Bing. Bing.
Helen picked up her phone at the sound of a text notification.
“SOS sis, pls can we talk urgently when you’re available. Tx – Sade.”
Helen didn’t hesitate. She called her friend immediately.
“Hi Sade, is everything okay?” she asked, worried.
“Helen, I need your help—urgently,” Sade replied, her voice tense.
“My new MD sent me an email this morning. He wants me to translate our 2026 business strategy into a clear HR/People Strategy. I have four hours to respond.”
She paused, then continued, almost in tears.
“I’ve sent him 10 different proposals. He rejected all of them.😢
Even the one I used AI to generate—he said it was too superficial.
Honestly, I feel like he’s trying to frustrate me.”
Helen took a deep breath.
“Sade,” she asked calmly, “have you used a strategy analysis approach to assess the business needs and then design your people strategy from the gaps?”
Silence.
“No,” Sade admitted.
“I just sent HR plans—headcount, recruitment, performance management, training. That’s all.”
Helen sighed gently.
“That’s transactional HR,” she said.
“And your MD is asking for business-led HR.”
Then she shared a simple but powerful framework—borrowed from Business Analysis:
Step 1: Analyze the Current State
Understand where the business is today and what is limiting performance.
Step 2: Define the Future State
Clarify what success looks like and what must change to achieve it.
Step 3: Assess Risks
Identify uncertainties that could derail execution—and how to mitigate them.
Step 4: Define the Change Strategy
Conduct a gap analysis and define exact people requirements:
skills, capabilities, mobility, workforce mix (build, buy, borrow).
Silence again.
Then excitement.
“Wow… is that all?” Sade exclaimed and ended the call.
Later that evening, Helen’s phone rang again.
“Helen,” Sade said happily,
“I’m downstairs at your car park. I’m taking you out for dinner.
You just saved my job today.” My MD finally accepted my proposal for review.👍
Leadership Lesson:
HR leaders don’t lose credibility because they lack effort.
They lose credibility when they respond to business questions with HR activities instead of business insight.
Strategy first. People next. Impact always.
If this resonates, you’re not alone. Do you feel the need to transform how your deliver your HR activities at work?
