Hint: It’s not in your compliance manual or leadership book—but it could be the reason you're stuck.
You’ve been in the trenches.
You’ve guided leaders and workforces through restructures, coached teams through culture change, navigated policy overhauls, and held your ground in tough conversations when it counted most.
So why does it still feel like you're missing something?
There’s a skill that rarely shows up in formal HR training programs or leadership development workshops. It doesn’t get covered in your average SHRM article or conference panel. And yet, this one capability is often the difference-maker between being an HR professional who executes... and being one who influences.
That skill? Sensemaking.
What Is Sensemaking?
Sensemaking is the ability to interpret complex, messy, and often conflicting information—and distill it into insights that drive action.
It’s what allows an HR leader to:
Spot disconnects in culture before they surface as resignations or Glassdoor reviews
Understand the ripple effects of a policy shift beyond compliance checkboxes
Read between the lines in leadership conversations and speak to the real issues
See the system, not just the symptoms
In today’s world, where change is constant, disruption is inevitable, and people are anything but predictable, sensemaking isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the new HR core competency—essential for anyone who wants to lead strategic HR initiatives, influence business outcomes, and grow as a transformational HR leader.
Why Most HR Pros Don’t Develop It
Because it doesn’t come in a tidy playbook. You can’t checklist your way into this skill.
Sensemaking lives in the grey, the nuance, the context, the messy middle. And too often, we’re trained to focus on the clean lines of compliance, efficiency, and execution.
IMHO, to develop sensemaking, you need:
Space to reflect on messy real-life situations
Exposure to how other professionals think through complexity
Conversation, not just content
A place where honesty, curiosity, and depth are encouraged—not sanitized away
That’s Why We Built The HRL Collective
This isn’t just another HR newsletter—it’s a space for transformational HR pros to grow the strategic leadership skills that really move people and culture.
It’s a curated space for HR professionals who are hungry for more than buzzwords and policy updates. It’s for those who want to think deeply, connect meaningfully, and develop the strategic muscle that actually shifts culture, leadership, and business outcomes.
Each issue is built to stretch your thinking, spark conversations, and invite you into a different kind of HR dialogue.
If you’re ready to build the kind of capability that sets transformational HR pros apart, subscribe to The HRL Collective.
Because the future of HR won’t be led by those who follow the manual. It'll be led by those who know how to make sense of what’s really happening, and respond with clarity, confidence, and heart.
Join the HRL Collective today. Make sense of what matters.
And, Please Join Us for This HRL Exclusive Complimentary Session:
Join us and Phil Wilson, CEO of LRI Consulting Services, Inc. and Founder of Approachable Leadership, on April 22nd to discover 4 leadership shifts that unlock extraordinary team performance.
This session is part of our HRL Exclusive Complimentary Series, designed to give back to our community with high-impact, no-cost professional development experiences that matter.
Registration is completely free, but space is limited. Reserve your spot today and unlock practical leadership strategies you can use immediately. This session is approved for HRCI and SHRM recertification credit.
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