HR leaders should make it personal, Biden says

Having been what he equates to the nation’s “chief people officer” as the president of the United States, President Joe Biden thanked a room packed with human resources professionals for their work. Biden stressed that a core aspect of leadership is valuing human connection.

“It’s about getting personal, it’s about connecting,” he said on July 2 at the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) annual conference. “It means having empathy.”

Sharing credit, giving recognition, and getting to know the people who work for you, Biden said are keystones of leadership as he shared lessons learned from colleagues, constituents, and family members.

His father stressed that a job is about dignity and respect, Biden recalled. “Everything my dad did conveyed to me that everybody deserves to be treated with dignity,” Biden said.

Emphasizing that leaders also need to understand the importance of family, he noted that he expected staff members to attend to critical family matters. The smaller moments are important as well, he said, recalling the time he commuted home two hours by train to watch his then 8-year-old daughter blow out the candles on her birthday cake.

“I knew it was important to show up,” he said. “It mattered to me. I mattered to my family.”

When he was reeling from the loss of his wife and daughter shortly after he was first elected to Congress, colleagues and family members were there to support him. He noted that when employees do not have a strong support system in place, the job of making sure an employee gets needed help falls on human resources professionals.

“They’re coming to you,” he said.

Recalling that he received his first nomination as a Senate candidate because no one else wanted to run, and he was expected to lose, he advised HR professionals to be brave.

“What’s so important to you that you’d rather lose than not do it?” he said. “Be brave when bravery is called for. That’s the kind of leadership we need now.”

The best leadership advice he ever received came from his father, Biden noted: “Be a man of your word.”

Key to remember: Leadership means treating others with respect and dignity, as well as keeping in mind the importance of family, President Joe Biden advises human resources professionals.