3 key Things I Learned About HR Leaders at the NEHRA Conference
At the Northeast HR Association (NEHRA) conference last week, I had the privilege of connecting with HR professionals and immersing myself in their world for a few days.
As a steady partner to HR Leaders in our coaching and team development work, I was interested in seeing behind the curtain into your worlds as HR leaders. I gained some interesting insights about who you are, all that you do and the support you need to thrive.
My hope is that you can feel validated as an HR leader in the insights below, and take time to reflect and gather the resources you need to continue doing your best work. Thank you for all you do!
“ I gained some interesting insights about who you are, all that you do and the support you need to thrive. ”
What Stood Out About HR Leaders at the NEHRA Conference
1. HR leaders are busy taking care of everyone else
HR leaders are natural givers, which can lead to them neglecting their own self-care and not seeking the help they need for their own burnout levels or team challenges.
HR Leaders: remember to put your own oxygen mask on first! Don’t forget, you’re a person with needs too, at the mercy of the same environmental conditions that can cause burnout. Are you and your team also getting (and taking!) professional learning and development time?
2. HR leaders have A LOT of roles
This is a profession that spans all the way from the nitty-gritty of navigating health insurance plans to legal issues with workplace violations, to managing and motivating human performance. Phew! Larger organizations get to have specialists, but in the smaller businesses, all of this is handled by just a few people. Luckily, HR leaders are surrounded by a strong community, as I witnessed.
HR Leaders: Are you getting the support you need to balance all that you're juggling? What does that support look like for you personally?
3. HR leaders’ "value-add" is to stay agile enough to support change
Gone are the days of an HR department that is only transactional. Even operations work is relatively straightforward now. The value HR can bring in today's world is about enabling the organization -individuals, teams, and systems -to navigate and adapt to change.
HR leaders: are you staying fresh with your change management skills, understanding of resilience and personal ability to navigate change?
Conclusion
HR leaders are dedicated to helping everyone else; however, they cannot do their work well if they don't first support themselves. With all that you’re juggling, taking the time to ask for help and find balance allows you to stay agile and support both your needs and organizational change.
We work with HR leaders and teams to offer learning and development programs that can't be produced internally – programs on important topics such as resilience, problem solving and leading teams. Contact us today to schedule a consultation to learn about how we can support your people leader development and culture change efforts.
