Attention CEOs: Is 2015 the year you acknowledge that HR is actually your job? (Because everything starts with your people.)

January 13th, 2015
Written by: Elizabeth Richards

Happy 2015! Another year older and—hopefully—another year wiser in a most critical area: Your People. We at TPO hope that this wisdom takes a very specific form in the coming months and years:

CEOs, COOs, Business Owners and Executive Directors must take a more direct and presumptive ownership approach over their Talent assets.

Because, to paraphrase what several of our clients told us in 2014, “Every business decision I make is a people decision.” This is not to say that top leadership should familiarize themselves with the infinitesimal details of health benefits and compliance—but rather that:

In formulating every major decision and initiative, the people impact should be considered at the beginning of the process—not as an afterthought. 

There are signs that this “people-first” attitude is taking hold: According to CEB (www.executiveboard.com), two-thirds of CEOs say that they personally will be spending more time developing a leadership and talent pipeline.

Team TPO has seen this work firsthand! Leaders who put people front and center during strategy development, planning and other decision-making are finding improved employee retention and satisfaction.

If you haven’t already adopted this philosophy, we encourage you to take the following challenge starting in 2015: Don’t have another important meeting without including the people perspective—what will the impact be on your most critical assets. Take the initiative and set the agenda by showing your team—and your entire organization—that everything starts with them.