November 1, 2023 • 21 mins
Description: In this episode, we delve into the crucial role of HR in empowering managers to excel in their leadership roles. We explore the various facets of HR support, from department alignment to performance management and employee development, providing listeners with actionable insights and practical steps to enhance their management skills and foster a thriving, engaged workforce. Join us as we unlock the secrets of "How HR Can Help Managers Manage"!
Resources:
Let's Connect:
Guest LinkedIn Profile - DQ Spencer
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03 Unknown Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:49:14 Unknown Now it's time to thrive. Well, hello everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 Minute THRIVE. Thanks for joining us today. I'm excited for our conversation today because you get to hear from DQ spencer. DQ is an mra. HR Business partner located in our golden valley, minnesota location. But i know you come with a lot of experience and enthusiasm, especially for our topic today, how our can help managers manage.
00:00:49:16 - 00:01:06:08 Unknown Sounds like a big topic, but I'm excited to kind of break it down. I know we're going to run through a lot of aspects of HR and kind of give our listeners some good action items and stuff so that they can walk away with. So I know this is your first time on the podcast, so I appreciate you come on and excited.
00:01:06:10 - 00:01:26:20 Unknown Awesome. Me too, hi podcasters. I know that you recently spoke at an event on this topic actually. So before we kind of kick things off, I'm just curious to know why is this really an important topic for our listeners? Yeah, I know you're right. I did speak on the event. It was an awesome event.
00:01:26:20 - 00:01:49:13 Unknown A lot of energy and enthusiasm. This is a very important topic because a lot of organizations are still struggling with aspect of the function of HR organizations talking about people and people assets being the most important aspect of the company. But they have a hard time showing that people are, because they're the only nonrenewable asset that organizations have.
00:01:49:15 - 00:02:15:23 Unknown You can't copy the processes, equipment, technology, terminology, but you can't really copy people. So that's why this one is very important. Yeah, that's a great point as we kind of dive in. Now, can you explain how HR really collaborates with managers to emphasize their functional strengths? And kind of part two of that question is how can they use those strengths with their teams to achieve those organizational goals?
00:02:16:00 - 00:02:37:16 Unknown Yeah, So as you know, I don't know. I don't know. I have a football background. I like to use sport terminologies. That's great. Yeah, Yeah. So, I mean, HR is part of a team, right? HR is one of the few functions that truly supports the whole organization. So they have knowledge throughout each function, but they're not be the subject matter expert on that function.
00:02:37:16 - 00:02:50:12 Unknown Right? So to probably collaborate with them, you have to just include that clue to include them in our communication conversation and work to collaborate and build that functional component.
00:02:50:14 - 00:03:19:12 Unknown Speaking of teamwork, we're in a world where teamwork is crucial. So how can HR departments kind of facilitate collaboration among their employees and help managers foster that culture of cooperation and teamwork and collaboration? Yeah. So that collaboration comes from that communication, right? And so a big part of HR is communication, and it's talking to the employees, talking to the supervisors, the managers, the leads.
00:03:19:14 - 00:03:43:09 Unknown It's really getting to know your people, your biggest assets. HR is a science and that you'll understand that. I mean, as H
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minuteThrive, your go to podcast for anything
and everything HR powered by MRA,the Management Association.
Looking to stay on top of the everchanging world of HR?
MRA has got you covered.
We'll be the first to tell you what's hotand what's not.
I'm your host, Sophie Boler,and we are so glad you're here.
(00:21):
Now it's time to thrive.
Well, hello everybody, and welcometo this episode of 30 Minute THRIVE.
Thanks for joining us today.
I'm excited for our conversation todaybecause you get to hear from DQ spencer.
DQ is an mra.
HR Business partner locatedin our golden valley, minnesota location.
But i know you comewith a lot of experience and enthusiasm,
(00:44):
especially for our topic today,how our can help managers manage.
Sounds like a big topic,but I'm excited to kind of break it down.
I know we're going to run through a lot of
aspects of HRand kind of give our listeners
some good action items and stuffso that they can walk away with.
So I know
this is your first time on the podcast,so I appreciate you come on and excited.
(01:06):
Awesome.
Me too, hi podcasters.
I know that you recently spokeat an event on this topic actually.
So before we kind of kick things off,I'm just curious to know
why is this really an important topicfor our listeners?
Yeah, I know you're right.
I did speak on the event.It was an awesome event.
(01:26):
A lot of energy and enthusiasm.
This is a very important topic because alot of organizations are still struggling
with aspect of the functionof HR organizations talking about people
and people assets being the most importantaspect of the company.
But they have a hard time showing that
people are,because they're the only nonrenewable
(01:47):
asset that organizations have.
You can't copy the processes,
equipment, technology, terminology,but you can't really copy people.
So that's why this one is very important.
Yeah, that's a great pointas we kind of dive in.
Now, can you explain how HR really
collaborates with managersto emphasize their functional strengths?
