Why Senior HR Leaders Get Fired: Voices From The C-Suite

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and share the specific factors that cause senior human resource (HR) leaders to lose their jobs. The paper will also provide readers with key lessons to help them improve their senior HR leadership talents and acumen while at the same time providing them with a checklist of specific questions that address the causes of termination.

Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors will describe a leadership development process that they use to help senior HR leaders identify the causes of senior HR leadership failure. A focus group methodology is used so that senior leaders are able to share their experience and input in response to the question, ‘‘Based on your experience, what are the primary factors that will cause a senior HR leader to be terminated from their position?’’ In this paper, the authors will share what they have learned from these HR leaders having gone to this process with hundreds of senior HR leaders. The authors will also provide the readers with lessons based on their input.

Findings – Senior HR leader focus groups revealed a set of ‘‘failure factors’’ that included a lack of understanding of the core business model, inability to fashion an effective value-added HR strategy, poor working relationships with members of the senior leadership team, a marked lack of emotional intelligence, political factors and an inability to create best HR practices and leverage technology, among others. Participant leaders provided rich dialogue and discussion points that provide the readers with a better understanding of why senior HR leaders fail, and equally important, how to avoid HR leadership failure.

Research limitations/implications – The basis for the findings stated in this paper is based on the content analysis of a convenience sample which may limit the generalizability of these findings. Having said that, the findings will provide the readers with a rich context for better understanding of the nature of senior HR leaders’ terminations.

Practical implications – The practical implications of this project provide the readers with any number of important lessons requiring application. From a senior HR leader’s perspective, the key lessons from this research provide them with a checklist of factors that need attention and forging and implementing an effective HR strategy and set of best practices. At the organizational level, these findings can serve as a needs assessment that can be used in senior HR leader selection, orientation and development.

Social implications – Any time a paper provides guidelines that can help prevent senior leadership failure, there is a positive social effect for both organizations and individuals operating in these environments. The authors believe that the findings will provide the readers with effective guidelines to improve the overall effectiveness of senior HR leaders when properly implemented. Previous research makes it clear that when organizations have great HR practices, the quality of work life for organizational members moves in the right direction.

Originality/value – As a general rule, there is limited research on the subject matter of why leaders fail while antidotal information and literature abound. It is the authors purpose to provide the readers of Strategic HR Review, the relevant information based on the input of their fellow members of the C-suite so as to improve their performance and provide their organizations with the template for organizational HR success.

Keywords Leadership, Human resource management

Paper type Research paper

In my experience I have seen a lot of senior HR leaders come and go. Sometimes on their own terms, but other times they were let go for a wide variety of reasons many of which could be controlled. In the end, senior HR leaders need to make a difference in the business’ performance and think and act both strategically and tactically, they need to be a team player, they need to support others, they need to be innovative, and they need to know how to lead and build a team […] And the job isn’t getting any easier! – Observations of a veteran vice president of human resource

Senior human resource (HR) leaders around the world find themselves under a wide variety of increasing pressures and that was before the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent economic impact. HR leaders are continually being asked to: design people strategies that examine how to place the right person in the right role at the right time to drive business outcomes; simplify and “modernize” HR processes and practices powered through technology; control costs; be champions for workforce diversity and inclusion initiatives; be architects and drivers of organizational culture and purpose; control costs; develop effective talent management programs; workforce development and create competitive advantage with people; and control costs, among others (Longenecker and Fink, 2015a). Our repetition with the words “control costs” is neither a typo nor a mistake. Rather, we repeat those words intentionally as we see that the HR function is under unrelenting pressure to take dramatic steps to control costs at every turn. And all these financial pressures are taking place at the same time the HR function is charged with a flurry of activities that can dramatically impact an organization’s competitiveness in both the short and long term (Longenecker and Fink, 2013). To no one’s surprise, great organizations typically have great HR leadership, strategy, policies and operating practices.

