People Partner Capabilities

The capabilities required of a People Partner are multifaceted. They range from soft skills learned through experience to functional skills taught through coursework. As we look ahead, we must consider the capabilities required to lead with a future-focused mindset. 

 

At the end of this course you will be able to:

  • Identify the capabilities needed for your role. 
  • Discuss People Partner capabilities and how they apply to your role.
Change Management
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Innovative Problem Solving
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Positive Influence within the Workplace
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Change Management
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Change is a constant. As a People Partner, learning how to effectively manage change is crucial in your role.  

 

Change comes in stages:

  1. Initiation
  2. Investigation
  3. Intention
  4. Introduction
  5. Implementation
  6. Integration

 

To effectively lead through change, you need to:

  • Challenge the status quo and enable change
  • Notice and manage the impacts of change
  • Identify when training is needed and how it will be delivered
  • Identify the stakeholders who need communication about the change
  • Develop a feedback loop for the adoption of the change
Innovative Problem Solving
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Along with continuous change comes the need for innovation. We can’t resist change by sticking to our old ways of working. Instead, we must embrace the change by thinking of creative alternatives. 

 

Innovation is a key attribute of the People Partner role. It can help in a variety of areas, including problem solving. 

 

To ensure you’re solving problems in an innovative way, consider this process:

  1. Define the problem statement
    • Understand the symptoms and determine the root cause
  2. Research the problem
    • Synthesize from different perspectives
  3. Formulate creative challenges
    • Simple questions framed to encourage suggestions or ideas
    • For example, “How might I…”
  4. Generate ideas
  5. Combine and evaluate ideas
  6. Draw up an action plan
  7. Implement ideas

 

It’s important to note that steps 1 through 4 require collaboration by bringing key stakeholders into the conversations. By doing this, step 5 becomes a crucial part of the process as you sift through the ideas provided by those stakeholders.

Positive Influence within the Workplace
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“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton

 

Influence is power. No matter who you are or where you work, your influence has an impact on the workplace, whether positive or negative. 

 

It’s vital that you positively influence your workplace by following these tips:

  • Build trust
  • Cultivate reliability through consistency
  • Be assertive, not aggressive
  • Be flexible
  • Be personal, yet professional
  • Focus on actions rather than argument
  • Listen to others
Navigating Politics and Conflict
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Business and Financial Acumen
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Home Office Core Learning Experiences
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Navigating Politics and Conflict
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Navigating politics and conflict requires rational decision making. To determine the root cause of the problem, you must detach emotion from the situation. It’s a common misconception that being professional involves turning off our emotions when responding to workplace politics and “solving our problems” by venting about them. We trick ourselves into believing we’re making things easier when in reality we’re making them worse. 

 

As a People Partner, you’re expected to navigate politics and handle conflicts with a straight-forward approach. 

 

You can do so by following these steps:

  1. Give voice to the problem
  2. Identify your role in the problem
  3. Find the key player(s)
  4. Free yourself from your allies
    • Venting can distort the reality of the actual problem
    • Be empathetic instead of sympathetic
  5. Identify your opponents and establish a connection with them
  6. Minimize problems by quickly addressing minor peeves and triggers
  7. Conduct conversations from most difficult to least difficult
  8. Intentionally make yourself vulnerable
  9. Tactfully reveal problems
Business and Financial Acumen
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Business acumen is the knowledge of the business model, operations, and economics required to successfully manage the daily routines of the business. 

 

You can develop your business and financial skills further by visiting this link and watching the corresponding videos.

Home Office Core Learning Experiences
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As a people partner, you may want to sign up for the three Home Office Academy Core courses. These courses will help improve your foundational skills in agile, empowerment, and data. 

Unlocking the Power of an Agile Mindset.

  • You can register through GLMS or by visiting this link.
  • Note: This course is currently only available through instructor-led training in Bentonville, Arkansas. As a replacement, view the Unlocking the Power of an Agile Mindset course on LinkedIn Learning, follow this link.

Unleashing Your Potential through Empowerment. 

  • You can register through GLMS or by visiting this link
  • Note: This course is currently only available through instructor-led training in Bentonville, Arkansas. As a replacement, view the Embracing Empowerment course on LinkedIn Learning, follow this link.

Understanding the Responsibilities and Possibilities of Data.

  • You can register through GLMS or by visiting this link.
  • The prerequisite to this course is Data Literacy. 
  • Note: This course is currently only available through instructor-led training in Bentonville, Arkansas. As a replacement, view the Pre-Work for Data Analytics Skill course on LinkedIn Learning, follow this link to view the course.
Capabilities Discussion

PURPOSE: Discuss People Partner capabilities and how they apply to your new role. 

 

Directions: Collaborate with your leader and discuss the questions below. 

 

Discussion questions:

  • Which People Partner capabilities are strengths for you?
  • Which are weaknesses?
  • How could you upskill your weaknesses?
  • How can People Partner capabilities apply to various business scenarios?
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