This year’s trend is focused on recognizing the role of Human Resources as business partners; that is, performing an important strategic role through advising corporate decision makers on how human capital management can support the company’s goals. It is about taking care of the employees and the company’s strategy at the same time.
Managing the human resource capital is a dynamic job requiring certain qualities that will evolve with time. Clara Lorenzo, HR specialist and coach, listed some of the most important skills and explained why they are crucial.
Firstly, in order to oversee the human resource capital, a thorough knowledge of the business is a paramount. It is not only about managing employees and suppliers. This is why HR executives become business partners with an important strategic role. To make the best out of negotiations, listening actively, and enabling an environment to help employees succeed, there has to be deep knowledge of how things work.
Negotiation skills are very important. An HR business partner deals every day with suppliers, coworkers, and senior management. Success requires reaching the best possible solution for all involved parties in the negotiation.
Being a skilled influencer is an important quality, so that employees are committed to the company and its strategy.
An HR team member has to be collaborative too, being able to work with employees and suppliers, knowing the different approaches required between them, and being able to switch naturally when dealing with one or the other.
HR people need to be active, present, and understanding listeners as much as they have to have interpersonal skills. Empathy and having communication skills are strong assets. It gives the HR person the insight to understand and communicate accordingly. All of this together allows HR people to personalize their own management to fit different personalities.
Finally, being resilient means having the ability to cope with change and instilling in others the importance of it. It is through the HR’s own actions, resiliency and flexibility that changes can be seen as manageable. This can make people feel less uncomfortable with what change represents.
These skills are important and increasingly required in the HR’s job description as they are more and more seen not just as employees, but as business partners.
Text by Mercedes Pintos
Photo credit : grmarc via shutterstock.com