In our previous research, we have found, with great consistency, that organizations depend heavily on their HR function to be able to compete in the global marketplace of the 21st century (Longenecker and Fink, 2015a). The infusion of new technologies, speed to market issues, litigation and compliance challenges, increasing health-care costs and “talent wars,” among others, have all had a profound impact on the need and pressure for effective HR leadership at all levels of an organization, regardless of industry or geography (Longenecker and Fink, 2011). And we have also continually found that high-performance HR leaders can have a significant impact on the organization’s overall performance and competitive footprint in dealing with these very real challenges (Longenecker and Fink, 2012). Collectively, HR leaders, and especially senior HR leaders, find themselves under the performance microscope in this regard.

At the same time, we know that competitive pressure and rapidly changing environments can easily expose a leader’s inadequacies and, even fatal flaws, and the HR function is no different (Longenecker and Insch, 2018). When leaders are hired to get a job done, they are being paid to deliver desired results. In these turbulent times, any number of factors can cause them to struggle and even fail when left unchecked, and this is especially true of senior leadership (Longenecker, 2016). When leaders struggle with creating vision, communication breakdowns, an inability to clarify performance expectations and engage their workforce, have broken work relationships and failed to make effective decisions and solve problems quickly, it should come as no surprise they are truly damaging their ability to get results and create high-performance enterprises (Longenecker, 2011). In doing so, they are not only damaging their own organizations, but they are also creating severe damage to their personal career trajectory and opening the door to potential termination.

It is our purpose in this paper to combine our research on the impact of high-performance HR leadership with our ongoing applied research on why leaders fail to deliver desired results. Our goal is to answer an important question that every senior HR leader needs to know and understand: “What are the factors that drive senior HR leadership termination?” Our purpose in asking this question is to give senior HR leaders an acute awareness and better understanding of the causes of senior leadership failure and what they might do to prevent such failure. In this pursuit, we regularly ask senior HR leaders to answer the following question as part of a leadership development program curriculum:

Based on your experience, what are the primary factors that will cause a senior HR leader to be terminated from their position? Please be specific in your response which will be shared with others

In this context, termination has often been referred to as the ultimate form of leadership failure (Hughes et al.,2012). Once participants have completed this individual reflective assignment, they are then placed in five person focus groups for discussions with the goal of developing a top ten list of causes for termination that are shared with the entire group.

We have conducted this exercise with hundreds of senior HR leaders and these discussions are typically quite high-energy, pointed, sobering, candid and instructional for participants. We have also found this to be an excellent exercise for motivating senior HR leaders to take greater care with and interest in their own professional development and leadership behavior within their own organizations. With this background, we would like to share what we have learned observing this exercise to help identify and discuss the top reasons why senior HR leaders can lose their jobs based on the professional “voices” of their senior level peers so that HR leaders are in a the best possible position to measure and deliver excellent performance in an effective and timely fashion which is the key to long-term career success (Longenecker, 2017).

Why senior human resource leaders get fired?

“I believe there is a lot to be learned from this discussion about HR leadership terminations which has really caused me to think through several very important issues. It can be likened to taking your car in for a serious diagnostic tune-up.” – Reflections of a senior HR leader participant

So why do senior HR leaders lose their jobs? Let us see what we have learned as we have attempted to give voice to C-suite members through this leadership development learning experience as we highlight the “dirty dozen” leadership termination factors. In addition, we have taken the liberty to add key leadership questions to help the reader think through and apply each of these important HR lessons.

Termination factor #1: failing to fully understand and keep current with the realities of the organization’s business model

In this exercise, one of the very first issues that HR leaders register concerning termination focused on the trouble caused when HR leader do not fully recognize or take the time to fully understand the current business needs and realities of their organization. While these accusations against HR leadership are frequently leveled in many organizational circles, effective HR leaders keep their finger on the pulse of their enterprises while working hard to fully understand the business challenges their organizations face at any given moment in time. Chief executive officer’s (CEO) have every right to expect their top HR leader to drive business objectives and to be an active partner in this regard. When HR leaders do not take the time to fully understand the organization’s business mode, both in terms of complexity and nuance, they are not able to offer real-time, hands-on solutions to organizational challenges and opportunities. In addition, this is an ongoing process as businesses are constantly transforming which requires continuous inquiry and learning on the part of senior HR leaders and if not, they open themselves up to failure and the possibility of termination when they are not perceived to be business leaders first and HR leaders second according to participants.

