What Do Managers Want from HR?

When Conventional HR Wisdom Isn't

You're in HR. You want respect. You want respect from all levels of management.

You want (gulp, argh): " A seat at the table!"

If so, first do some of the grocery shopping, set the table, help cook the meal, and wash the dishes. I think  you'll find a place card with your name on it--written in permanent ink.

But here's my cheesy rhetorical question of the day: Is that the message HR people are hearing from the profession?

• Strategizing For HR from HR Magazine

• Sibson Consulting's in-depth How HR Leaders Are Getting And Keeping A Seat At The Table.

This isn't a rant about HR. I've been part of an HR department at a major corporation and work alongside  HR execs all the time.

What it is: A response to a real-life CEO's recently-expressed concern that HR needed to be more involved in helping managers and employees implement changes. His hope is for HR to use OD, employee communication, and behavioral expertise to be part of day-to-day  execution.

He's not worried about the strategy. He wants everyone focused on making it happen.

Is Strategy Just More Fun Than Implementing?

Have a look at the Google search results for a few variations of strategy vs. implementation:

When it comes to "change", strategy has the edge over implementation.

When it comes to HR, strategy shows up nearly 8 times more than implementation.

What Managers Say They Want from HR

A while back, Nick Burkholder wrote for HR Leaders about the issue. He asked 30 line managers in different industries throughout the U.S. what they really thought of HR. There were positive comments in the feedback. For his (and our) purposes, here is a partial shopping list of the managers' remarks:

• Don't say you want to be a partner, be one. Real partners don't just say it, they do it. No one cares what HR wants. I don't care what anyone wants except my customers. Stop obsessing about a seat at the table. Prove your value and when you should have one you will.

• Have some understanding of what I do. Every person is different and so is every business unit. Take the time to know what is different about us, how we work.

• Walk with me. Periodically be with me as I face the routine, don't just be there for the celebrations and troubles.

• Help me to do the right thing. I want to do the right thing, work with me so I can understand. Help me to help my people and very importantly, my management to understand.

• Be proactive. I value the HR perspective but all too often it is hindsight offered in the midst of dealing with a problem that probably could have been avoided. Think ahead, sit with me and plan ahead.

• Explain, don't tell. I don't want my employees to do what I tell them, I want them to do what they understand. HR should be the same way. "HR" is preachier than "Personnel" was.

• Help me to accomplish my objectives. Review them with me and tell me how HR may be able to help. I'm confident HR could be a big help with what really matters to my job and career. Everything else is at best secondary to me.

• You don't have to come to all my meetings. There seems to be two types of HR professionals. Those that attend all my staff meetings and those that are rarely if ever seen. Come if and when it will be of value -- to both of us -- otherwise don't. You must have something more important to do.

• Admit when you make mistakes. In my experience HR has a tendency to be the master of obfuscation -- such that I can only assume they're ducking responsibly. The rest of the business world knows it makes mistakes and is better at fessing up.

• Give me a chance to address differences before going around me. You have to give supervisors the chance to address issues with staff or management before blowing a whistle on them. Most of us learned this when we first started working and I really resent it when the HR police get involved.

The Lesson

Managers are looking for help in a lot of different ways. They want applied expertise, not philosophical advice. Strategy doesn't seem to be a burning, or even smoldering, issue.

Here's a related, personal aside.

My consulting practice has proven to be a parallel experience. Clients want a particular expertise and experience. They are willing to have a deep discussion about the situation at hand. Once the discussion is over, I'm expected to do something or help others do something. Without the action there's just no value.

When former U.S. President Harry Truman was asked if he had a rule of thumb for success, his response was Trumanesquely brief and poignant:

                "Find out what people want and then help them get it."

The conversation is open to Managers, HR, and employees: What do you think would be most helpful to HR folks when it comes to increasing credibility, effectiveness, and organizational influence?

_____________________________

If you haven't visited them yet, be sure to learn even more about HR, Talent and Management via Fistful of Talent, Rowan Manahan's Fortify Your Oasis, and Dan McCarthy's Great Leadership (especially Great Leadership Updates. How to actually manage is the purview of experienced management authority Wally Bock at Three Star Leadership and Lisa Haneberg of Management Craft.

Comments

[Jo Jordan]

Good list

[Steve Roesler]

Jo,

Hope all is going well over there...

[Bohdan]

I'd say the first bullet is by far the most important. Don't ask for a seat, be someone that will be asked. Besides, it has been my experience that most decisions don't get made in meetings. They get made in offices, hallways, and walking the floor.

Earn the personal respect (through expertise and execution) that will give your words and actions weight. And remember that HR isn't there to be the name on the billboard, but to make sure everyone else looks good.

When everyone that works with HR is and becomes a success then everyone will want HR around.

[Wally Bock]

Great list, Steve. I especially like "Explain, don't tell." I would add, "Don't just tell me what I can't do. Help me find a solution among the things I can do."

[Steve Roesler]

Bohdan,

Your last line is the million-dollar one. It would make a terrific screensaver.

[Steve Roesler]

Wally,

Your experience is showing again.

I've always figured that at least half of a manager's pay is for getting obstacles out of the way and collaborating on solutions. Your statement is a lot more punchy and memorable.