Page 46 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

1. Continuous emotional intelligence skill development
2. Continuous coaching core-competency skill development
3. Solid technical HR knowledge (including frequently changing employment laws) and
use of credible HR/OD research sources
4. Continuous learning and self-awareness concerning diversity issues
5. The best communication skills you can deliver
6. OD knowledge as available to you and as applicable
7. The ability to take excellent care of yourself, your health, and your stress levels, and
to have reliable and healthy support systems
8. A clear vision of your personal and professional goals

It is a good idea to define these skills with the understanding that they may change for
you over time. Cultivating coaching skills is also extremely helpful for HR credible activists.
These skills can help in assessing oneself, as well as in assessing others. Visit the many
coaching schools’ Web sites and see if gaining a certification would be helpful to you in your
position.

THE BUSINESS CASE, THE ETHICS CASE,
OR BOTH

There are many ways to try to persuade corporate leaders that HR professionals possess
valuable skills, knowledge, and abilities that absolutely influence the bottom line and/or the
efficiency of the business operation. Some approaches work better than others with certain
people.
Hopefully your company has an HR/OD professional in the C-suite with any number of
additional duties (if not accompanying titles) such as chief compliance officer, chief learn-
ing officer, chief privacy officer, and/or chief ethics officer. Hopefully you are that person or
you work closely with that person. However, many HR professionals don’t have a title or a
position of prominence and must use the opportunities for access to the decision makers
wisely and carefully. The truth is, you may not get much time, and you will want to be pre-
pared with your strategic approach.
In many ways, when you have one of these meetings you’re essentially acting out the
adult version of an old Sesame Street short in which consequences are explored. In the car-
toon, a young girl would ask herself aloud, “What would happen if I took this pin and
popped this balloon?” She would then imagine what would happen. She would then imag-
ine further: “What would happen if I took this pin and popped this balloon and woke up
my baby brother?” Then, she takes her inquiry further, “What would happen, if I took this
pin and popped this balloon and woke up my baby brother and he began to cry?” And so
on. The bad decisions that are made in companies are often comprised of several smaller
bad decisions, and HR professionals need to be on the lookout for these and need to be
ready to speak up if they see them about to be made or being made, as bad decisions can
be reversed, corrected, learned from, and understood.
Depending on the personality of the person you are trying to persuade and depending
on the issue, you may or may not be able to discern which approach will be most effective.

CHAPTER 3 • The Credible Activist at W ork 29