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December 15, 2026
Give yourself the gift of development as you prepare to thrive in 2027. Join us for a special holiday edition of Coachability and discover how becoming more receptive to feedback can help you unlock your potential and get more out of every development opportunity.
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March 8, 10, & 12, 2027
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Register Now →Zenger Folkman is always looking for talented, innovative people to join our team.
HR seems to have become every manager and employee’s favorite corporate punching bag, vying with IT for the dubious title of most-irritating function. We have seen a parade of articles recently calling for HR to be blown up, split in two, or at the very least, redesigned.
Perhaps this is a good moment to evaluate what it is we really want from our HR leaders—and what we don’t. In this episode we are sharing Zenger Folkman’s research on what separates great HR leaders from the rest.
ZENGER FOLKMAN contrasted the results for the 5,174 HR leaders in our dataset with those of 71,024 leaders in other functions.
HR leaders were rated significantly more negatively on their ability to anticipate and respond quickly to problems. A number of items noted a general lack of speed and urgency to respond and react quickly.
HR leaders often complain that they “want a seat at the table” to engage more fully with other executives, but without clear strategy and focus they will never have that seat.
Connect with Joe Folkman
Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and talk about their latest leadership development research. Find out more information and register here.
What Separates Great HR Leaders from the Rest? — Article by Joe Folkman and Jack Zenger
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