Separating myth from reality in terms of who gets the ‘top job’
By Brian Kreissl
Many HR practitioners have the ambition — or perhaps the dream — of some day becoming a chief human resources officer (CHRO) or equivalent.
However, there just aren’t enough executive positions to go around. Therefore, not everyone is going to make it that far in their HR careers.
Nevertheless, there are a few things you can do to increase the likelihood of success and avoid disappointment in your HR career. However, it's also important to separate myth from reality in terms of what’s likely to get you the top job.
Saying one thing, but asking for something else
I've commented before how it seems like we say we want one thing from HR professionals, but in reality we may actually want something else. There are a few examples of this thinking, including getting line management experience, becoming more business savvy and adopting a more strategic orientation.
While all of those things are touted by some as the way to move your career forward, depending on the role and the organization it sometimes seems like acquiring those types of skills and knowledge can actually hinder rather than help someone in their HR career.
For one thing, if an organization doesn't really view HR strategically, becoming “more strategic” likely won’t help you that much. In such a situation, the CEO will likely view HR as a transactional, firefighting function, as opposed to viewing it as a strategic business partner. In those types of companies, the HR department is relegated to hiring, firing and planning the company picnic.
I’ve also commented before how acquiring line management or more non-traditional HR experience can actually hinder rather than help your HR career. Hiring managers often start to question your loyalties and where your real career ambitions actually lie in such a situation. And because so many HR practitioners traditionally followed a predictable path, it's hard for some people to envision a less conventional route to the top.
Another issue is many people — both within and outside the profession — still don't see HR as being a business discipline. In spite of the fact we’re often told HR practitioners need a better understanding of the business, acquiring a broader business background can also cause some people to question a practitioner’s commitment to the HR profession.
That’s ironic given how new entrants into the HR profession are increasingly obtaining their HR education through the vehicle of a business degree or even an MBA program, but such feelings persist.
I once read somewhere how HR practitioners need to use their soft skills and their understanding of people to further their careers — but only up to a point. Once they approach executive levels, they also need to acquire business skills in order to move ahead. That makes sense in a way, but it's a pity HR professionals' business skills don't seem to be appreciated until they become directors or vice-presidents.
Who actually makes it to the top?
But who actually makes it to the top in HR, and what’s the route they typically take to get there? I recently read an interesting study sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and completed by Peter Cappelli and Yang Yang in 2010 which might help answer this question.
The study, entitled Who Gets the Top Job?, cites another study completed in the same year by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). It found that HR executives in the United States saw the most important competencies for their roles moving forward as being:
• communication skills
• strategic thinking
• HR-specific knowledge
• personal ethics and integrity.
None of these competencies seem surprising. What is surprising, however, is the PwC study found the HR function had changed little over the previous decade. One surprising finding was HR leaders were more likely to be promoted from within the HR silo and had narrower experience outside HR than in the past.
Cappelli and Yang argue this may be an indicator of the fact the desire for HR to play a bigger role in business just isn’t there. Alternatively, they argue having experience outside HR is less critical than before because such knowledge among HR practitioners is now much more widespread.
I tend to think the latter explanation makes more sense. However, I would recommend HR professionals keep doing what they’re doing while also obtaining a broader business background and getting involved in cross-functional business teams outside their comfort zones.
Brian Kreissl is the managing editor of Consult Carswell. He can be reached at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.consultcarswell.com.
