Robin Stenzel is a business leader who happens to carry a card that says, “HR.”  Robin started out her career in retail, then moved into retail HR. From there she became an HR partner and then leader in the airline and consulting industries.

Robin thinks first through the lens of business goals, and then through the lens of HR needs to help get to those goals. Her resume includes corporate experience through Delta, Macy’s and Hitachi Consulting but she’s most interested in working in a dynamic environment where she can lead internal alignment, reporting to a top operations or exec leader. Robin is in Atlanta and would prefer to stay there, but she is willing to look at other cities for the right role. I was introduced to Robin through Chris Havrilla.  Her upbeat personality, adventurousness, and sense of humor showed in the brief time we spoke on the phone, and I’m delighted to make her acquaintance.

Robin, tell us a little bit about what you’re most proud of in your career.

I have played about every role in HR, but truly believe I am a generalist.   I was so fortunate in 2000 to be able to put all my experiences together and start the HR group for a small consulting firm in Dallas. The opportunity was really running a part of the business in good times and in tough times.  There was no sense of “I do this” but instead “how do we accomplish this.”   In 2006, we sold the business to Hitachi Consulting. During the time I was there, we were able to realize shareholder value for all our employees and investors.  In addition, we were recognized by Great Places to Work and SHRM and Best Companies in Texas.   The awards were great, but I am most proud of what they stood for.

Tell us a little about what you want to do next.

Ideally, I would love to take the experiences I have had and again create or help grow an HR organization that is aligned with the business.   I would love to continue to grow my international experience, and in the perfect opportunity I wouldn’t have to define “this is my role”, but instead “what I can do” to help the business grow and/or prosper.

And what do you know you don’t do, either because you wouldn’t be good at it or because you just flat hate doing it?

I would not be a good HR administrator.   If the main role/goal of HR is to handle compliance, I am probably not your person.  While I understand the importance of compliance and will work to ensure the company is not at risk, I need the creativity of solving business problems, not just compliance issues.

Now that you’ve spent a little time on the other side of the hiring desk, what will you do different next time you have a chance to design or fix a hiring workflow?

I think hiring has really become a “check the box” process – do you have a, b or c? Unfortunately I believe we have gotten away from “how can this person contribute long term to our company?”   Again while compliance is important, I would try and make the process much more like “CRM” processes.   As we build our pipeline with clients in our business, we build relationships.   We look to how the relationship can help us now, but also how it might in the future.  Unfortunately, I am not sure we are building relationships in recruiting.   I think we can better use technology and resources to be smarter on how we spend our time.

There’s a whole conversation in the online HR community about whether or not HR is dead. What are your thoughts about the future of HR?

I think compliance HR may be dead.   I can see much of that function moving to become more a part of the office of the CFO.   That said, I think the part of HR which is around performance; accomplishing company goals, acquiring and developing talent and ensuring talent is engaged is very much alive.

I believe employees are getting burned out and are staying in opportunities because change is scary right now.  However, as the economy gets better, I believe employees are going to be more demanding from their employers and if they don’t feel like there are opportunities for growth, they will move on.

I also believe growth will mean different things to different people.  For some it will mean promotion, for some it will mean new skills acquired at work and for some it will mean a need to grow outside the business.  The need for professionals who can help companies manage this change and accomplish goals will be huge.

I don’t believe we will go back to the days of  conceirge services and heavy spending on employee benefits that can’t be measured, nor do I think employees will want these benefits.  I do think the challenge/opportunity is going to be how to truly manage a partnership (employee/employer).

I noticed you started a twitter account but have never tweeted. What do you think about social media in general?

I think social media is an important tool for communication.  I believe strong HR people/teams should be working with marketing and/or communications teams to figure out how and what we should communicate and sell to our customers.   By customers I mean those externally and internally.

As promising as it is, social media is making us a more self-absorbed.   Let’s face it, some of us now feel like everything we say is so important we need to share it with everyone.   We also expect others to respond.   I wonder how many people stood in a line at their Starbucks today and tweeted something like – “standing in Starbucks trying to decide between a latte and a caramel macchiato,” vs. talking to the person in the line they were waiting in.

In addition, when we rely on email and other technology, we’re losing the touch and finesse that is often required in complex problems, since we are looking for the quickest/easiest way to get our message across.

I think strong HR leaders/teams should be working with and/or leading other business leaders through this change as well as the challenges.

As far as my twitter account, I set it up because I know I will need/want it.  I’m still working on the most thoughtful way to use it.

What do you wish people knew about you, that might not be reflected in your resume?

I am an incredibly hard worker and fiercely loyal.   I love spending time with family and friends and (unfortunately for my waistline) show my love through cooking. I think I get some of my best ideas as I try and create a great dinner. Like anything, there have been some flops – note:  red pepper flakes should not be substituted in the same portion as a red pepper, but most have turned out and have led to other great dinners and great friendships.