Understanding the Impact of HR Leadership

THE HR LEADERS ICEBERG

HR Leaders we see you! Your work does not go unnoticed, as many in HR often feel the work can be invisible and it is well - a bit of a thankless job at times.

HR Leaders operate like the proverbial iceberg, with much of their crucial work concealed beneath the surface. While they may not always be in the spotlight, their contributions are invaluable. They tirelessly manage risks, coach leaders on effective people management, strategically plan for a competitive edge, and champion the people agenda. It’s a challenging role that often goes unnoticed but is integral to an organisation’s success. This is far from easy work.⁠

What makes HR leadership different from more general leadership?

It is important to understand the subtle yet key differences between HR leadership and leadership more generally. The foundations are the same, in that a HR leader must understand the general concepts of leadership, but the application and impact are different. This is because HR leaders are often also responsible for guiding the development of leaders across their organisations.

HR leaders guide the development of leadership and culture. This has a ripple effect on the daily work of almost every employee in an organisation. The reach and impact of HR in any organisation should never be underestimated – it extends from the systems employees use to receive feedback on their work performance or to access leave or pay details, to the way they understand and engage with the culture of the organisation, to the way they engage at a one-to-one level based on the accepted norms that HR has shaped around respectful communication in the workplace.

How HR leaders lead across the organisational system

The impact of HR leaders on the overall leadership of any organisation is generally greater than the impact of other roles. The influence of a HR leader reaches across an organisation; this contrasts with the influence of a line manager, who would typically have a more limited leadership focus on direct team members and on managing within their immediate span of control.

It is important for HR leaders in particular to understand at a deeper level what makes their role different, so they can have greater awareness of their impact. It is easy for HR to get caught up in an operational or technical focus, concerned only with the next review or the implementation of a HR policy or initiative. This can be all consuming, as HR practitioners work tirelessly to ensure that every detail is covered and captured. However, by taking this approach, HR leaders miss the endgame and are often not fully aware of the scale, breadth and impact of their roles from a leadership perspective. HR’s operational objective in releasing the next policy might be, for example, to meet a compliance target – but ultimately everything HR does is about leading right across the organisational system.

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