9 Faces of HR: A Disruptor's Guide to Mastering Innovation and Driving Real Change

I ordered this book because I love almost everything that Kris Dunn writes and presents. As a fellow disrupter in the HR space, I knew that this book would be good. But, life happened including a pandemic that turned my HR world upside down and I didn't get to read it right away. Fast forward to one night when I couldn't sleep and I thought a business book would aide in getting me to sleep - I picked it up. I finished half the book that night! In his usual humorous but wicked smart way - Kris brings to life the 9 Faces of HR and delivers some of the best career and leadership advice I've read in HR in a LONG time. It's helpful that it's a quick read but so impactful. I have a system when I read a book. I highlight stuff (like everyone) but then I star stuff that's really good (I use this in the future when I go back to a book and I want to remember the best parts) and then "GOLD/YES" means an action item. To put things in perspective - I usually have 10 stars and 3 "GOLD/YES" in a book when I'm done. This book had 38 stars and 10 "YES/GOLD". So, I have a lot of work to do. I read this book at a time when I was seriously re-considering my HR career (after 20+ years doing it) and it brought back the passion and love I feel for this job. It turns out I wasn't thinking of my strengths and weaknesses in the right way - and I ended up in an organization that isn't a great fit for my style. The practical tips this book gives will be valuable for any HR pro. Chapters 23, 24 and 25 are worth their weight in gold. Chapter 23 Your Future Boss Thinks You Suck should be required reading for any mid-level and senior level HR pro. Not in HR? No problem - this book still is packed full of great tips and helpful hints about your career. I ordered the book for all the HR pros on my team that want to read this type of book (let's be real - it's not everyone!). If you are still reading this far into the review - do me a favor - ORDER the DAMN book! You won't regret it. What is it they always say - it's only giving up 4 lattes - ha! A must read that you won't regret - just don't start reading before bed. From Stacey, VP of HR and the Mentor.

Get a seat at the table. Get strategic. Know the business. What does it really mean for HR pros in 2020 and beyond? Kris Dunn just wrote a new book called “The 9 Faces of HR: A Disruptor’s Guide to Mastering Innovation and Driving Real Change” where he pitches a hard, yet compelling reality — that every HR professional on the planet can be classified as one of nine faces. I loved it. There are millions of HR pros, but only nine total “faces” or personas. Maximum. Some of these faces know the business, get strategic and find the seat. Others can’t. The world needs all kinds of people, and Kris took a hard look at the HR landscape and profiled the “9 Faces of HR” pros in existence today. In his book, he tells stories of how people get stuff done and makes comparisons to pop culture icons in our society. How does the 9-face system work? Kris uses a nine-box model characterized by two non-negotiable factors: 1. The career level and subject matter expertise held by the HR Pro in question and; 2. The HR pro’s capability towards adding real value and driving change in the organizations they serve. Kris measures people based on factors such as cognitive speed, assertiveness, sensitivity, and detail-orientation. The result? HR pros with the same career experience and subject matter expertise occupy radically different faces. One HR professional can easily be designated a “Judge”, while another HR pro with a similar career level and subject matter expertise is tagged an “Assassin.” In addition to breaking down each of the 9 Faces of HR, Kris describes the career tracks and behavioral markers for each face. He also outlines macro-trends that are driving the market demand for each face. Finally, he tells you how you might be able to change your persona if you’re assigned to a box that doesn’t feel right to you. Which face are you? Which one do you want to be? Pick up a copy of “The 9 Faces of HR: A Disruptor’s Guide to Mastering Innovation and Driving Real Change” for yourself or your CHRO. It’s the hottest professional development book for HR pros in 2019. Learn more about the HR pros you love and some of the ones you don’t.

