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Matthew Ramirez HR Spotlight
Karen Cate Agustin - HR Spotlight
Yongming Song, CEO, Live Poll for Slides
Piotrek Sosnowski - Terkel HR Spotlight
Tony Deblauwe - Terkel HR Spotlight
Matt Grimshaw - HR Spotlight

6 Signs You’ve Found the Right HR Leader

HR leaders may not always come to the forefront and may not always be visible to other stakeholders in the organization but they sure handle some of the most crucial responsibilities. Hiring, recruitment, onboarding, engagement, and retention only skim the surface of all that HR leaders are responsible for at a workplace. This not only makes them one of the most important people in your organization but also means that if you don’t hire the right person for the job, the workings of your organization may falter on several fronts.
So how do you know you’ve landed the right candidate? How do you make a choice when you’re stuck and just can’t decipher who is more suitable for the job? Moreover, what are the elements that immediately tell you that you’ve indeed landed the perfect HR leader for your organization?
Well, we asked a few leaders on how they go about this, and the answers did not disappoint!

From leading with inclusivity to generating a self-building ecosystem, here are six answers to the question, “What are some important signs that show you’ve found the right HR leader for your organization?”

  • Create an Inclusive Culture
  • Display Strong Communication Skills
  • Have Openness to Criticism
  • Share Your Company Values
  • Bring a Diverse Experience
  • Build Systems that Improve Over Time
HR Leader - HR Spotlight

Create an Inclusive Culture

When you find an HR leader who can create an inclusive culture, you’ve found a keeper. Today, employees want to work for a company that makes them feel welcomed and appreciated. HR leaders are the ones who make all of the company policies and procedures that guide the employees. So, if you have an HR leader who can create an inclusive culture, they can create a welcoming environment for all employees, no matter their race, gender, or religion.

Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely

Display Strong Communication Skills

Strong communication skills are an essential trait for any HR leader to have. If your HR leader communicates with employees at all levels of the organization and with external partners, such as vendors and service providers, then you’ve found the right HR leader for your organization.

Karen Cate Agustin - HR Spotlight

Good HR leaders listen actively and attentively to others and fully understand their perspectives and needs. They present ideas and information in a way that is easily understandable to others.

Karen Cate Agustin
Business Analyst, Investors Club

Good HR leaders listen actively and attentively to others and fully understand their perspectives and needs. They present ideas and information in a way that is easily understandable to others. In addition, the ability to write well, including the ability to compose clear and professional emails, memos, and other written communications, makes an HR leader perfect for any organization.

Karen Cate Agustin, Business Analyst, Investors Club

Have Openness to Criticism

One sign of a good HR leader is having an open mind and a readiness to adapt to change. They listen to other people when criticism arises and objectively consider their opinions. They will take criticism and make improvements where necessary, especially in managing people.

A good HR leader allows others to take the spotlight in departments where people take accolades. As to them, it is the results and progress that matter. They face situations head-on and deal with the issues raised without expecting individual rewards, but for the benefit of the entire organization.

Yongming Song, CEO, Live Poll For Slides

Share Your Company Values

Investigating the personal values of a candidate is a process that I never skip during interviews, especially with HR experts. In fact, I believe that a candidate’s values aligning with those of your company are a promising sign that they would be a good fit as an HR leader in your organization.

First, shared values can create a sense of cultural fit and make it more likely that the candidate will be happy and motivated in their role. When HR leaders share the same values as the rest of the organization, they are more likely to make decisions that are in line with the company’s overall goals and mission. Without that, the company would not live by the values they preach.

Piotrek Sosnowski - Terkel HR Spotlight

Finding an HR leader who shares the values of your company matters in ensuring they do not become empty words without real consequences.

Piotrek Sosnowski
Chief People & Culture Officer, HiJunior

This is absolutely crucial to people like me, who believe that companies should always uphold their principles. Overall, finding an HR leader who shares the values of your company matters in ensuring they do not become empty words without real consequences.

Piotrek Sosnowski, Chief People & Culture Officer, HiJunior

Bring a Diverse Experience

An HR leader who has broad experience in different industries and business sizes, and a demonstrated track record of developing and implementing various types of people initiatives, is a sign of a strong leader. The diverse exposure typically ensures the person is flexible, adaptable, and can pivot based on changing business circumstances.

Tony Deblauwe, VP, Human Resources, Celigo

Build Systems that Improve Over Time

The best HR and people leaders are the ones who can build data-led systems that improve over time. Historically, HR has been too focused on delivering individual projects, initiatives, and applications, but these things only deliver lasting value if they’re part of a bigger people management system.

Matt Grimshaw - HR Spotlight

The best HR and people leaders are the ones who can build data-led systems that improve over time. Historically, HR has been too focused on delivering individual projects, initiatives, and applications, but these things only deliver lasting value if they’re part of a bigger people management system.

Matt Grimshaw
Founder & CEO, Youda

If you’re not joining things up properly in HR, it’s a bit like having all the components of a car, but not fixing them together—you won’t get very far! The best people leaders see their employees as “users,” and they look to build a system that creates a coherent, seamless employee experience. They do this using HR tech that enables them to test and learn so they can generate the data they need to improve business performance.

Matt Grimshaw, Founder & CEO, Youda

So Go Ahead and Make the Right Choice!

Now that you have a list of great insights to refer to, you know you can make a far better choice when hiring your HR leader. Remember, more than anything else, the ideal candidate must understand how important their job is and how they will be leading the most important resources in your organization. As long as they’re willing to commit themselves to the good of the organization and the workforce and have the experience and expertise to match, your organization will be in good hands.

Do you have a best practice or tip you think will provide added direction to leaders hiring their next HR leader? Or is there another insight you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.