Earlier this morning, we asked you what you wanted to know from us. Eager tweeter @ImpactResults asked, “What is the SINGLE most important skill an HR exec needs in 2010? …In its absence they will not succeed as well.” This is a great question answered by our organizational growth and culture fanatic, Brett Gilliland. Pictured to the right, Brett shares one core skill that human resources leadership should master in 2010 to be successful.
In the words from Brett:
Influence is always the single most important skill a human resources executive needs in 2010, 2020 and even 2110. The word “always” usually gets some attention, doesn’t it?
I use the word “Influence” broadly here based on some work done by a group called Vital Smarts. Stop and think about it for a minute; if you want to get people to do anything you have to apply influence.
Influence is critical for an HR professional (or any leader, for that matter). Leadership, and HR leadership in particular, is about creating value through focused human competence. I’m referring to something Ralph Christensen said, one of the alumni from my OD graduate program who used to be VP of HR for Hallmark Cards.
The other thing Ralph taught me, is that every business challenge or organizational issue has a human element to it. You have to be a systems-thinker to do HR well and, without fail, at least part of the equation you are dealing with in a given situation involves people. Typically, you are looking to improve or change a result you aren’t happy with. Again, the skill of influence is key.
Whether you are talking employee development, attracting and retaining top talent, creating an amazing culture and workplace, or even comp and benefits, you are applying HR knowledge and tools to influence outcomes by influencing behaviors.
If you’re not convinced yet, think of the very nature of the HR role in an organization. It’s a “staff” role, not a line position. It’s set up to be an influencing role on the “production” parts of the business. The effectiveness of the organization lies largely on HR’s ability to influence culture, leadership practices, the organization’s view of human capital (how to attract, retain, develop, etc.).
Without a doubt, the skill an HR person needs now (and into the future) is influence. HR must understand the sources of influence and apply them correctly in the system of the organization they help lead and inspire others to take charge.
For a great summary on sources of influence, check out Vital Smarts’ cool video on the topic of influence and their book called Influencer. The video shown below demonstrates influence – even with kids!
Video: “All Washed Up!”
Posted In: Company Buzz
