Do You Need HR Qualities In Your C-Suite?

Posted February 23, 2018 by Mary McGinley

The C-Suite for many organizations isn’t the same as it was even a few years ago. Many of the top executives at companies such as Dunkin’, NBC, Xerox and General Motors started out as human resource professionals, According to a recent article appearing on the Forbes.com website, the qualities that made them good at their jobs in HR, are exactly what is needed now that they are occupying the executive suite.

For the article’s author, Daniel Chait, CEO & co-founder of Greenhouse, a provider of talent acquisition software, making the most out of the organization’s human capital is the most important job he has in his position.

When he meets with fellow CEO’s, their topics of conversation have little to do with mergers and acquisitions or tax incentives. Most of what matters to each of them are human issues – how to motivate and get the absolute best out of their people.  In the era of the #MeToo movement and intense scrutiny by the public via social media, making sure that people rather than processes are at the center of what drives any company is essential.

“The public measures your company by its values, as experienced by how it treats all people; customers, employees, and candidates alike,” advises Chait. Making people the central focus the company has begun to pay off for companies such as McDonald’s GE and Starbucks, for example. Workers are more inclined to not only give their best to organizations where they feel appreciated but are more likely to remain there longer, and network with friends and colleagues to let them know about available positions.

For those companies that have made clear their policies regarding diversity, equality and transparency clear they have been able to attract and retain top talent. Chait believes that those CEO’s who have been HR professionals intimately understand the human dynamic that can put their companies ahead of the competition.