I woke up in the middle of the night thinking when was the last time you, the HR leader, came up with a new innovation or idea that led to increased revenue for your company? I don't mean reductions in staff or reorgs that led to decreased fixed costs but real innovations or ideas that the company took on that grew the revenue stream.
So what do I really mean, well, it could be a new product line, a technology innovation, product redesign, production change that led to faster to market achievements. The things that most HR people do not get involved in on a daily basis. I have said early on in my career that HR is a revenue stream not a cost center. When I first mentioned that at my first HR job in Boston most people thought I was nuts.
I think it is incumbent for all HR practitioners to be so involved with the business that they provide daily input into the operations that lead to revenue gains. This is what the senior executive team looks for and most important the CEO of his team. So, I will ask the question again "when was the last time you provided a new idea or innovation that led to increased revenue and profit". This is part of your job!
