For HR leaders, the urge to add more can be strong—whether it’s launching an employee program, implementing new technology or taking on expanded responsibilities. The chaos of the last five years has underscored our function's critical value, but it has also added new layers of complexity. Teams are often juggling countless priorities, making it difficult to achieve meaningful progress.

As we hit the midpoint of the 2020s, it's time to consider how our department can evolve strategically. Rather than focusing solely on what else we can do, it’s worth stepping back and reflecting on how we can do less. There are undoubtedly outdated practices, assumptions and ways of thinking we can leave behind to create space for fresh opportunities, strategies and solutions.

3 Beliefs That HR Leaders Need To Unlearn

As the field of HR progresses, we must let go of approaches that no longer align with where we are and where we are headed. By re-evaluating certain beliefs, we can be better equipped to drive the evolution of our function more broadly.

1. Recruiters are just matchmakers.

It's common for people, even in HR, to see recruiters as simply matchmakers for their organization and potential employees. But this misconception diminishes the true strategic value that these team members offer. Their ability to understand the talent landscape, including what skills are needed to fuel business growth, is vital for your organization's overall health. By seeing their capacity to serve as strategic advisors to hiring teams and talent management, you can ensure your talent acquisition plan is aligned with your company's goals.

According to research by my company, iCIMS, 47% of HR executives already "see the role of the recruiter morphing into a strategic talent advisor to the business," while another 44% "see this happening in the future." This evolution is critical as we face key strategic challenges. For example, there's a limited availability of talent, and continuing return-to-office conversations aren't making it easier. Then, the evolving complexity of the compliance landscape—including pay transparency and bias in AI-assisted hiring—requires a nuanced view of talent.

As an HR leader, you must begin empowering and emboldening your recruiters to both prioritize external hiring job functions and support the intentional upskilling of current talent. To ensure your workforce's needs align with its capabilities, encourage team members to get actively involved in skill mapping. Understanding what skills your organization will need in the future can help them hire for potential and communicate to hiring managers that, while a candidate’s skill might not be an exact match today, they could be a top performer with upskilling.

2. Flexibility is more valuable than establishing growth goals.

Flexibility and agility have long been the bread and butter of HR teams. We often prioritize adaptability in the face of shifting business needs and workforce expectations. While this is crucial when responding to immediate challenges, it can come at the cost of missed opportunities for strategic evolution.

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