Understanding Different Parts of the Business from an HRBP Lens
People are people, so if you’re an HRBP, no matter what industry or profession you’re supporting, being a behaviorist and expert in people is most critical. However, if you want to be the best in the field and up your game as an HRBP, we believe there needs to be a focus on being a matchmaker between people and business needs.
At Spotify, HRBPs are crucial for aligning HR strategies with organizational goals and they thrive when they know a little bit about a lot. Just like when studying for a test – rather than memorizing facts in order to pass, understanding the context of a subject will help to give a deeper understanding, and therefore more competence.
Genuine Curiosity for A Plethora Of Information
Whether an HRBP is pivoting between industries, leaders, or business groups, there needs to be a level of genuine curiosity so that they can really dig in and learn. They should learn the roles, understand the history, and know why things are as they are today. Having all of these data points combined with in-the-moment real experiences, and the backing of a core and aligned wider HR team, provides a plethora of information that enables better decision-making and sound judgment calls.
When an HRBP has a broader knowledge base, they can engage with a wider variety of stakeholders and apply more diverse strategies, learning even more as they continue to interact with more groups, departments and communities. Curiosity is key to an HRBP being stronger in their profession.
Diversity of Thought and Experience
Why does this matter so much to an HRBPs role specifically? Essentially, an HRBP walks the line of implementing and upholding process and procedure with an added layer of subjective decision making. Experiences, whether personal, work, or general life related, help with critical thinking and trying to understand a multitude of factors, whilst not thinking singularly.
In addition to their own lived experiences, an HRBP’s relationship with their stakeholders can provide more context and beneficial information. In fact, HRBPs partner with the leaders they support more than any other stakeholder, so they will typically be a key source of knowledge.
Within one company everyone should be moving towards unified goals and strategy, but it’s likely that different teams and departments have different focus areas and priorities that will contribute to reaching that common goal. And each leader will have their own style and bring their own uniqueness. Therefore, if an HRBP interacts with a wide variety of stakeholders, they’ll experience more diversity of thought leadership, and ultimately they’ll know how each team’s work is equally important in the bigger picture, and how it is all connected. A helicopter perspective, if you will.
Essentially an HRBP is always balancing process and flexibility, and their ability to get the balance spot on all comes down to context, information and ability for critical thinking.
Knowing Your Audience
Understanding the bigger picture and how each group works is incredibly important – even if an HRBP does not currently support a specific team, some level of knowledge about the way each team works allows for a more nimble approach, and being better placed to determine what works best for each group.
For example, an HRBP may need to deliver the same exact message and information, but the group they are communicating to may require an adjustment in style. For example, communicating with Engineers may need a different approach than communicating the same information to Creatives, in order for the information to truly resonate and for them to more easily see how it’s applicable to their specific role and responsibilities.
Within any business there are many pieces of the puzzle that are connected, so the more someone knows the easier it is for them to understand how something works cross-functionally and the potential implications there are for each decision. This is the best way, beyond basic people expertise, that an HRBP can step up their game and have a greater impact on the business they are supporting and advising.
How to Step Up Your Game as an HRBP
Ultimately, the journey of an HRBP is one of continuous learning and adaptation. By embracing a growth mindset, leveraging the wider HR team, and knowing their audience, an HRBP can drive impactful change within their organization.
In this ever-evolving landscape, the blend of critical thinking and empathy positions HRBPs not just as advisors, but as vital contributors to the success of their teams and the company as a whole.
HRBPs flourish by cultivating a diverse knowledge base, maintaining genuine curiosity about all areas of the business, and staying abreast of different roles and the organization’s history. This knowledge equips them to make informed decisions and tailor communication to resonate with different audiences.
If you’re an HRBP, ask yourself, what’s next? Is there an area of the business you are curious about and want to know more? Do you want to dig deeper into the area you currently support and maybe have a “day in the life” immersion of positions you are less familiar with? What would be one area you would like to know a little bit more about? Our top tips are to embrace your growth mindset, leverage multiple sources of information, always ask questions, embrace diversity of thought, practice active listening, avoid assumptions and lean on and contribute to the wider HR team. And last but not least, remember, there’s no such thing as multitasking, but context switching….that’s real.