(02:08):
And kind of part two of that question ishow can they use those strengths
with their teamsto achieve those organizational goals?
Yeah, So as you know, I don't know.
I don't know.I have a football background.
I like to use sport terminologies.
That's great.
Yeah, Yeah.
So, I mean, HR is part of a team, right?
HR is one of the few functions thattruly supports the whole organization.
(02:31):
So they have knowledgethroughout each function,
but they're not be the subject matterexpert on that function.
Right?
So to probably collaborate with them,you have to just include that clue
to include themin our communication conversation
and work to collaborateand build that functional component.
Speaking of
teamwork, we're in a worldwhere teamwork is crucial.
(02:55):
So how can HR departmentskind of facilitate collaboration
among their employees and help managersfoster that
culture of cooperationand teamwork and collaboration?
Yeah.
So that collaboration comesfrom that communication, right?
And so a big part of HR is communication,and it's talking to the employees,
(03:17):
talking to the supervisors,the managers, the leads.
It's really getting to know your people,your biggest assets.
HR is a scienceand that you'll understand that.
I mean, as HR, you have that strength,you have that background of understanding
people behaviors,thought processes, patterns and processes.
But as a as a functional leader,let's say, in accounting or finance,
(03:40):
your your, your function,your strengths are going to be with that.
So you can you can collaborate with themand to partner with them, engage them.
You have to communicate, you have toget in there, you have to go to them.
You have to understand what the culture isand how you can drive that.
Those behaviors in and and processes
to to and build and engagetheir culture properly.
(04:03):
Absolutely.
And I know as an HR business partner,you work
with a lot of different companies,a lot of different HR department.
So do you have any examples or successstories, I would say, of kind of where
the HR departments work with teamworkand kind of fostering that collaboration?
Yeah, I don't know.
Somewhere along the line, HR has gottensuch a bad rep as as the good Lord. Yep.
(04:28):
And I've been in HR for about 16 years.
I have my my Bachelors
of Science in HR McMaster Scienceand during my doctorate business in HR.
And through that, I've learned a lot.
But I've also learned just as muchthrough my experience.
For example, I worked with an organizationknown, as you mentioned
previous to me joining in.
(04:48):
It was a very strong union environment
and that created a kind of trifecta.
Three headed obstacle coursebecause it was the union,
it was the business,the factory manufacturing, and it was HR
and that's how they viewed it
as three different portions,three different aspects of business.
And that was a very tall task.
(05:09):
So I really had to go in thereand work on our collaboration
first, partnering with the organization,the plant manager, building
that relationship, and then partneringwith building that relationship.
And I was kind of that liaisonthat brought it all together,
you know, that that organization lackedtrust amongst the three.
So that was that was very challenging.
(05:30):
But just working with them, showingmy commitment, my dedication, my, my,
my, my processes and my procedures,
showing them that, hey,you know this, we're a team.
We want the same goal.
We set different paths to get there.
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of our listenerscan kind of resonate with that
and relate to that story too,and how their organization like that.
(05:52):
So that's good advice.
But we also know that complianceis also a critical aspect of HR, too.
So do you have any insights onhow HR can support managers
and ensuring their teamsadhere to the regulations
and policies that always seemto be changing and updating?
Yeah. Yeah.
So I'm going to kind of get off topic,but get back to topic is going to be.
(06:16):
So when I first started in the HR,I tried to assimilate
to that that stereotype,that prototype of a human resource manager
saying no and yes, and you can't do thisand you can't do that.
And I wasn't truly myselfand I truly started being successful
when I started,you know, venturing on and being original.
(06:36):
So I took the mindset of that.
I wasn't going to tell leadersand managers, No, you can't do this
Right off the bat.
I was going to tell them, Hey,
I want to get that goal that you want,but here's how we can do this.
Here's how we can get it doneversus knowing. Yes.
So it's compliance.
It's the same kind of issues in thataspect versus telling them no or yes.
I'll give them parameters and say,Hey, I see what you're trying to do.
(06:57):
This is the most compliantand best way to get there.
So let's get it done together. Yeah. So,
so running through
kind of the task of all the tasks of HR,
another one is to motivate employees,which can be kind of difficult.
So how can HR Professionals and managerswork together
to keep their teams engaged and motivated?
(07:19):
That's that's a tough one, right?
Because,
you know, I say this all the time is thatwe're called individuals for a reason.
So we're usually created in the
we have individual valuesand views and perspectives.
So to have that motivation, it'sgoing to take really knowing and building
a relationship with your organization,your culture and your employees.
(07:41):
So know your employees.
One thing I told
a member that I talked to,
you know, he asked me,how can I motivate my employees?
What's going on?
They're not gauging.
And I you know,I sat there and I said, Hey,
you mind if I watch it for a little bit?
Watch for a little bit?
No problem. No problem.
