HR - where does it ultimately lead to?

[The Y-man]

I am wondering where most people expect HR careers to ultimately lead to, and perhaps a comparison to actualities.

Where do most people expect HR to go in terms of "career development" (i.e. climbing the corporate ladder)?

The reason I ask this is because most of the CxO's I read about or know of, seem to come up from Engineering/Technical (production), Finance (CFO > CEO), IT (CIO > CEO), Sales/Marketing etc.... but rarely seem to come across the case of the HR manager going on to run the organisation (let alone being considered part of the "Exec team" in some cases)

Perhaps I just have a very narrow view of the corporate world.

Would be interested in hearing other's views.

The Y-man

[michaelakassar]

Hi,

Unfortunately, our profession is still treated like back office junk by many executives and the business community at large. The human element is still not seen as mission critical, which is why you rarely, if ever see a company with a Chief HR Officer, and why people in HR are not considered for CEO/MD roles.

The other problem of course is that there are still many HR practitioners out there who may lack business awareness and therefore, don't get the credibility and influence they want. It is important to understand that HR must think and act strategically, focusing on the business as a whole. As a profession we need to better understand the needs of business and align our activities with the goals and strategies of the organisations we work for. By acting, speaking, and thinking like businesspeople, we improve our chances of getting somewhere.

Just my very humble thoughts.



Cheers
Michaela

[Raynor]

Not all businesses define HR the same way as its not a codified profession like law, accounting and engineering. What is important is how HR professionals see their role.

If a HR function is treated like a back office function - its because it is for that individual organisation; glorified admin; an overhead.

Select organisations who can clearly define the role of HR and its contribution to the organisations purpose.

Where there is a clear link you will find HR shaping and driving strategy as equally as sales, finance and IT - and reporting accordingly inside the structure whatever the title.