Why HR Means “Hopelessly Removed”
I usually include in my speeches and workshops the admonition to focus on true economic buyers and, therefore, eschew at all costs the HR department and its concerns with “deliverables” and hourly rates and the fad-of-the-month. There is an occasional exception, and I’ve run into exactly two in 25 years of consulting, not quite enough to challenge the rule.
In fact, I have an open offer to find me three HR executives who spent their careers in HR and were promoted to the CEO position of a Fortune 500 company over the past five years. I think they’re sightly rarer than unicorns. General counsels, actuaries, sales vice presidents, manufacturing general managers: yes. HR executives: no.
I was explaining this at a recent Million Dollar Consulting® College, and someone actually googled the notion and career path, and couldn’t find anyone. In fact, he turned up this reference about why HR executives can’t become CEOs!
http://www.drjohnsullivan.com/newsletter-archives/51-why-vps-of-hr-never-become-ceos
There are some wonderful people in HR, but there are also people who have been marginalized by their own organizations, who tend to apply brakes instead of acceleration, and who are in love with training programs and participants’ smile sheets instead of effective interventions and actual measurable results.
My advice to consultants hasn’t changed for years, and shows no prospects of having to change: Find the economic buyer, usually a line executive, who has need, budget, and the urgency to act.
© Alan Weiss 2011. All rights reserved.
Chris Eldridge
Well said Alan! HR has missed the point generally and focussed just on the ‘resources’ side not the ‘human’ side. We have built a very successful consulting business in Brisbane, Australia over the last 6 years by remembering people are what makes an organisation get things done. Our people have resonated with our tagline: “Humans, Not Resources”. It is our ‘shot across the bows’ at the current corporate world. And it works too!
Sunetra Mainkar
Dear Alan,
This has reference to your blog -Why HR Means “Hopelessly Removed”.
I am Engineer who has through good HR policies and Practices of a wonderful Organization like Thermax got the opportunity to work is various functions including a People Function -like Technical Training.
I am a witness to and a part of value additions that HR can make to the Human Functions in an Organization right from Recruitment to Seperations.
The essense lies in the intention & rigour that an HR person puts into these deliverable and the support and intentions of the Top Management.
An HR person can either manipulate or enhance critical transitions in people’s professional growth.
However to generalise that “HR means hopelessly removed” is ignoring good work put in by so many people around the world… Most of the time things happening in the background -(out of sight is out of mind) are smooth and effortless because there is someone at work…….
HR is the easiest target… your objective analysis of all functions is welcome.
And suggestions on “meaningful” intervention by HR are most welcome!
Regards Sunetra
Alan Weiss
Sunetra, thanks for writing. I’m happy you’re the beneficiary of good HR support. I have to report on what I see as the norms, however, not the exceptions.