Insight: “People are our most important asset!”
How many times have you heard someone say this? Have you, like me, heard it so often it’s starting to feel like a euphemism but you can’t figure out what it’s a euphemism for?
We really do try to focus this segment on more technical subjects but in our most important relationships, HR is a huge part of our success and we felt like it was time to give them a place at the table. What we’ve seen in our 13 years of doing this is that successful organizations KNOW the above title to be true and RELY on HR as a critical part of that triumph.
The link we’ve given you goes to an article written by Jack & Suzy Welch and in it they allude to a meeting they had in Mexico City with 5,000 HR professionals. They asked the audience to raise their hands in response to the question: “How many of you work at companies where the leader gives HR a seat at the table equal to that of the CFO?” Fewer than 50 people raised their hands.
That is a truly sad condition. It’s true that we’ve dealt with HR folks who seem hell bent on being kingmakers but, for us, they’re few and far between. Looked at from HR’s perspective it’s simple – if the company fails they fail! If they don’t hire high quality people and settle for the mundane – the company becomes mundane. If they are not focused on keeping their star players and building a team behind them capable of taking over some day – who will be the leader?
Look, the article stands on its own so do yourself a favor and give it a quick read. We love working with successful, talented technical people and the exceptional HR organizations that want to hire them. Is that you?