achieve them. 

Outlining your plan of action is essential to generating a vision and sense of purpose that can help drive urgency around the need to attend these training sessions.

There are many elements that make up a successful training strategy, but a few to consider for remote workers are:

Key competencies and focus areas

Clearly outline what skill gaps were uncovered, the importance of those skill sets, and how training in those areas will contribute to the company strategy or benefit remote workers in some way. This should outline the purpose and value of this approach, not just the skills themselves. 

For instance, if you’ve identified a need to upskill team members on prioritization and time management when working from home, it’s important to explain how these skills will lead to employees being able to manage their workload more effectively and efficiently, decreasing stress for the workers and increasing productivity across the company. 

If this skill also ties to a broader strategic objective, like Meta’s “Year of Efficiency” for instance, then ensure you are highlighting how this specific training can help advance that strategy. 

Linking your upskilling initiative to a strategic company objective will help drive the usage and adoption of the skill sets you want to see improve.

Learning modalities

How will remote workers access your content? How will you reach them? Will you only offer live, virtual workshops, blended solutions, or perhaps asynchronous training through e-learning and other online learning materials? What tools do you have available to use? 

Answering these questions will help guide you in planning out how you will be able to develop your training and how remote workers will access it. 

Training teams typically have access to one or more content authoring tools and may leverage training software like a Learning Management System (LMS), or other knowledge management platforms, to host their virtual training content. 

Communication

Having clear guidelines for how and when large-scale communications can be sent will help your training communications be as impactful as possible without drowning remote workers with too many ineffective messages.

Your strategy should outline which communication channels are to be used for which types of messages. For instance, email should only be used for company-wide or department-wide announcements, and only once or twice per quarter, whereas your outreach messages should be sent through tools like Slack and Teams. If learning materials are shared out directly, which channels make the most sense?

Additionally, these messages should be catchy enough to stand out on a virtual messaging platform while competing with all the distractions that remote work brings. 

For example, opening with a statistic, story, or question to draw people to your training is more effective than simply leading with your learning material. 

Beginning a message with, “New Prioritization & Time Management training!” is very different than leading with, “Do you find yourself struggling to focus at work? Are you overwhelmed with competing priorities? We got you covered…” 

Implementation Plan

Outline the exact type of learning materials or resources that will be produced and when, as well as its delivery method and timeline so learning professionals have a clear plan to follow.

Parts of this plan, like your training schedule, can help remote workers have visibility into their training options, which drives engagement with your offerings. 

This is especially important for new employees going through onboarding. They will benefit greatly from having a clear plan outlined for them as they begin diving into their learning materials.

Ongoing Support

How will any training be reinforced and supported in the long term? Whereas in-person training is generally longer, all-day events, remote workers cannot remain engaged in a virtual training environment for as long.

As such, content that was previously offered in long sessions should be broken out and converted into microlearning that is offered continuously as a way of continuing to support someone’s learning journey. A steady drip of microlearning can help

Additionally, virtual tools offer a plethora of options to automate this process. For instance, many LMSs have the capability to send out timed resources after someone has completed an e-learning course.

Evaluation and metrics

How will the impact of your training initiatives be measured? Get clear on your online training’s expected outcomes, draft goals, and specify where you will track these metrics and how you will share them. 

This is is a critical final step in your strategy. 

For example, prioritizing time management training may help improve certain engagement survey scores or a department’s measurable output. As new employees upskill in specific skill sets, we want to think through what the impact of that will be.

Additionally, goals may be used as a way of driving engagement with your training. If a senior leader expresses support for this training, ties it to the company strategy, and announces a goal of having 75% of employees attend, then participation will likely be higher than if that had not been shared.

Training Remote Employees: Best Practices in Action

The most effective remote training will be designed and implemented in a way that both enables and motivates remote workers to put their newly learned skills into action after the training has ended.

Let’s explore a few best practices to ensure this happens with every training initiative you launch. 

Consider the Journey

Remote training should not be a one-time event, but instead a series of well-curated resources (articles, podcasts, videos, books, job aids, etc.) punctuated by one or more small training events throughout.

Learning professionals are moving away from hosting a single learning experience to instead investing in many interactive learning experiences sprinkled across a set amount of time.

When training remote workers, don’t just train them and then walk away. Instead, map out a plan on how you will train, support, and reinforce them along the journey. This allows for practice and reflection, which leads to actual skill development.

For example, instead of a fire-hose method of training employees across three full days, you could structure a new training program where you offer a single training session at the beginning of the week, with follow-up self-paced content throughout the week, culminating in a group coaching session through Zoom or other video conferencing platform to help drive application before moving on to the next topic the following week. 

Make it Accessible

Training for remote workers should be easily accessible and should always include some component that is available on-demand to help when needed, right in the moment. 

While this may be true for all workers, as mentioned earlier, the ever-growing tech stack enabling collaboration among remote workers often makes finding information difficult.

Your self-paced training offerings and additional resources should be confined to one location as much as possible. If remote learners have to shift from training tool to training tool to find the information or training they need, that will unnecessarily create more barriers.

Training in the flow of work

The systems and tools we use are developing at such a pace that we are now able to integrate training directly into someone’s workflow, making it very easy to access training when needed. 

When it comes to training methods for team members that will have to use a new system, app, or platform for their day-to-day work, there are products such as WalkMe that can help drive digital adoption.

Offering support for common workflow issues on the spot can help drive efficiency while reducing frustration and the number of times IT support is called for a supposed issue in the tool that is likely due to human error.

Additionally, common tasks that everyone participates in, like performance reviews for instance, can be supported directly in-tool as well. 

If someone is struggling with writing a self-reflection, instead of clicking away from what they are doing, support for how to write an effective self-reflection can be directly embedded into the tool, or linked within the tool, so someone can access the information they need directly as they are doing that task. 

As much as possible, trainers should think of how to embed their content directly into the tools that people will be doing their work in.

Keep it Concise

Full-day, in-person learning events that were on-site cannot be directly transferred over to a virtual environment and be expected to work the same.

Often, it is more difficult to engage people virtually for more than a couple hours at a time (90mins ideal), even with ample breaks and activities throughout. That is why having accessible, concise content across a learning journey is often more effective than trying to master it all at once.

A lot of what needed to be taught in person previously can now be redesigned into other formats and assigned as pre-work, essentially flipping the classroom. 

Remote workers can be encouraged to read or watch content before any live session, thereby saving time in the session for activities with peers, engaging in discussion, and practicing the actual skills instead of just learning about them.  

Enable Connection

Virtual training is a great avenue for remote workers to gather and spend time together learning, leading to better communication, knowledge sharing, and collaboration after the training is done. 

As such, all live-virtual training has to intentionally build in moments for connection among remote worker participants. Fewer natural touch-points throughout their work day means ample time should be allotted to activities specifically designed to put people together.

Training for remote workers should always have the secondary benefit of driving connection. For example, mentorship programs are a great way to enable connection among remote workers while also developing them and building a culture of learning.

Putting It All Together

Providing proper training to remote workers can be challenging but, once you have a clear understanding of what their needs are, you can ensure they have the exact skills and knowledge needed to perform their job effectively.

With the right training, workers can be fully equipped with the right skills to perform their best without the common frustrations that arise when working remotely. Additionally, training can also help drive engagement and retention, further having a positive impact on your organization. 

Overall, investing in training for remote workers, when done correctly, can have a large impact on maximizing the potential of an organization’s remote workforce. 

Further resources to help maximize training effectiveness:

• Training Program Template
• 4 Learning And Development Metrics That Actually Help Drive Business Success
• How To Create A Learning And Development Strategy In 7 Steps
• 10 Best Training Management Software For Skill Building In 2023
• 10 Best Employee Training Software For Online Learning & Development [2023]

Subscribe to the People Managing People newsletter to receive regular articles to help grow in your career and build healthy, productive organizations.

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Before you start a business, it’s essential to consider the various factors that will affect its success. One of these is the type of business location that best meets your needs. There are multiple types of businesses designed to meet the varying needs of different people. For instance, if you’re planning on expanding your online business, you might need a different location than if you’re an accountant.

