Three. Ian Ziskin

provides a must read for aspiring and current CHRO's alike. His bold, transparent and constructive insight merges the paths of leadership and HR to forge the type of strategic leaders CEOs demand in today's competitive and ever changing environment.”

Jeffrey S. ShumanSenior Vice President, Chief Human Resources OfficerQuest Diagnostics

      “Ian Ziskin has created an engaging and delightfully readable work. But make no mistake – his experience, insight, and thoughtful advice are right on the money for any aspiring future CHRO.”

Ronald SugarFormer Chairman and CEONorthrop Grumman CorporationMember, Boards of Directors of Chevron, Amgen, and Apple

      “Ian has a knack for observing good HR work and offering practical advice for the emerging HR professional. His work transfers his insights and experiences into actions aspiring HR professionals can quickly adopt.”

Dave UlrichRensis Likert Professor of Business, University of MichiganPartner, The RBL Group

      “Lots of books exist extolling what great HR looks like, how to build great HR functions, and how to align HR with the business. However, all of these efforts require leaders…HR executives who have developed their own leadership styles, values and goals. Ian Ziskin's THREE is one of the few books that focus on how individual HR professionals can emerge to become true leaders. It is a must read for those that aspire to rise to the highest levels of the organization, and from there to have a positive impact.”

Patrick M. WrightThomas C. Vandiver Bicentennial Chair in BusinessDirector, Center for Executive SuccessionDepartment of ManagementDarla Moore School of BusinessUniversity of South CarolinaThis book is dedicated to my family and friends for making me want to be a better person, and to my clients and colleagues for making me want to be a better professional

      THREE

      The Human Resources Emerging Executive

      Ian Ziskin

      Cover design: Wiley

      This book is printed on acid-free paper.

      Copyright © 2015 by Ian Ziskin. All rights reserved

      Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

      Published simultaneously in Canada

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

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      Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

      Ziskin, Ian.

      Three: the human resources emerging executive / Ian Ziskin.

      pages cm

      Includes bibliographical references and index.

      ISBN 978-1-119-05710-9 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-119-05714-7 ISBN 978-1-119-05717-8 (epub)

      1. Personnel management. 2. Personnel directors. I. Title.

      HF5549.Z56 2015

      658.3–dc23

      2015020147

      Introduction

      In 1987, I was sitting in my HR boss's office having a feedback discussion related to the recently conducted company succession planning process. It was one of those meetings that turned out to be life-changing on a few levels.

      First, the fact that my company, TRW, had a succession planning process was in and of itself more uncommon than I understood at the time. I believed all companies had a real succession planning process. Crazy, right?

      Second, I actually thought it was quite common to receive candid feedback from the succession planning process. I believed all companies gave their leaders feedback about their strengths, development needs, and career potential. Crazier still?

      Finally, the most remarkable thing of all was receiving the following feedback. My HR boss told me that the senior HR leaders of the company believed I had the potential to someday be the executive vice president of human resources for TRW – what many of us call “chief human resources officer” these days. I was twenty-nine years old and will never forget the first thing that popped out of my mouth, even before I could express gratitude, excitement, disagreement, or fear. Half-shocked, I simply blurted out, “WHY?????”

      Some people to whom I have told this story over the years have suggested that, if I were smarter, I would have asked “WHEN?” rather than “WHY?” Trust me, I am just not that smart.

      It wasn't that I was questioning the motives or wisdom of the HR leadership. I was instead literally dumbfounded and wondering what they saw in me that I didn't yet see in myself.

      My boss did provide me very helpful feedback that day about “WHY?” – some flattering, some developmental, and some downright intimidating. It was great to know someone thought I was a high potential, and frightening to think about the responsibilities and implications of such an endorsement – especially at such an early stage in my career.

      But this story is not about the details of the feedback I received, nor is it an ego trip related to being told I was a high potential. The point is that this one discussion embedded an indelible image in my mind about the importance of real feedback – good or bad – and the implications and responsibilities of great development that must accompany the feedback in order to make it meaningful. That one meeting changed my life.

      Ever since that day, stimulated by my own experience, I have been obsessed with better understanding how to identify, develop, and prepare leaders for leadership roles. As a career-long HR leader, I have a particular passion for working with and enabling other HR people to figure out what makes for great HR, and for great HR leadership. Therefore, think of this book as a compilation of thirty-three years of many mistakes and a few smart moves made, challenges won and lost, and lessons