HOW A CORPORATE MINDSET CAN HELP MAKE BETTER HR DECISIONS
HR decisions are what shape a business and set the course for the future of the business as well. The personnel decisions get a lot of attention, no doubt.They lead to conversations about new attitudes, promotions, reorganisations and departures, such as separations. The business is about people. As managers, we have to ask ourselves: who do we choose? Who deserves to be given more responsibilities? And who does not live up to expectations?
The Basis for Decision-Making
If we are being honest with ourselves, then we know the foundations for many of the decisions we make are very subjective. In interviews for example, without preparation and a guide, much goes on without comparability, and thus objective criteria become difficult to take into account. But even if we have a guide and criteria at hand, the question is: are we asking the right questions? Are our decisions made on a good basis; a basis that brings the right people to the right place in the long term?
We ask for skills and experiences, and try to sense the right “attitude”. But what standard are we using for comparison? What yardstick are we using as a measure?
We Need Transparency
In decision-making processes, a leader is required to describe a path that others can also describe. Questions and doubts about decisions come when the basics for the decisions are not clear. Transparency helps an organisation to understand decisions and be on board with it. Thus, it is especially important to be attentive and thoughtful when making these HR decisions.
So if transparency is so important, how then do you communicate the criteria of values and attitudes?
Develop a Corporate Mindset
A description of your expectations and common orientation will help you sharpen your decisions and communicate them. Communication is always tricky. There will be discussions. People will question the direction. They will constantly put your decisions through the wringer in search of errors. But it is precisely these discussions that offer a great opportunity for transparency. Getting the ball rolling and investing in this conversation will give you a solid foundation of what you expect from your organisation and individual employees. That creates identity and a conviction you can wholeheartedly stand behind.
With some methods you will be able to make the process active and get the organisation involved. This shows your appreciation to the organisation, taking advantage of one of the most underappreciated tools in the toolbox of leadership: listening. That communicates one thing: you care about the staff.
Set a Standard
When the corporate mindset is developed and named, you can communicate your HR decision more stringently since your employees now have a solid basis for the “why” and the “how”. With a visualisation of your corporate mindset you communicate in the long term while the values and attitudes remain present to the company. The HR department is a key player in the rollout of the mindset. In this decisive phase, employees are confronted for the first time in a detailed and systematic way with the mindset, giving them the chance to properly position themselves. When you base the personnel decisions on the mindset — be it attitudes, promotions or separations — then the organisation quickly learns how to set the course for you. Plus, your executives have now been equipped with a strong tool to effectively exercise leadership.
We all know that skills can be learnt but a mindset only develops over time with experience and many small decisions. That is why a corporate mindset grows to have such an impact — it sets the tone and equips an organisation.
Written by Klaus Motoki Tonn for Lumen Partners
