HR takes adapt or die message on board

As the Aurora lay anchored off the Channel Islands, a relieved HR community learned that it was not necessarily all at sea and going nowhere.



Nevertheless, the 800 attendees at this yearís Human Resources Forum UK and Europe heard from a series of world renowned speakers that progress wouldnít be plain sailing. Survival depended upon taking some key messages on and off board about remaining relevant and flexible.

Larry Hochman, one of Europeís best known futurists, laid down an adapt or die ultimatum and stressed that the primary focus should be on attracting and managing talent.

ìAll the intelligence on this ship is not sufficient to guarantee the survival of HR, because what matters is how adaptable you areî he reasoned. ìDeep undeniable trends are underway that have permanently changed the role of HR and itís all about focusing on the issues that are truly relevant.

Talent soars when you set it free, so you must make sure people have the best possible environment to work in. You empower people by taking bureaucracy and fear out of the decision-making process.î

Hochman also warned that talented employees will be increasingly concerned with work/life balance issues rather than money and will only be interested in companies that are ethically pure.

Self-help and leadership guru Stephen Covey emphasised that we have moved from an industrial age to a knowledge worker age and urged HR personnel to demonstrate belief in those who donít yet believe in themselves.

ìMy definition of leadership is communicating peoplesí worth and potential so clearly that they can see it in themselvesî he explained. ìHR will influence all the major decisions simply because you have the expertise and skill set associated with the only asset that enables all the other assets to work.î

Other speakers included former UN weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix, who championed the need for critical thinking, and ex-game warden Ian Thomas, who used examples of lions to highlight the importance of teamwork.