What makes an effective HR leader?

A great HR leader has the ability to improve the culture of an organisation and lead and motivate the staff to achieve the goals of the business. Find out why these HR leaders are so necessary.

The desire to help employees and maintain positive connections 

One of the most important priorities for a HR leader is to focus on the development of others, all the while maintaining a positive relationship with them. 

In a recent McKinsey and Company report, the authors explain that helping people grow is essential to pushing a company in the right direction. This involves encouraging deeper engagement, developing people's skills and forming more meaningful connections between work and the employee's purpose in the office. 

However, Jack Zenger, CEO of Zenger/Folkman wrote in Harvard Business Review about how concern for the development of employees is more effective when combined with the ability to build positive relationships.

As much as a HR leader may want to help their employees to flourish in their roles, it's the way that they do it that is important. HR leaders can better help employees develop if they also make an effort to form friendly relationships with them.

The ability to respond quickly to changing conditions

The need to accelerate business to keep pace with the rise of technology and greater competition means that HR managers also have to be quick on their feet.  

Boston Consulting Group pointed out how HR leaders should fill in a crucial need to develop human capital when conditions call for business transformation. Therefore, the ability to change with a company is what makes a HR leader exceptional. Unfortunately, though, this skill is in short supply these days. Many HR leaders still rely on outdated methods and do not understand the strategic direction of their companies well enough.

The best HR leaders thus act as partners to all other business units and help steer the company towards positive transformation. Harvard Business Review found that an aptitude for leading change is crucial. Rather than just focusing on the internal needs of the company, Zenger says that HR leaders need to be connected to changes going on in the outside business world. 

HR at Flexi Personnel

At Flexi Personnel, our HR Consultants know how to strike the right balance between being effective at implementing change and fostering positive working relationships. Outsourcing your HR with us will get you results as well as ensure that your employees feel that their needs are attended to.