“Here's the real question that determines everything: Are you seen as the strategic partner who helps drive business results, or are you the hall monitor with a clipboard?"

The Arena Moments: When HR Feels Like a Daily Battle

You know that feeling, right? It's 9:17 AM, you've already had three "urgent" requests that could have waited until next week, and someone just asked you to "handle" a situation that requires the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of a saint. Welcome to Tuesday in HR.

After three decades in this field, I've learned something crucial: those moments when you want to throw in the towel aren't actually about wanting to leave HR. They're about feeling trapped between what HR could be and what it currently is in your organization.

The Police vs. Partner Dilemma

Here's the real question that determines everything: Are you seen as the strategic partner who helps drive business results, or are you the hall monitor with a clipboard?

I remember sitting in that banking executive meeting, armed with data showing how our employee experience initiatives directly impacted customer satisfaction scores. The blank stares told me everything. They saw HR as the department that "handled people problems," not as the function that could transform their bottom line.

That's when I realized the issue wasn't their perception - it was my positioning.

The Transformation Framework

Moving from transactional to transformational isn't about abandoning compliance and processes. It's about reframing them within business context. When you're explaining a new policy, start with the business impact, not the legal requirement. When you're addressing a performance issue, connect it to team effectiveness and customer outcomes.

For example, instead of saying "We need to update our performance review process because it's outdated," try "Our current review process is missing 60% of our high performers' development needs, which is directly impacting our succession planning and client retention rates."

Strategic Acumen in Action

The most resilient HR professionals I've coached understand this: every HR initiative should ladder up to organizational strategy. Whether you're in retail, manufacturing, nonprofit, or public sector, the principle remains the same. Your employee experience work isn't separate from business objectives - it's the engine that drives them.

Think about your last three HR initiatives. Can you connect each one to a specific business outcome? If not, you might be operating more transactionally than you realize.

The Coaching Connection

Finding the right coach changed my entire approach. Not someone who would teach me more about employment law (though that's important), but someone who understood the strategic challenges of positioning HR as a business function. Someone who had stood in similar arenas and learned how to shift the conversation from "HR says we have to" to "here's how this drives our strategic priorities."

Your Next Strategic Move

Tomorrow morning, before you dive into your inbox, ask yourself: "What's one thing I can reframe today from a compliance conversation to a strategic opportunity?"

Because the arena isn't going anywhere. But how you show up in it - that's entirely within your control.

I have created a community for exactly this, balancing strategy and transactions. Policing to Partnering. Join us on August 29th and we jump into a monthly community. With 15 minutes of teaching and 45 minutes of discussion from other HR professionals. Join here!

What's your biggest challenge in shifting from transactional to transformational thinking? I'd love to hear how you're navigating this in your organization.

Reanette knows what it's like to stand in front of skeptical executives who think HR is just about birthday cakes and paperwork—talk about giving everyone a serious case of the HR Hangover. She's been the voice that speaks up when others stay quiet, asking the tough questions that make people squirm. Sure, she wasn't always the most popular person in those boardroom meetings, but her willingness to tell the truth became her greatest asset.

Her superpower? She's the HR Hangover cure. Reanette transforms HR professionals from order-takers to strategic powerhouses who drive real business results through keynote presentations, workshops and planning sessions. She doesn't just talk about moving from transactional to transformational—she's the coach on that journey, complete with war stories and a roadmap that works.

From the Southwest HR Conference to countless SHRM Chapter events and Office Dynamics Administrative Professionals Conference, Reanette has shared her straight talk as a keynote speaker across the country. When she's not on stage, you'll find her serving on boards for two SHRM Chapters and her local housing authority commission—because changing the employee experience isn't a solo sport.

Reanette is on a mission to help HR professionals step into their strategic power and become the business partners their organizations are desperately waiting for. She's here to transform HR's image from hall monitor to strategic champion—the captain of the business success squad, not the fun police.