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The myth of the “born leader” is just that: a myth. Leadership is both a process and a passion that individuals must cultivate and nurture by learning a diverse set of skills. Leaders learn to communicate clearly and honestly, think strategically, live ethically, and inspire others by sharing vision and enthusiasm.
While business and human resources (HR) leadership have much in common, they are not synonymous. The Society for Human Resources Management describes the important role human resources leaders play in planning and implementing an organization’s business leadership development strategy. In effect, top HR executives lead an organization’s leaders by empowering them to make wise business decisions, mentor and inspire their employees, and communicate their vision of the company’s future.
Good business managers implement strategy and solve problems. The best business leaders transform their organizations and instill in their employees the drive to excel. Human resources leaders are responsible for transforming good business managers into great business leaders. They do so by leveraging the skills and experience gain from advanced education programs such as an online Master of Science in Leadership degree.
The leaders of a company’s human resources operation are responsible for converting human talent into business success. As with all aspects of modern business, technology is transforming how human resources leaders accomplish their tasks. HR-related responsibilities such as staffing, training, and administering benefit plans require a standardized approach to strategic leadership; yet, human resources leaders must adopt other forms of business leadership to create a modern and cohesive business strategy.
Forbes explains how artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies continue to change traditional human resources functions.
Human resources leaders play pivotal roles in the successful implementation and management of the digital technologies that impact all parts of a business’s employment operations.
Keeping pace with the quickly evolving nature of modern business means the learning never ends. Human resources leaders readily embrace the challenge of recruiting and retaining the best-qualified people for their organizations. They actively source, attract, and develop people who are ready to work together to achieve the organization’s goals, even when doing so requires that they reinvent their operations.
The Human Resources Leadership concentration of Norwich University’s online Master of Science in Leadership offers the tools and skills that professionals need to thrive in current and future business environments. The program’s core courses combined with the concentration curriculum to lay a foundation on which future HR leaders can build their careers.
The cornerstones of the program emphasize ethics, strategic communication, development of personalized management styles, and management of organizational change. The core courses examine leadership strategies, management theories, and issues that impact a modern business.
Technology isn’t the only force driving the reimagination of the modern workplaces. Globalization and diversity contribute to the fundamental changes in how organizations manage their human resources. These and other trends reshaping today’s workforce are highlighted in the Human Resources Leadership concentration.
New work processes and working environments require new approaches to the conversion of human knowledge and skills into business success. Yet, the core skills of human resources leaders— communication, problem-solving, collaboration, motivation—remain as important as ever, though they may take different forms in tech-forward business environments.
The traditional view of human resources as an administrative, transactional, and reactive operation is evolving as more HR managers enter the field with backgrounds outside of human resources, as Fast Company explains. The human resources leaders of the future must be familiar with a host of tech-driven recruitment and talent management tools. They must be prepared to address a broader range of workplace issues including gender identification and worker mental health.
Four skills that human resources leaders will increasingly rely on in the future include:
The skills that human resources leaders need as they guide their organizations through the changing times ahead serve as the foundation for Norwich University’s online Master of Science in Leadership degree program. In particular, the program’s Human Resources Leadership concentration can help human resources professionals achieve their career goals as they seek to become more effective leaders for their organizations.
Recommended Reading
Understanding Career Paths to Become a Director of Global Operations
What Is Organizational Leadership? Courses and Career Outlooks
Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership: A Comparison
Sources
Developing Organizational Leaders, Society for Human Resources Management
Reinventing Human Resources: What HR Leaders Need to Know About Workplace AI, Forbes
Four Job Skills the HR Leaders of the Future Will Need, Fast Company
Four Things CEOs Want from HR Leadership, Entrepreneur
Strategic HR Leadership Future-Proofs Sustainable Growth for Midsize Companies, Forbes
Hiring an HR Leader? Look for a Candidate with These Three Skills, Inc.
Four Strengths of Every Great HR Leader, Reflektive