Suggestion: Human Resources Key to Leading Transformation

Employee Advocacy: Remind yourself that HR needs to have an employee advocacy orientation. In times of change it is that much more important to truly “hear” what employees are saying, and more importantly, what they may not be saying. It is also critical to consider the impact to your employees who may be leaving your organization and, equally important, for those who will be staying.

Business Partnership: It is paramount to be a true partner to the business. Aim to first, be the best leader you can be and second, to bring your HR background and experiences as you develop ideas on how you can help the organization succeed. Ask good questions, think long-term strategy, and develop thoughts on what you can bring that will help support the success of the organization.

Continuous Improvement Mindset: It seems a bit counter intuitive, but when you are going through a lot of change it is a great time to pause and focus on continuous improvement opportunities. It is the perfect time to streamline processes, reduce waste and redundancies, and emerge with more streamlined approaches.

Feedback: The importance of feedback cannot ever be understated, but during a time of transformation it is critical. All ideas can be good ones provided they accomplish one of two things; (a) it will help the company successfully, and profitably, execute on its current business and (b) it will help the company to successfully compete for future business.Metrics: As we all know, analytics is playing a bigger and bigger role for our profession. It is imperative to use these metrics in a meaningful way. It is best when a concise set of metrics is established and then that same set, for comparative purposes, is reviewed on a frequent cadence (monthly is ideal and no longer than quarterly). While metrics provide a “rear view mirror” look at your organization, they will uncover trends that must either be dealt with quickly (put action plans into place) or be put on a watch list that you will more closely monitor over the next several weeks.

Resignations: While is it always hard to receive a resignation from a key employee or leader, it is a part of doing business during times of transformation–get comfortable with this. Employees have differing tolerances to change, and perhaps uncertainty, and that is OK. Do not take this personally, and whenever possible, keep the lines of communication open because you never know when an opportunity might arise to welcome that same person back to your organization.

Connect with All Employees: This is perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind as you help your organization navigate through change. If employees feel heard, connected to, trusted, and valued, you will have a strong workforce who will carry your business forward. Leaders, especially during these times, need to be as physically present as possible. Travel to work places, do walkabouts, talk to leaders, and just observe employees in the areas that they work. This presence, in and of itself, will make employees feel valued and will allow them to connect decisions, even difficult ones, with real leaders who need to make them. This can provide employees with a different appreciation for actions that need to be taken.

Times of change can be challenging but they can also provide great opportunity. As HR professionals it is important to seek out ways to support the organization during change and also to identify productive, proactive, and optimistic activities to drive the organization forward in a successful way.