Defining moments for leader failure

• HR leader does not have a pulse on organization and marketplace and is unable to drive an organizational alignment and change agenda.
• Unable to succinctly frame talent management or human capital decisions and actions on current business strategy.
• HR leader holds misconceptions or ill-informed positions on future workforce and market trends.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, do you fully understand your organization’s current business model, financials, markets, customers and delivery system? Are you keenly aware of the current business challenges facing your enterprise and how it delivers value to its ownership and customers?

Termination factor #2: failing to create and implement a meaningful human resource strategy and value proposition

Organizations thrive or are disrupted based on the ability to keep strategically aligned with their dynamic, complex and rapidly changing environments. As business strategies flex, pivot and realign, it requires functional strategies to do the same. When senior leaders cannot or choose not to craft a meaningful and effective functional HR strategy and corresponding value proposition to support their organization’s current business strategy, they are setting themselves up for failure and termination according to our participants. Effective strategic HR thinking requires ongoing interaction and alignment with their key stakeholders in the organization including employees to gain buy-in which is critical. “People have to see what they are expected to do” as it is directly related to an organization’s operating strategies and tactics. In addition, it is vital that senior HR leaders take the time to craft an HR value proposition that clearly demonstrates their purpose and worth to their organization. According to our participants these are “hand-in-hand” activities that are absolutely required for HR leaders and their staff to impact and service their organization’s bottom line and all of their organizational stakeholders.

Defining moments for leadership failure

• No compelling/inspiring vision and clear goals for the HR function that explain the rationale for action and change.
• No case for an employee value proposition or organizational change in terms of evolving expectations of customers or implications on workforce.
• Stuck in managing resistance to change instead of driving rapid change.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, are you delivering capabilities for business transformation? Are you advancing the design and development of best practices and regularly crafting and aligning your HR strategy to support your organization’s changing business strategy in a fashion that is known and understood by all key stakeholders?

Termination factor #3: failing to establish and move the right performance needle(s)

In these days of extreme pressure to control costs, it is easy for senior HR leaders to get caught up in a cost containment and control mindset at the expense of developing a more holistic and comprehensive set of performance indicators that are meaningful to their organizational stakeholders. According to our participants, senior HR leaders open themselves up to being terminated when they do not “establish and move the right performance needles in the right direction” to no one’s surprise. Failing to deliver needed performance is, and will always be, a surefire way to get fired, so establishing the right HR metrics that are directly connected to an organization’s business outcomes is a critical starting point for the success of any HR senior leader in any enterprise. Failing to hit desired performance metrics or hitting numbers that do not serve your organization’s overall performance equation spells trouble for any HR leader. Clarifying HR performance expectations and metrics will allow an HR team to focus their energies accordingly and this responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the senior HR leader at the helm. Once these metrics and performance indicators are in place, the process of executing appropriate performance can proceed in earnest.

Defining moments for leadership failure

• No clearly established and balanced HR metrics or scorecards.
• Ineffective HR data analytics or tracking mechanisms for overall HR performance.
• Failure of HR leader to effectively use performance management systems to impact key performance indicators across the organization.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, have you developed effective performance indicators/metrics that support your organization’s business strategy that are known and understood by all? Do you measure key performance indicators and report on an ongoing basis, so you always know where you stand? Are you proactively monitoring micro and macro trends with the changing nature of work or the workforce and directly influencing key business outcomes?

