In this episode, host Brandon Laws sits down with Adam Weber, author of Lead Like a Human, to discuss the evolving role of HR in response to today’s ever-changing workplace. The discussion covers how HR leaders can navigate evolving expectations, leverage data to substantiate initiatives, increase engagement, and foster psychological safety in the workplace. Tune in to gain valuable insight on navigating challenges and leading with authenticity.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Adam Weber is the Chief Evangelist at 15Five, host of the HR Superstars podcast, and the author of Lead Like a Human.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
THE NEW WAY OF HR
HR was “originally built to map to the needs of the workforce,” a reflection of an era where people stayed at their jobs for decades. Employees were primarily concerned with compensation, benefits, and job stability, which meant that HR was focused on administrative tasks — payroll, business security, and ensuring employee welfare.
Fast forward to the present, and the HR landscape has been profoundly influenced by transformative factors like COVID, social unrest, and the values upheld by the younger generations entering the workforce. A seismic shift is evident as today’s workforce places newfound emphasis on elements such as authentic leadership and company purpose.
With the emergence of Gen Z, HR is once again adapting to the evolving “values of the workforce,” with a spotlight on factors like flexibility and work-life balance. HR, then, is evolving beyond its conventional role to align with the ever-changing aspirations of today’s employees.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Some HR Challenges
“The expectations are growing exponentially, but the budget’s not growing exponentially. The staffing and resources aren’t growing exponentially. They typically don’t take away the old job functions that they used to have in the old era. And so there’s a ton of pressure on HR leaders right now — how do they thrive in that environment? And that’s really the spirit of what I tried to do is try to kind of reimagine what HR could be inside of an organization.”
HR as a Strategic Function
“This is the shift that’s happening in HR right now, and it is a non-trivial shift. Sapient Insight Group — if you’ve heard of them — they just came out with a research report that said that for the first time this year, first-time-ever executives view HR more often than not as a strategic function… 51%. Wow. […] But then when I share that with people, I’m always like, ‘Yeah, but what about the other 50 %, right?’ And they’re battling to change that perception. […] So how do you gain a strategic foothold inside the business? I think at its core, you have to speak the language of the business. […] You need to use data to back up your initiatives. It can’t just be gut feel. It can’t be. And what I love about HR leaders is they’re often very accurate with their intuition, but it’s not acceptable anymore to just use intuition to kind of get things approved. You will get rejected by executives, and you won’t change that perception unless you do that.”
HR’s Wheelhouse
“What is HR accountable for from a business perspective? [….] One is we should be responsible for the collective employee performance of the company, and so we should have metrics that track the performance of our employees. The second is the engagement. Like, is the team motivated? Are they aligned to the goals of the company? It’s quantifiable. […] And then the third is turnover. And specifically, regrettable turnover, like as an HR leader, we should really be very public and visible with the executive team on regrettable turnover. And how are we doing as a company at keeping those people that need to be a part of this team or that we want to be part of this team?”
Pitch It Like It Matters
“I want to flip the script a little bit and just say, before you go into that meeting, you do whatever — you stand up tall in the mirror, you do that power pose, you walk in with conviction and confidence, and you pitch it like the work that you do matters as much as it actually does. Because it does matter. And then when you get that ‘no’ — that should be expected — hang in there. Like now the conversation is starting, and I want there to be this one moment that happens where you say something like this: ‘You’ve tasked me with this thing, and I’m concerned that the status quo is a risk to our business. […] I’m confident that the plan I’ve put together is the right plan, and I’m asking that you trust me to execute.’ Put yourself out there a little bit. […] Let’s believe in our work.”
Fostering Psychological Safety
“When people see you as a real person and a genuine person, and you see them as a genuine person — I’m not talking about the fake stuff — it really creates an atmosphere of safety for everyone, where then you can actually challenge people more because they want to work for you, and they want to be the best for you, and they trust you. They trust that you have their best interest at heart. And so it’s not to avoid hard conversations. In fact, I think leading in this way opens the door to having real talk with your employees and a trusting safe place.”
LEARN MORE
Check out Adam Weber’s podcast, HR Superstars, and grab a copy of his book, Lead Like a Human.