....MAKING THE JUMP FROM BEING AN INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR TO BEING A MANAGER OF OTHER HR PEOPLE. Moving into a Human Resources leadership role changes everything. And many new HR managers miss the point. And failure to grasp this point trips up their career more than any other reason. As an individual contributor in HR, success is all about you. The spotlight is on you. It's about your performance. Your contributions. It's all about raising your hand, getting called on, and delivering the right answer...whether it's about compensation, staffing, employee relations or any other HR area of your expertise. But when you become a leader, there is one big difference.....Success is all about growing others. It's about making the people who work for you smarter, bigger, bolder, more self-confident and capable. Frankly, nothing you do as an individual matters as much anymore. Except how you nurture and support your team and help your team grow. It's a lot more about how you leverage and grow the people who work with, rather than what you know about HR. Yes, you will get your share of personal attention from the higher ups, but only as much as your team wins. Your success will now come not only from what you do personally but from the results and glory of your team. Now, that's a big transition and no question, it's hard. Being a leader basically requires a whole new mindset. You no longer should be staying up at night thinking "How can I stand out?"...but... ...."HOW CAN I HELP MY PEOPLE DO THEIR JOBS BETTER?" To do this, you must care passionately about each person's progress. Give your people feedback and not just a year end and mid year performance reviews but after meeting, presentations, or after they've completed projects. Make every significant event a teaching moment. Discuss what you like about what they're doing and ways they can improve. Your energy will energize those around you. Don't sugarcoat but be candid, which is one of the major qualities of the great HR people. However, never forget that you're an HR leader now. So, it not about you anymore. It's about them. |
