Typically, HR managers and executives come from different backgrounds, and operate in different contexts. So, it’s no surprise they often have different priorities.
Still, we in HR often assume that our CEOs want the same things we do. But how can that be? A CEO’s focus is on strategy, performance, and outcomes. HR’s role is to manage people, build culture, and support operations. Even when your CEO values your people, how that value is expressed, and what they expect from HR, can look very different.
We see this all the time in our consulting work with NPOs. And that’s why we create this list – to help you understand what your CEO really cares about, and what they don’t. Because aligning HR priorities with the executive agenda is crucial when trying to get your executive leadership on the same page.
What Your CEO Is Not Thinking About
- Whether HR has a ‘seat at the table’.
- HR file audits.
- Employee social events.
- Is HR using the latest and greatest tools.
- Where the HR office is located.
- Employee benefits enrollments.
- HR’s organizational structure.
- Employee birthdays.
- Percentage of performance appraisals completed.
- HR transaction files.
- United Way participation.
What Your CEO Is Thinking About
- Winning
- Competitive advantage.
- Do I have the right people?
- The risk of losing High Potential employees.
- The gap between Human Capital resources in place and those that are needed.
- What the cost of turnover is.
What Does This Mean?
If you want to align with the executive agenda, stop thinking like an HR silo. Think like a business partner. The best HR executives we see these days are those who are totally involved and integrated with the line operations of the organization. So that if you listen to them expound on what they do you would think they were a Programs Director not the head of Human Resources. They speak in terms of strategy, performance, and outcomes. Not process.
Your job isn’t just to run HR smoothly. It’s to make sure your HR strategy supports the business strategy, not in theory, but in execution. It means demonstrating value, not by how many policies are updated, but by how well your people strategy drives results.
Because your CEO isn’t interested in the little things. They’re concerned about competitive results, and whether HR is helping the organization drive them.