Some advice

Last week, the last week at my most recent job, I was asked for some advice from an intern working in the Talent & Culture (HR) office. Here is a bit of what I offered:

• Go into HR because you truly love people. In my experience, people get into HR either because of people or power. Don't get into Human Resources if you're interested in power or being the principal's office. The same goes for leadership. Get into HR or leadership because you're interested in being a part of the company that can transform culture in order to bring out the best in people and the business.

  
  

  I've been doing this for 25 years now and yes, I have held power in my position, but what I am more interested in holding is the development and empowerment of people, using the influence that comes with that power to ensure that culture is leading the company's success. Power does indeed comes with titles and experience, power should be used for making or influencing decisions that forward the vision of both the company and the people working there. If you have to walk around reminding everyone of how much power you have, you likely don't have power, but rather compliance. Compliance doesn't inspire great culture, and a culture of compliance for compliance's sake doesn't forward greatness in companies.

  
  

• Know the business. The best short piece of advice I can give for being the best day-to-day HR professional is to learn and know the business. Know what is happening in the operation, know what the employees in your company do, understand the financials, know enough in order to get a feel for what is truly needed by the people in the organization. How can HR be a strategic business partner if they don't know the business. If HR doesn't understand what is going on in the operation, its processess will likely turn into checklist items instead of integral parts of plans to improve the business goals and the people doing the work. You can't forward Vision if you can't see what is really going on.

  
  

• Make going to the HR office easy. Build relationships, get to know your employees, let them see you every day, or very often. Walk around, let them know you're open to a conversation, build trust by being seen as a human being who also drinks coffee or eats lunch or had a good weekend. Be someone employees want to see and talk to. No matter how many times you remind about your company's open door policy, or how many hotlines or safe harbors you set up, you won't have trust or an open anything if employees don't feel comfortable that they can go to you when it really matters. This is not easy. It takes work and time and getting to know people. Walking the talk or adhering to the words in a well-written handbook doesn't come easily, but it does come if you make the effort and make it easier. Walk around in the morning, walk around in the afternoon, keep office hours that match the hours of your business, work in areas outside of the HR office. But most of all, make approaching you easy. Make the HR office a place everyone wants to visit, even when they don't need to. Because if they want to visit anytime, they'll be sure to visit when it matters most.

Of course, there is so much more that goes into being a good HR professional but these were my three main areas of advice. I have found that really good HR can make all the difference in the success of a company, but only when HR cares about the company's people first.

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”~Richard branson