You are working hard, day full of meetings, trying to meet the next deadline or scape to another discussion or presentation. Problems, demands of your boss, customers, your team… Your significant other calling (better leave on mute). Phone calls. More incoming mails. And POW! A girl jumps in front with you, her smile covering your eyesight, her eyes following you even when you try to dodge to finish your call.
“You now?” she says in an insecure voice “I know that you are busy, but there is a project that you need to implement”
Being through that?
(pause – off with her head – PLEASE!)
In the average world, there are two types of “HR Deliverables”
- The one that the executive asks, and HR runs to do it promptly, without questioning (aka “Bring me that pizza!”)
- The one that the matrix or the executive committee demands to implement top down
Either way, HR looses a great opportunity to cause GREAT IMPACT!
People don’t connect to features, they connect to benefits! Problem is: most HR sells the features of its products (“this is a nine-box matrix, it help us to identify talent” vs “You know how you always complain about losing talented people? By doing this project, we can assure that we can retain and develop the best. Ah, and more! We can identify talented people in other departments that we could bring here, increasing hiring speed as we discussed! What do you think?)
So, instead of asking “What are the features of what I am delivering?”, the HIGH-IMPACT-HR-PROFESSIONAL should question the following:
- What my customer truly needs? (aka What is his hidden desires?)
- What are the benefits that I bring (what is the fish that the customer really wants , not what you do)?
- How can I give more value (how can I help more)?
- How can I deliver value in a unique way (in a way that is better than other people do, or that the customer could do?)
And most important: just offer products that make sense and answer the questions above! No top-down, no process-oriented, but result, customer-centered!
How would you prefer your HR to behave?
Best,
What are you looking for?
Best performance and reward strategy?
Setting a meritocratic culture?
photo credit: Michel@ via photopin cc
