HR or Operations or both??

Okay, so we all know that Jack Welch is a straight talking CEO who ran a very successful business.  I like that he didn't talk a lot of bull, understood the importance of having a good team in place and held people accountable for their stewardship.  I've always appreciated his quote about HR, "Without doubt, the head of HR should be the second most important person in the organization" (Winning, 2005, p. 99).

Now, HR practitioners need to understand the importance of earning that spot.  Recently, it has occurred to me that HR looks at itself in a support role.  When I was working in operations, I found myself constantly utilizing my HR skills to oversee the departments that reported to me.  I remember wondering often if I was an HR person in an operational role or an operations guy in an HR role.

It finally dawned on me that I was both.  In my heart I was an HR guy because a real HR person focuses on being a leader among his or her peers and leading, mostly by example, the way to achieve the mission and vision of the organization.  We need to work closely with departments, find the focus required to get things done and learn HOW to execute.

I now know that as an HR practitioner, my job is to lead the way, keep the organization focused on the mission and push forward knowing the intricacies of the organization.  Jack Welch knew that HR know how to construct processes and systems to drive high performance and build leadership and that performance and leadership brought home results.  True Hr leaders know how to drive these things in an organization.

Next time, we will discuss a little bit about some of the leadership points Dave Ulrich discusses and how "real" leaders focus on results.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the HR/Operations point.  At what point did you finally realize that you aren't an HR person OR an operations person you are both?  Maybe you disagree with that.  If so, I would be very interested in hearing your points.

As you can tell by the title of this blog, it will focus on leadership and it's effect on the organization and the people.  I plan on sharing stories, good and bad, about leadership experiences from my own background and also from others who want to share along with a few other Human Resource topics thrown in for good measure.

Though by my estimation, my leadership journey has lasted about 25 years thus far, so I am looking forward to another 25 years unless I hit the powerball.....but I think you need to play to win, right?  Anyways, too often leadership is looked at from a single vantage point.  My intention is to talk about leadership past and present and create a place where open dialogue can take place.  Somewhere to discuss and analyze the effects of good and nefarious leadership.

So sign up, share your thoughts and let's discuss how organizational leadership matters......or why it doesn't.  If you want to know more about me and my background check out my Linkedin Profile.