177 | (Day 2) The Strategic HR Sprint – Seeing the Bigger Picture

What does it really mean to be strategic in HR?One of the biggest shifts you can make is to stop looking only at HR and start paying much more attention to the world your organisation operates in.In Day 2 of the free five-day Strategic HR Sprint, Fay Wallis explores why strategic HR professionals develop an "outside-in" perspective. Drawing on insights from HR From the Outside In by Dave Ulrich and colleagues, she explains why understanding your industry's challenges, opportunities and emerging trends can help you anticipate what's coming next and make a greater strategic contribution.You'll also discover a simple habit you can build into your routine to strengthen your commercial awareness, along with an optional AI prompt that can quickly generate an executive briefing about your sector.Whether you're early in your HR career or already leading a people function, this episode will help you become more curious, more commercially aware and more confident about contributing strategically.👉 Join The Strategic HR Sprint for free: brightskyhr.co.uk/sprintChapters[00:00] Welcome to Day 2 of The Strategic HR Sprint[01:09] Why understanding your organisation's world matters[02:39] The "outside-in" approach from Dave Ulrich & colleagues[03:47] How external trends shape strategic HR priorities[04:38] Today's worksheet: building your outside-in awareness[05:55] Using AI to understand your industry more quickly[07:10] Building a lasting strategic habit[08:14] Looking ahead to Day 3Helpful Episodes to Listen to NextEp 174 | Free 5-Day Strategic HR Sprint (Struggling to Be Strategic? This Will Help)Ep 176 | (Day 1) The Strategic HR Sprint - Building Your Strategic ConfidenceEp 177 | (Day 2) The Strategic HR Sprint - Seeing the Bigger PictureEp 178 | (Day 3) The Strategic HR Sprint - Finding Your Strategic FocusEp 179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint - Look Beneath the SurfaceEp 180 (Day 5) The Strategic HR Sprint - Making Strategic Work a PriorityUseful LinksJoin the free Strategic HR SprintConnect with Fay Wallis on LinkedInThe Essential HR PlannerLearn about theInspiring HR Leadership ProgrammeEnjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!Sign up to the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.