Termination factor #4: having ego problems and low emotional intelligence

Effective working relationships are the cornerstone for any successful business leader regardless of discipline and HR is no exception. When an HR leader lacks empathy, self-control, self-awareness and self-monitoring devices, their ability to forge effective working relationships in their enterprise is greatly diminished. An emotionally intelligent leader is in a better position to foster and nurture effective working relationships with peers at the senior level and stakeholders across the entire organization. When an HR leader possesses a caustic or dysfunctional personality or an “out of control” ego, their ability to impact their organization in a positive way is significantly diminished. And while we were reminded that big personalities and egos are not uncommon at the C-suite level, the very nature of the HR function makes it imperative that senior HR leaders role model, demonstrate and radiate emotionally intelligent leader behaviors. Senior HR leaders need to be “approachable,” “humble,” “trustworthy,” “reliable,” “honest” and “willing to listen as much as talk,” which are all attributes of emotionally intelligent leaders. When an HR leader possesses an ego that is out of control and they do not possess viable, effective working relationships across their organizations, they are placing themselves in a hazardous organizational space and are limiting their ability to deliver desired results according to our participants!

Defining moments for leadership failure

• Operating in an “information vacuum” because of their ego and ineffective working relationships across the organization.
• Demonstrating an overreliance on formal authority, position power and operating with a “I know best” attitude.
• Failing to forge effective working relationships with fellow members of the senior leadership team operating in the C-suite.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, are you known for demonstrating balanced and impartial counsel by forging and nurturing effective, productive working relationships with all stakeholders while keeping your ego in check? Are you willing to take a 360-degree assessment to receive diverse feedback and other points of view on areas of personal strength and weakness?

Termination factor #5: the human resource strategy to tactics disconnect

Another critical factor that can cause senior HR leadership failure is to execute elaborate and complex HR strategies and plans that never “translate” into tactical and operational HR service delivery for the business. Our participants spoke to the fact that it is not uncommon for HR leadership to expend considerable organizational resources and time in developing new HR policies and practices in the areas such as performance management, performance appraisal and review, selection, compliance, total compensation and succession planning that are never implemented for any number of troublesome reasons. For senior HR leaders to have a real impact on their organizations, they must listen to the “voices” of their stakeholders in their design and implementation of any new HR practice and be careful of “flavor of the month” initiatives. Buying off the shelf programs, using the exclusive services of consultants or designing HR services themselves can all lead to trouble when they do not include “end-users.” From that perspective, participants said that the disconnect between what HR leadership “hopes to do and actually does” is often the difference between success and failure! A reoccurring theme of these discussions included comments to the tune of “our HR goal and strategy is to help make every manager in their organizations work and act like an HR manager” thus demonstrating the linkage between strategic HR policy and tactical activity success!

Defining moments for leader failure

• Creating HR programs and tactics without the input of the stakeholders responsible for living with these initiatives.
• Lack of key executive sponsor on designing, developing, implementing and assessing the HR strategic plan.
• Using HR tactics without clear strategy connecting to business imperatives.

Key human resource leadership questions

As an HR leader, do you work hard to create linkages between your HR strategy and the tactical/practical HR practices that you are implementing in your organization? How do you measure the effectiveness of this strategic-tactical linkage?

Termination factor #6: an inability to actually lead/influence others

We were reminded that the success of any senior HR leader is heavily influenced by their ability to effectively lead and influence those around them. Focus group discussions included such key leadership practices as the importance of creating clear vision, clearly defining performance expectations, effective communications, empowering and motivating, teambuilding, coaching, displaying learning agility and effectively driving change initiatives, among others. And while technical HR expertise is critically important to senior HR leaders’ success, their ability to lead others in the application of that expertise is paramount. While HR management is frequently described as a supporting administrative function in many organizations, these descriptions do not reduce the importance of the HR professionals performing these critical functions nor the effective leadership that is required to craft strategy, build implementation plans and execute these plans with and through empowered and motivated people at all levels of the organization. And all this requires effective, results-oriented, humble and agile leadership which all starts at the top. And when HR leaders cannot deliver this level of effective leadership, they open the door to failure and ultimately termination.