So I sat down and took half the morning
(08:03):
and just kind of watch his interactionswith the employees.
And I literally told him, I said,I saw four separate times where people
were trying to talk to you and you didn'ttalk to people trying to walk.
My actually, I didn't even look atand on two separate times
we were trying to talk to you and yousaid, you know, you're busy with tomorrow.
I said, Engagement goes both ways,motivation goes both ways.
(08:24):
You have to go and engagewith them. Right.
As a position of authority. Naturally.
I think the way peopleare going to be timid to engage with you
so that you have to saidthat you're setting a standard.
Like I said, the engagementand motivation goes both ways.
Show them that you're willing to dowhat you're asking them to do.
Yeah, absolutely.
I feel like that's a good point.
(08:45):
I know a lot of companies right nowjust have to kind of reevaluate
what they're doing.
Like you kind of sat in as a flyon the wall and you were able to see it.
The HR department may notbe able to see it because they're in it.
So sometimes you kind of need an outsideralmost to come in and
see that. ALL Yeah.
So when it comes to achievingresults, alignment
(09:08):
with an organization is key, obviously.
So how can HR create that alignmentbetween different teams and departments?
Yeah, so alignment comes out.
You know, I talked about inclusion,communication, conversation
alignment comeswith understanding the goal, right?
And creating processes and procedures
(09:29):
that align with that,that drive toward that goal.
A lot of companies have processesjust because they happen.
They said, we always have thisor this is what we were always.
But your goal changed,the business changed.
You know,the world of business is very dynamic.
It's always changing for youto keep the same processes.
It might not make senseto achieve that goal.
(09:50):
So I always tell the people, you know,look at what you're trying to achieve,
work backwardsand this is what we want it.
This is what we want to achieve.
So let's do this.
This, this is to get there versus,
well, let's do thisand go kind of around it, you know,
align toward that goal,direct your process, your behavior
and your diet and your actionstoward achieving that ultimate goal.
(10:11):
And just what you said right there,the world of business is very dynamic.
So I guess that kind of brings usto our next point of how can our assist
managers in adapting their strategiesand tactics to meet new challenges when
business is always changing?
Yeah, it'sjust constant reassessment, right?
So like I said, I've been organizations
(10:35):
all different functions and industries,and the thing I hear the most is
this is how we've always done itor this is what they told us to do
versus, you know, having that criticalthinking skills, thinking about, hey,
this is what they told us to do.And so I was done it.
But it doesn't kind of make sense.
We're trying to doso we're going back to think about
this is what we're trying to we'retrying to achieve organic business.
(10:55):
We're trying to grow.
We're trying to we're trying to setcustomers and employee satisfaction.
So what can we do to get better?
Understandingyour culture. Culture is big,
so I don't know if you know that I'ma teacher as well.
Professor There's that.
There's perio, pedagogy and anthropology.
The type of learning that adultswhen when they learn, they want to learn
(11:19):
by seeing what you do and lookingwhat you do versus when you're a kid,
you do this because you're told to dobecause you have to go through this.
You have to work through school,you have to go to high school as adults.
They're therebecause they only want to be there.
So let's make it a departmentthat they want to be there right
there. It's going to be changing.
Not everyone's going to be the same, justlike business is going to be evolving.
(11:42):
It's going to be dynamic.
It's going to be contemporary.
Some things may stay traditional,but it's going to move.
You have to move with flexibility.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. I should have mentioned thatyou were a teacher in the beginning too.
I got so many different perspectivesnow from,
well, we've kind of mentioned this
(12:04):
throughout the whole podcast,but it seems like employee
engagement is oftenone of the biggest concerns for managers.
So and you've touched on this briefly,
but how can it really assist in measuringand improving employee engagement
then to enhance team performancein an organization?
Yeah,and that's that's a tough question, right?
(12:26):
Because everyone is going to be different.
But the thing it can say is, you know,
just like business and sales
engagement is building relationships,then understanding where you're
talking to, what you're talking about,understanding the optimal goal
and just buildingeverybody should go toward it.
And earlier, making that effort to engage
(12:47):
with their employees,making that effort to be as transparent.
That's transparent as possible.
And so you can't be completely transparentall the time,
but be as open as possiblebecause more people understand them more
than want to drive that goaland helping them get those fingerprints
and open and get that engagementand touchpoints within that plan.
(13:09):
And that also helps, you know,they have a little skin in the game
that will help them engage and help them.
So, you know, I'm a part of this, right?
But it starts and starts with the culture.
And how isyour culture is an engaging culture.
Is it an open door culture?
Is it, hey, I know we're business here,but how is your day and how are you doing?
Look at the example I gave previously.
(13:30):
When a manager, you know, shoot people offor was too busy to talk to people
or, you know, he walked from his officeright to where he needs to go
at to engage.
You have to show themthis is what engagement looks like.
You have to show that, hey,I'm motivated to do my job.
You have to think,what do you think about this?
