This talk was given by Mr. AVK Mohan, Group VP – Global HR – Spice Corp in the HR RoundTable organized by Nexstep in Delhi. These are his thoughts which have been expressed shared through this article.  It was an insightful talk, and in this article, this particular topic has been chosen by us to share. We will share more of his talk and  thoughts in other articles. 

As the head of HR you support the CEO in so many ways.

You fill up vacancies.     You induct new employees.    You run events on different occasions for employee    welfare.    You manage the cafeteria.    You arrange the conferences.    You ensure training happens.    And payroll is processed in time.    Employees’ transfers are smooth.    Performance appraisals happen on time.    Good news is shared through out the organization.     Bad news is communicated carefully.    Leave records are maintained well.    Reports are created on time.    When someone puts in his papers, you manage    that efficiently.    Legal compliance is taken care of.

These are the things that make HR the CEO’s best friend. Someone the CEO can rely on, and thank his good fortune! 

Being a buddy of the CEO is all about taking care of these things. 

Moving beyond being a buddy is about becoming a sounding board, a partner to the CEO. 

So what does this entail?  

Understanding the business imperatives and the changing market place and creating the right structures within the organization is being a true partner to the CEO. 

Setting the basic standards to get talent on board. Building the skill to spot the best talent within the organization.  

Elevating Performance Management Systems and Talent Reviews to the level of business strategy within the business groups is what partners do.  

A sounding board of the CEO is able to create a dialogue and design interventions to build capabilities within the organization. The HR head is able to ask the right questions which give clarity on the culture and values. HR is able to question moves which challenge the conscience of organization.  

On the employee front, HR is able to be a true partner by building champions for the organization, employees who will stand up and speak on behalf of the company, and build more champions. HR is able to give a consistent employee experience to all employees. 

On the systems and processes front, HR must be able to create a discipline around process delivery – which requires putting systems in place. Getting processes automated, or data organized is part of this. HR also needs to put in structures in place which ensure that the “hygiene factors”, that is, basic HR functions are consistently delivered within acceptable    service levels. 

Finally, HR, as a partner to the CEO, must be able to mould the organization to help meet business objectives, not only intuitively, but even, a step ahead of time, before it is actually required. Someone who is almost like a mirror of the CEO’s mind. Someone who can keep aligning people, processes, talent, and systems to keep pace with the business objectives.

So, as HR moves towards more strategic roles, this distinction of being a “buddy” versus being a “partner” to the CEO, will make the critical difference.