Never thought I would read an HR book that holds up Drake as a model. If you’re ready to leave the echo chamber reinforcing tired, dated stereotypes of what HR “should” do, this book is for you. KD brings a refreshing and provocative critique of an entire profession, done with the tough love only someone who deeply cares about it can do. The book is broken into engaging, blog-like chapters that collectively paint a picture of an opportunity for HR Pros to capitalize on, and shares an instructive roadmap on how to get there.

Innovation, creativity and … HR? Huh, never thought you’d see those words in the same sentence? Well, buckle up for an eye-opening, game-changing ride as you peer into Kris Dunn’s world as an HR change agent. Grab your copy of KD’s The Nine Faces of HR, it is the best business book I’ve read in ages. Not since I stumbled upon Gordon MacKenzie’s Orbiting the Giant Hairball, A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace, have I had this much fun reading for work. While Nine Faces may be chock full of humorous stories and entertaining pop culture, its strength is the meaty, strategic insight that will help you adapt and prevail amid constant change and professional chaos. I think I’m an Assassin who grew up to become a Mentor. Don’t you want to know if you’re a Judge, a Cop or a Fixer? You’ll find yourself looking at your bosses, coworkers—and even clients—in a whole new light. I highly recommend this quick, thought-provoking read!

I would never write a review unless I wholeheartedly believe in a product and I wholeheartedly believe in this book. It was a great way for me to be introspective about who I am as an HR Professional, what I want my next step to be and what I need to work on to get there. Kris does an amazing job of breaking down each face to where (if you are true to yourself) you can actually pinpoint who you are on the grid. I have already started taking some of the points and applied them to my every day interactions - like saying yes more. If you want to grow as an HR professional this book is definitely a good tool to have in your arsenal. It’s also culturally relevant and at times plain funny. I sometimes forgot I was reading a serious business book, it was so relatable! All that to say, I loved it!

I am only about half finished with this book and already feel comfortable recommending it to anyone who works directly in HR or business leaders who need to optimize their HR functions. Dunn has a conversational style that makes his advice easy to remember and the content a pleasure to absorb. Taking a quick look at the books on my shelf right now: there is a one on competency based performance reviews, one on changing company culture, and one on maintaining an effective leadership pipeline. Those are all are great. But none of those books touches - at all - on how to make the business I support understand WHY they’d want to do those things or HOW to get the ops team to view HR as a partner instead of an obstacle or adversary. Better yet, Dunn tells you how to make HR PART of the Ops team. Read this book. Adapt the recommendations (especially the part about offering qualified “yes” answers instead of saying “no”). Your clients won’t avoid you, blame you or bypass you. They’ll seek you out when they need to make important decisions. And that’s about the best insurance an HR pro can have against being outsourced or automated out of a job.

KD has a remarkable ability to grasp his readers, empower the disruptors (that might have been under a rock or currently causing the 90s-grudge-like mosh-pits in their office), and inspire the world of Human Resources. I believe this book has so much to offer if you want to make an impact in any Human Resource function of your career or business. I have been a follower of KD's blogs (FoT and The HR Capitalist) and writing for years , and strongly believe he knocked it out the park with the 9 Faces. His experience and writing-style intertwine stories, humor, science, expertise, and raw examples of what is humanistic & real in the realm of a workplace. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the Human Resource profession. This is is personally a reread for me already and a reference guide for all in a HR career for generations to come.

KD is an astute observer of professional personas, and how an HR leader can impact the success of his/her organization. In this book, Dunn compiles a guide that can be used for several practical purposes: 1. An HR leader can use this to assess their teams, and how to use their respective DNA characteristics to better the performance of the team/organization. 2. An HR professional can use this to model to self-diagnose their own profile, so that they can find the best environment in which to thrive, and gain insight into how to grow their own career. 3. A non-HR executive can find insight into which persona is most appropriate for the Talent leadership role for their own organizations. Buy this book. Read it. Highlight it. Mark it up. Use it in your own development, and the development of your team. This is Dunn's first book. While we are waiting for his future publications, I highly recommend subscribing to his "HR Capitalist" and "Fistful of Talent" blogs.