If you’re planning on expanding your business into brick-and-mortar locations, you might need to consider different needs than an accountant.

A successful business location strategy involves planning and researching, as well as thoroughly evaluating all of your options. The tools and resources to find the ideal location can help you expand your business.

Research

Before you start a business, it’s crucial that you thoroughly research the various factors that affect its success. This can include understanding the zoning laws in your area, as well as analyzing the competition’s locations. You should also research the restrictions and benefits of doing business in the state or local government.

Foot Traffic

One of the most critical factors you should consider when choosing a location for your business is foot traffic. If you’re a retail business, you don’t want to be in an area that’s secluded from the rest of the community. Having good foot traffic can help you attract more potential customers and keep them coming back for more. One of the best ways to monitor the traffic in your potential location is to monitor it at different times of the day.

Regional Expenses

It’s essential that you thoroughly research the various expenses that will affect its success. Some of these include standard salaries, minimum wage laws, property values, and business insurance. Don’t forget to consider your potential location’s local and state tax implications.

Target Audience/Market

Finally, consider the proximity of your target audience. Having a good location can help you attract more potential customers and keep them coming back for more. Your target audience and target market must play a factor in this decision for fairly obvious reasons.

The post Finding a New Location for Your Business first appeared on Rob Elkington | Business & Entrepreneurship.

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Companies are always on the lookout for talented people. In this interview series, we talk to seasoned HR professionals to pick their brains for ideas and insights on finding the right talent for our organizations.

Randy Tosch

Randy Tosch is Vice President of Talent for Grainger, a broad line distributor with operations in North America, Japan, and the United Kingdom. 

 

He is responsible for building proactive, scalable talent management processes, solutions, and tools to improve the strength of the enterprise talent pipeline, enhance leadership and team member development programs and practices, drive team member engagement, and ensure Grainger has the talent needed to achieve its strategic growth objectives.

Hi Randy, welcome to the series! We’d love to get to know you a bit better, can you tell us the backstory about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve always been interested in identifying and developing talent. Even when I was a kid playing sports, I loved getting to know everyone’s strengths and figuring out how we could work together to win the game. 

Fast forward a few years, and that love quickly translated into a career in HR where I get to bring in and develop great people who make the entire Grainger team stronger and drive growth for the 96-year-old company. 

From attracting the best talent to building skills in people leaders so they can provide the right coaching, development, and experience for their teams, or determining the best ways to identify and support the growth of future company leaders—it’s all about creating great teams.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote” and how that was relevant to you in your life? 

I was raised by two hard-working parents who were very involved. They always strove to treat everyone they came across with respect and I could see the positive impact it made in every situation. Those values were instilled in my siblings and me. So, as simple as it may be, “respect everyone” is my mantra. 

Are you working on any exciting new projects at your company? How is this helping people? 

We are focused on continuing to make progress in achieving our company purpose—We Keep the World Working®. At Grainger, we help customers keep their operations running and their people safe through our Maintenance, Repair, and Operations-focused product assortment.

A few years ago, we defined our purpose and have been working to ensure all team members understand our strategy, aspiration, and principles aligned to achieving that purpose each and every day. 

Wonderful. Now let’s jump into the main focus of our series. Hiring can be very time-consuming and challenging. Can you share with our readers a bit about your experience with identifying and hiring talent? What’s been your most successful recruitment-related initiative so far?  

Our team members keep saying we’re the “best-kept secret.” So, over the last couple of years, we’ve focused on getting the word out to prospective talent about what makes Grainger such a great place to work. 

By sharing our impactful work through our new recruitment marketing and employment branding efforts, we have attracted more candidates and brought great people into the organization, which has been helpful in this tight labor market. 

For example, in our Distribution Centers and Customer Service Centers, over 50% of applicants and 40% of hires are sourced from our new social media and advertising campaigns.

Once talent is engaged, what’s your advice for creating a great candidate experience and ensuring the right people go through the process?

First, we strive to ensure our hiring leaders and talent acquisition team are aligned on the skills and experiences needed for the role. This includes the talent acquisition consultant holding an intake call with the hiring leader for each opening before we post it to understand the nice-to-haves and need-to-haves.

Our recruiters leverage external market data to confirm everyone is on the same page about the current talent marketplace. This proactive alignment upfront establishes a more qualified set of applicants and ultimately allows the rest of the hiring process to flow smoothly and unencumbered.  

The second step is to provide a candidate survey to both the candidate and the hiring manager. This step is critical as it allows us to better understand how the candidate experience was from start to finish so we can continue to improve our process, identify any successes or gaps, and provide coaching as needed. 

Based on your experience, how can HR and culture professionals work with the broader organization to identify talent needs?

Work with the business leaders to understand their talent needs and create a plan. Our HR and talent partners work with business leaders to understand their key priorities and then we build short and long-term strategies to address talent needs. 

Through these planning discussions, we work through the needs of different talent segments while also surfacing company-wide requirements that are better solved at the broadest levels. 

Over the last couple of years, we’ve worked with the leadership team to define a framework of what behaviors, experiences, and skills are needed for leaders that have the aspiration and potential to be future enterprise leaders. 

We have launched two cross-functional committees that work together with other leaders to develop emerging talent toward that framework. This will help ensure we have a more robust pipeline of talent to lead in the future.  

Is there anything you see that recruiters, internal or otherwise, do regularly that makes you think, “No, stop doing that!”?

Recruiting is very fast-paced. Having the talent acquisition team slow down, be curious and ask questions of hiring managers upfront on what is needed in prospective candidates, and then share insights about the talent market, is imperative. This allows the team to source the right talent for the role more efficiently.

We have found that candidates who are referred by current Grainger team members often end up doing well when they join the company. Current team members understand what is needed and are often great at spotting talent.  

With so much noise and competition out there, what are your top 3 ways to attract and engage the best talent in an industry when they haven’t already reached out to you?

At Grainger, one of our best recruitment tools is word-of-mouth endorsements from current team members. Grainger is a place where team members can do very impactful work and there is a sense of belonging that is unmatched anywhere from what we hear. 

This culture is welcoming, and team members, including our recruiters, are able to speak to how there is something different here that is unique.  

We are also sharing the story about Grainger through employment branding and recruitment marketing—focusing on meeting top talent where they are and through the media that matters to them.  

Lastly, leaders at Grainger recognize the responsibility of finding talent does not fall squarely on the talent acquisition team. We have developed tools and training to help leaders build their benches before they have an opening. 

We also encourage leaders to always be on the lookout for the next great Grainger talent and start the exploratory conversations before they even have an opening. 

In the current talent landscape, the more proactive we can be in our recruitment efforts, the better.

What are the three most effective strategies you use to retain employees?

First is development planning—whether that is building team members’ skills and capabilities for their current role or helping them prepare for their next role.

Second is listening. We gather feedback from team members through surveys and round tables to understand what they need and then act based on that feedback.

For example, we conduct an annual team member survey and a follow-up check-in survey, and we regularly see strong engagement close to 85% with strong participation across the business.

Third is frequent communication. It’s important that the team understands how their work supports our customers, what they can do to support the company’s continued growth, and the culture we are striving to create.

Here is the main question of our interview. Can you share five techniques that you use to identify the talent that would be best suited for the job you want to fill?

1. Use principles-based interview guides: Our strategy is encapsulated in what we call the Grainger Edge, which includes our seven principles that guide how we work with each other, our customers, and our communities. We’ve built interview guides that are tied to these principles to ensure when we interview candidates, we can better assess how they’ve demonstrated what will eventually be important behaviors for them to succeed.

2. Keep diversity at the forefront: It is critical to understand the current make-up of the team that the prospective candidates would be joining and seek to understand where we can continue to welcome new voices to the table. The recruiters share a toolkit with leaders that covers everything from how to identify new areas to source talent from, the importance of having a diverse interview team, and then process steps we can take to mitigate bias in everything from our job postings to the interview process.   

