Falling in love with HR again

After the HR Game Changer Conference, I realised that I’d been a bit over HR. After 17 years in our profession, I’d been there, done that and wasn’t feeling that inspired that anything would change. Partly from going to HR events over the last few years that only focused on doing good HR better, partly from reading articles in the same vein, partly from working with businesses that just saw HR as operational and partly from meeting many HR people who didn’t seem to think there is any issue with what we do.

What we tried to do with the HR Game Changer was put together 2 days that would start a movement to reinvent HR as well give HR people who wanted to transform new tools and techniques to use to change what they deliver. Many have contacted us and said that it was the best conference they’d ever been to, they have new faith in HR and were now excited about our future.

That was exactly what we wanted to do.

What I hadn’t realised was that I also needed to be re-inspired too!

Leading up to the conference I talked to many HR people who don’t see any need for change. They want to do what we’re doing in HR, but just improve it. To me, while there is a place for operational HR – for the last 7 years I really felt there was something wrong with just improving what we do.

Meeting the 100 people that attended the conference I found I wasn’t the only lone nut dancing to a different tune. There are many others who want to change the game.

How is this whole ‘game changing’ different to doing strategic HR better?

Here’s what came out of the conference and what I’ll be exploring in the book I’m going to write in November.

• We have to create rock star CEO’s who lead our HR functions
• We need to build real leaders and include our managers as our delivery arm
• We must change our workplace structures to utilise technology, build collaboration, have career paths for non-people managers and be flexible and purposeful in whole new ways
• We must reinvent our HR processes not just modernise them
• And fundamentally we have to really believe that HR is the future of business. No more excusing or defending what we do. We have to believe and just get on and deliver.

I’m still thinking through what actions I can take to make this a reality.