In a recently published book the authors quote a senior official in the Labour Party as saying the PM was more like an HR manager than a leader.

The implication being that the PM was an ineffective leader because he was more focused on the people rather than the organisations objectives. Or put bluntly he was a bit of a softy as opposed to a ruthless operator.

This view reflects the myth that HR managers can not be forceful, lack vision, don’t inspire,  are not innovative and are not strategic. A view that see HR in very narrow terms as about hiring and firing, giving advice not making decisions, policing policy not changing the culture, focusing on people not budgets and productivity.

This is a very out of date view of how HR operates in today’s modern organisations. These days HR has a pronounced strategic function, key to the organisations transformation and becoming more agile and therefore better able to respond to a fast changing environment. HR isn’t simply about hiring and firing it about anticipating the organisations future workforce needs and planning for this,  it about changing the culture whether that be through an EDI strategy or a more compassionate management  style, it’s  about building in flexibility to support and encourage innovation,  and it’s about understanding the business in order to facilitate achieving its goals.

With this background HR managers can make excellent leaders due to their inherent focus on people , their understanding of employees needs and their ability to cultivate a positive workplace culture, all key components of effective leadership.

If the suggestion is HR managers lack the necessary drive, determination, passion and ability to inspire others then this is not my experience. In organisations it is frequently HR managers  who champion EDI, they are the ones driving the agenda to reduce the gender pay gap, they are the ones determined to introduce a more compassionate management culture as such it’s their passion that inspires others.

It’s not an insult to  describe a leader as someone who recognises that people are the organisations most valuable resource and acts accordingly.