3. Hiring Manager intake strategy sessions: Understanding the hiring managers’ needs enables our talent acquisition team to be more efficient in finding the right candidates. Leaders can share insights on the key skills and experiences, and, together, the leader and recruiter can build a plan to source talent, which at times includes attending hiring events, leveraging partnerships with local organizations, and posting on social media to reach a broader audience. 

4. Referrals: We have found that candidates who are referred by current Grainger team members often end up doing well when they join the company. Current team members understand what is needed and are often great at spotting talent.  

5. Employment Branding: We leverage marketing through social media, billboards, career fairs, and other venues to provide more insight to candidates on who Grainger is and the experience they would have if they decide to join us. Everyone featured in our adds are real team members so candidates get a true sense of who we are and what we do

Thank you for your insights, Randy! How can our readers continue to follow your work online?  

You can follow Grainger and Grainger Careers on social media and search #TeamGrainger for the latest on life at Grainger. Also visit Glassdoor and jobs.grainger.com to learn about our culture and stay connected with our career opportunities.

More insights from the series

• To Hire The Best Talent For Your Organization, Don’t Confuse Culture Fit With Attitude
• To Find The Best Talent, Have A Clear Understanding Of Your Values

The post To Find New Talent, Leverage Your Existing Talent appeared first on People Managing People.

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Most leaders don’t see how to employ HR as a strategic pillar of the business and this leaves a lot of professionals feeling somewhat frustrated.

In this interview series, we talk to HR professionals, business leaders, and anyone who is an authority on HR who can share what companies can gain by having HR in the boardroom and why and how HR should help drive company decisions.

Tiana Sanchez

Tiana Sanchez is CEO and Founder of TSI (Tiana Sanchez International LLC), a Number 1 bestselling author, executive coach, keynote speaker, and host of Like a REAL Boss podcast.

Hi Tiana, welcome to the series! Before we drive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you got started? 

It was a purely a divine intervention that took me from unemployment to CEO of TSI (Tiana Sanchez International LLC) talent development and learning company. 

Twenty years of career success led me to believe I was untouchable and secure in my role as a banking manager, but in 2011 that all changed with a lay-off notice. The financial crisis of 2008 had finally hit home. 

Without a job, a degree, or income, I bet on “ME” and started my own business in May 2011. In the past 12 years, we have grown the business, increased our company’s impact through our podcast, Like a REAL Boss, created an online hub for on-demand leadership training modules, delivered over 100 keynotes and presentations across the U.S., and published three books (“Undefeatable: Conquering Self Defeat”, “F’UP – The Upside of Failure” and “Leaders in Pearls: How to Be a Change Architect”, an anthology with 24 other women).

It’s been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. What’s a funny mistake you made when you were starting out and what did you learn from it?

I’m not sure this would qualify as funny, but I’m happy to share. Early in my business, I was invited to speak at colleges to college students about my career journey and “How to Market Yourself”.

At the beginning of one of these talks, I was taken aback by the sheer silence in the room. I would speak, and there was no audience response. *Crickets*. I continued my talk and finished about an hour later.

After the talk, a table was set up for me as a “meet and greet” with students. I was sure everyone was heading for the door. To my surprise, there was a line of students with big smiles telling me how much they enjoyed the talk! 

I learned to never underestimate the impact and value of what I do. And, second, just because people are not speaking, it does not mean they are not listening!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story? 

This is a tough one as there are many, many people that helped. The person who had the greatest influence on my success was my grandmother, who has been deceased for over 20 years. 

She was the first black, female businesswoman and entrepreneur I was introduced to. She worked hard and was, on many days, dog-tired. Her self-determination and no-nonsense attitude was, and is, an inspiration. It’s the days when doubt sinks in that I lean on her example for encouragement and support.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? 

My favorite “life lesson quote” and one that is attached at the end of every episode of our Like a REAL Boss Podcast is “Everyone wants to succeed, but not everyone is willing to do the work.” 

Akin to that is “If you want what others have, then you have to be willing to do what others have done to get what others have gotten.” I like both quotes for these reasons: 

1. If you want to excel in life, you must work for it. It will not be given, handed out, passed down, or copy and pasted for you. 
2. It’s absolutely okay if you do or do not want what others have, but if you’re complaining about what they have and what you don’t have, that’s a problem. 

I love my time, flexible schedule, and the freedom to do as I please without the “overwork” syndrome taking over me. I’m perfectly fine running my own race, at my own pace, on my own schedule. 

Human Resources (HR) practitioners and leaders are strategic partners and “relationship brokers” that deserve a seat in the boardroom at new, growing, and mature organizations. 

Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self? 

Get a mentor sooner. Take business, economics, and leadership classes. Take Spanish classes, seriously!

The battle to “get their first” and “stand out” is ever-present among today’s working professionals and entrepreneurs. The more you gain access to resources, people, and money, the better your chances to get their first and stand out. 

Let’s now move to the central part of our interview about HR. Why do you think HR deserves a place in the boardroom and in high-level decision-making?

Human Resources (HR) practitioners and leaders are strategic partners and “relationship brokers” that deserve a seat in the boardroom at new, growing, and mature organizations. 

Companies gain insight from HR into people management, human interactions, operations, risk mitigation, professional development, the future of work and employees. HR partnerships are an imperative, an asset, and not a liability. They help minimize liabilities!

From your experience, how can HR people and culture professionals ensure they’re involved in strategic planning processes? 

To ensure a seat at the table, it starts before hiring, the offer letter, and onboarding into their role in a company. HR professionals should clarify their role and expectations in the larger picture of the vision and mission. 

Advocate for “people-centered” initiatives and be well-versed and in the know on business outcomes. Subscribe to reputable online magazines (Inc., Fast Company, HBR, SHRM) and follow reputable research firms (McKinsey, Wiley, Gallup). 

Finally, you have to demonstrate, in words, action, and results the ROI and bottom line impact of your suggestions. 

A lot of folks believe that CHROs would make great CEOs, but often they’re overlooked. Why do you think that is? 

First, people don’t value the “business of people” the same way they value the “business of business.” Second, most professionals in the HR field are women. So let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? Roughly 70% of women are in HR. Less than 10% of women at Fortune 500 companies occupy CEO positions. What’s wrong with this picture?

In my opinion, this lack of representation and/or inability to “ladder climb” from HR to CEO is more than a lack of business and finance acumen. The proof is in the data. Let’s do better, and promote more women from Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) to CEO!

What skills can HR folks work on to become more effective business partners? 

Negotiation, communication, and financial acumen are all important skills for HR professionals.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important ways that HR can help drive company decisions?

1 .  Leverage data. Gather and share metrics in small and big decisions such as administering a poll after a meeting to determine the viability, comprehension, and clarity of the meeting. This data can help improve how meetings are run across the organization and increase the validity of your ideas.

2 . Build an outside support system. Look for support outside of the boardroom. Your help may not be in the room. In fact, many of my TSI clients are HR leaders who sought me out to help navigate a difficult transition happening in their organization. Being smart, savvy, and decisive is knowing when it’s time to ask for help.

3 . Be present. Be in the room when key decisions are made to ensure that a balance of the “human side of business” and the “business side of business” are in sync. 

4 . Increase performance reviews. Make performance reviews quarterly and micro-reviews monthly. Having a more current snapshot of performance in real-time, or “IRL” as my teenager might say, will help make informed decisions regarding unfavorable role changes such as a demotion, termination and/or upward movement like a promotion.

5 . Don’t be a “Yes” person. Never be afraid to disagree. A “yes” person will not affect change and influence decisions in a way that a person with a differing opinion will. For women, as most of HR professionals today are, this can be a challenging ask. When raising concerns, provide the “why” backed by data, the “how” and the expected “results.” Know your stuff, offer alternative solutions and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo! 

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make when faced with hard decisions?

Unpopular or tough decisions are part of the job. What makes hard decisions tough(er) are these three common mistakes: 

1. Not balancing the logical aspect of the decision with the human element
2. Confusing or misleading messaging leading up to the decision
3. Not having advocates—influential workers (preferably a non-manager, yet highly respected and tenured) in the company—to champion the decision and get behind it. 

