People success is the next step in HR.
It is not a new buzzword. It is a way of redefining business ensuring people are at the centre of it.
Employees are looking for meaningful jobs. Employers are looking for high-performing people to add to their teams. And the good news is that People success is an approach that can bring it together.
In this article, we will help you understand what it is and how you can use it to create a strategy where well-being and bottom line goes hand in hand.
What is People Success
People Success: Helping People Be their Best and Do their Best at Work
People Success is a simple idea that: if your people are successful then your business is too.
People’s success is the work of creating a strategy that puts people at the centre of your business and allows every member of your team to show up to work each day feeling like their best self.
A strategy like this helps organisations create a highly engaged workforce for an exceptional business and workplace.
By putting employees first and encouraging them to take ownership of their happiness and career development, you will nurture desirable traits such as productivity, innovation, performance, and engagement, benefiting both the business and the individual.
People Success vs Human Resources
HR, or Human Resources, is a department within an organisation responsible for managing and overseeing various activities related to the organisation's employees.
This includes tasks such as recruiting and hiring, training and development, performance management, and employee benefits. HR also plays a key role in ensuring that the organisation is compliant with labour laws and regulations.
While both People Success and HR are concerned with the well-being and success of employees, they have different areas of focus and responsibilities within an organisation.
People success is more focused on the overall development and well-being of employees, while HR is responsible for managing and administering various HR-related activities and processes.
These should not be seen as separate departments but you should rather see People Success as an expansion of the traditional HR responsibilities.
Why People Success
We live in a world where competition for the best people is ever-increasing.
This is primarily due to the following global drivers:
-
Businesses increasingly compete globally which drives up customers' demands and thus the demand for your team.
-
With remote work, people are no longer restricted to finding a job within a given radius of their home but can choose globally for the best place to work.
-
As the world gets more developed, generations become smaller. There are simply fewer people to do more work further pushing up demand.
In that light, traditional HR is simply no longer enough. Human Resources comes from a background where people were a resource - a plentiful commodity - but that is no longer the case.
Today's workers expect work to be more than a means to a living but an integral part of their fulfilment as human beings.
The 5 Pillars of People Success
People Success is built on 5 pillars that can be used to align what is good for both the employee and business:
Fit
Your role matches your strengths and interests, and you feel a sense of belonging at work.
Every employee has different aspirations and a different set of skills they are willing to develop and put into practice. As a leader, you can take the time to have deep and personal 1:1s with each employee to assess where they are in life (not just work) and if they feel their role is a match with their ambition.
Alignment
You know what to prioritise, and you get feedback that helps you change course if needed.
As a leader, you can use Elon Musk’s Aligning vectors approach to foster alignment - you want everyone to be moving in the same direction. It is your role to show which direction to take, what should be achieved and when, and to make communication within the team effortless.
Enablement
You have the support, tools, and resources you need to work effectively.
Focus on being a support for your team. For that, communication between you and your team members must run smoothly.
Motivation
You have a strong sense of purpose, and the freedom to own your work, and you feel like you have a meaningful impact.
One of the easiest ways in which you can make your employees feel motivated and valued is by praising them at every chance you get. Look for the small wins and celebrate them.
Growth
You are learning new skills, diversifying your experience, and progressing professionally.
Challenge your team to set ambitious goals. This will foster their creative thinking and innovation, and most likely will lead to different ways of solving problems that require the development of certain skills that they may not put into use every day.
The obvious reason for creating an employee-centric workplace is that you'll nurture an environment of productivity, creativity, and growth. And with an engaged, happy workforce on your side, your organisation has a better chance of being competitive, building a great brand, and positioning yourself as an industry leader.
Summary
People success is the framework we need to adopt to face the current pressures of business. People are more than a commodity. And leaders play a vital role in the transition towards a more human-centred perspective that draws on 5 pillars:
-
Fit
-
Alignment
-
Enablement
-
Motivation
-
Growth
People success is the future (or shall we dare to say the present) of HR.