HR – YOUR TRUSTED ADVISOR!

A Trusted Advisor…
Continually build solid relationships.
Trusted HR Advisors primary focus is on how they effectively and successfully build relationships with those they support. They take time to get to know the employees and leaders face-to-face. They go on road trips, make the personal contacts and connections, and spend time in the actual environments where the employees work. This gives them a deep understanding of the business they are supporting and this is a behavior that builds relationships. As an HR Professional, the leaders and employees we support need to believe that we truly understand where they are coming from and are aware of their issues. They need to believe we are their partner and are there to help them succeed. This is most effectively achieved through face-to-face discussions. As much as is reasonably possible, we should make these connections early on and frequently and then continue to sustain the relationships moving forward by repeating these actions.
Speak “Business” language:
Trusted HR Advisors avoid “HR speak” as much as possible and, instead, speak the business language. Much of this translates to the need to understand your company’s financial statements. This really is not an option if one truly wants to speak the language of business leaders. If we do not understand your company’s financial statements and how your company makes money, then we cannot speak the language of the business leaders or provide adequate HR support.
Unfortunately, many HR professionals regard understanding financial statements as an option rather than a requirement of their profession. After all, there are finance professionals to handle that part of the business. Although that is true, EMDS HR believes we should be focused on what is important to the business leaders we support, and the financial standing of the business is often their most important concern. Therefore, it should also be one of our most important concerns and something that we should speak about fluently.
Let business leaders be leaders:
The job of a trusted HR advisor is not to lead for the leaders or run their businesses. Our job is to be their advisor, to partner with them, to establish guidelines for them, to build credibility so that they heed to our advice, and to have faith that they know how to run their business. It is not our job to tell them what to do or how to run their business.
Some HR professionals still believe that it’s their job to tell business leaders what they can and cannot do instead of providing guidance and letting them make the decisions. Let them lead.