Usually, on the other side of a hard decision is a BIG change! People don’t typically do well with change. 

To avoid these types of mistakes, be transparent with pertinent information. Address questions and concerns head-on. Choose the right platform to address those concerns. 

Sometimes an email will suffice. Other times you might need to hold an All Hands Meeting, a forum, a town hall or focus groups for more intimate dialogue.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. 

Karen Bryant, the newly appointed Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager of LA Sparks in Los Angeles. 

I’m an LA girl who played basketball in high school at a time when the WNBA didn’t exist. A year ago, one of my three goals was to work with this incredible franchise. Let’s see what happens!

Thank you so much for your insights, Tiana! How can our readers further follow your work? 

There are three ways to stay connected: 

1. Connect with me on LinkedIn at Tiana Sanchez
2. Visit our website to learn more about what we do
3. Subscribe to our Real Boss Lady Tips newsletter

More insights from the series:

• How Modern HR Leaders Can Now Measure The Immeasurable
• What HR Leaders Can Gain By Becoming “W-Shaped”
• To Be A More Effective Business Partner, Listen And Be Curious

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Many people think of science fiction films about virtual reality, such as “Minority Report.” However, the truth is that this technology is already widely used in our daily lives. It can be used in various forms of education, including video games and medicine.

Many people already feel like VR is a sign of the future – and that there’s nowhere else for it to go. This is false. Like any new technology, there is room for growth and improvement. This raises the question, what is the future of Virtual Reality?

What Is Virtual Reality?

In virtual reality, objects and scenes that appear to be real are made to look and feel like they are part of a person’s surroundings. This is done through a headset or helmet, which allows users to immerse themselves in the world around them. For instance, playing video games can give users a deeper understanding of their character, while improving sports training can help individuals perform better.

Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality

The main difference between virtual and augmented reality is that while VR allows users to immerse themselves in a completely immersive environment, AR will enable them to see and interact with objects and other things in the real world. For instance, in virtual reality, the world is made to look and feel like it is part of a person’s surroundings. On the other hand, in AR, the world is made to represent the things and images people are looking at.

Although it’s commonly believed that wearing a headset is necessary to use virtual reality, it’s not. For instance, in the popular video game “Pokémon Go,” users can play the game without a headset.

Mixed reality is a type of technology that allows users to see and interact with objects and other things in the real world through a combination of virtual and augmented reality. This enables users to experience a world that’s both indistinguishable from the digital and physical world.

The Future of VR

VR has already made its way into multiple industries, from gaming to education and medicine. It will continue to adapt and spread as people find new ways to utilize the technology.

The pandemic has changed the way we work. It has also brought various changes to how we work, such as the increasing number of people working from home. This new environment can additionally affect the development of company culture. Virtual reality is a solution that is being developed to address these issues.

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Companies are always on the lookout for talented people. In this interview series, we talk to seasoned HR professionals to pick their brains for ideas and insights on finding the right talent for our organizations.

Marni Helfand

As the Chief Human Resources Officer and General Counsel for The Planet Group, Marni Helfand oversees all legal and HR functions for the company and has been instrumental to its growth. Prior to working in the staffing and consulting industry, Marni worked as a lawyer at a private practice. She was recently recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as one of their Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing. 

Hi Marni, welcome to the series! Before diving in, our readers would love to get to know you. Can you tell us the backstory about what brought you to this specific career path? 

I knew I wanted to be a litigation attorney since I was in elementary school. My father is a litigator, and even when I was quite young he would practice his opening and closing arguments to me and ask for my opinion as if I were a juror.

I knew I didn’t want to practice the same type of law as him (personal injury), but I was hooked. I started my career as an Employment Law Attorney at a firm and moved to an in-house role because I realized I liked business as much as law. 

About halfway through my first in-house counsel role, I started managing the employee relations function within HR. In a subsequent in-house counsel role, I began advising larger HR teams on a greater variety of topics until it dawned on me that I was interested in a career in HR as much as I was interested in continuing to practice law. 

I have always loved the people and strategic side of law, and I was able to develop that at The Planet Group when I was given the chance to lead an HR team that started as a team of five and has grown to 35 in four quick years. 

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you first started?

Unfortunately, my mistakes have been more harrowing than funny, but I have learned from all of them. One big mistake I made was trying to be funny, and it fell flat, and I learned from that.

I was speaking at a conference with a co-worker whom I had a very congenial relationship with, and we liked to joke around. During my comments, I made a joke at his expense, which he and most of the audience found funny, but a couple of people commented that it was inappropriate to use him to get a laugh.

I think an important skill as a leader, manager, or co-worker is to be able to adapt your style to the audience you are working with or speaking to. Clearly, in a room of 100+ people, there wasn’t going to be a commonality of thought and experience, and I wasn’t sensitive to that. It has made me much more aware going forward. 

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote” and how that was relevant to you in your life?  

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” 

Words and actions matter. You can’t do or say something and then later say “I didn’t mean it” as if it never happened. What you do impacts others. Once it’s done or said, it matters. This is true for leadership and organizations. We only get one chance to get it right. I want to make a positive difference—both with the people in our company and the company itself. I don’t want to look back with regret or wish that I had done things differently.  

At the end of the day, I am an employee who has great days and frustrating days at work like anyone else. We each have different reasons for being at our jobs, and we each chose our company for different reasons.

My reason for coming to The Planet Group was the type of work and the excitement of a rapidly growing company. But I stay because of the people. I truly care about the people that I work with, and I share in their personal hardships and triumphs as much as their professional ones. 

One week, I cried in the office kitchen with a colleague who lost a friend to cancer, and on the same day had my afternoon brightened by being introduced to a teammate’s new baby girl.    

In the end, it’s important to remember that the people are what makes a company special, and every one of us can make every other employee’s experience better.  

Are you working on any exciting new projects at your company? How is this helping people? 

As the executive sponsor for The Planet Group’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, I am particularly excited about the initiatives coming out of this group, especially since it was founded in the fairly recent past—we’ve been making big strides. 

For this year, we are starting two new Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). One of them is focused on supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and the other group will address Mental Health. These are in addition to our existing ERG called the Women’s Initiative Network.  

Wonderful. Now let’s jump into the main focus of our series. Hiring can be very time-consuming and challenging. Can you share with our readers a bit about your experience with identifying and hiring talent? What’s been your most successful recruitment-related initiative so far? 

Since Covid began, and because of how decentralized our operations generally are, we’ve shifted the way in which we identify and hire talent.

It stems from the realization that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hiring, and to find the right people for the right position, you must think holistically or else risk missing the mark. 

For example, there are some positions that can be done 100% remotely with no problem. On the flip side, the nature of other positions requires people to be near an office and work in-person multiple days per week. 

With this in mind, it’s important to remember during the hiring process that having someone check all the boxes for the job description is only one part of a comprehensive hiring strategy. 

It’s also important to think about whether that person would be successful and happy in the type of environment that the job necessitates. Having an honest discussion and asking the right questions during the interview process should help to shed light on this.

We’ve seen this in action, with our HR team growing from five members at the end of 2018 to 35 members by the end of 2022. I am very proud of how successfully The Planet Group has navigated this complex issue. 

Once talent is engaged, what’s your advice for creating a great candidate experience and ensuring the right people go through the process? 

One element of a successful candidate experience depends on both parties being equally excited about the opportunity. All too often, people are running from a job and candidates may be too quick to accept the first position offered.

Similarly, especially with continued talent shortages in some areas, employers may be too quick to accept the first person who seems willing to take the job. Recruitment is like dating in the sense that you can have two really great parties (candidate and company in this case), but it doesn’t always mean they will be great together. 

Both sides need to look at whether it’s a compatible match in terms of the job responsibilities, the culture, and the dynamics within the team. 

When it comes to ensuring the right people go through the process, I suggest standardizing some elements of the interview process.

For each role, identify in advance who should be on the interviewing team. Have a meeting with these people and get on the same page about the role and what qualities you are looking for. 

Create a spreadsheet with questions to ask during the interview that addresses these qualities. Immediately after the interview, they should take notes and record how they thought the candidate did in relation to the qualities you previously identified.

