8 Superpowers of a Strategic HRBP: Evolving from "Partnering" to "Leading"

Most medium to large sized organizations have a role within their Human Resources (HR) function with the purpose of supporting (“partnering” with) internal clients in their operation. This role is generally performed by professionals with transversal and general expertise on several HR areas such as recruitment, compensation, performance, learning and development, employment law and policies. They are the Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs).

For a long time the role of HRBPs was, mostly in theory, a “strategic” function meant to guide other business functions and leaders in achieving their business goals through people operations. However, in practice, the experience of HRBPs has not been completely “strategic”, but “transactional”. This means that they spend most of their time running day-to-day support or partnering operations for their internal clients rather than strategic ones.

We understand that the “transaction” of running any business function will never cease to exist (and HR’s transactions are included here). However, given all the people’s challenges that businesses are dealing with now (attraction, retention, culture, employee experience, among others) we think this is the most extraordinary time for HRBPs to take the lead and evolve from “partners” to a “leaders” truly guiding, consulting and coaching their stakeholders in how to respond to people’s challenges while also delivering their best results, achieving their outcomes and succeeding.

Most HRBPs have been waiting for an opportunity like this. This “evolution” from partner to leader that we refer to already happened within them years ago, but there are some gaps that we still need to close in order to not only think and believe in that evolution, but to make it happen and realize it in real corporate life.

We have to acknowledge that HRBPs could have been leading the way forward years ago and, perhaps, the biggest obstacle for this to happen was lack of corporate leadership support or trust in HR. But it would be too easy to put the blame outwardly on others (although those “others”, including corporate leaders and our own HRBPs stakeholders are partially responsible). In my view, this is what needs to happen: we have to create so much remarkable value that our strategic contributions can’t be ignored. Some people have used the expression: “HR needs to get a seat at the table”. To me, it isn’t just about getting a seat at the table, but about everyone on that table recognizing that they wouldn’t be able to operate without us and that they need us.

The evolution from partnering to leading, thus, must happen both within us and in the impact we create for the organization and its leaders and people for HRBPs to get that “seat at the table”. When that evolution begins to happen inside and outside, HRBs will be at a level in which their clients will want to have them around for leadership, guiding and support.

Superpowers

There are eight SUPERPOWERS in which HRBPs can stand out and create the most remarkable and memorable experiences for their stakeholders and never-seen strategic value. Those eight superpowers are:

Superpower 1: Connector (Connect Business and HR Strategy)

The ability to connect business and HR strategy is fundamental to evolve from partnering to leading. This means that HRBPs have to understand what that business strategy looks like and the meaning for HR. Creating HR strategy or operations disconnected from the business strategy doesn’t work because we don’t know if what we are doing in HR is, in fact, contributing to the achievement of the strategy or hindering the organization and the people from it. These are two immediate actions to realize this superpower: understand the business strategy (talk to the people who created it and understand what they need) and, only then, set up your HR strategy by connecting the specifics of HR to the achievement of the business strategy.

Superpower 2: Translator (Understand the "language of the business")

This superpower is intimately related to the previous one. We will say this: we love HR… but we don’t love HR jargon in the context of a business conversation. This isn’t to say that our language doesn’t matter or isn’t important, but rather it means that we don’t want to force anyone to understand ME. We choose instead to understand THEM. It isn’t “altruism” to try to understand our business stakeholders. It is that in doing so we are much better prepared to translate our strategies and operations to their language for their understanding. An HRBP may say “why don’t we teach them our language? Why don’t they learn about HR, too?”. That would be a fair point. But… “… if the mountain doesn’t come to us” (as the saying goes), let’s go to the mountain instead. Once again, this is the power of choice. Choosing to wait for our clients to understand what we mean may take much longer than for us to understand their language and translating ourselves for them.

