The Four HR Officers You’ll Meet in Your Career

Besides their functional roles and responsibilities, the way HR officers approach their tasks makes a big difference for the organisation. To wit, the positioning of HR officers is determined by whom they seek to ‘protect’ (leadership vs. team), and what they seek to ‘protect’ (business vs. culture). The answers to these questions help identify four archetypes highlighted below and aiminig to better understand how they shape HR practices within organisations.

Working from those archetypes, leaders can collaborate with their HR teams to enhance their superpowers and compensate for their blind spots, ultimately creating the HR dream team.

• The Coach

  • Mission: Leadership & culture.

  • Driver: Help people be the best they can be.

  • Belief: Everyone is interested in being a better person.

  • Superpowers: Seeing people’s unique talent, depth.

  • Challenges: Vulnerability, self-projection, resentment.

  • Fear: Selfishness.

  • Journey: How to take part in the process, without managing it?

  • Trusted “secular” ally: External supervisor.

• The Happiness Officer

  • Mission: Team & culture.

  • Driver: Foster belonging to the organisation.

  • Belief: Work can be a place of personal growth.

  • Superpowers: Cheerleading, storytelling, enthusiasm.

  • Challenges: Fear of failure, rationalisation of effort, bitterness.

  • Fear: Loneliness.

  • Journey: How to find harmony beyond conformity?

  • Trusted “secular” ally: Operational line manager.

• The Business Partner

  • Mission: Team & business.

  • Driver: Improve the team’s performance.

  • Belief: HR productivity can be engineered.

  • Superpowers: Matching business needs with talent offer, practicality.

  • Challenges: Big picture, saviour complex, exhaustion.

  • Fear: Irrelevance.

  • Journey: How to serve with loyalty without serving a cause?

  • Trusted “secular” ally: Sponsor in the leadership team.

• The Cardinal

  • Mission: Leadership & business.

  • Driver: Facilitate leaders’ difficult decisions.

  • Belief: Authority can be achieved through influence.

  • Superpowers: System-thinking, anticipation.

  • Challenges: Need for control, collaboration / inclusion, pride.

  • Fear: Accountability.

  • Journey: How to contextualise strategic thinking?

  • Trusted “secular” ally: Long-term grassroots leader.

© Baptiste Raymond - tembocitizen.com