Traditionalists Will Not Succeed in HR In Today's Environment

This is not a controversial subject at all I would think given the environment today. If you want to get into HR today, you need to understand business and economics, and I do not mean just the rudiments. You also still have to be people oriented but that is not why you get into this field. Here is why traditional HR people will not succeed today:

  • Your CEO wants business people, not just people people,
  • You have to have a close and intimate working relationship with your CEO and executive team,
  • HR should not be focused on administration like it was 10, 15 or 20 years ago,
  • You have to think like a business person and understand the economics of business,
  • You have to talk business speak, not HR speak and people need to know you can back up your business speak,
  • You have to add immediate value and ROI in everything you do,
  • If you do not understand and grow and retain talent, you are out,
  • You need to be smart about social media and how to attract the right talent to your business,
  • If you do not understand global competition and exchange you lose,
  • You have to know how to adjust to changing environments like driving a Formula One race car,
  • You need to be flexible, act with speed, and decisiveness and have the RIGHT answers and solutions,
  • You need to be compassionate yet honest in your discussions with people, not beat around the bush like most HR people,
  • Phoneys will not make it today and that will cut out about 50% of the HR people in corporations today,
  • You have to be someone who could potentially take the COO/CEO position some day.
  • You need to understand and explain balance sheets and corporate accounting & finance.
And you can fill in all the other blocks on how to make it today in HR. This is just the tip of the iceberg on what it will take to be in HR today. Do you agree?