HR Business Acumen Skills for Internal HR Professionals

HR Business Acumen Skills

Strategies for developing relationships with internal decision-makers

Share:
Facebook Twitter Email

HR Business Acumen Skills

Description
Even though ATD reports that 87 percent of human resource professionals believe that is it critical to have business acumen, most HR professionals find it difficult to effectively influence business unit executives.  Our research shows that three-quarters of business unit leaders perceive HR to be lacking in basic HR Business Acumen Skills.

Unfortunately, most line leaders view HR and HR professionals as transactional and administrative workers incapable of helping them with their strategic priorities.

Before executives or senior directors will be open to partnering with an HR professional on significant business initiatives, they need to understand how the project will specifically impact their overall corporate goals.

Before you arrive at the HR Business Acumen Skills for Internal HR Professionals workshop, you prepare information on an actual business unit or executive that you would like to strategically influence.  Then, you spend two or three days with a former corporate officer (e.g., CEO, CFO, CIO) who consults on the current state of the business and on the specific strategies needed going forward.  The strategies include three key phases:

  • Identify your target customer’s goals, objectives, and strategies including the operating issues that constrain the achievement of their market and business performance.

  • Link a unique, Human Resources solution to your target partner’s business issues, strategy, and financial goals to provide compelling internal business value.

  • Articulate the unique and compelling business value of your solution to business unit leaders and executives.

Our executive facilitator serves as “the client” throughout the Business Acumen Skills for Internal HR Professionals workshop. Together, you analyze your company’s annual report, financial reports, and industry analyst reports to identify crucial issues affecting your potential business partner.

You get an in-depth look at financial concepts such as ROI, time to market, and the time value of money. After analyzing your customized case, you prepare for and practice conducting executive level meetings using your target business partner.

Outline
While Business Acumen Skills for Internal HR Professionals workshop is customized for each client, the general outline is as follows:

  • Review your internal customer’s point of view, the pressures they are under, and how they make decisions.
  • Review key financial statements and how they interact with a particular focus on the competitive landscape and trend analysis.
  • Review secondary research sources for both public and private companies.
  • Generate questions that you can use to move horizontally and vertically throughout the organization.
  • Practice primary research questioning to validate your financial and secondary research with a CXO leader.
  • Use comparative analysis and ratios to help identify business issues and solution opportunities.
  • Role play live opportunities with our CXO leaders.

Outcomes
As a result of attending the Business Acumen Skills for Internal HR Professionals workshop, you will master strategies for developing relationships with internal business units and internal executive decision-makers as you learn to:

  • View the customer (both external and internal) customer from a business perspective to identify and solve critical business issues.
  • Identify a broader range of opportunities/needs based on your business based value proposition.
  • Create business value for your ideas through an analysis and application of financial and business information.
  • Understand how to maximize the business and financial value of your solution.
  • Identify and justify the financial impact of your solution.
  • Position your solution as part of a strategic investment that supports executive-level needs, such as increased revenue, greater profitability, greater inventory controls, and higher return on assets.

Target Audience
Human Resource professionals who need increased business acumen skills to understand business drivers to more effectively influence executives and senior management to be successful.

To speak with an LSA Expert to learn about HR Business Acumen Skills program customization and delivery options onsite at your company, please contact us.

Related Information

In my years working with LSA, it seems like I’ve had proven and thoughtful experts at my fingertips to help me identify and deliver the right solutions to satisfy our unique needs.

The entire LSA team has become a trusted friend of Actel — ensuring we provide state-of-the-art coaching, leadership development, and management training programs to meet our complex and ever-changing business and people needs.

Linda Mitchell
Training Manager

We have worked with LSA Global for our learning and development needs and have always had great success.

They helped us recently with targeted and customized Management Training Workshops to fit our unique situation, and they were fantastic.

I highly recommend LSA to anyone that is attempting to help take their leadership and management talent to the next level.

Mary Johnston
HR Manager, BU Radiology Informatics

I’ve been associated with LSA for the last 8 years and have found them to be extremely professional and client-focused.

I’ve participated in a number of solutions ranging from Performance Management to Leadership Training.  I’ve found the quality to be superior.

