HR leaders who have achieved the top rung in the organization are viewed as having made it, but they have a tremendous responsibility: to tell it like it is. Unfortunately, it seems that some are more concerned about job se-curity than job responsibility. Those who do not give honest opinions should be removed from off ice because they not only are not creating value but also may be destroying it by serving as “yes-sirs.”
Additionally, it is critical that HR executives respect confidences, which means not sharing information received from the CEO as well as not
breaking conf idences of those on the same organizational level or lower.
This gets a little trickier when it is something the CEO should know. If it is something that can truly be anonymous, f ine; if not, then the source has to be encouraged to either pass it on directly or permit the HR exec-utive to do so.
The HR executive can be especially helpful in getting a new CEO up to speed. It is also critical for the HR executive because the new CEO is also determining whether the person will be on the team. The f irst 30 days are important; the f irst week is crucial. The outstanding HR executive will have the schedule prepared and the action scripted before the CEO takes the job. The old clique, “You never get a second chance to make a f irst impression,” is critical for both the CEO and the HR executive.
Much has been written about greedy, arrogant CEOs who believe they are not accountable to anyone—not the board, not the shareholders, and not the law. A HR person stepping into this situation has an almost im-possible transformational change challenge. But does that mean blind obe-dience and even support for unethical, if not illegal, activities? Obviously not! And if the HR executive cannot change the CEO’s view, it would be appropriate to seek career alternatives elsewhere. Unfortunately, a few HR executives seem more swayed by hefty bonuses and stock options than by doing the right thing.
If cost reduction is required, start at the top. It’s diff icult to get much support from the workforce losing jobs when the top executives not only keep theirs but also get a bonus for cutting costs. The workforce is more than “human resources.” They are individuals. Remember that when re-ducing “headcount.”
Fortunately, most CEOs do look for and value the advice of someone they can trust—a person with good judgment and an ability to keep con-f idences. The really smart ones look con-for those who believe honesty is more important than silent compliance. The senior HR executive is the logical choice to be this advisor. He or she is similar to the consigliore to the mafia don. The nature of the function is that its constituency is the workforce, the prime factor in determining company success. How business decisions are going to affect them will affect the success of the company. The HR executive must remember that to be truly outstanding in the job, the indi-vidual must be respected and trusted throughout the organization, not
sim-ply at the top. And without integrity, how can there be trust? At all times, executives must be open, honest, and deliver on promises. It is absurd to be-lieve workers will give their best if they do not feel appreciated. Treat em-ployees right, and they will treat the company right. It may be tempting to agree with the CEO rather than stand up for the workforce. But an HR executive who sells out the workforce should be removed from the posi-tion because the workforce will know they lack a champion, and their un-derperformance will signif icantly affect the success of the business.
Conclusion
For decades the cry was heard from HR people that they deserved a seat at the management table as a business partner. And, surprise: Many com-panies concluded this was appropriate. But few have been prepared to take on this responsibility. They are still focused on transactions, not transi-tions. Rather than eliminating non-value-added work, they attend confer-ences and programs to be more prof icient in doing non-value-added work.
Unless these individuals take on development opportunities to under-stand what is required to be a successful business partner and employee champion, they will forever be in the category of a “never-will-wannabe.”
Service providers have to ask themselves whether they are providing the right programs for those interested in taking on learning responsibilities to prepare themselves to be an outstanding HR professional, rather than sim-ply focusing on non-value-added transactional work.
Was it not Lord Tennyson who wrote, “to strive, to seek, to f ind, and not to yield”? Being an outstanding HR executive is not easy, but it is very important to the workforce and, therefore, to the company. And doing it well is both professionally and personally rewarding.
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