Superpower 3: Collaborator (Collaborate and co-create with non-HR stakeholders)

One of the biggest challenges that we have come across in my HR career and my work as the founder of Hacking HR is that a number of corporate leaders think of people matters as an HR thing and, well, not as a corporate thing. Take performance as an example. Because traditional performance is such an awful process (or for whatever other reason), corporate leaders instead of taking ownership of corporate performance throw it to HR and even tell people: “oh, sorry… We don’t even want to do this… but it is an HR thing”. No wonder why so many people dislike or don’t trust in HR. The alternative to this is another superpower: collaborating and co-creating people processes, strategies and operations with our stakeholders. This isn’t just a “nice to have” or a “we are inclusive and we want to hear from you” kind of thing. It is a way to engage them, get their buy- in and, equally (if not more…) importantly, to make them co-responsible.

Superpower 4: Identifier (Identify business challenges and helps solve them from HR)

Closely related to the three previous superpowers: when HRBPs understand the business strategy, learn to speak the language of the business and collaborate with their stakeholders, they are also able to identify the most pressing business challenges. In doing so and with their understanding of people operations they can connect the dots and propose potential solutions to solve those complex business challenges from a people perspective. This is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary possibilities that HRBPs can create: solving business challenges from a people perspective. We have a unique vantage point here: we have now learned the business strategy, the language of the business and how to collaborate with others… and we can connect that with our knowledge of HR and people. Quite a superpower, isn’t it?

Superpower 5: Influencer (Influence other leaders in the organization)

Sometimes HR leaders do have significant authority vested in them by the power of their role and by the trust they have garnered from the top leaders in the organization. However, this is rare. So, if we don’t have power because of our function, title or championing by the highest leaders in the organization, how do we make change happen? Well, the second best thing: the power of influence. That may sound like a circular definition as power is indeed influence. However, for HRBPs, it becomes more of a sequence: having the power to make change happen and to lead the way we have to influence others in the organization. That happens by building trust. And, in the context of the eight superpowers described here, building trust depends on how well we understand the priorities and language of our stakeholders, how much we collaborate with them and co-create. Influencing is a must-have superpower for HRBPs in organizations where HR has been left “powerless” by their culture.

Superpower 6: Communicator (Communicate effectively with internal clients)

An important complaint we hear often from HRBPs’ stakeholders is the lack of effective or timely communications. Communicating regularly with internal stakeholders is a superpower that generates an immense amount of trust. It is important to mention that “communicating” something “effectively” doesn’t mean “spreading good news”. Not everything will be good news, sadly. An HRBP may need to communicate confidential and sensitive information to a business leader that warrants a strong response from the organization and that leader. This is part of the job (and, in fact, it is part of everybody’s job, too). There are two essential components of this “effective communicator” superpower. The first is that communicating effectively and regularly builds trust, empathy and respect. That matters a lot in the short and long run. The second is that, if HRBPs mess up sometime (and it will certainly happen. Nothing to be ashamed of as failures/mess ups are just part of the journey toward progress and improvement), the effect will be lesser compared to that if HRBPs haven’t been effective communicators.

Superpower 7: Coach and Consultant Coach and consult people across the organization)

One of the most beautiful possibilities of evolving from “partnering” to “leading” is that the foundation of the job of an HRBP also evolves from “telling” or “informing” to coaching and consulting. Coaching and consulting are some of the ways in which an HRBP can actually operationalize their influence.

Superpower 8: Data-oriented (Create a data-informed HR strategy and operations)

Gut feelings matter, but it’s much better when they are backed up with data. This means two things: sometimes the gut feelings of an HRBP will be proven true by an evidence-based, data-informed approach. Other times, those gut feelings will not have a standing when confronted with data. Whatever it is, though, the approach should be that whenever HRBPs approach their internal stakeholders they should have their ideas and proposals for strategy and action backed up by data. This creates a much stronger case for HR influence and, for a lot of business leaders used to speaking a data language, it also generates additional trust and rapport. They will know that you did your homework as an HRBP.

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