• Lead by example: Just as business leaders are role models, senior HR leaders have to practice what they preach, too. Instead of simply telling
other leaders to build staff quality through training, to bring disciplined accountability to performance, and to set and deliver goals—senior HR leaders also have to model good HR.
HR for HR increases credibility.
HR departments should be iconic examples of hiring, training, rewarding, communicating, and organizing work.
• Create a powerful HR department through information: One megamessage of this book is that, across the enterprise, the war for talent
should morph to victory through organization. HR departments should be better than the people in them. Our study reinforces the adage that information is power, but we would add that this is true only as long as the information is used to impact business decisions. Always be ready to show the impact of HR investments on desired business outcomes.
• Encourage collaboration within HR: HR professionals within the HR department should learn to work together. There are centrifugal forcespulling HR into subspecialties (e.g., reward experts have their WorldatWork conferences, organization designers have their organization design forums, learning specialists have their Association for Talent Development [formerly ASTD] group, etc.). While deep expertise is helpful in discovering new insights, we found more impact in solving business problems through integrated solutions—for example, talent acquisition, training, and development, and compensation should not be
done in siloed vacuums. Senior HR leaders should encourage centripetal forces that combine their specialist and unique insights into shared commitments to solve business problems. Integrated HR solutions matter
more than isolated HR practices.
• Bridge HR with other functions: Permeable boundaries should exist not only within HR, but across business functions. HR departments need to learn to collaborate with other business groups. By collaborating with the marketing department, HR can access consumer and industry trends and make sure that customer criteria shape culture, leadership brand, and
other HR investments. Marketing insights also can help HR build an HR, employer, and employee brand that distinguishes the HR department.
Collaborating with the finance department can help manage cash flow (both the revenue and cost side) and creates intangibles that have market value. HR can help shape leadership capital metrics that are of interest to investors. Collaborating with the information technology (IT) department can ensure the seamless flow of external information into internal systems and hence into actions.
