Positive lessons HR learned in 2020

Many of us are happy to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. But I think there are positive lessons learned that will be important to keep in mind for 2021. The following are the ones that most resonate with us.

Positive lessons HR learned in 2020

We were reminded to be humble -

The virus is a sneaky, unpredictable enemy. The best leaders recognized early that they didn’t have all the answers and realized that “learning as we go” was the best strategy of all. Humility is a business strength in good times, too. Even Amazon, one of the most successful companies in the world, takes lots of time to learn from mistakes and avoids “going through doors that you can’t back out of.”

We learned to listen -

This year’s research found that listening to employees and taking action was by far the most important business practice. This lesson goes back to the fundamental idea that employees are a company’s most important asset. Employees live your brand every day, and they have a personal stake in your company.


We learned about human-centric leadership -

One of our most active Big Reset working groups focused on this topic. “Human-centered” leadership is different from “business-centered leadership,” which is the more traditional approach.


We learned to take employee experience seriously -

All the books, articles and ideas around employee experience began to emerge around 2015 when Airbnb hired a chief employee experience officer. Next came conversations around moments that matter. We started to look at key employee experiences at work such as onboarding, the transition to a new job and relocation. As we dug in, we found out that EX is deeper and more complicated than initially realized.


We learned that HR is a bold, innovative and noble profession at its core -

Last year was the most inspiring and exciting one of my career—not because I had to stay home and live on Zoom all day, but because I had the opportunity to talk with hundreds of you: the most committed, passionate and creative people in the world.

 

What you have learned in 2020?