Even in orgs that WANT checks and balances, even when everyone agrees in theory that decisions should be collaborative, the actual dynamics at play make it... complicated.
It’s complicated is more than a facebook status, it’s something most of us are dealing with on a daily basis.
Corporate America has a lot of feelings. And like any good romance novel, there are some very recognizable tropes playing out in every single org.
Let me introduce you to a few…
💰❤️ CFO vs HR: Enemies to Lovers 💰❤️
You fight constantly. They want to cut budgets, you want to enable your employees with the resources they need. They see the budget, you see the humans behind the budget. Every conversation feels like a negotiation and sometimes a standoff. And yet, when it works, IT WORKS.
The best CFO/HR relationships I've seen are genuinely powerful because you're both bringing something the other doesn't have. They have the numbers. You have the context. Together you could actually make good calls. (You just have to stop arguing at first.)
Protip: Find your shared language early, it's usually the data. Lead with numbers to storytell and then weave in the people angle.
👑 CEO vs HR: Chosen One 👑
The CEO has all the power. They make the call. And then, every single time, they turn to HR to make it real. Build the culture they envisioned. Deliver the message they don't want to deliver. Fix the thing that their last decision broke. You didn't audition for this role!! You didn't ask to be the chosen one. Although some days I am Buffy. She alone will fight the forces of darkness, she is the chosen one.
But here you are, making someone else's vision happen with half the resources and little authority. The best CEOs know this and actively work against it. But some of the rest may wonder why HR seems ineffective or even take themselves over to Twitter to proclaim how they don’t need HR. BOO.
Pro-tip: If you’re in this situation, start to ask what the decision criteria was before you leave the room. Understanding how the decision got made could help you figure out how to intervene early. With this trope you want to get to the decision before it's even being made and make sure you influence the outcome!
☀️😤 Manager vs HR: Grumpy x Sunshine ☀️😤
The manager comes in hot. They've already decided what they want and they just need HR to sign off. You come in trying to find the nuance, understand the full picture, and usually save someone's job in the process. They think you're naive. You think they're reactive.
Somehow, you end up coaching the very person who created the problem in the first place while the manager goes back to their desk completely unbothered. Classic!
Protip: Your job isn't to make decisions easier for managers. It's to make sure the right decision gets made! Stop letting managers come to you with conclusions. Start requiring them to come to you with context. "Walk me back to the beginning" is where the convo should start. Eventually they will be conditioned to come to you with the context rather than a decision they already made. True partnership!
⚖️👀 Legal vs HR: Will They Won't They ⚖️👀
Are you partners or not? Nobody knows. It changes depending on the situation, the stakes, and honestly the phase of the moon. Some weeks Legal is your best friend and you're aligned on everything. Other weeks they're cc'ing your CEO on emails without telling you why and you're finding out about a settlement in a calendar invite.
The tension is real. The collaboration is inconsistent. And there is absolutely unresolved energy that neither of you are addressing directly.
Protip: If you're seeing this play out try establishing a standing sync. The ambiguity lives in the silence between you two and it's better to have a set time and place to discuss decisions.
Okay okay, I could’ve gone on forever with this romance trope angle. We didn’t even get to one of my fave tropes: one bed! JUST KIDDING!! I really could not figure out how to make that work related.
Next up, how do we get better at making decisions??
