7 Habits of Highly Effective HR Professionals

One of the biggest reasons why some businesses are successful and others are not is linked to the kind of talent an organization manages to attract, retain and utilize effectively.

While talent attraction and retention is the responsibility of all members of the organization such as business leaders, people managers, etc., it is the HR department which plays a pivotal role in creating great workplace practices that lead to superior employee experience. 

As I began thinking about the habits of highly effective HR professionals, I decided to utilize the framework created by Stephen Covey in his 1989 bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. 

Considered to be one of the greatest business and self-help books ever written, the contents of the book are as relevant today as they were back then when the author wrote it. 

The beauty of this book is that it is not only universally applicable; it can also serve as a guide for highlighting what effectiveness would look like for different professions. 

So with that, let’s refer to the 7 habits of highly effective HR professionals. 

Be proactive:

As HR professionals, we are proactive when we can control a situation before it becomes an employee or management concern.  A lot of good employees leave not just for a higher salary or better title outside but because they don’t receive timely feedback from their managers or are not aware of possibilities for internal movements. Conducting stay interviews and improving the existing policies and processes basis the feedback you receive will help you retain your talent and provide a better experience to them.  

Begin with an end in mind:

HR professionals are constantly bombarded with various tasks with sometimes little to no focus on the end goal. Instead, the end goal should be clearly defined and tasks that will help in achieving that goal should be performed. Reducing attrition by x%, improving employee satisfaction score by y points and improving sales by z% through targeted training of the sales representatives are all meaningful goals that HR professions could focus on, instead of merely completing several unrelated tasks. 

Put first things first:

As HR professionals, we come up with multiple new initiatives which we believe will help in creating more engaged employees. But often we don’t get too involved in the more important and deeper issues such as corporate values and culture-building. Effective HR professionals lead the charge for creating a culture than an organization wants to be known for.  

Think Win-Win:

As HR professionals, we have to constantly balance our roles of being an employee champion and a strategic partner to the business. There are times when an employee presents his concerns or grievances to us and we get so consumed that we disregard the management’s philosophy behind certain decisions. An effective HR professional will always look for a win-win solution because he knows that this is the only way to operate successfully and sustainably. 

Seek first to understand, then to be understood:

An HR professional has to wear multiple hats in his job – interviewer, counsellor, spokesperson for management in employee meetings, even an investigation authority. All these roles require him to listen carefully and then respond but often his pre-conceived notions and biases make him respond immediately without really listening to the questions being asked. This can make the employees and management lose trust in that HR professional. To be effective, listen with the objective of understanding, not responding.  

Synergize:

Rarely does an HR professional make an impact in an organization without the support of his team and that of the business. To be effective, an HR professional has to believe in teamwork and cooperation because that’s how an organization can grow and accomplish goals. Involvement of the business in HR programs and activities will not only make the programs more effective, but you will also likely see greater acceptability and participation from employees.  

Sharpen the Saw:

The role of an HR professional has changed tremendously over the years. From being a mere admin expert, she has now become in charge of employee experience and organizational culture. A successful HR professional today is tech-savvy, data-driven and one who can speak the language of the business. Constantly updating one’s skills and learning the latest trends of the industry is the mantra for success for any HR professional. 

So there we have it – the 7 Habits of Highly Effective HR professionals – inspired by the timeless book by Stephen Covey. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article so please make sure to comment below.