Defining moments of leadership failure

• A marked inability to set direction, clarify expectations and motivate personnel.
• Communication failures and an acute incapacity to foster and nurture teamwork and cooperation both within the HR function and across the enterprise.
• Failing to properly engage and empower personnel to foster both commitment and employee development and link their performance to talent strategies and organizational purpose.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior leader, are you demonstrating your leadership effectiveness by setting clear direction, motivating and positively influencing the people who are depending on you for their success? Are you engaging and empowering your people to create a culture of high performance?

Termination factor #7: lack of alignment with senior leadership team

According to our focus group participants, it is imperative that senior HR leaders be properly aligned and supportive of other fellow members of an organization’s senior leadership team. This requires close working relationships and the ability to function effectively in a team-based environment. When senior HR leaders operate in an “HR silo,” an “organizational vacuum” or are perceived as being “out of touch” with their senior-level peers, the doors open to big trouble from both a performance and career perspective. Strong senior HR leaders develop effective ways of interacting with and supporting the activities of their organizational peers and develop communication processes and practices for ensuring that they are always kept in the loop. When a senior HR leader is not aligned with his/her peers or part of that senior leadership team and they do not have access to the information, discussions and decision-making space in their enterprise, the table is set for less than effective performance. Establishing and maintaining a “seat at this table” is mandatory for long-term career success as is gaining alignment with your peers! Failing to be properly aligned and effectively servicing the needs of fellow senior leaders places any HR leader in a position that will compromise both their performance and their credibility!

Defining moments of leadership failure

• Failing to build effective working relationships with fellow senior leaders opens the door to communication breakdowns and the lack of credibility with peers.
• Not engaging fellow senior leaders to better know and understand the challenges they face and how to best meet their organizational needs.
• Not having access to critical information that can include controversial issues and potential problems that might be forthcoming.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, do you work hard to stay aligned with your senior-level peers across your organization and are you in constant communication with these key decision-makers? Do you engage in critical dialogue and are you able to courageously advocate a contrarian position with the CEO and your stakeholders?

Termination factor #8: an inability to deal with a significant human resource problem or crisis in a timely fashion

An effective HR function will work hard to be proactive to identify and prevent organizational problems and/or future crises. Having said this, our focus groups made it clear that unanticipated problems and crises do arise and how a senior HR leader handles these difficulties will have a powerful effect on both their influence in the organization and their career success and survival. If an organization is suddenly being crushed by turnover, unanticipated retirements or critically important skill deficiencies, the organization is counting heavily on them for solutions that will come in a timely fashion. So, when an HR leader delivers, she/he will gain organizational clout and influence in this is especially true in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversely, when these types of problems are left unresolved and fester, an HR leader’s influence is greatly diminished. And the same can be said in dealing with HR crises such as lawsuits, sexual harassment charges and compliance issues. Senior HR leaders must stay keenly aware of potential difficulties, be able to think outside the box and possess effective and dynamic decision-making/problem-solving skills and be a beacon of calm when these types of issues arise.

Field note themes or defining moments

• Failing to anticipate a potential or pending HR problem or crisis.
• Lacking the ability to effectively and creatively formulate a timely HR response plan to alleviate this problem or crisis.
• The inability to properly implement a fix to the problem or mitigate the crises in a timely fashion.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, do you work hard at being proactive to prevent or rapidly fix HR problems in your organization? When HR crises arise do you put on your “creativity hat” to think of unique solutions and act in a quick and effective fashion to implement your solution?

Termination factor #9: a question of leader ethics

The very nature of the HR function requires HR leaders demonstrate trustworthiness, integrity and in character in all things according to participants in this exercise. Having said that, failure and termination can come very quickly when a senior HR leader is caught up in unethical and even law-breaking activities. Participants identified a long list of potential “ethical failures” including such things as “HR cronyism,” violating organizational policies for personal gain, falsifying or mishandling information or data, inappropriate sexual relationships, turning a “blind-eye” toward violations of codes of conduct including an unwillingness to confront wrongdoing, financial malfeasance and even fraud, among others. Conversely, there is also an interesting twist in these discussions as every time we conduct this exercise, several groups will provide examples where HR leaders were terminated because of their unwillingness to do something at the bequest of their superiors that they deem to be unethical or unlawful. This “moral courage” cost them their jobs but not their character and self-respect. Having said this, successful senior HR leaders must always role model appropriate ethical behaviors and be guardians of their organization’s ethical culture regardless of consequence.

