PIHRA Scope - Fall 2008 - (Page 8) Be Strategic, Engage Staff, Deliver Value – The HR Advantage! By Barbara Sanfilippo, PIHRA CSP, CPAE Conference Romano & Sanfilippo 2008 Speaker 1 FEATURE has become the buzzword of the day. Companies are clamoring to create a fresh new logo and identity complete with an unforgettable tag line and glossy brochures. What these companies fail to understand is that what truly makes an impact on their business success is not the look of their marketing materials, it’s the attitude of their employees. Basically, we all have similar services so your staff must recognize they are the brand! We continually assure our customers that we are committed to serving them well. While this is certainly commendable, we can’t possibly deliver on our brand promise if we don’t first get our employees to understand it, live it and believe it. As a human resource professional, you recognize the value of human talent and are uniquely positioned to impact the culture of your company. If you want to advance your career and be viewed as contributor, be sure to avoid these five pitfalls: Pitfall #1: You are not viewed as a strategic partner or key player. Solution: Tie your deliverables to the strategic plan—Make sure you have a copy of the strategic plan and do everything you can to tie your goals to strategic initiatives that impact culture, revenue and employee behaviors. Make a point of understanding the key goals of your firm and other departments. For example, I know an HR director that approached a regional VP in her company and offered to personally train his staff on cross-selling skills. The VP had major goals to reach and was considering engaging a consulting company. 8 PIHRAScope Fall 2008 Re-branding 2 Instead, he gave her the opportunity to assist him. As a result, she made a positive impression and was then asked to be part of a key strategic team. Pitfall #2: You are not positioned as a business partner and consultant with strong internal relationships. Solution: Just like sales reps and consultants call on customers, you need to make calls on your internal customers to determine their needs, challenges and show how you can help them. Human resource professionals are often viewed as an expense; therefore it is critical for you to create value—especially with departments that impact revenue. Meet with internal advocates and key influencers to learn more about them. Remember to ask the magic question, “What are your strategic goals and how can I help you achieve them?” Also, ask for a copy of their department’s strategic plan and goals and find a way to add value. Suggest a breakfast or lunch meeting and remember to send “thank you” notes and follow up on promises. You want to be viewed as responsive and supportive. For example, recently we were working with a company to improve the customer experience and engage staff. My contact person was the HR director and she set the example for internal service by: interviewing her internal clients for expectations, creating service standards and then sending out internal service satisfaction surveys to see how her department was doing in meeting the expectations of her internal clients. As a result her credibility increased and she was able to get buyin from the rest of the organization in following her example.
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