Spanish
Several months ago I wrote an article on the “10 Golden Rules for the HR Manager”. There I mentioned competencies like service culture, mediation, communication, results-driven, continual learning, etc.
In today’s global economy, HR professionals have to take on a corporate role, at the head of the HR department of a multinational. That’s why today I’d like to add to this list some qualities that are particularly useful for corporate HR managers:
1. Capacity for integration: One of the functions of this role is often to harmonize processes throughout the company by integrating the best practices of each region. Best practices do not always have to feed from central sources; they can emerge from a co-creative action between corporate and local departments.
2. Capacity to work with diverse teams: This must be one of the core capabilities, as by definition corporate HR staff must work with geographically and culturally diverse teams. Besides, it is important for these profiles to be sure that whatever they set in motion or transmit is interpreted correctly, without hurting “sensitivities”. These sensitivities need not be of cultural origin, but instead may come from remote teleworking. Clear transmission and comprehension of objectives as well as their follow-up will be the key to success.
3. Flexibility: A consequence of diversity is the need to understand different ways of interpreting different situations. The ability to “adapt” our “vision” to each of the possible interpretations of reality may be the key to a job done well.
4. Persuasion/Capacity to influence: This is understood as the capacity to get others to achieve a given objective. This has much to do with managing the diversity we mentioned above: the HR professional must know how to influence and communicate with all kinds of groups and cultures, and this way walk the company along the right path.
5. Trust/Integrity: One of the main functions is to transmit corporate values, so these profiles must reflect and uphold these, and be an example of integrity and trust for the rest of the departments of the organization.