Defining moments for leadership failure

• Possessing a reputation for bending the rules and failing to be a role model for appropriate ethical and professional behavior.
• Personal ethical failings.
• Demonstrating an unwillingness to confront the CEO or other senior leaders with uncomfortable truths that need to be heard.

Key human resource leadership question

As a senior HR leader, do you demonstrate effective and ethical leadership in all your organizational dealings even if it is something that will be a disadvantage to you personally? Are you viewed as an envoy and defender of your organization’s code of conduct and ethical culture?

Termination factor #10: being stuck in the stereotype of old school human resource

As the HR function finds itself radically evolving and being transformed with technology and streamlined HR service delivery systems, it is critical for senior HR leaders to “stay wired in” to this wave of change. While many senior HR leaders may not always have the degree of technological sophistication needed to keep up or lead in this regard, it becomes imperative that they hire and surround themselves with people that do. To be stuck in this “old school” is one thing but to not deal with the issue and learn how to appropriately leverage technology is another. And according to our participants, here is where emotional intelligence, effective leadership and teamwork become even more critically important to a leader’s success. This failure manifests itself when leaders fail to identify new “best HR practices,” fail to innovate old and tired HR practices and do not look for and advocate for technological answers inefficiencies to current organizational HR challenges.

Defining moments of leadership failure

• Defending the status quo.
• Failing to demonstrate curiosity and an innovative spirit in trying to improve current HR practices.
• Demonstrating a marked unwillingness to seek out new and better ways of solving HR challenges and to leverage technology to better serve organizational stakeholders.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, do you work hard to keep abreast of HR best practices and technological changes that might provide you and your organization with competitive advantage? Do you encourage your teams to do the same? How are you approaching the pressures and demands of evolving workplace technologies such as artificial intelligence, social learning and data analytics by proactively anticipating the impact on culture and employee effectiveness?

Termination factor #11: chief executive officer rethinks the human resource function or no confidence from the chief executive officer/boss

The primary factors driving senior HR leadership termination to this point have been factors that senior leaders generally have quite a bit of control over. Having said that, participants made it clear that when senior HR leaders find themselves reporting to a new CEO or senior-level leader, the door is open for an organizational exit, turn out, buyout or even demotion for any number of reasons. A new CEO/boss may need to change organizational key priorities which cascades to a new HR strategy, approach to execution, results, leadership style or persona which may require a change of guard. A CEO has a right to expect the top HR leader to drive business objectives through supporting HR strategies. Running a credible, capable and fiscally responsible HR function is table stakes and the bedrock upon which a senior HR leader builds his or her credibility. The HR leader is responsible for succession processes, developing pay-for-performance compensation program that aligns stakeholder considerations, external influencers with internal management strategies and priorities. To that end, HR leaders must design talent management processes and understand the key pivot points on workforce planning. Whenever a CEO has little or no confidence in a senior HR leader’s ability to deliver desired results, trouble is not far behind. At the same time, a new CEO might want to bring in a new person whom they have worked with in the past or simply because they choose to do so. Mergers, acquisitions and takeovers can also exacerbate this tendency through no fault of the current HR leader. Having said that, the best defense against this potential action is to develop a track record for being a high performance, results-oriented, emotionally intelligent, innovative and servant leader according to these discussions.

Defining moments of leader failure

• Is not comfortable or proactive asking for clarity and feedback from new boss to best understand new performance curve and expectation.
• Unable to rank order and prioritize the things that HR delivers that are important to a new boss.
• Lacks a track record of HR excellence and evidence of proven value-added performance.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior leader, are you doing everything in your power to deliver high performance to your organization and increase your boss’s confidence in you to do so? Are you able to build trust with your CEO and credibility among fellow senior leaders or board members?

