Elevating the HR FunctionIn Chapter 1 of The Talent Masters, from this week’s readings, Conaty and Charan recount a

 Elevating the HR FunctionIn Chapter 1 of The Talent Masters, from this week's readings, Conaty and Charan recount a story about “Sue” that illustrates how a strong alignment between HR and senior leadership should work. They follow this example with an outline of 7 principles that are critical to developing talent and earning HR a “seat at the table.”After reading this story and reflecting on the principles, answer the following questions:

• How well do these 7 principles, if properly implemented, address the concerns raised in this week's readings? Cite specific examples to support your position.
• Rank these 7 principles from 1 (easiest) to 7 (most difficult), based on how easily a company could implement them. Explain the rationale for your rankings.
• If you had to choose just one of these principles that would have the greatest positive impact on your own organization, which would it be and why?

This week only, post your initial response by Friday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates' initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone. 

1st person to respond to

 Danielle Norman RE: Week 1 DiscussionCOLLAPSE

Elevating the HR Function

How well do these 7 principles, if properly implemented, address the concerns raised in this week's readings? Cite specific examples to support your position.

            Employee management at the company level is an uphill task in which most executives perform poorly.  Most top management executives have mastered the art of managing finances but lack systems and processes to develop and train their leaders and employees (Charan & Conaty, 2010). The principle of having an enlightened leadership team starting with the CEO is essential to solving the challenge of employees’ development. Differentiation leads to meritocracy that further improves employees' skills while selecting leaders from them based on merit. The principles of working values and a culture of trust establish a company culture that enables the CEOs and other top management executives to work with employees to develop their skills (Charan & Conaty, 2010). The implementation of rigorous talent assessment identifies employees' strengths and weaknesses, determining the most appropriate model to improve their skills and abilities. 

Rank these 7 principles from 1 (easiest) to 7 (most difficult), based on how easily a company could implement them. Explain the rationale for your rankings.

            The principle of rigorous talent assessment is the easiest for a company to implement because it merely involves leaders evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the existing employees (Charan & Conaty, 2010). Then, the establishment of working values follows as it entails the deliberation and communication of guidance for employees’ required behavior. Then, a company can consider meritocracy through differentiation as it primarily relies on the talent assessment process. The other moderately easily implemented principle is continuous learning and improvement, which is more challenging to implement than differentiation because it requires the appropriate leaders to implement (Charan & Conaty, 2010). A business’s partnership with HR follows as it is predominantly based on continuous learning and improvement. Then, the next principle is an enlightened leadership team starting with the CEO. The selection of a CEO is a delicate task that determines a company's future (Charan & Conaty, 2010). The culture of trust and candor is the most difficult for a company to implement as it requires collaboration among the CEO, HR, and employees to foster. 

If you had to choose just one of these principles that would have the greatest positive impact on your own organization, which would it be and why?

            An enlightened leadership team, starting with the CEO, would have the most significant positive impact on my organization. Enlightened CEOs differ from others because they focus on building and assigning talent to tasks, influencing a change in their culture (Sattayaraksa & Boon-itt, 2018). The CEO will further act as a role model for the other employees to get everyone on board and shape belief systems that promote a positive organizational culture. 

Charan, R., & Conaty, B. (2010). TALENT Is the EDGE No Talent, No Numbers. In The talent masters: Why smart leaders put people before numbers. Currency. 

Sattayaraksa, T., & Boon-itt, S. (2018). The roles of CEO transformational leadership and organizational factors on product innovation performance. European Journal of Innovation Management.

2nd person to respond to

 Presley Pham RE: Week 1 Discussion COLLAPSE

Good morning Dr. Wallace, Dr. Cairns, and the Leaders,

How is everybody? Thank you and welcome to all of you for being a part of my journey for this term, as we will have a great ten weeks of study; I hope, and I am optimistic, that we will have productive learning.

Believe it or not, I did go through the C-Suite to learn more about the term and everything relating to it. There is no doubt that HR is one of the corporation's functions that as we "Elevating the HR Function," I want to list the outline of seven principles that are critical to developing talent, which is earning HR a "seat at the table" (1) and of course, deserve to have a "seat at the table again." (2)  

Those seven principles are as follow:

1. An enlightened leadership team, starting with the CEO,
2. Meritocracy through differentiation,
3. Working values,
4. A culture of trust and candor,
5. Rigorous talent assessment,
6. A business partnership with human resources,
7. Continuous learning and improvement.

• How well do these seven principles, if properly implemented, address the concerns raised in this week's readings? Cite specific examples to support your position.

On the third principle of working values, I like how Bill Conaty emphasized the three options for HR when he mentioned HR's value. Those three options are:

1. Either convince CEO that you can make the value imprint to the company.
2. If you like the paycheck, shut up and move on.
3. If you are tired of number one because of not working and can't stand number two, then "Leave!" (3)

Wow! Isn't that straightforward? Is it that considered and related to both principles of 1 and 4 were applied. I also like how Bill Allen in EoP Video suggested that with the contribution we make to add value to our organization, we will be won to be begged to sit at the table regardless. (4)

• Rank these seven principles from 1 (easiest) to 7 (most difficult), based on how easily a company could implement them. Then, explain the rationale for your rankings.

Ranking these seven principles from most accessible to the most difficult is a little challenge for me. Why? Because they all each show the importance and necessity to the development of talent. I want to leave it "As Is" as Conaty and Charan already set as I listed them all above. I can't imagine when the CEO is the first person to recognize and initiate, and then everything will go smoothly and efficiently. In contrast, continuous learning and improvement are already complex because people don't like changes, especially when they are comfortable.

• If you had to choose just one of these principles that would have the most significant positive impact on your organization, which would it be and why?

I like the phrase "A business partnership with human resources" because business to me is the numbers or money and since human is people, we all know that people compete and number don't (5). On top of that, Ram Charan declared that people deliver numbers or money. Therefore, the people with talent will drive success because most of the work is done by talent (5). Hence, number six is the most significant positive impact principle that applies to the Empire Beauty School organization. The place where I last worked a couple of years ago reminds me of the story when one of the schools in town is closed down, and many cosmetologist educators were let go, including me.  

Thank you for all of your time to study with me as I hope you have a lovely week and until next time.

Presley

References:

1. Bill Conaty & Ram Charan. Chapter 1: Talent Is the EDGE. No Talent, No Numbers. https://blackboard.strayer.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-96806310-dt-message-rid-206979718_4/xid-206979718_4
2. Andrew Bloomenthal. July 21, 2021. C-Suite. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/c-suite.asp
3. JWI522. Week 1. EoP Video. Bill Conaty. https://blackboard.strayer.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_447212_1&content_id=_37451559_1&mode=reset
4. JWI522. Week 1. EoP Video. Bill Allen
5. JWI522. Week 1. EoP Video. Ram Charan