Building a great HR team takes a combination of education, luck, mentorship, and experience. Not necessarily in that order. I recently received an email from a friend who is an experienced HR practitioner. She let me know she was moving from a large organization to a smaller one to grow the HR team. The key for her was to understand what resources she would need to lead this team. Into the light. Up, up and away. (Pick your cliché and run with it). See what I did there?
And I don’t know about you, but I remember the excitement (and panic) in my first HR role. Mainly, I was nervous about managing my first team, much like my friend.
Challenges in Building a New HR Team
The challenge in establishing a new HR department is four-fold. The challenges include:
- Building a rapport and establishing resources within your HR team
- Establishing credibility and trust with other employees and organizational leaders
- Creating, communicating, and training new HR processes
- Understanding the responsibilities of leading a team
As I mentioned, establishing a new HR department requires many resources. Know that it will take time to navigate and adapt to the company culture. As a new HR leader, your relationship with your company’s leadership team is extremely important. In order to be effective in your role, you must be seen as a business partner rather than a separate department. Your team should align with the future success of the business and its plan for growth and change.
The Secret to Building Credibility in HR
Remember it is not our level of HR experience or track record of success that matters. It’s our ability to establish and build strategic relationships with members of the leadership team.
For years, human resources has been siloed, rarely involved in business development or planning decisions. Most organizational leaders have not had a true business partner or leader within HR.
The keys to establishing credibility and a reputation for results include:
Speak Their Language
Most executives know that their employees are a very valuable asset. What they don’t always understand is how employee turnover or engagement directly impacts growth, revenue, sales, customer experience, and organizational expenses. To help them understand, share this data. Demonstrate its importance. And voila! The road to credibility is paved.
Understand the Bigger Business
It’s important to understand the bigger business outside of HR. For myself, this means attending senior business meetings. I also invite my peers to meetings so I can ask questions and understand the bigger business goals and needs.
Lean In
Yes – Sheryl Sandberg’s book. She writes that we should insert ourselves into conversations where you know you will add value. Don’t wait for someone to invite you to the party. Be bold and unapologetic, especially when you know you are right in your suggestions, expectations, or way of thinking.
The Keys to Being an Effective Leader: Relationships, Business, and Execution
Depending on your new role in HR and the size of the organization, you may find yourself communicating directly with your company’s board of directors. This might be a new experience for you. If so, remember that this involves a unique dynamic where you report to your board about the performance and engagement of personnel in your company.
Whatever the case may be, remember that you are the expert in the field of human resources. The employees and executive team are looking to you to set the bar, professionally. By building relationships and aligning your HR goals with the overall goals of the company, you’ll soar as an effective HR leader. Up, up, and away.