HR and Culture: 4 Fantastic Females Share Their Wisdom
HR has evolved to meet the demands of businesses that are diverse yet increasingly interconnected.
And women still face obstacles men don’t – despite progress, the gender pay gap isn’t due to close until 2069.
So whether you’re a rookie entrepreneur who wants to ensure you get HR right from the start or an experienced exec focused on performance and development, here are some pro tips from four fantastic female leaders.
Heroes to hosts
Leadership guru Meg Wheatley encourages leaders to move from heroes to hosts, ditch chaotic command-and-control culture and open up decision-making to untapped talent at all organisational levels.
But how can you embed emotionally intelligent culture while ensuring HR is effective and legally compliant?
Smart leaders are recognising that embracing HR tech can ensure essential functions like payroll run smoothly while positive culture improves staff performance.
So if you outsource payroll to a firm like SD Worx you’re free for staff engagement and role-modelling effective leadership. The cash saved by avoiding expensive in-house HR can also be redeployed to hire top talent that can grow your firm fast.
Emotional intelligence
Elite Maxus CEO Lindsay Pattison recognises the challenges of delegating authority to leaders she’s developed.
She also encourages male partners to switch traditional caregiving roles so that talented female leaders can rise to the top without pausing their careers when they start families.
And innate female intuition and emotional savvy are qualities she values alongside drive and determination.
Being Yourself
EasyJet CEO Dame Carolyn McCall reminds us that women need to be assertive in the workplace but don’t need to defeminise themselves to be effective leaders.
When management and HR functions merge in capturing staff appraisal data, her managers recognise that many women foreground shortcomings first while men emphasise achievements.
Breaking barriers in ‘male professions’
Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman also took eBay from a 30-employee outfit to 15,000 employees and $8 billion in revenue. Trailblazing female entrepreneurship in male-dominated industries is her forte.
She doesn’t ‘manage differently’ as a female leader but deploys personality and industry smarts to help young firms flourish.
Streamlined and intelligent HR services can allow you to maintain a healthy and positive culture that allows women to rise to the top unimpeded. And when staff feel happy and fulfilled they’ll help your business go from strength to strength.
Whatever your entrepreneurial passion, these insights from a female fab four should provide some inspiration. If you want to share your own tips on HR and culture, get in touch in the comments below.
