7 HR Strategy Shifts for Future Success From a CEO

HR strategy shifts are necessary for HR to remain relevant and impactful as the business landscape continues to change. It’s why SHRM 24 presenter Jack Gottlieb, founder and CEO of consulting and training firm Total Solutions Group Inc., titled his session “The Future of HR Is Not HR.”

He outlined seven key HR strategy shifts that may require venturing outside of your comfort zone:

1. Prioritize purpose over priorities.
2. Foster ownership instead of engagement: “Being engaged in your job and loving what you do and wanting to contribute is not what companies will need today, tomorrow and going forward. We need to find people who will take ownership of the impact they’re … contributing to,” he said.
3. Be an “embedded partner,” not an order taker: “How do we make sure … they don’t even think about us as HR anymore? They think [you’re] part of that executive team, that business line?” Gottlieb asked.
4. Develop “organizational capability,” not just individual job skills: “Skills get people ready for a job. They don’t get them ready to work necessarily with teams, dynamics, changes, shifts,” he commented.
5. Create real business impact to avoid HR being seen as a cost center.
6. Promote total well-being versus just managing workload, and
7. Ensure technology amplifies human touch rather than replaces it.

Key Changes in Thinking, Approach

Gottlieb emphasized two HR strategy shifts in particular: becoming an embedded partner and developing organizational capability.

To become an embedded partner, he said, HR leaders must view themselves as business leaders who happen to lead HR, talent, learning and development, culture, etc., rather than as HR leaders trying to lead the business. This perspective change is crucial for gaining influence and driving strategic decisions within organizations.

To illustrate this point, Gottlieb shared a case study from Bristol-Myers Squibb. The company aligned their learning and development initiatives with the organization’s strategic priorities of bringing medicines to market faster and developing individualized treatments, ensuring HR was deeply integrated into the strategic direction of the business.

Regarding organizational capability, he emphasized that while individual skill-building remains important, capability is “the engine of our organization and our employees’ superpower, meaning what they do best to maximize their value and impact, not just do a job.”

According to Gottlieb, HR needs to focus on developing capabilities that enable teams to work effectively together.

Getting Started on Meaningful HR Strategy Shifts

Gottlieb challenged HR professionals to move beyond simply seeking or keeping a “seat at the table” and instead strive to have business leaders seated at HR’s table. This shift in perspective recognizes the unique insights and value that HR brings to the organization. “We see across the organization. We see things that they don’t see,” Gottlieb said.

To get the ball rolling on an HR strategy to become an embedded partner, identify what the No. 1 critical insight is as it relates to what you must transform within your HR enterprise, and what’s the No. 1 action you must take over the next 30 days and why.

To shift your HR strategy to emphasis on organizational capability, identify how you need to align your people to create value, deliver solutions and generate results consistently at a level that’s better than your competitors.

Questions to ask your teams:

• Based on the goals of the organization and the key deliverables you have, what’s your mindset about this? Do you have concerns?
• What are the key skills you feel are going to be critical to create value that’s going to make a difference, deliver solutions that solve problems and close gaps, and generate results?
• What results have you accomplished in your role? How did that translate to your team? How did that set up other teams for success?
• What is the mindset that you need to continue to own or elevate and what can I do to support you?

By embracing these HR strategy shifts, HR pros can elevate their roles and contribute more significantly to their organizations’ success.