Future CEOs may emerge from HR departments

By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 26 November 2008, 01:09 IST   |    27 Comments
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Future CEOs may emerge from HR departments
Bangalore: Successful officers from marketing and finance departments were so far finding it easy to make it to the top posts like CEO or COO, but the present time suggests human resource (HR) directors to be having more qualities to take up such prestigious positions. In a tough economic situation companies are more conscious about employee relations and development. Leaders with strong people skills who can drive their work force to achieve high levels of performance are in great demand. As poor financial condition forces most of the companies to have most talented people, the role of the officers who have good HR skills costs much, reported The Economic Times. As a result, HR directors and chief talent officers are now being observed and even groomed for the CEO role. According to a joint survey conducted among 50 Asia Pacific CEOs across industries by Korn/Ferry International and the Economist Intelligence Unit, most respondents listed strong people development skills as key competency that will be more important for the Asia Pacific CEO in the next three years. The survey also finds that CEO's in the region spend more time on staff management and development than on engaging with customers or strategic planning. HR directors work closely with CEOs on important decision making processes related to hiring, ranging from staffing a newly opened center to find a leader to head recently acquired company on another continent. They also play big role in developing cost cutting plans and integration strategies with various teams like finance and IT. Exposure to important and complicated activities of the organization makes HR directors competent and best brains to lead the company. Moreover, experiences in maintaining the corporate culture through smart incentives and communication programs, and qualities of integrity, flexibility and innovation make an HR director most suitable for high posts.