a Great HR Business Partner

A finance leader weighs in and shares that “Understanding the numbers is not enough, it is important to understand the story behind the numbers”

What do you think it means to be a HR Business Partner today?

ROB : The HRBP is the link between the Business and HR. Their job is to understand the company strategy, listen to the business needs and build the bridge to the people plan. This can include: providing coaching and advice to executives and challenging them to build high performance teams; developing, recommending and implementing initiatives that support an engaged workforce; helping management to understand how people support the strategy and highlight risks and opportunities; and resolving people related issues and influence for best end result.

Is there a significant portion of your typical transactional work that is outsourced? Were you involved in that decision? If so, how did you successfully put your case forward for outsourcing?

ROB : Typically, finance (which I oversee) transactional work is not outsourced due to the confidentiality of the data but it is offshored to low cost countries. Decisions are made at the highest levels in the organisation and are mostly cost driven but not all business cases presented are achieved. And although local management is rarely involved in the decision making, they are key to mitigating risks or resolving issues.

What aspects of your work do you consider to be strategic?

ROB : No aspect - I consider the Business Partnering role as one that translates strategy into actions and initiatives that should be taken to achieve the strategy. And to influence the strategy in case there is risk.

How have you been able to bring greater strategic input into your deliverables?

Rob : Many of HR’s strategic conclusions are drawn with data management and data understanding and equate costs and value to the business. I can use my strong analytical and systems / tools skills to manipulate data and talk to the business issues. I am also a trusted advisor of the business. My authenticity, broad business experience and passion give me confidence to coach, lead and influence leaders for best outcomes.

I am purpose driven and focus on problem resolution and people relationships. I also have a very solid understanding of the bigger picture business view and am able to connect HR initiatives to strategy and value to the business.

What do you consider to be the key aspects of being a great HR business partner? What are some things you have done to develop a deeper understanding of the business you are in?

ROB : I learned this while being a finance manager: understanding the numbers is not enough, it is important to understand the story behind the numbers. This can be learned by participating in budgeting and forecasting processes. These offer valuable insight into what the business does and how they perform against its goals.

What are some critical communication challenges you have faced and how did you overcome these?

ROB : I will mention three in particular. First, managers don’t want to talk about people challenges. To overcome this, make people topics quantifiable (what are the costs, what is the opportunity) and see how these can be linked to the objectives the business needs. Second, getting time on the calendar to speak. Establish a governance with deliverables (meetings, reports, etc) and cadence, so everyone knows what to expect and can block their calendars. Third, your messages are different from what managers want to hear. Avoid this by understanding what the challenges of the business are so you address the right topics. Also, work on expectation setting and prepare managers that you will also challenge them.

This article is an excerpt from the full interview Rob did with me. You can read the article in full as well as other articles which are part of a series of articles on what it takes to become a great HR business partner at http://verticaldistinct.com/what-ittakes-to-become-great-hr-businesspartner/

Based in Munich, Germany,

Rob Donkers is a finance manager with more than 20 years’ experience in international business, leading finance teams through significant change and transformation processes. He successfully partners with the business to achieve multi-million-dollar improvements by increasing efficiency in sales, procurement, HR and delivery organisations. His leadership style can be characterised by sustainable management of employee relationships and letting everyone participate in the success. He is considered a leader of change in finance organisations.

If you’re in HR and keen to become a more strategic HRBP, consider the Strategic HR Business Partner certification programme.

The next class is scheduled for

25 – 27 November 2019 in Kuala Lumpur. More info on the course at verticaldistinct.com/jumpstart-yourperformance/