What steps can an HR professional take within her or her organization to highlight the importance of HR as a strategic business partner?

What steps can an HR professional take within her or her organization to highlight the importance of HR as a strategic business partner?
In your opinion (based on your own personal experience), is HR viewed as a strategic business partner within most organizations?

Currently the answer is no.
The best way is to get a copy of Huselid's research, simplify it down to the basic points and show it to the board.
Mark Huselid showed that companies that focused on HR outperformed the rest.
Dave Ulrich, Lynda Gratton, Fitz-enz, Pfeffer have all done lengthy research studies that you can use.
For HR to become a strategic partner it has to talk the language of the board. That language is money, figures. So measure things: cost of employee turnover, employee satisfaction. Show that strong HR means bottom line profits. The evidence is available: use it.
Explain Reichheld's loyalty effect, the value-profit chain, etc
Basically show that HR matters, using the language of money, revenue, profits. Get beyond simply being a cost.
Col
colbrown.co.uk