Once all interviews are finished, compare notes. This creates an even playing field where the candidates can be compared fairly across the board. It also means you’ll be able to more easily identify and eliminate anyone from the process who isn’t the right fit.  

Based on your experience, how can HR and culture professionals work with the broader organization to identify talent needs? 

HR and culture professionals can provide critical guidance to hiring managers, which has a trickle-down effect for the whole company. Never assume that other people think the way you do – sit down with each hiring manager and sync up regarding hiring best practices and how to interview to find the right fit.

This means helping them to see that, sometimes, looking beyond the resume is key. Someone might have the right skillset, but might not be the best overall fit for the role. Conversely, someone may not have done that job in particular, but is eager for the position, passionate, and willing to learn.

You just may end up hiring a new lifetime employee. It’s equally critical that HR stays connected to management during the whole process, including once the candidate is hired. It’s a true partnership relationship.

Is there anything you see that recruiters, internal or otherwise, do regularly that makes you think, “No, stop doing that!”? 

Recruiters are good at what they do often because of the repetition and experience, but that can lead to incorrect assumptions and a misunderstanding of a person’s priorities when choosing new employment. 

So the “stop doing that” lesson is to stop assuming you know what will attract the candidate and actually ask them. And then ask a different way so you know they aren’t saying what they think you want to hear.  

With so much noise and competition out there, what are your top 3 ways to attract and engage the best talent in an industry when they haven’t already reached out to you? 

1. Make use of the marketing materials that you might typically use for clients. For example, two of our divisions are rebranding to become one, and a high-energy video was made to showcase the merger. Showing that video to a candidate creates a “wow” factor and excitement to work for the company.  

2. Schedule conversations with the candidate and their peers or even subordinates within the department. It doesn’t have to be a regular “interview” but rather just a chance for the candidate to meet more people they will work with and get a feel for the company.  

3. Lay out a roadmap for the next several years of employment and not just what the job will look like at the time of hire. Explain where the company is going, where the department is going, and how you envision the job down the line. 

While this could be really intriguing to candidates, don’t presume that everyone wants growth and change. There are people who want a job to be predictable and in a steady state, so make sure you are understanding the candidate’s goals and priorities  

What are the three most effective strategies you use to retain employees? 

1. Be a human-centered leader.  

2. Be honest. 

3. Don’t make it all about work all the time. Allow yourself and the team to have fun together.  

Here is the main question of our interview. Can you share five techniques that you use to identify the talent that would be best suited for the job you want to fill? Please share an example for each idea.  

1. Be very honest about the pros and cons of the position, the company etc. For example, consider if the company is going through a new technology implementation or other major changes. 

By giving that insight, you open the door to a variety of questions that will allow you to gauge whether the person is a good candidate for the role. If they like change and want to grow with the company, it could be a great fit. If they would rather hunker down at a company with a more predictable future, they might be happier elsewhere.  

2. Have the candidate talk to others in the department or those they will be supporting outside of the department. Why? Since Covid, work seems more transactional than it used to be, but for many (although admittedly not all), a successful job experience depends on relationships with co-workers. 

This is especially true for those working in a remote environment. It’s important for them to be able to get along and communicate well with their remote constituents. Feeling connected to your co-workers, regardless of distance, can be invaluable.  

3. Create a fair hiring process. For example, as I mentioned previously, identify a team of people who will be interviewing each candidate. Then, take time in advance of the interview to draft questions that each person will ask, which are relevant to that particular job. These should vary based on position and should also address what’s going on in the entire organization. 

I mentioned previously that someone might not be keen to join a company that is going through a lot of changes. Think about relevant aspects like that, which could impact how a candidate views the role and if they really do want to move forward or not. This up-front organization makes it easier to compare thoughts about who is the right fit, and it helps to eliminate any unconscious biases.  

4. When you’re recruiting for a position that will be a direct report, ask that person how they like to be managed. Effective management needs to have some variability based on how each team member is motivated, how much direction they want, how they like to communicate, etc.

If you’re hiring someone that is either much more independent than you are comfortable with or wants to be managed more than you have the bandwidth for, it might not be the best fit. I try to live by this: the golden rule is to do unto others as you’d have them do unto you; the platinum role is do unto others as they’d want done unto them. 

5. Don’t confuse culture fit with attitude. They’re not the same thing. Most people want to buy into the culture and need that affinity with the culture to be happy, but that’s not true for all. 

There are plenty of people who want to work 9-5, have predictability in their job, and want to be respected, but don’t really care about the culture overall. These people can end up being some of your best hires.

Don’t assume that person won’t have the right attitude just because they can’t work around the clock or don’t want to go to after-work happy hours.  

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why?

I am a huge sports fan and, in particular, really admire women who have carved out successful careers for themselves in such a competitive field. If I were to have lunch with someone, I’d choose Jeanie Buss, the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers. 

In 2020, she was the first female controlling owner to guide her team to an NBA championship. Jeanie, have your people call my people? 

Thank you so much for your insights, Marni! How can our readers continue to follow your work?

Please connect with me on LinkedIn! 

More insights from the series

• To Be A More Effective Business Partner, Listen And Be Curious
• Spreading Your Talent Pool With Diverse Talent
• Why Recruiters Shouldn’t Be “Selling” Jobs

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Most leaders don’t know how to employ HR as a strategic pillar of the business and this leaves a lot of professionals feeling somewhat frustrated.

In this interview series, we talk to HR professionals and business leaders to get their insights on what businesses can gain by having HR in the boardroom and how HR can help drive company decisions. 

Donna Scarola

Donna Scarola is a new breed of HR leaders with experience in HR product innovation, HR tech adoption and process transformation, and equally effective at leading HR functions at large organizations and startups. Donna is currently the Chief People, Purpose & Culture Officer at Parcl and is an adjunct faculty member at NYU. The thread throughout her career has been her curiosity in connecting behavioral science and technology in the world of work.

Thank you so much for your time! I know you are a very busy person. Before we drive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you got started?

It’s funny, I originally thought I wanted to be in the medical field. I did clinical internships in inpatient psychiatry and rehabilitation settings. I was always fascinated by behavioral science and the human disposition. 

After an inflection point, I decided to change paths and drop out of graduate school only to apply to graduate school… in HR. 

I remember my family and friends being confused about my decision, but I am glad I did. After graduate school, I worked in product management, which allowed me to learn the business side of talent strategy and software development, and then eventually I made the switch to in-house talent strategy. 

I’ve been very lucky and am incredibly grateful for the range of experiences I have had so far, and looking back they have all built on one another. 

It’s said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I once was in a meeting with an executive and didn’t look up their LinkedIn; I referenced a strategy from a company they used to work for and I stated that it was an illogical idea– that experience taught me to not only be more careful at what I say, but to also do your research before a meeting. 

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

My parents never had office jobs, so a friend’s father, John Harvey, who had a robust talent career, generously offered to introduce me to his closest colleagues, all of whom were incredibly accomplished HR professionals. All of them interviewed me and I had multiple offers. I undoubtedly owe my initial career experiences to him (special mention to Clint Kofford and Greg Pryor as well). 

If you want to create good people practices, you should trust, include, and respect HR as a function, just as you would for marketing.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Growing up I always wanted to be a comedy writer. Saturday Night Live was my childhood dream and, clearly, that never came to be. However, a quote from Steve Martin has always been a guiding principle for me: “be so good they can’t ignore you”. 

Meaning, do your research, be thorough, be kind, and always try your hardest because, if you are consistently great, people will only know you as great. I think people underestimate how difficult it is to dispute consistency. 

Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self?

I would tell myself not to worry so much about how you are perceived. Instead, focus on learning and continuing to work hard. A lot of our early career is spent worrying if people like us and not enough on how we are growing and intentionally focusing on the skills and experiences we need to develop. 

Let’s now move to the central part of our interview about HR. Why do you think HR deserves a place in the boardroom and in high-level decision-making?

I think this has been a well-discussed topic over the past decade, so I am not sure I will add much more, but I believe that HR is no different than a function (marketing, operations, legal, etc.). 

