Make HR a strategic partner in the C-Suite

What comes to mind when you hear human resources?

A lot of us think about rule enforcers, compliance, 401k administration or resolving vacation time issues. When it comes to growing your organization, HR can—and should—be so much more.

Human resources can be an asset to achieve the company’s goals, mission, and vision. HR can be a true strategic partner and asset within the C-Suite.

Does that sound like your HR team?

Today’s podcast is a short interview that reminds us of the powerful possibilities of a different type of HR.

The guest is Ryan Robinson, the Chief People Officer (CPO) of Bazaarvoice. Ryan is unlike most HR professionals you may have met (his title doesn’t even have “HR” in it).

Just like a salesperson has a clear thought process and strategy around getting results and building sales revenue pipeline, or a product leader thinks about how they deploy a process to innovate and win with product, Ryan has a very clear process around people. This process describes how he develops and thinks about people to meet the goals of the business.

He’ll share his Pillars of People Performance in this episode. You’ll quickly see he approaches people in a unique way that unlocks growth for each person and the business.

Compare this to your HR team. If you shared this interview with them – what would their response be? While Ryan is a rare find, your HR team can (and should) have a documented, measurable approach to how they are helping your organization meet the company’s goals.

Today’s Topics Include:

  • The Pillars of People Performance Ryan uses at Bazaarvoice.
  • How HR should always circle back to company performance.
  • How overall organizational performance involves coaching CEOs and other senior team leaders.
  • Employee culture/engagement: How Ryan focuses the business on creating the employee culture to drive organizational performance.
  • How to pay attention and develop the talent already within the organization.
  • The importance of earning the trust of the team around you.
  • How to approach confidentiality as an HR executive.
  • The importance of compensation and benefits.
  • How to approach incentivizing and equity to find and retain top talent.

Takeaways:

Having someone like Ryan on your team is incredibly valuable.

He is obsessed with having the goals of Bazaarvoice on the forefront of everything that he does. People are our most valuable asset. If you don’t have someone to align people to your strategies, it may be time to take a step back and look at your process.

We hope you are enjoying the For You Leaders podcast. We’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below.

Leave a Comment