Here are my two cents. First, the question is a general question, could it have been more specific, yes, but it was not. Second, those who need more clarification lack vision and as such are probably unqualified to answer it.
First off I want to clarify my response by letting you know that I work in Canada in a senior HR capacity and as such maybe there are cultural differences. For anyone to impress there boss it is quite simple in concept but more difficult to achieve. Here are my suggestions.
1) Think of HR as a service business. Always ask yourself, "How can I provide value to the organization?", "What can the HR department do to improve business results?"
2) Lead. That is right, never wait for your boss to tell you what to do. Understand the business and look for business challenges and opportunities where HR can make a difference. For example if recruiting is an issue. Create a plan to improve the situation and minimize the impact on the business.
3) Understand your role. Many times on this site I see comments where people say HR's main responsibility is to enforce policies and this demonstrates their lack of understanding of the role of HR. HR's role is to maximize the output of the human resources of the organization. What does this mean? It means that we need to create work environments where employees are highly productive and innovative.
4) Measure. Business runs on numbers. HR has to do a better job of setting metrics and measuring what they do. This allows HR people to talk in the same language as the business leaders.
First off I want to clarify my response by letting you know that I work in Canada in a senior HR capacity and as such maybe there are cultural differences. For anyone to impress there boss it is quite simple in concept but more difficult to achieve. Here are my suggestions.
1) Think of HR as a service business. Always ask yourself, "How can I provide value to the organization?", "What can the HR department do to improve business results?"
2) Lead. That is right, never wait for your boss to tell you what to do. Understand the business and look for business challenges and opportunities where HR can make a difference. For example if recruiting is an issue. Create a plan to improve the situation and minimize the impact on the business.
3) Understand your role. Many times on this site I see comments where people say HR's main responsibility is to enforce policies and this demonstrates their lack of understanding of the role of HR. HR's role is to maximize the output of the human resources of the organization. What does this mean? It means that we need to create work environments where employees are highly productive and innovative.
4) Measure. Business runs on numbers. HR has to do a better job of setting metrics and measuring what they do. This allows HR people to talk in the same language as the business leaders.