As Simon Sinek famously said, “100% of your investors, employees, and customers are made up of people, if you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business.” So, if you want to create good people practices, you should trust, include, and respect HR as a function, just as you would for marketing.

I think organizations have a lot to gain from investing in people, designing scalable practices, creating cultures that promote positivity, etc, and there are many ways to measure this. But, the most profound benefit is, that if done well, HR integrates the people strategy in unison with the business, unlocking the potential of teams and people who are the core of making your most vital decisions.

From your experience, how can HR people and culture professionals ensure they’re involved in strategic planning processes? 

There are two parts. First, ensure you understand the business strategy and how it works. Understand every aspect, the customer, the profit streams, the market, etc, because everyone, especially the HR professional should understand the business as well as they understand the people. 

Second, create practices and strategies that align with the outcomes the organization is seeking while remaining rooted in science. Meaning, if the business is transforming itself in order to be more competitive in the market, think about the implications to the people strategy.

Is it hiring, upskilling or developing talent to support these efforts? And, lastly, whatever strategy you create to address said business outcome, ensure that you have a methodology that is measurable and rooted in research, not just the latest trend.  

A lot of folks believe that CHROs would make great CEOs, but often they’re overlooked. Why do you think that is?

This is a complex question, so I feel I must give a multi-faceted answer. I think there are many factors associated with the reasons why CHROs are overlooked. Historically, and even today, HR is the function that is most feared, yet not respected or admired. 

The reason I know this is because people have questioned my own decision to go into HR after working in product roles. Second, HR is predominantly female. Third, HR needs a rebrand for what it provides organizations in value—it has poor branding which contributes to how it is perceived. Many still see HR as a policy-creating, risk-averse, static function that lacks modern skills, i.e. data, analytics, content creation, human-centered design, etc. 

What skills can HR folks work on to become more effective business partners? 

They need to focus on the end-to-end experience, communication, and measurement of their users (employees), i.e. are employees happy, are people leaders being coached and supported, are people being invested in, is key pipeline talent being stretched and given opportunities to grow? To do these things well, you should be well versed in coaching, data, and technology stack used (i..e HRIS, talent systems, payroll, etc.).

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important ways that HR can help drive company decisions? Please share a story or an example for each.

1 . Understand your user. The way business leaders obsess over users is the same level of interest HR must-have for their employees. Understand their needs, their pain points, what challenges they face, what skills they are seeking, etc.

By understanding employees, you will be able to predict what needs to be created next. For example, something I like to do is create personas for employees. After collecting data via interviewing and surveys, create personas based on the needs, pain points, interests and roles in your organization. This will help you decide where to focus your strategy and prioritize what is needed first. 

2 . Utilize research to support your hypotheses and decisions. It is easy to go off of hunches, and hunches often come from squeaky wheels or leaders. While this often leads you on the right path, it does not uncover the root problem in the organization because they often have only part of the story. 

For example, if a leader asks you to begin working on an engagement strategy, maybe step back, ask what it is we are solving for, then find ways to uncover the root issues through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. You may discover it is not engagement, but burnout or lack of career paths. 

3 . Believe that what you do matters, because it does. So often, HR spends a lot of time and energy proving their own worth, and I think this effort could be better spent jumping into analysis and problem-solving. For example, time spent explaining the cost of engagement to a business leader is rudimentary, just jump into the issues: here is why we should focus on this one first and so forth. . .

4 . Always focus on the future. The same way in which business leaders use indicators and data to model sales, profits, etc, use tools and data to model what the organization might look like or need to look like. Often it can feel as if hiring or organizational design is on the back foot, but by asking leaders important questions coupled with data you can help model out scenarios that reduce stress and reactivity. 

5 . Measure the formerly immeasurable. When measuring people, we are often measuring behaviors or feelings. And there is a lot of science that allows us to measure this, but HR must be creative in how to capture sentiment. So, by utilizing organizational psychology and data science techniques, i.e. natural language processing, you can provide valuable insights to the business that formerly would be highly tactical to gather.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make when faced with hard decisions? What should one keep in mind to avoid that? 

1. Focusing too much on short-term needs or issues. An over-index on immediate needs can disguise needs that are on the horizon, especially when it comes to HR strategy, i.e. hiring, re-orgs, talent strategies, etc. 

It is more valuable to step back and evaluate what will be needed now and in the future, and often the solutions are different, so collaborating with the business on the paths forward, I have found you often land on the decision that benefits the long term. I understand this is not always the case, but, more often than not, when you think the short term you miss opportunities that otherwise would be written off. 

2. Underestimating how much employees pick up on. Index on greater transparency with kindness; people can handle as much as you give them (within reason).

For example, if there are market impacts or dilemmas, it is important for leaders to share their feelings and insights with their teams, so speak openly about the problems they are facing, instead of pretending it doesn’t exist. Building trust is core to an effective organization. 

3. Forgetting that employees are investments, not costs. People are often one of the most expensive assets to an organization, but they are appreciating—meaning as you invest in them, your company can become better. 

When it comes to cost-cutting, often people are the first to go, and while sometimes this is necessary in times of economic downturn, I think companies often don’t look at other options i.e. no travel for a while, or cutting back frivolous benefits that might not be as necessary as keeping and investing in someone who could impact the business.

That being said, if you have excessive bloat in your organization, that is a real problem but that also means it is often due to poor workforce planning. 

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why?

Dr. Andrew Huberman. He is an incredibly fascinating researcher and speaker. I enjoy listening to his podcast, and the research he often references can be applied to all aspects of life, including work. 

Thank you for your insights, Donna! How can people follow your work?

I mostly write on LinkedIn or on the Parcl blog.

More insights from the series:

• What HR Leaders Can Gain By Becoming “W-Shaped”
• To Be A More Effective Business Partner, Listen And Be Curious
• How HR Can Use Deep Data To Support The Business

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We can all agree that the COVID-19 global pandemic has been a catalytic event when it comes to talent management.

Businesses and employees were forced to work differently for almost two years, which revealed that the impossible was possible and accelerated the adoption of new technologies and ways of working.

But, while the right conversations have been occurring in most companies, we have only seen efforts and resources poured into isolated initiatives that have had a marginal improvement to the overall employee experience and employee engagement outcomes (e.g. hybrid work or restricted flexibility). 

When it comes to transforming talent management, it’s not a game of either/or but a strategic choice of AND. If companies are serious about winning the so-called “war on talent,” they must embrace the systemic nature of talent management.

In order to really move the needle and create sustainable change, businesses must consider multifaceted and integrated changes to talent management structures, talent-related key processes, talent management metrics, people skills AND corporate culture.

Addressing just one or a few of the dimensions within the talent management system will only create a short-term illusion of progress.

For example, a company may be able to attract great talent due to a strong buzz about their mission-driven set of initiatives, but without reengineering their employee performance process and career development pathways they won’t be able to retain that great talent.

So, where to start? 

1. Following a system-thinking approach, develop your integrated and multifaceted roadmap (more on this below).

For example, many companies are putting a lot of effort into recruiting diverse talent, but many fail to connect that to talent metrics such as innovation. As a consequence, diversity recruiting becomes a “checkbox” activity that is not linked to any business outcome.

2. Align the entire senior leadership team around the roadmap

The plan would not be complete without a strong link to the company’s strategy and business outcomes. Avoid developing the plan only within the walls of the HR function. The ownership of the plan must be shared among senior leadership and they must hold themselves accountable to it. It should not be “just an HR thing”!

3. Double down on corporate culture

Culture is the glue that holds everything together, so make sure enough effort is put into achieving the culture that will enable your talent management roadmap. Without that, nothing will stick.

Building The Roadmap 

Businesses are ecosystems just like the human body, representing a complex network of interconnected systems.

Each of these systems represents a set of parts working together to fulfill a specific purpose. Thus, when trying to solve a problem within any one system, we must do a deep dive into each supporting part in order to find the solution. In the world of talent management, these are the organizational dimensions that I describe below. 

Finding the right talent that enables the evolution and growth of an organization requires companies to analyze three questions: how talent decisions are made, how talent potential is identified and developed, and how effective leadership is at managing talent.

