HR Director Retreat Reflections: Aligning with the Board

Senior HR leaders from across our global Community recently attended our HR Director Retreat to discuss and debate pivotal challenges surrounding people, performance, leadership and the future of work. Over two days, participants delved into crucial topics such as employee engagement, cultivating a high-performance mindset, leading global teams, and fostering alignment with the Board, to name a few.?

At the event, a recurring point of discussion among our HRDs, CHROs and Chief People Officer attendees was the crucial role they play in nurturing psychological safety within organisations. However, a striking 43 percent of HRDs, as revealed in a poll taken at the Retreat, feel inadequately supported by their Board and Senior Leadership Team in addressing this critical issue. This underscores the urgent need for improved communication and collaboration between HRDs and their peers in the c-suite.?

While 57 percent in the previous poll do receive sufficient support, bridging the gap to cultivate an environment conducive to open communication, where leaders and employees feel empowered to provide honest feedback is essential. For HRDs, creating a culture, which is conducive to innovation, problem-solving and facilitates high performance is essential.?

There is an ongoing challenge for HRDs in driving meaningful organisational change and continuous efforts to enhance psychological safety measures. HRDs are also tasked with advancing the organisation's strategic agenda, ensuring they maintain alignment with the Board's objectives.??

Some ways HRDs can ensure better collaboration with the Board include gathering relevant and correct data and insights to support their initiatives effectively, challenging the CEO when necessary to promote proactive business improvement and diplomatically navigating conflicts within the Board to ensure progress towards strategic goals. Boards also need to ensure the HR leader within their organisation has ample opportunity to present and advocate for essential changes effectively.??

Through preparation, proactive communication, adept conflict resolution, transparency, continuous development, and data-driven approaches, HR leaders can drive meaningful change and ensure organisational success with the Board. Check out this video on what a high-performing HR function looks like.?

At Criticaleye we offer HR leaders support with the challenges they’re facing, providing them with an environment where they can benchmark and share best practice with peers facing the same problems. You can see more key insights from the Retreat here and find out more about how we support HR leaders here.??