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HR Executive Corner:
HR May Not Get a Seat at the Table, but Someone Will!

By Suzanne Bates

Lately everywhere I go there is one topic on the minds of HR leaders: How to Get a Seat at the Table.

Earning a bona fide position as a member of the senior leadership team is a critical issue for every senior HR professional. Human Resources is after all responsible for the most important asset in a company: its people. Yet many CEOs still don't see the HR leader as a strategic partner.

You may be wondering:

  • How can you be the HR leader who has the ear and full support of the CEO?
  • What does it take to be invited to be a regular business partner?
  • How can you position yourself to be a decision maker?

I won't say I have the answers here. As a coach who has worked with many outstanding HR professionals as well as CEOs, I have watched both sides struggle with the issue.

And, for HR leaders, there is discouraging news.

You may have seen a recent Wall Street Journal story about how CEOs are hiring a "different kind" of HR leader.

WSJ quotes Brian Wilkerson of the talent management agency Watson Wyatt Worldwide. He says that of the 15 large-company chief HR changes he has tracked, about one third have been filled by non-HR executives. That compares with about 10% in previous years.

If it is a trend, it is a significant one.

As hard as HR professionals are fighting for a seat of the table, they are losing, especially in large companies.

A sample of those companies includes Athenahealth's Leslie Locke, Avenet's Steve Church, Microsoft's Lisa Brummel, and Qwest's Teresa Taylor.

It's not as if the heads of businesses in these companies WANT the HR role. Most of them see it as a "step down," at least initially. Teresa Taylor claims when she got word that she would be heading up HR, she initially assumed she was being punished. After all, she had been running a billion dollar consumer and retail division.

Then, she realized that the CEO wanted a business person at the helm.

My point is not to take sides on this issue, because these are interesting times. As the economy struggles along the CEO is more likely to value the input of people who have been running businesses and have P & L responsibility. Ultimately the CEO needs people at the table, no matter what their background, who are getting up in the morning thinking about how to advance the business.

Not every HR leader has developed these skills. However, many have, and many can.

If you want to be seen as a strategic partner you have to think, speak, and act like a strategic partner. What does that mean?

  • Wake up in the morning thinking about how to help the business grow and prosper.
  • Ask good questions and learn all you can about strategic issues in your business.
  • Take time to think about and brainstorm ideas that meet HR needs and also advance the business strategy of the company.
  • Come to meetings prepared to contribute on strategic issues and jump in, even if it isn't your area of expertise.
  • Get to know the heads of the businesses and individuals in those businesses who can mentor, share and help you develop deep understanding.
  • When you walk into the CEO's office, be prepared to look at all sides of the issue, especially the CEO's.
  • Plan, practice, and deliver excellent presentations to the senior team.
  • Speak powerfully, clearly and effectively whenever you have the opportunity to shine and demonstrate your brilliance.
  • Look for ways to foster this attitude in your entire team of HR professionals.

If you are a new HR professional who hopes to move into a senior position, it is never too early to start. Learn all you can and when you have the opportunity, act as a strategic partner. Broaden your knowledge, build relationships with business leaders, and develop a strategic mindset. And of course, develop powerful communication skills to make an impact every time you get up to speak.