To address all three of those questions, we must look at five organizational dimensions, or parts, within our talent management system, as shown in the picture below.

Keep in mind, the answers will vary among different companies, but the key is ensuring that there is a strong alignment between all five components.

To drive sustainable change, you must address ALL five organizational dimensions within your talent management roadmap. There is a cause-and-effect relationship among all five of those dimensions, so it’s important to understand the interdependencies within the system. 

Remember you are trying to win the “war in talent”, not just one or two battles. I’ll unpack each element in a bit more detail.

Structure 

As human beings, we tend to hire people similar to ourselves or what we’re used to seeing. Thus, when the decision of hiring is owned by just one individual, the risk of “cloning” increases. Ensuring hiring decisions are divided between a group of individuals helps decrease such risk and builds shared ownership (“our talent”).

Key Processes

Building shared ownership is not enough if talent decisions aren’t directly linked to the company’s strategic direction. Talent decisions are not made to fix the past but are made to enable the future of an organization. 

Therefore, it’s critical to establish a robust workforce planning process that is continuously adapting to the dynamic demands of the environment. 

Equally important is to reimagine the talent performance review process so it can help the organization identify talent potential and fuel its growth.

Performance review processes built on the basis of popularity contests versus employee skills won’t support the company’s growth because the wrong people are rewarded (the “groupie effect”). Talented people won’t stick around if they feel they are being assessed unfairly.

Metrics

Every system requires a feedback loop so it can continuously adapt and improve. The talent management system is no exception, but, in many cases, a lot of the wrong things are being measured.

Building shared talent ownership and some terrific workforce planning processes won’t matter if the talent management system doesn’t generate the right outcomes.

Thus, we must be diligent in identifying the right set of metrics that can signal whether the system is working well and adequately identify areas of improvement.

By shifting attention to leading organizational indicators that are directly linked to the company’s strategy, we give our talent management system the best chance to succeed. 

For example, your talent management system should be measuring innovation, learning agility, and adaptability or change resilience. 

Pro tip: remember you are measuring the success of a system and not of an individual.

People Skills

This is a very trendy topic lately. There are some excellent discussions about organizational skills as well as how to identify and monitor them.

The phrase “skills as the new currency” is spot on and I hope those discussions are already taking place at your company.

However, it’s not just about the skills that people bring to the organization, but also the skills employees can develop and grow once inside the organization. 

Career development opportunities are a strong motivator for top talent, thus the reason why our talent management system must ensure to provide them.

Those career opportunities should offer a wide range of pathways and personalized avenues to support and attract a diverse employee base and a constantly evolving business environment. 

Career pathways must be aligned and aimed toward the talent management measures chosen in the previous step—otherwise, the company may be developing a lot of talent it doesn’t need. 

Culture

Last but not least is culture or, in other words, our collective beliefs. Culture is the glue that holds everything together, so without a collective belief that supports the chosen people’s skills, measures, key processes, and structure, there will be no chance for sustainable talent management changes.

The key to evolving a company’s collective beliefs is its leadership. Focusing on developing the right leaders with a consistent set of corporate mindsets is fundamental for the success your talent management system.

It’s the leaders of a company who nurture the collective beliefs of an organization, which is why any organization must always invest in its leaders.

So, What’s Next? 

If you aren’t getting what you need from your existing talent management plan, I would strongly encourage you to do something different and follow my previous recommendations. 

You will not generate different outcomes by continuing to do the same things. Your talent management roadmap is a multiyear journey, so the sooner you start the better.

The so-called “war for talent” is only going to get more intense, therefore early adopters and risk-takers could develop a competitive advantage. The question is: are you in or out of this game?!

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments or connect with me via LinkedIn.

Some further resources to help you with your talent management:

• How To Create An Efficient, Sustainable Growth Hiring Plan
• What Is Succession Planning? How To Develop Your Next Great Leaders
• How To Conduct A Better Performance Review

The post How To Ensure Your Talent Management Efforts Will Generate Sustainable Change appeared first on People Managing People.

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Most leaders don’t see how to employ HR as a strategic pillar of the business and this leaves a lot of professionals feeling somewhat frustrated. In this interview series, we talk to HR professionals and business leaders to learn why and how HR should help drive company decisions.

Jeanne Cordisco serves as Chief People Officer at O’Reilly Media. In her current role, she’s responsible for leading O’Reilly’s overall people strategy, global talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion initiatives, cultural and employee development, compensation and benefits, HR operations and technology, and employee relations. 

As CPO, she has changed the function, culture, and impact of HR across the company to support its business goals and strategies, as well as the needs and aspirations of its 500 employees around the world. 

Hi Jeanne, welcome to the series! Before we dive in, we’d love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you got started?

Born in Honolulu, HI and raised in Southern Africa, I had a bit of an unconventional upbringing. But, as unconventional as it seemed to so many, it was all that I knew and, now, what I am unequivocally grateful for. 

From a young age, I always knew that my professional path would lead me to a people-oriented career. I studied pre-health sciences with the idea of pursuing a career in medicine until I graduated from college and took a “temporary” role in B2B sales that catapulted me into a 12-year career of helping C-suite executives solve business problems and put my dreams of being a pediatrician in the rearview mirror.

I remember the moment when someone said to me “you’d be great in HR” and I laughed and naively thought “you couldn’t pay me enough to do that.” The irony of now holding a chief people officer position is not lost on me when I think back on all of the steps (and missteps) it took for me to land in the role I’m in today. 

What I knew at my core is that no matter what I decided to pursue, I wanted to be in a job that helps people and I feel so fortunate that I am now in one that is accountable for helping, motivating, and ensuring the best career experience for a very special global team of brilliant people.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting?

The words of my 5-year-old daughter (“Mommy, my brain grew today because I made a mistake”) put the idea of making mistakes into perspective for me. What she learned in kindergarten was a life lesson that took me all of my childhood and becoming a mother to finally realize and, more importantly, accept. 

Mistakes are vastly important in our personal and professional development to not only use as a reference point when making decisions, but also as a way to build grit and resilience. I have made so many mistakes (and still do!) that I could likely write a novel in response to this question, but one in particular sticks out as funny, only slightly catastrophic, and helped my brain grow tremendously. 

I was a brand-new sales development representative and was responsible for cold-calling chief financial officers at healthcare institutions to schedule time between them and the sales representative who I was partnered with to introduce them to our company’s product and potential solutions to their business challenges.

During our onboarding, my peers and I had been trained to diligently research every prospect we planned to call. We determined a hook for every conversation and customized our script based on what we thought we knew about the business of our prospects.

I was feeling particularly confident going into one call for a large potential client and was completely caught off guard when someone answered “Hello?”. I panicked, called my prospect by the wrong name, began to stumble over my words and could not make coherent sense of anything I ultimately wanted to say. 

The mistake I made in this situation was not how I botched my sales pitch, couldn’t string together a full sentence, or addressed the female who picked up the phone as David. It was that I hadn’t done enough research to know that the prospect I intended to call (and prepared my pitch for) had recently been let go and their successor was who answered the phone. 

Had I been more prepared, I could have pivoted, carried the conversation in a respectable manner and landed the meeting by citing relevant content that could help her acclimate to her new role. 

Instead, the woman (who was slightly insulted by my calling her David), refused to schedule time with me and we lost the deal. I think back on this situation frequently, and think about how I could have handled the situation differently. 

Lack of preparation was at the heart of my failure that day and, since then, I am maniacal about ensuring that I know as much as I can before I tackle a challenge – especially one that comes with a large revenue amount! 

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

My sister, Mackenzie, is the person in my life who has always pushed me to be my best self. In some respects, my early-life motivation and determination were driven by natural sibling rivalry and competition. 

As we have grown into accomplished adults, she has been a constant driving force behind my success. She has provided me with support, encouragement, and, at times, very deserved harsh feedback that set me straight but allowed me to feel safe when I’ve been at my most vulnerable. 

A particular instance comes to mind when I first started in my current role and had a bad case of imposter syndrome.