Talk to themand increase that communication,
(13:51):
increase that inclusionand then kind of full support.
HR Is a big portion of thatbecause a lot of people really don't
have that perspectiveor understanding or mindset.
And as a human resource manager,
we understand that people are our businessand people should be
everyone's business because that'swhat business is created on.
(14:13):
Even even technical businesses,even process oriented businesses.
They're all about people, right?
We understand our people.
The more we can utilize to take advantage
of how great that asset can beand how much we can get to them,
how much they can get does Yeah,absolutely.
I love thatyou emphasized the importance of culture
(14:36):
and having a good culture because thathonestly drives your organization.
And you can tell on day oneand even probably both
before you work at the organizationwhat their culture is because
she's a very prominent thingin an organization.
So it's like,you know, example that I give,
(14:57):
which I've seen many times, is
when you're interviewing people,show their best in the best of
times and say,Hey, we're going over their culture where,
you know,we want to hear everything you're saying.
But when you start, it's absolutelyAnd I walk down the hall, every door
was closed, closed door meetings,Everything feels like it's secretive.
It feels like you're very being excluded.
(15:17):
And that's absolute culture.
So part of my research for my my doctorate
was how to decrease turnover.
The intention was really,truly millennials because I do my research
on generation, butin how to decrease turnover intentionally
with the number one decrease,there was the culture right?
(15:40):
Are you saying you door are you being transparent?
Are you including isare you hiring and retaining people?
You need to cultivate that cultureand that's a big thing is
if you don't have a culture where youif you don't have what you want now,
that's not a big deal.
A lot of lot religion are in there.
They don't have what they want to go.
They want to achieve.
So buthow are you going to get that right?
(16:01):
What's your plan
and how are you communicateand really in that plan, to your people,
to your to your managers,and how are they acting on that?
Well, you know, it's one thing to say it,but it's another thing to actually
let them
go. I know you'vegiven a ton of best practices and advice
and tips throughout this whole podcast,but do you have any best practices
(16:25):
for HR Professionals to really identifyand leverage the functional strengths
with within their organization to drivethat success that everybody wants?
Yeah. Yeah.
So a lot of times
i will say this is a very known saying,but get comfortable
with being accountable. Right?
So a lot of timeswhen you talk the functions
(16:46):
this is my first experience
with my careerwhen I taught the different functions
and I wasn't prepared to talk to themabout their business or their function.
And so that decreased their trustand decrease their trust in me.
So the more time to understand itand functions,
I can have a direct conversationwith about what their strengths were and
and they can see that I'mtaking that action to really understand
(17:11):
what their strengths are and whattheir function is and what their goal is.
And the more I understood how they act,how they behave,
what their processes were,the more I could create strategy to more
insert myself into their functionand help them grow.
And it helped me grow so much.
Understand business financially,understand business through the processes
of manufacturing,understand business details and marketing.
(17:34):
But I just,
you know, like I said, part of the reasonwhy I got my BBA
was because I had a master's in science,which is great.
But I want to understand businessas a whole more holistically.
And that helped me grow so much,
helped me grow immensely understandingdifferent functioning business.
(17:55):
And that's what I would give to each ageand professional in any, anyone,
any function.
I try to learn business.
Don't try to, you know, obviously,you know, you do.
You're your expert at what you do, butbe an expert at understanding the business
and that will help you growwith your organization.
There's so much that is great advice.
That's something that I'm trying to dotoo, is just even shadowing an apartment
(18:18):
for a dayto see what their day in the life is.
And that, like you said, will helpyou understand the business as a whole
and will help you do your job better,too, on the long run.
Yeah. Yeah.
And with that is I know it sounds boring,but you know, what do you
what's, what's going on in that meeting.
I said in that meeting where.
Hey, you mind if I,you know, tag along with you?
(18:39):
Like I said, Do you mind if I show you?
Do you mind if I hang outand kind of the following
a little bitand understand what you're going through
so I can better help you, betterassist you and better support you.
And that's what it's about.
You know, selfishly,I was trying to grow the business,
not trying to grow myself,so I was trying to be a better project,
better employee and a better personand more advanced to business.
(19:01):
Absolutely.
Well, as we wrap up your last question,can you share any key takeaways
for our listeners on how HR Can really bethat strategic partner
in helping managers manage effectivelyand achieve the optimal results
in their organizations.
Bring it full circle here.
We'll circle sort of our circle like
(19:21):
i would say, kind of likeI said, understand the business more.
You understand that businessand that function and that environment,
the more alignment you can create, right?
So again, help them understand processesthat they don't know the process of,
hey, this is what we're doing.
Is that process, that HR Role.
When i don't understand it,then they probably won't rule it out
(19:43):
to the best of their ability.
They probably won't engage in itto the best of your abilities.
So help them understand it, right?
Understand their business.They can understand your business.
