3 Steps to HR Partnering for Positive Impact and Successful Relationships
At the beginning of my HR career (at the ripe old age of 24) in a large, international manufacturing company, I noticed something: many of HR’s internal clients viewed the function as something to be tolerated or even avoided, rather than as the partner and resource I was sure it was supposed to be. I tried hard to understand this perception as I worked my way up. When I landed my first HR Manager role, complete with a geographic territory to serve, I thought about how I could improve the perception of HR with several Plant Managers who just became my key internal clients.
Here is the simple approach that I landed on all those years ago – and for over 25 years now, this approach has served me, and more importantly those I serve, well. I hope it helps you too.
3 Steps to HR Partnering
1. Clarify Your Approach to HR for Yourself
How do you want to approach your work in HR? As the policy police toting positional power? As the “I’m here when you need me, so call me if something comes up” option? Or as a connected and trusted partner? (I chose the latter.) Be clear with yourself first about how you want to approach your work with your clients, internal or external, it will become your north star, guiding how you conduct yourself. Your approach is your own – even if others around you approach HR differently.
2. Find Out What Your Clients Have Experienced with HR
Next find out just how your clients have experienced HR in the past – don’t assume. I set up a 1:1 meeting with each Plant Manager and started with, “Tell me about your prior experience working with HR.” And then I would listen to what they shared. I heard everything from, “In prior roles, I only heard from HR when there was a problem” to “HR’s helped me in the past with (recruiting, discipline, terminations, etc.)” to “I’ve never worked with HR before, but my wife has in her job and she says…(often followed by something not so great).” I listened hard and asked clarifying questions to understand each Plant Manager’s prior experience with the HR function. They were all different with widely varying degrees of trust.
3. Share Your Approach with Your Key Clients Early
This next step is so simple, and I had no idea how unbelievably influential it would be building strong working relationships with these managers. After thanking a Plant Manager for sharing their experience (or lack thereof) working with HR, I would share my approach to HR and lay the foundation for our working relationship – it was usually different from what they’d experienced in the past. Here are two key pieces I always shared:
“I am here to support you; I want you to succeed and will do whatever I can to help you do so. Part of what that looks like is me being a safe and confidential sounding board for you – what you choose to share with me, ideas you bounce off me, questions you ask me, etc. stay between us. (Unless of course it is illegal or unethical, in which case I’ll tell you.)” And…
“I will be truthful with you and ask that you do the same with me. What that looks like from my end, is that if I think an idea you share with me is a good idea or a bad one, I will tell you so honestly and respectfully. The choice of next step will be yours. If you chose to act on an idea that I did not think was a good one…
…and it succeeds, I will congratulate you, learn from you (since I was obviously wrong), and celebrate with you.
…if it blows up, I will still come along right beside you to help clean up any mess, not rub it in, and expect us both to learn from it.
What I’ve Learned
Fast forward to today and here is what I can tell you with 100% certainty based on my experience following this approach to partnering with many managers over 25 years:
My most enjoyable, successful, and fun partnerships with managers start with this simple, powerful conversation.
This conversation helps me learn about each manager, their experiences, and preferences early in our partnership, before any tough moments arise.
The conversations are easy and relaxed – after all I am not asking much from a manager, just permission to be honest with them as we work together over time.
Managers react positively to this approach, even those who are rather surprised by it.
Instead of feeling hesitant about giving honest but difficult feedback to a manager when the inevitable tough moments arise, I remind myself that this is the partnership we agreed to… permission has already been granted, it’s safe, and it’s the right thing to do.
Once I commit to behave and act as outlined above (to be a safe, confidential sounding board, to help clean up a mess even if it’s the result of an action I may not have agreed with or advised against, and focus on learning not judgement), I absolutely need to follow through and be the HR partner I say that I am - this conversation drives compelling self-accountability.
By delivering on this kind of got-your-back, in-your-corner, authentic behavior, real connection and credibility grow more quickly and with greater depth – making good times better, tough times easier to work through, candor the norm, and truer partnerships.
My toughest, most strained, and frankly disappointing relationships with managers have been those where I did not have this conversation.
I hope you will consider this simple, yet powerful approach to partnering with those to whom you provide HR support. If you are willing to commit and follow through with these behaviors, the positive impacts and successful relationships are profound and long-lasting.
On a personal lookback note – Nick T., John G., Lynn R., Eric S., Bill M., and too many others to name… if you are out there and reading this, thank you for partnering with me all those years ago!