The One Thing #4: A menu of hopes for HR

Which of your three children or your six grandchildren do you love the most? I was recently asked this by a sincere, but oblivious person. I love all my children and grandchildren equally. Likewise, it is nearly impossible to say “which is THE most important theme for HR 2014?” I think many of the ideas are relevant, so I will offer a menu of HR hopes for 2014.
HR outside in: Most HR work still focuses inside the company on employees, leaders, or HR practices. When the work of HR starts outside with customers, investors, and communities, it focuses on the value HR can create over time. Strategic HR still often uses strategy as a mirror to which HR must respond, while outside in uses strategy as a window to external business conditions and key stakeholders to which HR must respond. HR responds to outside in pressures by making changes in talent, leadership, and capability.
Talent: In the last 20 years, we have learned to help employees become more competent with innovations in train