C’mon everyone, let’s wake up to what’s happening, and the challenges and opportunities that are in front of us … Whatever your politics, wherever you live, whatever you do, trillions of dollars of wealth have disappeared and the global economy is shifting and sliding fast.
Here’s one of my stimulus ideas – give HR leaders a bigger and better seat at the table! And HR Leaders, let’s deserve it by coming to that table with new ideas about work, productivity, employees and engagement, customers, markets and talent.
In a world where economies, markets and companies are at best, shifting, and worst, collapsing, HR talent has never been more critical. The stock market is like Disney’s Tower of Terror Ride – drop, bounce; drop, bounce; drop, bounce – and the economy lands with a new thud every week.
An organization’s talent has never been more important. Some of you might be thinking what is an “HRpreneur”? HRpreneurs possess the traits outlined by Tod Loofbourrow, Chairman of Authoria, and summarized in Jason Corsello’s “Human Capitalist” blog. These traits include: Business Acumen, Analytical and Objective Mindset, Accountability, and Confidence.
What I’d add are “entrepreneurial traits” as well. Traits like being able to make decisions based on limited information (we’ll never have all the information we need, especially in fast changing environments), knowing your own weaknesses and complementing them with your team, taking calculated risks and learning quickly from mistakes, and finally, partnering with others (inside and outside the organization).
HR has never been MORE important and relevant than it is today. Sadly, if we don’t step up and aggressively join the conversation, we could find it’s never been LESS powerful either!
It takes collaboration skills combined with entrepreneurial commitment and resilience – what some would call “grit” — to move over, around and through the tough spots that are in front of us and to take advantage of the opportunities we’ll find. It’s not just about skills and experience in our profession. It’s about behavioral competencies as well.
So HR Leaders, take your rightful seat at the table. Show your entrepreneurial skills and business acumen. Ask the right questions, not the politically correct ones. Redesign the work and help the organization think about talent in different ways to take advantage of market shifts before your competitors. Use the power of employee and customer engagement to vault over them. Fight for the new face of talent, assimilate the wisdom of crowds and harness the power of those who love your organization and brand.
Tags: economic stimulus, entrepreneurial skills, global economy, HR, productivity
