The perfect people strategy

Is your people strategy sitting in a shared drive – long, detailed and slightly overwhelming? Packed with priorities, values, action plans and metrics? Well-intentioned, but let’s be honest – not exactly energising.
We get it. We’ve written those too.

But in today’s fast-moving, messy world of work, the old-style strategy just doesn’t cut it. We need something sharper. Simpler. More human.

What if your people strategy only had to answer four questions?

1. What’s the experience we want to create?

We often jump straight into designing processes – without pausing to ask the most important question. How do we want people to feel when they work here? Trusted? Inspired? Proud? Like they belong? Once you’re clear on that, everything else – your approach, your products, your tone – should back it up.Take HubSpot. Their EVP – “Your best work starts here” – is backed by things that matter: unlimited leave, remote work, sabbaticals. They’ve even published a Culture Code explaining exactly how they make it happen.

That’s the kind of clarity your people strategy should bring.

2. Can we get and keep the talent we need?

Start with a bold employment brand – one that sets you apart and aligns with your customer promise. When these two are out of sync, trust breaks down.

Be clear on the skills you’ll need – and how you’ll build, buy or borrow them. And yes, it’s time to stop skirting around the tough bit: what happens if legacy talent can’t (or won’t) adapt?

We see this problem in every HR team we work with – yet it rarely shows up in the strategy. Why? Because it’s uncomfortable. But if we’re not honest about it, we can’t move forward.

Cover the basics – reward, conditions – if they’re blocking progress. But also consider new ways of delivering work: automation, AI, freelancers, the gig economy.

The pace of change isn’t slowing. Neither can we.

3. Are we enabling people to do their best work?

This is where most people strategies fall short. We spend too much time fiddling with frameworks and not enough time creating the right conditions.

So ask yourself:
How much of our time is spent enabling great work – versus managing the noise around it?

That means:

• Supporting better leadership – simple tools that help leaders coach, show appreciation and have honest conversations
• Designing for flexibility – letting people work how, when and where they perform best
• Giving people the tools to own their growth – encouraging challenge, stretch, risk and innovation
• Building a culture of trust and autonomy – where freedom and responsibility go hand in hand

You can’t mandate performance – but you can create the conditions that make it more likely.

4. How do we want to show up as a people function?

This isn’t about a name change. It’s about rethinking what we stand for – and how we behave.
Are we process enforcers? Or designers of great experiences? It starts with how we show up:

• As Adults – trusting people to use their judgement, cutting unnecessary rules, giving freedom with responsibility
• As Consumers – tailoring products and services to what people need, not what HR has always delivered
• As Humans – designing experiences that reflect how people actually think, feel and work

It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing the right things – and showing that we’re here to make work better, not just more compliant.

It doesn’t have to be perfect

Forget the 30-slide deck. Forget the 3-year roadmap. A great people strategy is a compelling story. A few clear choices. A belief that HR can – and should – make work better. We need the humility (and the courage) to ditch what’s not working – from onboarding to learning to performance – and try new ways.
Resist the urge to build a shopping list under old HR headings. Focus on the long-term experience you want to create – and then use agile methods like sprint planning to deliver two or three products that will actually move the needle. Take inspiration from your Marketing team. The best strategies don’t just inform – they inspire. They use data, visuals and stories to connect.

So if your people strategy explains the experience you want to create, how you’ll get the talent you need, how you’ll help people do their best work – and how you’ll show up as a team – that’s a strategy to be proud of.

Want more like this? This topic is part of our CPO Programme: a six-month journey for current and aspiring Chief People Officers to reset, rethink, and lead with impact.

Join monthly virtual sessions, get 1:1 mentoring from Lucy Adams and Karen Moran, and connect with a small group of senior peers.  10% off until 31st August – use code EARLYBIRDCPO at checkout!