Say that that alignment, that inclusion,you know,
still in their meetings,
our conversation with them, engagewith them, go out of your way,
you know, go beyond a little bitto make them feel, you know, that
(20:04):
they trust you, that the understandingthat they believe in you.
Because the more trust,more understanding,
the more inclusion you have, moretransparency, you'll get more engaging,
you'll get, the betteryou be able to help them and support them.
And the morethe business will be able to grow
and that's what it's about,is creating that organic growth
and that internal growthas well as that external world.
(20:26):
So you can be successful in the business,can be successful
decades. This was great.
I want to thank youfor being on the podcast today and sharing
all that great contentand all the advice on
how HR Can really help managers manage.
So to our listeners,i would just encourage you
if you liked our chat and topictoday, comment something new
(20:47):
that you learned today or somethingthat you're going to start implementing
or anything else that you'd like to add onto the conversation.
We want to know your thoughts,what you're thinking.
If you have any new ideas on this topic.
And don't forgetto share out this episode, of course,
and consider joining MRAif you aren't a member already.
We have all the resources you needin the show notes below.
(21:08):
We've also included resourceson this topic and deep
use contact info and LinkedIn profileif you want to connect with them.
Otherwise,thank you so much for tuning in today and
we will see you next week.
And that wraps up our contentfor this episode.
Be sure to reference the show noteswhere you can sign them to connect
(21:29):
for more podcast updates,
check out other MRA episodeson your favorite podcast platform.
And as always, make sure to followEmirates 30 minutes drive
so you don't miss out.Thanks for tuning in
and we'll see you next Wednesdayto carry on the conversation.
Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minuteThrive, your go to podcast for anything
and everything HR powered by MRA,the Management Association.
Looking to stay on top of the everchanging world of HR?
MRA has got you covered.
We'll be the first to tell you what's hotand what's not.
I'm your host, Sophie Boler,and we are so glad you're here.
(00:21):
Now it's time to thrive.
Well, hello everybody, and welcometo this episode of 30 Minute THRIVE.
Thanks for joining us today.
I'm excited for our conversation todaybecause you get to hear from DQ spencer.
DQ is an mra.
HR Business partner locatedin our golden valley, minnesota location.
But i know you comewith a lot of experience and enthusiasm,
(00:44):
especially for our topic today,how our can help managers manage.
Sounds like a big topic,but I'm excited to kind of break it down.
I know we're going to run through a lot of
aspects of HRand kind of give our listeners
some good action items and stuffso that they can walk away with.
So I know
this is your first time on the podcast,so I appreciate you come on and excited.
(01:06):
Awesome.
Me too, hi podcasters.
I know that you recently spokeat an event on this topic actually.
So before we kind of kick things off,I'm just curious to know
why is this really an important topicfor our listeners?
Yeah, I know you're right.
I did speak on the event.It was an awesome event.
(01:26):
A lot of energy and enthusiasm.
This is a very important topic because alot of organizations are still struggling
with aspect of the functionof HR organizations talking about people
and people assets being the most importantaspect of the company.
But they have a hard time showing that
people are,because they're the only nonrenewable
(01:47):
asset that organizations have.
You can't copy the processes,
equipment, technology, terminology,but you can't really copy people.
So that's why this one is very important.
Yeah, that's a great pointas we kind of dive in.
Now, can you explain how HR really
collaborates with managersto emphasize their functional strengths?
(02:08):
And kind of part two of that question ishow can they use those strengths
with their teamsto achieve those organizational goals?
Yeah, So as you know, I don't know.
I don't know.I have a football background.
I like to use sport terminologies.
That's great.
Yeah, Yeah.
So, I mean, HR is part of a team, right?
HR is one of the few functions thattruly supports the whole organization.
(02:31):
So they have knowledgethroughout each function,
but they're not be the subject matterexpert on that function.
Right?
So to probably collaborate with them,you have to just include that clue
to include themin our communication conversation
and work to collaborateand build that functional component.
Speaking of
teamwork, we're in a worldwhere teamwork is crucial.
(02:55):
So how can HR departmentskind of facilitate collaboration
among their employees and help managersfoster that
culture of cooperationand teamwork and collaboration?
Yeah.
So that collaboration comesfrom that communication, right?
And so a big part of HR is communication,and it's talking to the employees,
(03:17):
talking to the supervisors,the managers, the leads.
It's really getting to know your people,your biggest assets.
HR is a scienceand that you'll understand that.
I mean, as HR, you have that strength,you have that background of understanding
people behaviors,thought processes, patterns and processes.
But as a as a functional leader,let's say, in accounting or finance,
(03:40):
your your, your function,your strengths are going to be with that.
So you can you can collaborate with themand to partner with them, engage them.
You have to communicate, you have toget in there, you have to go to them.
You have to understand what the culture isand how you can drive that.
Those behaviors in and and processes
to to and build and engagetheir culture properly.
(04:03):
Absolutely.
