I came to HR late. I arrived in senior management via operations and project management. At the time I considered it a rather sideways move. Ironically I got the job due to my experience of Industrial relations and disciplinary investigations/hearings gained in managing a range of services for older people. I moved on to Director of Operation in a large complex organisations. I would sum up the role as the management of change and delivering a major restructuring.

I also had the lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion(EDI) and management  development. Which I would say were all strategic HR issues.  So I can totally sympathise with the 91% of responds who in a recent survey of a 1000 HR managers  (reported in HR manager) said they felt they had the skills necessary for a Chief Executive Officer post. Their response carried the implied frustration that HR is not traditionally seen as a route to the top.

My experience is that a senior HR post is a very appropriate stepping stone to an  executive level posts. Those recruiting to leadership posts increasingly recognise that technical skills are less important than people skills, that professional background is less important than emotional intelligence and that the ability to creat the right culture is more effective  than any strategy.

Perhaps the biggest shift in thinking and behaviour from management to executive level is how individuals spend their time and energy. The jump to executive level involves spending less time on budgets and performance and more time talking and thinking about people. This will surprise some people because of the preoccupation with budgets  and the well documented financial challenges faced by organisations . I admit this is not and has not always been the case but it is defiantly current thinking.

Problems and challenges are viewed from a people perspective whether the people are employees, partners or customers. This is why we talk of leaders setting the tone or creating the right environment. This is where emotional intelligence is significant, that is insight into how your own behaviour effects other people. The ability to generate trust and cooperation which stems from demonstrating empathy and compassion which in turn smooths negotiations and make the individual an effective influencer and motivator.

Perhaps the problem is the title HR which is outdated and suggests an admin function if it was replaced by, “People Culture “ or “ People Function” perhaps it’s strategic importance and relevance to CEO posts would be more readily recognised.