Dive Brief:
- According to an article by Workforce, some U.S. presidents also would have made great HR leaders.
- Singling out Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, author Kris Dunn says both Reagan and Clinton would have made great CHROs (Dunn left Carter out of the discussion).
- How does Dunn come to that conclusion? Dunn, CHRO at Kinetix and founder of The HR Capitalist and Fistful of Talent blogs, says great HR leaders, much like effective U.S presidents, realize that success means being a "moderate voice of reason."
Dive Insight:
In Dunn's view, effective presidents could "reach across the aisle for balance and compromise." Same for great HR leaders, he writes, except that instead of moderating their political views, great HR pros must balance "company” with "employees.”
Naturally, HR leaders must serve the organization that hired them, he says. And serving customers and making a profit is the key driver. Without being plugged into business obectives and only thinking about employee welfare, that could lead to business failure -- meaning no one would have a job, Dunn observes.
On the flip side, HR can't only focus on organizational goals at the expense of critical factors such as employee engagment, culture, recruiting and retention. Therein lies the balancing act that great HR leaders (and great presidents) need to succeed. Dunn goes on in the article to offer some advice on ways to manage that balance by playing the moderate role within the organization, including tight budgeting and "staying on message."
