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An emphatic and confident HR is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It is an imperative if
organisations need to sustainably deliver on various business opportunities.
Richard Cowley, WorkAmmo HR
I
n 2015, I interacted with one hundred
bright, entrepreneurial students of
S P Jain School of Global Management,
Mumbai.A few things stood out.
India clearly has the people, core
competencies, and passion to deliver
on many growth opportunities: from
Make in India at the macro level, to strategies
that will grow a large number of SOHO,
micro, and SME organisations.Whatever the
context, execution, delivery, and sustainability
of these opportunities will demand improved
or new capabilities—critical among them is the
contribution of‘assertive HR’.
What is Assertive HR?
HR as a function evokes strong reactions.While
some deride it,others consider it an important
function.However,I believe HR has to leave
behind past behaviours of being meek,unsure,
silent,shy,and most importantly,unconfident.It
has to maintain a balance between being confident,
decisive,emphatic,firm,bold,and positive,
without being arrogant,aggressive,forceful,or
demanding.This is what constitues assertive HR,
the new frontier in HR transformation.
Beassertive
Without assertive HR, companies will
potentially be impacted by minimised
performance, dissatisfied customers, poor
productivity, and misaligned organisation.
Further, antiquated processes, lacklustre
leadership, and demotivated employees will
ultimately lead to underachievement. Given
these implications, it is imperative for HR
leaders to make this transition.
What should you be assertive about?
You can accelerate your HR assertiveness by
focusing on three main areas:
Your connection to the business
It is imperative to drive value into the core HR
process delivery for being entertained in the
business partnering arena.Assertive evaluation
of the effectiveness of HR processes in your
organisation means asking difficult questions such
as—do we have an L&D strategy? Is performance
management a once-a-year process instead of
being a dynamic one based on the delivery of
business opportunities?
Let us stop asking line managers and employees
to do things that do not create value, such as

4. 64 I N D I A N M A N A G E M E N T M A R C H 2 0 1 6
market comparisons can help build contextual
understanding and belief regarding the value
of the data. It is also essential to acquire basic
finance capability—developing the ability to read
the monthly P&L would be a great start.
Do not sweat the small stuff. Indeed,
with a never-ending list of things to do, HR
professionals can be challenged by the in-
tray.Assertively work on those aspects that
create value—those urgent, impactful actions
instead of the easy, enjoyable things you
believe are critical, but often are not. Prioritise
for impact.
The big picture
Driving an HR transformation programme
demands a leader, not a manager. Managing
implies adapting to the past, while a leader
creates the future.Your role is to help the
leadership team through the ambiguity that
comes with this great challenge.
Not essential, but I would highly recommend
you embark on a journey to see how you can
contribute, especially in the Indian context.
Spend an hour a month for considering how
you can help the young with their career
journeys or how you can contribute to the
Indian economy.
Your connection to leaders
Our unique relationships with and insights
into the organisation’s leadership allows us to
assertively help leaders be the best they can
be. Of course, there has to be a fine balance—
we are not there to do their work but to be
their partner in identifying and delivering a
winning performance. For example, I do not
consider helping a line manager with writing
a job description to be a chore or beyond my
responsibility; it is this kind of help they may
need. Learning how to facilitate, coach, and give
effective feedback are the tools you need to do
this effectively.
drawing up annual learning plans that are not
implemented. It is critical to develop a good
understanding of the direction in which the HR
function is headed, and the role of an HR business
partner. If you have not done this already, you
will need to research or seek guidance on what
companies are doing to make
this transformation.
Practice makes somewhat
perfect. I recommend that you
assertively seek opportunities to
facilitate business/performance-
related sessions. Leading an
annual planning session with
quarterly maturing reviews and weekly pulsing is
the minimum in this area.
Proactive HR is probably one of the most-in-
demand functions—if you can actively gather
and share meaningful data/information that
can lead to business success or improvement,
then you will move the HR function light years
ahead.This data can be garnered from different
levels, and could start with simple productivity
information and comparisons—for example,
span/layers, frontline-back office ratios and costs,
and fixed cost projections. Using industry or
Driving an HR
transformation
programme demands
a leader, not a manager.
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5. I N D I A N M A N A G E M E N T M A R C H 2 0 1 6 65
Helping leaders identify and develop the
future leaders of the organisation is a key result
area, not a once-a-year calibration. It has to be
made simple—you should have a clear idea of
the talent available, and develop it throughout in
different contexts.
Your connection to employees
In my view, it is often the strongest base for
any great HR team to build on. Our
employees are our‘reason for being’ and as
long as we have the custodianship of human
resources, assertive understanding of the
employee climate, beliefs that are driving
behaviours, employee motivation, equity, and
legal compliance should be a top priority.
Driving the delivery of opportunities through
organisational alignment and development
is crucial.
The last assertive must-do is driving the use of
technology, which demands a high level of belief
and understanding—it is the future, and any
organisation that invests appropriately will reap
the reward. Productivity and efficiency gains in
HR processes are a great starting point.
Time for some good news
Being assertive can be learnt if you have the
motivation to do so.Adding value is in demand,
so you cannot do enough. Helping organisations
achieve their opportunities is everyone’s reason
for being. Choose safe places to grow your HR
assertiveness with a clear focus on content and
delivery, and you will succeed.
It is high time HR managers got off the back
foot and led from the front.They need to give
themselves some quite Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, andTimely (SMART)
assertive HR KPIs:
Action-oriented
Specific in what you will deliver
Specific in how you will deliver
Empathetic in how you go about your business
Relevant in all that you do
Trade in the easy and fun for the challenging,
urgent, and impactful
Informed value-adding actions
Validate everything—will ensure quality—and
make no assumptions
Embody and lead the company values, culture,
and aspirations
HR
Richard Cowley
is Founder,
WorkAmmo.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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