Over the last two decades, the market has indicated a rise in number of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs), while the adoption of automation tools has caused a decline in the retention of Chief Operating Officers (COOs) and Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). Despite the increase in CHRO retention, there still remains some pushback from CEOs in regard to their strategic acumen.
According to recent data presented at the Visionaries Summit by Professor Rick Smith, Johns Hopkins University, Faculty Director, Human Capital Development Lab:
- 55% of CEOs view CHROs as being a key player in strategy.
- 48% of CEOs view CHROs as having strategic business skills.
- & only 36% of CEOs think that the CHRO role is clearly understood by fellow leadership.
What steps can be taken to help the CHRO role become more strategic and more clearly defined?
Understand the business as a whole. The main focus of a CHRO lies with the people inside the organization. One of the most beneficial ways to support fellow colleagues is to understand the challenges they face. Ask guiding questions regarding the situations and people that affect their role in the workplace, whether that be: co-workers, clients, Sales Goals, etc. This will aid the CHRO to better understand: What are the different viewpoints? Are there cultural/religious differences? How do they communicate best? How can I best guide them to connect on the same level?
Sit with the different teams and learn from them. Sit with different team members in all of the departments to fully grasp the full scope of their role. Understand any and all challenges they may be facing, the different team dynamics, realistic timelines for operations, and what tools each team utilizes. Additionally, through attending department meetings, there will be a deeper understanding of all operations to better navigate and strategize strengthening the team.
Create a growth roadmap for employees. Take the initiative to help develop employees’ career path. Offer continued learning opportunities to further enhance your teams’ skills. Speak with team members regarding their career goals and make a plan with them to achieve each victory on the road to success.
Throughout each of these steps, it will be important to understand “why” colleagues operate in the manners they do and how to best support them. Employees will find a new appreciation for their CHROs as they will be considered more of an active member of the leadership team. Adapting small changes to include the Human Resources more in the day-to-day of all departments can help close the disconnect between their team and other leaders in the organization.
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