I called Mackenzie in a panic and told her that I didn’t think I could do “it” to which her response was “what exactly is “it,” Jeanne?”

When I dramatically responded saying it was everything, she helped me break my feeling of being overwhelmed into bite-sized pieces. She forced me to categorize everything that was making me question my ability into things I could control, and those that I couldn’t. 

She reminded me of my favorite quote (and one that I taught her): “Control the controllables and don’t worry about anything else”. It was at that moment that I knew, no matter how big or small the issues I was facing were, she would always be my anchor, my cheerleader, and my most justified critic. Thanks, Mackenzie!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? 

Control the controllables. As a wife, a doting mother of two young children, and someone who has fallen into her dream job that comes with a lot of responsibility and (mostly self-induced) pressure, I get overwhelmed if I allow myself to focus on the things I can not control vs. those that I can. 

Controlling the controllables gives me a sense of power to get things accomplished, helps me plan and stay organized, and takes the pressure off of feeling like I have failed if I couldn’t control the outcome of what happened. I operate with a crisp, relaxed, and happy mind when I live by this mantra. 

Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self?

Worry less! Take bigger risks! Make mistakes and learn from them! 

Let’s now move to the central part of our interview about HR. Why do you think HR deserves a place in the boardroom and in high-level decision-making? Can you help articulate how a company will gain from that?

All too often, HR is considered a support function that is brought in to execute on a strategic plan without actually contributing to the plan formation and strategy in the first place. 

In order for companies to charge forward with a solid, unwavering strategy, they must take their existing talent’s ability and skills into consideration. If there is misalignment between the plan and what their talent can actually accomplish, the strategy will ultimately fail. 

HR’s involvement in high-level decision-making is to force the difficult conversations to happen around whether the strategy is realistically achievable through people, a company’s most valuable asset.

If HR is involved from the get-go, the strategy will be set with thoughtful consideration around ways in which to use talent to the company’s advantage and where the company will need to invest to make up for any skill gaps or talent voids. 

From your experience, how can HR people and culture professionals ensure they’re involved in strategic planning processes? 

HR professionals can play a key role in shaping strategy and contributing to their company’s future success because they have the advantage of knowing the workforce better than most others in the organization. 

HR professionals are uniquely skilled to help organizations with strategic planning because successful strategic plans depend on effective human resource allocation while also considering many factors as the strategy is built. 

Cultural alignment, employee engagement and buy-in, effective communication and change management, and purposeful execution are all areas that HR professionals can drive and support as the strategy is formulated. If any of those factors are ignored, the likelihood of strategic success is much lower than a plan that considers each of those key components. 

A lot of folks believe that CHROs would make great CEOs, but often they’re overlooked. Why do you think that is?

HR has often been historically considered the “behind the scenes” administrative function that focuses on people only. 

Often, CHROs are professionals who solely “grew up” in the HR function and were not given an opportunity to acquire sufficient technical and financial skills, broad managerial experience, and profit and loss (P&L) responsibility throughout their career. 

So, although they are the experts when it comes to people-focused strategies and decisions, they are insufficiently equipped with the skills to make an exemplary general manager. 

Interestingly, CEOs and CHROs tend to share common traits such as emotional competence, leadership style, and critical thinking skills. I think we’ll continue to see the newly emerging trend of CHROs becoming CEOs as companies invest more in the general development of their heads of HR. 

What skills can HR folks work on to become more effective business partners?

Most importantly, HR professionals must take the initiative to understand the business in its entirety. Other important skills a human resources business partner should build include effective organizational development and workforce planning, cultural and diversity awareness, and talent/succession planning.

All of these skills will contribute to the success of teams that they partner with as they think about their people and the employee experience in a more strategic manner. 

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important ways that HR can help drive company decisions? Please share a story or an example for each. 

From my experience, HR can help drive company decisions for their ability to:

1 . Tie individual objectives to business strategy. Directly tying individual employee performance goals to the strategic objectives of the organization is a great way to engage employees and put strategy at the heart of operations. When Joe Smith sits down at his desk every morning and understands why his work matters, Joe works harder, more efficiently, and has higher job satisfaction when he can tangibly see the results of his work in the overall business results. 

2 . Embrace risk.

Embracing risk forces us to step out of our comfort zones. Our competition continually plays to win and, seemingly, is not satisfied with the status quo.

Hr provides a safe environment to step outside of our comfort zone and into the arena of risk, reverses our mindset, and allows us to meet the challenge of our competition while providing us with the motivation to be better than yesterday.

3 . Welcome the challenge. HR deals with many issues, including recruitment, retention and motivation, professional development, and corporate culture. Addressing these issues is a continual and time-consuming process, but are challenges that are essential to overcome in order to establish a happy workforce and a successful, high-functioning company. 

As such, people issues are board-level issues. As the people-centric function of the company, HR is highly in touch with the extent of which these issues exist and would welcome the opportunity to collaborate on decisions that will mutually improve individual and organizational effectiveness.

4 . Always keep the big picture in mind. Big-picture thinking is critical to understanding what is possible in the present and in the future. As mentioned above, HR holds the advantage of knowing the workforce better than most others in the organization and, because of this, is able to think about the overall picture when a decision of any size is being made. 

The benefit of big picture thinking is that it allows you to see opportunities for improvement without considering them failures or weaknesses. It also allows you to bring that big picture view to your communication and it serves to reinforce the real reason for why you do what you do.

5 . Operate without blinders. There’s a phenomenon called “bounded awareness” in the decision-making process which causes people to ignore critical information when making decisions. 

This can happen when someone fails to see or seek out important information needed to make a decision or fails to use the information because they aren’t sure of its relevance. HR can help decision-makers become more aware of what’s happening within their workforce and how certain decisions might affect them or be perceived.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make when faced with hard decisions? What should one keep in mind to avoid that? 

1. Rushing to conclusions. Assuming that a current situation mirrors a previous experience, and applying the same logic to the new situation without determining all of the relevant facts or context, is a result of being unaware of one’s own bias. 

When a company’s leadership immediately thinks about how to solve a problem based on the way they formerly solved a different problem, it creates an issue of jumping to conclusions without pragmatically thinking through the appropriate course(s) of action. Assessing a situation from multiple perspectives is the best way to avoid jumping to conclusions. Challenge initial assumptions, treat each situation as unique, and don’t accept information at face value are ways to ensure companies’ success. 

2. Overanalyzing information. There is very little clarity around what the “right decisions” should be for any company’s leadership. If it were more clear, life would be a heck of a lot simpler. But, without the clarity, decision-making is difficult and information given to us to help make those decisions is often suboptimal. 

Companies should not get stuck on waiting for more or new information. They must decide and act to prevent a situation from worsening with the information that they have. Of course, allowing for flexibility and quick pivoting ensures companies’ successful ability to shift course when receiving better information but “analysis paralysis” reduces business productivity and lessens the trust and faith employees have in their leadership. 

3. Fear of delegation and shared accountability. Although most executives would agree that delegating is crucial to a business’s success, many still micromanage in such a way that they continue to control most aspects of the work. Conversely, executives to whom delegation comes more easily say it has been crucial to their business’s success. 

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. 

This is a really tough question for me to answer! There are so many people who I am inspired by. Ultimately, I’d love to have lunch with Serena Williams. Serena is not only an athlete, but she is a great mother, a wife, a friend, and a role model to everyone – something that I would love to be! 

She has endured hardship, broke through barriers, and paved the way for so many who, before Serena, couldn’t imagine a world different than only that which they knew. She has shown so many people what the results of working hard, chasing dreams, and being the definition of the greatest of all time looks like. I have so many questions for her!

Thank you for your insights, Jeanne! How can our readers further follow your work?

Reach out to me on LinkedIn! I would love to connect.

More insights from the series:

• What HR Leaders Can Gain By Becoming “W-Shaped”
• To Be A More Effective Business Partner, Listen And Be Curious
• How HR Can Use Deep Data To Support The Business

The post HR Leaders: Learn To Embrace Risk And Step Our Your Comfort Zone appeared first on People Managing People.

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