And I know as an HR business partner,you work
with a lot of different companies,a lot of different HR department.
So do you have any examples or successstories, I would say, of kind of where
the HR departments work with teamworkand kind of fostering that collaboration?
Yeah, I don't know.
Somewhere along the line, HR has gottensuch a bad rep as as the good Lord. Yep.
(04:28):
And I've been in HR for about 16 years.
I have my my Bachelors
of Science in HR McMaster Scienceand during my doctorate business in HR.
And through that, I've learned a lot.
But I've also learned just as muchthrough my experience.
For example, I worked with an organizationknown, as you mentioned
previous to me joining in.
(04:48):
It was a very strong union environment
and that created a kind of trifecta.
Three headed obstacle coursebecause it was the union,
it was the business,the factory manufacturing, and it was HR
and that's how they viewed it
as three different portions,three different aspects of business.
And that was a very tall task.
(05:09):
So I really had to go in thereand work on our collaboration
first, partnering with the organization,the plant manager, building
that relationship, and then partneringwith building that relationship.
And I was kind of that liaisonthat brought it all together,
you know, that that organization lackedtrust amongst the three.
So that was that was very challenging.
(05:30):
But just working with them, showingmy commitment, my dedication, my, my,
my, my processes and my procedures,
showing them that, hey,you know this, we're a team.
We want the same goal.
We set different paths to get there.
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of our listenerscan kind of resonate with that
and relate to that story too,and how their organization like that.
(05:52):
So that's good advice.
But we also know that complianceis also a critical aspect of HR, too.
So do you have any insights onhow HR can support managers
and ensuring their teamsadhere to the regulations
and policies that always seemto be changing and updating?
Yeah. Yeah.
So I'm going to kind of get off topic,but get back to topic is going to be.
(06:16):
So when I first started in the HR,I tried to assimilate
to that that stereotype,that prototype of a human resource manager
saying no and yes, and you can't do thisand you can't do that.
And I wasn't truly myselfand I truly started being successful
when I started,you know, venturing on and being original.
(06:36):
So I took the mindset of that.
I wasn't going to tell leadersand managers, No, you can't do this
Right off the bat.
I was going to tell them, Hey,
I want to get that goal that you want,but here's how we can do this.
Here's how we can get it doneversus knowing. Yes.
So it's compliance.
It's the same kind of issues in thataspect versus telling them no or yes.
I'll give them parameters and say,Hey, I see what you're trying to do.
(06:57):
This is the most compliantand best way to get there.
So let's get it done together. Yeah. So,
so running through
kind of the task of all the tasks of HR,
another one is to motivate employees,which can be kind of difficult.
So how can HR Professionals and managerswork together
to keep their teams engaged and motivated?
(07:19):
That's that's a tough one, right?
Because,
you know, I say this all the time is thatwe're called individuals for a reason.
So we're usually created in the
we have individual valuesand views and perspectives.
So to have that motivation, it'sgoing to take really knowing and building
a relationship with your organization,your culture and your employees.
(07:41):
So know your employees.
One thing I told
a member that I talked to,
you know, he asked me,how can I motivate my employees?
What's going on?
They're not gauging.
And I you know,I sat there and I said, Hey,
you mind if I watch it for a little bit?
Watch for a little bit?
No problem. No problem.
So I sat down and took half the morning
(08:03):
and just kind of watch his interactionswith the employees.
And I literally told him, I said,I saw four separate times where people
were trying to talk to you and you didn'ttalk to people trying to walk.
My actually, I didn't even look atand on two separate times
we were trying to talk to you and yousaid, you know, you're busy with tomorrow.
I said, Engagement goes both ways,motivation goes both ways.
(08:24):
You have to go and engagewith them. Right.
As a position of authority. Naturally.
I think the way peopleare going to be timid to engage with you
so that you have to saidthat you're setting a standard.
Like I said, the engagementand motivation goes both ways.
Show them that you're willing to dowhat you're asking them to do.
Yeah, absolutely.
I feel like that's a good point.
(08:45):
I know a lot of companies right nowjust have to kind of reevaluate
what they're doing.
Like you kind of sat in as a flyon the wall and you were able to see it.
The HR department may notbe able to see it because they're in it.
So sometimes you kind of need an outsideralmost to come in and
see that. ALL Yeah.
So when it comes to achievingresults, alignment
(09:08):
with an organization is key, obviously.
So how can HR create that alignmentbetween different teams and departments?
Yeah, so alignment comes out.
You know, I talked about inclusion,communication, conversation
alignment comeswith understanding the goal, right?
And creating processes and procedures
(09:29):
that align with that,that drive toward that goal.
A lot of companies have processesjust because they happen.
They said, we always have thisor this is what we were always.
But your goal changed,the business changed.
You know,the world of business is very dynamic.
It's always changing for youto keep the same processes.
It might not make senseto achieve that goal.