Termination factor #12: engaging in troublesome organizational politics and gamesmanship

Our final termination factor is one that many would say comes with the territory of organizational life: political activity and gamesmanship. To be true, politics can be described as any activity designed to protect or enhance one’s powerbase in an organization. From that perspective, a certain measure of political jockeying comes with the territory of being a senior leader as a vehicle to get things done and compete for scarce resources. Having said that, political activity and gamesmanship become problematic when they are not about making the organization better or pushing through a new organizational practice that is necessary for long-term success but become more about the individual leader’s powerbase, ego, legacy and image. When a senior HR leader develops reputation for being a gossip, backbiter, “political animal” or “behind-the-scenes operative,” his/her ability to avoid any number of the previously mentioned termination factors goes way down as does their credibility and integrity as a leader. While this factor was not discussed in as great a detail as some of the previous factors, it is nonetheless important to state that unwarranted and self-centered political activity and gamesmanship can rain down highly unpredictable and adverse consequences to HR leaders who make this practice part of their persona and ongoing modus operandi.

Defining moments of leadership failure

• Developing a reputation as a leader with a political and personal agenda.
• Being perceived as a leader who is not always committed to doing the right thing if it requires expending political capital.
• Being willing to violate strict confidentiality or spread disinformation to suit one’s personal agenda.

Key human resource leadership questions

As a senior HR leader, do you stay focused on doing the right things to deliver desired results and avoid unhealthy political activity and gamesmanship? Are you willing to use your political capital when it is required to do the right thing? As a leader, do you have a reputation for being trustworthy and straightforward?

Call to action

In closing, we hope that this discussion provided you with some things to think about the factors that drive senior HR leader terminations. We want to encourage you to reflect on the key HR leadership questions that we provided over the course of this discussion to build awareness of the potential for HR leaders to play a much broader role in organizations. The key for HR leaders is to work within business context and with their CEO to clarify and prioritize their role based on the needs of the organization. To get to a senior HR leadership position speaks well of a person’s talents. Having said that, the things that got you the promotion may not be the things that keep you there. As organizations are constantly changing, effective senior HR leaders stay aligned with the needs of their organization and are constantly developing their leadership HR talents to be in the best position to make a real difference in their organization’s success.

According to what we have learned in this exercise, senior HR leaders have a great deal of control over their career trajectory based on providing effective leadership not only in the HR function but also across their enterprise. The best defense against termination is a great offense in doing the things that deliver desired results for your organization and for the people who are depending on you for their success as a senior HR leader!

References

Hughes, R.L., Ginette, R.C. and Curphy, G.J. (2012), Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, NY.

Longenecker, C.O. (2017), The Successful Career Survival Guide, Amazon Books,

Longenecker, C.O. (2011), “The characteristics of really bad bosses”, Industrial Management, pp. 10-15.

Longenecker, C.O. (2016), “Why leaders fail to deliver desired results”, The Drake Business Review, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 22-26.

Longenecker, C.O. and Fink, L.S. (2011), “The new HRM reality: HR leadership in trying economic times”, HR Advisor Journal,

Longenecker, C.O. and Fink, L.S. (2012), “The attributes of great human resource leaders”, HR Advisor Journal, pp. 5-12.

Longenecker, C.O. and Fink, L.S. (2013), “Creating human resource management value in the 21st century”, Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 7-11.

Longenecker, C.O. and Fink, L.S. (2015a), “Exceptional HR leadership rests on four foundations”, Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 21-24.

Longenecker, C.O. and Fink, L.S. (2015b), “Ten questions that make a difference for HR leadership”, Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 20-22.

Longenecker, C.O. and Insch, G. (2018), “Why leaders fail: understanding the fatal flaws”, Industrial Management, pp. 21-26.

Corresponding author

Clinton Longenecker can be contacted at: clinton.longenecker@utoledo.edu