In 1979, Tom Shea founded Florida's first outplacement firm, which became one of the original units of Right Management. He heads Right's Florida/Caribbean Region, with six offices statewide and in Puerto Rico. Now in over 50 countries, Right Management, a subsidiary of Manpower, provides a full range of talent and career management services. As a thought leader known for anticipating and guiding organizations through the challenges of rapid change, Tom has been called upon as an expert panelist by major news organizations and has appeared on CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC. Tom is a Branch Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta - Miami Branch and Chairman of the Board of the Florida State University Center for Human Resource Management.
Obviously, Tom Shea knows a thing or two about what the executive or "C-Suite" wants from HR. Shea , however did not begin his professional career at the Federal Reserve, which is now under the leadership of Chairman Ben Bernanke. Thomas Shea beamed with the pride of a newlywed, then winked at his beautiful wife and business partner, Maureen as they celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary during the HR Florida Conference. Shea reminisced on his early career as a high school math teacher and coach. In 1979, Tom Shea and Maureen, founded what a company representative called Florida's first career transition firm. Shea has a grassroots affinity for the HR profession and is committed to guiding it to its rightful place within the structure of organizations.
The C-Suite is a slang term used to collectively refer to a corporation's most important senior executives. C-Suite gets its name because top senior executives' titles tend to start with the letter C, for chief, as in chief executive officer, chief operating officer and chief information officer. The C-suite is considered the most important and influential group of individuals at a company. Being a member of this group comes with high-stakes decision making, a more demanding workload and high compensation.
This week more than 1,450 HR and related business professionals had the opportunity to attend the HR Florida Conference and to experience a stimulating and practical session to help them align their Workforce Strategy with the organization's business strategy. Shea demonstrated in plain language the top metrics that drive businesses forward. Participants learned how to meet the C-Suite at their level and position HR as a true business partner by proper execution of the following strategies:
1. Market the HR function so that senior management realizes the value add and full impact of what you do and how you contribute to the business.
2. Gear the marketing of HR's function to the strategic imperatives of the C-Suite.
3. Effectively communicate that HR can be a profit center by reinforcing how you are impacting the bottom line.
Shea emphasized, "It is time for HR to step up and convince the C-Suite how to align talent with business strategy." He pointed out that HR to clearly educate executives on the human capital risk exposure by referencing a study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by the ACE Group of Companies. The survey's findings show that human capital risk, such as skills shortages, succession issues and the loss of key personnel, were seen by respondents as being more significant than threats from reputational risk, information technology risk, political risk and regulatory risk.
Shea called attention to the increasing pressure on HR to demonstrate value; however, he stated that HR traditionally has pursued efficiency instead of value. Now is the time for HR to demonstrate to organizational leadership that you are able to deliver benefits to customers and shareholders. Shea said, "To be successful in your marketing strategy, HR must be able to, "talk their talk; walk their walk; and think their thoughts." Shea greatly emphasized the importance of developing and maintaining relationships in the pursuit of a seat at the table.
"If Human Resource leaders are going to be taken seriously by the C-Suite, you must recognize that it is not what you do, rather what you deliver that will get you a seat at the table in the executive suite.", Shea admonished.
What strategies have proven successful for you in your quest to earn a seat at the table for your Human Resources team? Please leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.
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For more information on Thomas Shea please contact: tom.shea@right.com
www.right.com
Betty J. Jackson, SPHR, is a professional speaker with more than 15 years experience in learning & development and human resource management. For more information about Betty J. Jackson www.magnumlife.net
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