179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint - Deepening Your Strategic Thinking

When you spot a problem at work, how quickly does your mind start coming up with solutions?

Welcome to Day 4 of The Strategic HR Sprint, a free five-day experience to help you build your confidence and skills in being strategic in your HR role.

Join the sprint for free and access all five episodes, worksheets and resources here: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint

One of the most important parts of being strategic is taking the time to understand what is really driving a challenge before deciding how to respond.

It is easy to assume that the answer is training, a new policy, more people or better pay. But if you have not explored what is really causing the challenge, you could invest time and energy in an idea that only treats the symptoms.

Getting to the root cause helps you make better decisions about where HR can have the greatest impact and identify actions that are more likely to create lasting improvements.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to stay curious for longer and use a simple technique called the Five Whys to explore the challenge you identified during Day 3.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why understanding the root cause is an important part of being strategic
• How to use the Five Whys technique
• How to avoid treating a symptom instead of the underlying cause
• Why involving people who are close to the challenge can lead to better insights
• How to ask “why” without sounding critical or pushy

Your Day 4 Activity

Today’s worksheet will help you explore the challenge you chose during Day 3 and identify what may be causing it.

You’ll work through the Five Whys, think about where HR could have the biggest influence and note down your first ideas for how the challenge could be addressed.

You might also find it helpful to talk the challenge through with someone who sees or experiences it day to day, as they may notice things that are easy to miss from your perspective.

Once you have completed the worksheet, you can also use the optional AI prompt to suggest practical HR and People initiatives, including quick wins and longer-term ideas.

Before using the prompt, remember to remove or change anything that could identify your organisation or the people involved.

Access all the sprint resources here:

https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint

Chapters

[00:00] – Welcome to Day 4 of The Strategic HR Sprint

[01:09] – A recap of the sprint so far

[01:42] – Why we jump straight to solutions

[02:41] – Staying curious for longer

[03:03] – How the Five Whys works

[03:37] – Finding the right starting point

[04:45] – The employee turnover example

[06:10] – Your Day 4 worksheet

[07:18] – Involving other people

[07:43] – How to ask “why” without sounding critical

[08:51] – Using the optional AI prompt

[09:34] – Protecting confidential information

[10:42] – What to expect from Day 5

Useful Links

• Join the free Strategic HR Sprint: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint/
• Connect with Fay Wallis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faywallis/
• The Essential HR Planner: https://essentialhrplanner.co.uk/
• Learn about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/hr-leadership-course/

Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next

• Ep 174 | Free 5-Day Strategic HR Sprint (Struggling to Be Strategic? This Will Help)
• Ep 176 | (Day 1) The Strategic HR Sprint - Building Your Strategic Confidence
• Ep 177 | (Day 2) The Strategic HR Sprint - Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Ep 178 | (Day 3) The Strategic HR Sprint - Finding Your Strategic Focus
• Ep 179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint - Look Beneath the Surface

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