Being a leader has changed over the past years. Today’s organisations look vastly different from what they did even ten years ago. This is not just the impact of hybrid working and fallout from the pandemic.
Organisations are working with different technology, working to different objectives and measuring their performance through different metrics. Consequently, the task of a leader has grown and expanded. It is a more holistic role and demands diverse skills and outlooks. It is certainly not just a question of decision making, command and control.
Developments in leadership mean HR professionals have had to adapt to take the lead. According to Dr Kiera Dempsey-Brench, Assistant Professor in Human Resource Management at Trinity Business School HR leaders have a dual role, helping to drive the business forward for success on the one hand whilst also advocating for employees on the other. “Balancing these two – sometimes competing – needs can be challenging,” she says, “especially when motivations to implement strategy, policy or practices are different for different stakeholders.”
The ability to influence, says Dr Dempsey-Brench, can help HR leaders find that sweet spot, helping them to navigate how to package up and sell the rationale behind the implementation of a strategy, policy or practice.
The second crucial skill for HR to lead effectively is data analytics. “Decision-making needs to be informed by evidence,” asserts Dempsey-Brench. “Data analytics not only provides a snapshot of what is currently going on in the organisation, but it can also help leaders to anticipate future trends through predictive analytics.” That said, the only way data is really going to help someone lead is if it is of good enough quality. “Bringing the evidence-base into the debate is great way to substantiate and elevate insights, moving them from subjective claims to objective measures,” says Kiera.
“To me, leadership is about consistency, compassion, and the courage to act even when it’s hard,” says Carol Paddon, Founder and CEO of online education provider Atompi Academy. “It’s not about having all the answers – it’s about creating a space where others feel safe to ask questions, try, fail, and try again. That’s especially important in education, where young people are looking to us not just for subject knowledge, but for encouragement and belief.”
To maintain leadership and ensure the organisation can move forward as one, Paddon lists a number of techniques and activities that have a strong impact. The leadership team regularly check in on their tutors, not just making contact when there’s a problem. Through this relationship the team is given ownership and input on how the business works, the timetables, tools, and training they need to continue to be effective.
When HR works hand-in-hand with the core purpose of the business, it becomes much more than policies and paperwork. It becomes a driver of growth, wellbeing, and impact.”
Finally she says HR is firmly connected to the business’ mission – after all, happy and confident tutors will always deliver better outcomes for students.
“When HR works hand-in-hand with the core purpose of the business, it becomes much more than policies and paperwork,” Paddon concludes. “It becomes a driver of growth, wellbeing, and impact.”
“To be a truly effective HR leader today, you need to blend foundational expertise with future-facing capabilities,” says Archana Mohan, a leadership expert, COO, and author of The Through Line. Mohan believes knowledge of area such as employment law, organisational design and talent strategy should be taken for granted among HR leaders. She cites research from Deloitte and McKinsey that shows that what differentiates great HR leaders is their ability to operate as integrators, connecting human systems to business outcomes with empathy, data fluency, and systems thinking.
“Great HR leadership is not just about having the right knowledge,” says Mohan. “It’s about cultivating meta-skills like emotional agility, adaptive thinking, and the ability to work in ambiguity.” HR leaders, says Mohan, always stay close to the people, they listen deeply, experiment often, and design solutions around real human needs, not assumptions.
Growth today comes from lateral mobility, cross-functional exposure, and real-time feedback loops, not just promotions.”
Securing the right skills is not a linear journey. “Growth today comes from lateral mobility, cross-functional exposure, and real-time feedback loops, not just promotions,” says Mohan. “Partnering with peers in product, operations, or finance can expand your thinking and spark innovative approaches. Stay curious. Stay porous. The most effective HR leaders are always in beta testing, constantly evolving alongside the organisations they serve.”
Georgina Waite, CEO of the Association of Business Mentors indicates another route to build leadership skills. If leaders are aiming to transition into C-suite roles she argues they need more than just technical expertise. “It requires leaders to juggle multiple priorities and have the resilience to lead and influence decisions across the whole organisation,” she says. “The best leaders will balance self-awareness, adaptability, and the ability to inspire and influence others, combining emotional intelligence with commercial insight and constantly evolving in response to change.”
It is into this context that Waite sees the power of mentoring: “Through mentoring, aspiring leaders gain not just confidence, but the clarity and perspective needed to make meaningful impact,” she says.
Research from the ABM suggests 41% of business leaders believed that developing new leadership skills was one of the tangible improvements they’d seen in their performance as a result of business mentoring.
Leaders must be well equipped to handle the transition to such roles, argues Waite, and making this change successfully is not just important for themselves, it goes further than that. Bringing forward successful leaders means bringing forward talent that will have a significant impact on the wellbeing of those they are leading, the teams and the organisation as a whole. As such HR have a double role in leadership – to ensure the skills of leaders are ready across the organisation, and to ensure they are ready for the challenge themselves.
