Leadership Matters
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By Karen Stone, CHRE

This month’s cover story is a forward-thinking one – quite literally. It’s all about the future workplace, the digital shift and the HR professional’s role in advancing the people side of businesses in this age of significant automation and analytics.

One of the critical points our cover story makes really resonates with me. It is, put simply, this: HR’s role is to advance and support the conditions under which a great work culture can occur. No matter how technology changes, our role does not.

In a way, it’s reassuring to think that in the midst of near-constant change, HR has something of a “north star” to align our mission toward. We have already seen a great deal of change, in our workplaces and in our profession, and it’s critical that we keep our mission in mind as we navigate change.

At HRPA in particular, we have seen a great deal of change over a relatively short period of time. We recently held our Annual Meeting, which is always an excellent opportunity to assess and reflect on the changes we have seen over the past year.

For HRPA, that meant a discussion of how our work continues to move the profession of HR forward – whether that means elevating the discussion around professionalization across our networks; the vast growth in the number of Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) designation holders; involving and engaging students right from the beginning of their careers and contributing to academic curricula; or building vital international partnerships through our work with the International Standards Organization (ISO).

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention one more change by introducing myself as the new chair of the Board of Directors for HRPA.

Having previously served as a director on the HRPA board, I am passionate about the work we are doing to advance our profession. I know we still have a lot of challenges ahead and a lot of work to do – and I know any challenge the future brings will be no match for the amazing colleagues and talented professionals I am proud to share this profession with.

I look forward to connecting with many of you through this column, and I am excited about what the future has in store. 


Karen Stone, CHRE, is chair of the Human Resources Professionals Association.

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