(09:50):
So I always tell the people, you know,look at what you're trying to achieve,
work backwardsand this is what we want it.
This is what we want to achieve.
So let's do this.
This, this is to get there versus,
well, let's do thisand go kind of around it, you know,
align toward that goal,direct your process, your behavior
and your diet and your actionstoward achieving that ultimate goal.
(10:11):
And just what you said right there,the world of business is very dynamic.
So I guess that kind of brings usto our next point of how can our assist
managers in adapting their strategiesand tactics to meet new challenges when
business is always changing?
Yeah, it'sjust constant reassessment, right?
So like I said, I've been organizations
(10:35):
all different functions and industries,and the thing I hear the most is
this is how we've always done itor this is what they told us to do
versus, you know, having that criticalthinking skills, thinking about, hey,
this is what they told us to do.And so I was done it.
But it doesn't kind of make sense.
We're trying to doso we're going back to think about
this is what we're trying to we'retrying to achieve organic business.
(10:55):
We're trying to grow.
We're trying to we're trying to setcustomers and employee satisfaction.
So what can we do to get better?
Understandingyour culture. Culture is big,
so I don't know if you know that I'ma teacher as well.
Professor There's that.
There's perio, pedagogy and anthropology.
The type of learning that adultswhen when they learn, they want to learn
(11:19):
by seeing what you do and lookingwhat you do versus when you're a kid,
you do this because you're told to dobecause you have to go through this.
You have to work through school,you have to go to high school as adults.
They're therebecause they only want to be there.
So let's make it a departmentthat they want to be there right
there. It's going to be changing.
Not everyone's going to be the same, justlike business is going to be evolving.
(11:42):
It's going to be dynamic.
It's going to be contemporary.
Some things may stay traditional,but it's going to move.
You have to move with flexibility.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. I should have mentioned thatyou were a teacher in the beginning too.
I got so many different perspectivesnow from,
well, we've kind of mentioned this
(12:04):
throughout the whole podcast,but it seems like employee
engagement is oftenone of the biggest concerns for managers.
So and you've touched on this briefly,
but how can it really assist in measuringand improving employee engagement
then to enhance team performancein an organization?
Yeah,and that's that's a tough question, right?
(12:26):
Because everyone is going to be different.
But the thing it can say is, you know,
just like business and sales
engagement is building relationships,then understanding where you're
talking to, what you're talking about,understanding the optimal goal
and just buildingeverybody should go toward it.
And earlier, making that effort to engage
(12:47):
with their employees,making that effort to be as transparent.
That's transparent as possible.
And so you can't be completely transparentall the time,
but be as open as possiblebecause more people understand them more
than want to drive that goaland helping them get those fingerprints
and open and get that engagementand touchpoints within that plan.
(13:09):
And that also helps, you know,they have a little skin in the game
that will help them engage and help them.
So, you know, I'm a part of this, right?
But it starts and starts with the culture.
And how isyour culture is an engaging culture.
Is it an open door culture?
Is it, hey, I know we're business here,but how is your day and how are you doing?
Look at the example I gave previously.
(13:30):
When a manager, you know, shoot people offor was too busy to talk to people
or, you know, he walked from his officeright to where he needs to go
at to engage.
You have to show themthis is what engagement looks like.
You have to show that, hey,I'm motivated to do my job.
You have to think,what do you think about this?
Talk to themand increase that communication,
(13:51):
increase that inclusionand then kind of full support.
HR Is a big portion of thatbecause a lot of people really don't
have that perspectiveor understanding or mindset.
And as a human resource manager,
we understand that people are our businessand people should be
everyone's business because that'swhat business is created on.
(14:13):
Even even technical businesses,even process oriented businesses.
They're all about people, right?
We understand our people.
The more we can utilize to take advantage
of how great that asset can beand how much we can get to them,
how much they can get does Yeah,absolutely.
I love thatyou emphasized the importance of culture
(14:36):
and having a good culture because thathonestly drives your organization.
And you can tell on day oneand even probably both
before you work at the organizationwhat their culture is because
she's a very prominent thingin an organization.
So it's like,you know, example that I give,
(14:57):
which I've seen many times, is
when you're interviewing people,show their best in the best of
times and say,Hey, we're going over their culture where,
you know,we want to hear everything you're saying.
But when you start, it's absolutelyAnd I walk down the hall, every door
was closed, closed door meetings,Everything feels like it's secretive.
It feels like you're very being excluded.
(15:17):
And that's absolute culture.
So part of my research for my my doctorate
was how to decrease turnover.
The intention was really,truly millennials because I do my research
on generation, butin how to decrease turnover intentionally
with the number one decrease,there was the culture right?
(15:40):
Are you saying you door are you being transparent?
Are you including isare you hiring and retaining people?
You need to cultivate that cultureand that's a big thing is
if you don't have a culture where youif you don't have what you want now,
that's not a big deal.
A lot of lot religion are in there.
They don't have what they want to go.
They want to achieve.
So buthow are you going to get that right?
(16:01):
What's your plan
and how are you communicateand really in that plan, to your people,
to your to your managers,and how are they acting on that?
Well, you know, it's one thing to say it,but it's another thing to actually
let them
go. I know you'vegiven a ton of best practices and advice
and tips throughout this whole podcast,but do you have any best practices
(16:25):
for HR Professionals to really identifyand leverage the functional strengths
with within their organization to drivethat success that everybody wants?
Yeah. Yeah.
So a lot of times
i will say this is a very known saying,but get comfortable
with being accountable. Right?
So a lot of timeswhen you talk the functions
(16:46):
this is my first experience
with my careerwhen I taught the different functions
and I wasn't prepared to talk to themabout their business or their function.
And so that decreased their trustand decrease their trust in me.
So the more time to understand itand functions,
I can have a direct conversationwith about what their strengths were and
and they can see that I'mtaking that action to really understand
(17:11):
what their strengths are and whattheir function is and what their goal is.
And the more I understood how they act,how they behave,
what their processes were,the more I could create strategy to more
insert myself into their functionand help them grow.
And it helped me grow so much.
Understand business financially,understand business through the processes
of manufacturing,understand business details and marketing.
(17:34):
But I just,
you know, like I said, part of the reasonwhy I got my BBA
was because I had a master's in science,which is great.
But I want to understand businessas a whole more holistically.
And that helped me grow so much,
helped me grow immensely understandingdifferent functioning business.
(17:55):
And that's what I would give to each ageand professional in any, anyone,
any function.
I try to learn business.
Don't try to, you know, obviously,you know, you do.
You're your expert at what you do, butbe an expert at understanding the business
and that will help you growwith your organization.
There's so much that is great advice.
That's something that I'm trying to dotoo, is just even shadowing an apartment
(18:18):
for a dayto see what their day in the life is.
And that, like you said, will helpyou understand the business as a whole
and will help you do your job better,too, on the long run.
Yeah. Yeah.
And with that is I know it sounds boring,but you know, what do you
what's, what's going on in that meeting.
I said in that meeting where.
Hey, you mind if I,you know, tag along with you?
(18:39):
Like I said, Do you mind if I show you?
Do you mind if I hang outand kind of the following
a little bitand understand what you're going through
so I can better help you, betterassist you and better support you.
And that's what it's about.
You know, selfishly,I was trying to grow the business,
not trying to grow myself,so I was trying to be a better project,
better employee and a better personand more advanced to business.
(19:01):
Absolutely.
Well, as we wrap up your last question,can you share any key takeaways
for our listeners on how HR Can really bethat strategic partner
in helping managers manage effectivelyand achieve the optimal results
in their organizations.
Bring it full circle here.
We'll circle sort of our circle like
(19:21):
i would say, kind of likeI said, understand the business more.
You understand that businessand that function and that environment,
the more alignment you can create, right?
So again, help them understand processesthat they don't know the process of,
hey, this is what we're doing.
Is that process, that HR Role.
When i don't understand it,then they probably won't rule it out
(19:43):
to the best of their ability.
They probably won't engage in itto the best of your abilities.
So help them understand it, right?
Understand their business.They can understand your business.
Say that that alignment, that inclusion,you know,
still in their meetings,
our conversation with them, engagewith them, go out of your way,
you know, go beyond a little bitto make them feel, you know, that
(20:04):
they trust you, that the understandingthat they believe in you.
Because the more trust,more understanding,
the more inclusion you have, moretransparency, you'll get more engaging,
you'll get, the betteryou be able to help them and support them.
And the morethe business will be able to grow
and that's what it's about,is creating that organic growth
and that internal growthas well as that external world.
(20:26):
So you can be successful in the business,can be successful
decades. This was great.
I want to thank youfor being on the podcast today and sharing
all that great contentand all the advice on
how HR Can really help managers manage.
So to our listeners,i would just encourage you
if you liked our chat and topictoday, comment something new
(20:47):
that you learned today or somethingthat you're going to start implementing
or anything else that you'd like to add onto the conversation.
We want to know your thoughts,what you're thinking.
If you have any new ideas on this topic.
And don't forgetto share out this episode, of course,
and consider joining MRAif you aren't a member already.
We have all the resources you needin the show notes below.
(21:08):
We've also included resourceson this topic and deep
use contact info and LinkedIn profileif you want to connect with them.
Otherwise,thank you so much for tuning in today and
we will see you next week.
And that wraps up our contentfor this episode.
Be sure to reference the show noteswhere you can sign them to connect
(21:29):
for more podcast updates,
check out other MRA episodeson your favorite podcast platform.
And as always, make sure to followEmirates 30 minutes drive
so you don't miss out.Thanks for tuning in
and we'll see you next Wednesdayto carry on the conversation.
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