They are always well prepared and have definitely done a considerable amount of pre-work in order to customize to our unique culture and goals.

Duane Schroeder
Human Resource Manager

We have been very pleased with the high quality management development programs that LSA Global has designed and delivered to meet our unique needs.

They have world class facilitators and the knowledge gained by our management team has been put into practice very quickly.

LSA consistently delivers excellent results and receives exceptional feedback.   I highly recommend them to anyone looking to improve management capabilities.

Cindee Van Vleck
Director Human Resources

We consider LSA Global the top outsourced learning and development partner.

We work closely with LSA to customize leadership and management development programs to meet our growing business needs.

I would highly recommend LSA to any company wanting to deliver high quality and practical learning solutions for their leaders and managers.

Terri Wright-Scheer
Vice President Human Resources

LSA has been a tremendous asset at my current company and my past company.

As an HR leader, I am always looking for ways to find external resources that can provide impactful leadership and management development expertise. LSA consistently does that for me.

The tools and practices are crisp, business relevant, and easy to apply on the job.

Ken Boehm
VP of Human Resources

LSA custom designed a Management Development program that is absolutely “on target” for our technical managers .

Their facilitator has done a superb job delivering the material in a way that is fast paced, highly interactive, and fun. She presents practical solutions to the critical people situations that our managers face every day.

I regard LSA as an excellent partner that understands our business needs and an important virtual member of our HR department.

Judith Onton
Vice President Human Resources

I continue to be impressed by the level of leadership development training and management expertise and quality of advice and facilitation that LSA has to offer.

What a smart and client-centric group of great people who really know how to help assess and develop high performing leaders.

Tracy Esposito
Director

zynga LSA Global gaming client

LSA custom designed a key management development solution for our Client Partner Teams on both coasts that aligned with our business priorities and organizational culture.

I’d recommend LSA to any company looking for a first class training and consulting partner that truly makes a behavior and performance impact.

Laurie Torres
Chief People Officer

I highly recommend LSA Global to anyone who is looking to improve individual and organizational effectiveness through highly customized and top quality leadership and management training programs.

LSA’s broad range of expertise is a wonderful resource.

Greg Pappas
VP of Human Resources

LSA’s approach and ability to bring the right leadership and management expertise and approach to eBay has been a great asset.

They really focus on helping us succeed in any way they can and definitely lifted up our leadership and management development capabilities.

Mike Normant
Learning & Development

ebay

I continue to be impressed by the depth and breadth of LSA’s expertise in leadership development, and management development.

What a smart and client-centric group of great people who really know how to help leaders attract, engage, develop and retain top talent in a practical and results-driven manner.

Thank you LSA!

Tracy Esposito
Director, HR Business Partner

What a refreshing change from the half-baked psycho-babble you normally get from training and consulting organizations. LSA gives you the practical and results-oriented assistance you need to define and reach your goals.

Their leadership, management, and sales expertise has been invaluable.  They think strategically and provide a results driven plan – not just a temporary fix.

They are great to work with, and even more importantly, they “get it!”

David Fiano
Director of Merchandising

We turned to LSA to customize and deliver a leadership solution to meet our unique needs.

LSA delivered the exact top quality solution that we wanted. I’d recommend LSA Global to any company looking for a best-in-class management training and consulting partner that always focuses on what matters most to your people AND your business.

Kortney Riddle
HR Manager

Over the years, both at 3Com and now at Redback, I’ve found LSA Global to be a valuable partner. The recent management programs that they delivered for Redback’s executive and management teams was the right solution, of the highest of quality, and customized to fit our unique business and culture. I would highly recommend LSA to any company looking for top quality solutions.

Gina Fulton
Vice President of Human Resources

Evaluate your Performance

Toolkits

Get key strategy, culture, and talent tools from industry experts that work

More

Health Checks

Assess how you stack up against leading organizations in areas matter most

More

Whitepapers

Download published articles from experts to stay ahead of the competition

More

Methodologies

Review proven research-backed approaches to get aligned

More

Blogs

Stay up to do date on the latest best practices that drive higher performance

More

Client Case Studies

Explore real world results for clients like you striving to create higher performance

More