On March 23, over a thousand HR leaders from around the world joined live for 15Five’s 2023 HR Superstars Summit. The half-day virtual event brings together strategic people leaders to connect and learn about a variety of topics relevant to HR today, such as how to support and develop great managers, how to find balance and avoid burnout, and how to maximize profits. resources for greater impact. .
The 3-hour event was packed with ideas, tips and advice from some of today’s leading HR professionals. In fact, there was so much actionable goodness that it would be impossible to summarize all the takeaways in a single blog post. Fortunately, you can now sign up to watch the entire event on demand. To give you a quick sneak peek, we managed to narrow it down to four notable nuggets from this year’s brilliant presenters.
1. The number 1 HR priority in 2023 is the effectiveness of leaders and managers
The summit began with a keynote address by jon greenwalt, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Transform & Services at 15Five. Jon discussed what modern management looks like today and what employees expect from their managers.
In a recent report, Gartner shared that the top priority for HR leaders in 2023 is leader and manager effectiveness. According to Jon, that’s because today’s organizations need a new kind of leader. He said the modern manager harnesses contemporary people science to foster high-performing, highly engaged teams.
Recent 15Five research further confirms the need for manager development. We surveyed 1,000 managers and 1,000 employees across the US and found that 63% are not impressed with their manager’s leadership skills. Adding insult to injury, 40% of employees also said they could do a better job than their manager (yikes!).
Jon noted that it’s very difficult to scale the effectiveness of front-line managers, but it is possible. It requires integrating learning and growth opportunities that are continuous, experiential, and integrated into the manager’s daily work.
Are you interested in personalized learning and training for your leaders and managers? Verify Transform from 15Five >
2. It’s okay for people leaders to say NO to initiatives that don’t advance the business
In an honest and insightful panel session, four bona fide HR superstars came together to discuss what they’re saying no (and yes!) to this year. The panel was moderated by Zara ChaudryGlobal DEIB Impact Manager in PowerToFly, and included kirsti scholarshipVP of People Experience at Auror; scott morgan, Senior Director of People Growth at Pendo; and chanel johnsonExecutive Advisor of 15Five.
The group discussed how they prioritize team work and initiatives today and how they maximize their resources, even when those resources are limited. As Chaunel shared, it’s important to stay focused on efforts to improve critical outcomes like manager effectiveness, employee engagement, or talent mobility. She believes that “going back to basics” is vital to building a strong foundation, so prioritizing foundational HR practices like skill upskilling, onboarding, and career development is key.
The panelists made it clear that saying no to things that don’t fall into those core groups is important to freeing up time and resources for what matters. For example, Kirsti shared that her team is saying no to the new office space and is instead focusing on redesigning their current space for hybrid work.
What’s one thing these leaders are saying Yeah for in 2023? Investment in technology. All the panelists agreed that having the right tools to consolidate and improve basic human resources programs is essential to create high-performance teams.
3. Balance and self-care are critical to the health and well-being of HR leaders today
In a fun surprise from the summit, attendees were treated to a live recording of the HR Superstars Podcast, hosted by Adam Weber, SVP of Community at 15Five. Adam was joined by Tastemade’s Head of People and Diversity Operations, Tarveen Forresterwho went on to talk about her very real and heartbreaking experience with stress in the workplace.
During the pandemic, Tarveen was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. “She was absorbing a lot of stress and trying to come to terms with all the things that happen in the world and in our organization,” she said. “I didn’t know much about autoimmune diseases at the time, but the disease I have is totally stress-induced. That was a turning point for me. I’m still relatively young, and I think, ‘this is not right’. I had to start thinking about the limits and how to prioritize myself.”
Tarveen believes that the workplace stress experienced by many HR leaders can be attributed in large part to the emotional weight they have to absorb and carry on behalf of others. “As relationship builders and empaths, HR leaders put everyone else before themselves,” she said.
Learning to navigate difficult situations and champion self-care for employees—and themselves—is critical for HR leaders. Tarveen recommends being present with yourself and creating boundaries that give you enough time to separate from work when necessary.
Have a burning HR question you’d like to hear live on the HR SuperStars podcast? Send a voice message to Adam and note your question.
4. It’s time to normalize mistakes (HR leaders are people too!)
To round out the day of learning, another incredible panel of HR leaders took the virtual summit stage. Chery ArmorCommunity Coordinator of 15Five, joined Shireen El MaissiPeople Relations and Talent Acquisition Manager at Blueboard; Aisha Blackwell, Director of Human Resources for Young Community Developers; and jennie yangVP of People and Culture at 15Five, to discuss how they find balance and manage burnout.
TO recent study found that 98% of HR professionals H H. today they report being out of stock, which did not surprise the panel. They all admit to feeling high levels of stress, particularly during and after the pandemic. Balancing the proactive work of HR leaders want Dealing with the reactive work that constantly invades your day to day is a unique challenge.
As Shireen shared, recognizing and addressing stress and burnout when they occur is critical. “The opposite of burnout is totally engaged, so when I don’t feel motivated or want to do something, I recognize that burnout is kicking in for me.”
The panel also discussed how giving themselves and others permission to make mistakes in a psychologically safe environment can reduce some of the stress experienced by HR leaders. When mistakes are made, they should be seen as opportunities to learn and grow rather than things to stress or reflect on.
Today’s leaders of the people have a lot going for them, both professionally and psychologically, so it’s no surprise that self-care was such a recurring theme at this year’s summit. As Jennie reminded attendees, “We have the emotional container for our colleagues, leadership teams, and employees, and that can affect us. We also need space to process our own emotions.”
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