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ALMOST 50 PER CENT OF HR LEADERS SURVEYED SAY THEIR
PAST EXPERIENCES PLAYED A ROLE IN SECURING THEIR NEXT
JOB, MORE THAN CREDENTIALS AND PERSONALITY FIT.
Megan Paterson, director of human resources
with Kinaxis in Ottawa, agrees
that HR is a partnered advisor to CEOs.
“They’ve got concerns and questions and
stress, and they need to be able to trust me
and share it with me. So you have that insight
as well,” she said. Paterson also says
that HR has a more difficult time showing
direct value, since on paper, HR initiatives
cost money. “I have to work harder to show
my value. I can support the company, its
goals and objectives; I can help us make
more money, but I’m not going to directly
do that on paper.”
And because of that, she says, HR VPs
must be creative when coming up with
programs that add value. New programs
must be “sold” by the HR leader to the
CEO and CFO, and so HR leaders need
the ability to convince other executives of
the value of different initiatives.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Does relationship building and organizational
support come with a certain
educational background? According to the
study, there isn’t one particular educational
path to HR leadership. Paterson, who
received a B.A. in psychology, says it was
not part of a larger strategy to get to HR.
“It’s sort of related but it was never part
of my plan,” she said. Later in her career,
Paterson received a certificate from the
Rotman School of Business in Executive
Management for HR. She’s also earned
her Certified Human Resources Leader
(CHRL) designation.
While she says she was not even aware
of specifically designed HR programs
when she was in school, she thinks it’s a
good idea to explore those areas of study
to see if HR is the right for the individual.
26 ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL