People often assume that working as an HR Business Partner (HRBP) for public and private sector companies are very different experiences. To some extent that's true: a large governmental organisation will have different HR pressures to those of a small private bank, for example. But what about the people in the role? Does it take the same qualities to be a successful HRBP in both sectors, however different their issues may be?

Until now, this has been a difficult question to answer - there are plenty of competency models around that define the key skills required to be an HRBP. But they don't really reveal the extra quality that makes the best HRBPs stand out from their peers, and even less any difference in qualities between the two different sectors.

You might have heard about our recent research into what makes top HR Business Partners really successful; I mentioned it in my last newsletter. The results are now out and, among other things, they shed some light on this public versus private sector debate.

How we did the research

Our research involved interviews with HRBPs acknowledged by senior managers as having made a positive impact on their businesses. They came from public sector organisations like HM Treasury, Transport for London and the Crown Prosecution Service, and private sector financial services, manufacturing and retail companies. The interviews were split into five parts, focusing on their working environment, behaviour, beliefs and values, capabilities and identity.

What we found

The research found that successful HRBPs share a set of beliefs about themselves and their role, that it's these beliefs that really make a difference, and that these beliefs are the same across the two sectors. In fact, there's remarkably little difference between them. They both believe in the importance of:

Any differences?

There are some differences between the outlooks of HRBPs in the two different sectors. Many of the small changes found in the research were predictable - HRBPs in the private sector referred to profit, the public sector to organisational goals, for example. But three bigger differences are particularly interesting:

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Work wouldn't be work without the odd difference of opinion between colleagues. But when these disagreements are between you and your client, particularly when they're over something that affects people personally, they're harder to deal with. A common problem is that, no matter how prepared you are, things still go wrong simply because you're flustered or nervous.

Whatever situation you're in, it's just as important to be relaxed and business-like as it is to be prepared. Knowing how to get into, and stay in, that state of mind requires particular skills, and these are looked at as part of the development workshops we've recently launched with Orion Partners.

For example, if you're facing a conversation with your client that you sense is going to involve disagreement, you'll need to be prepared and know your facts inside out. But in addition to this, our training programme helps you get in the right state of mind to take part in the conversation confidently:

It's an approach we look at in detail as part of our HR 'Managing Yourself' module. But it also forms part of every module we run. If you're interested in finding out a bit more about the different approach our programmes take, feel free to get in contact and we'll talk you through the details.

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First, we look at when in the past you've dealt with a similar conflict. We examine exactly what you did in that case, identify the strengths you showed, and how to play to them in the future. We also think about how it felt for you physically after dealing with the situation successfully. Then we work through techniques like mental rehearsal which help to put you in the right frame of mind before entering into the discussion.

In our last newsletter, we looked at Keith Johnstone's research within the acting world into different behaviours. It reveals some interesting trends, and shows how, by adopting different behaviours, people can alter their own 'status'.

It's relevant to us because knowing how and when to raise or lower your status can be very useful when working with clients. So last month's article went into detail about how to adapt these behaviours for the business world.

But the work revealed other behaviours you can adopt to affect another person's status, too - when you're nurturing someone's confidence or encouraging them to take on a difficult challenge for example.

Adopting these behaviours can be very useful, but beware of going too far. Some ways of raising another's status won't make them feel better; they just make you look worse. What's more, these are behaviours you absolutely must avoid when talking to people you see as your equal.

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Our third set of HR With Guts cards is now out and this new set is designed to help you manage yourself, enjoy what you do and increase your confidence.

The cards cover four areas:

What's on the cards? An example (and a timely one):

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Check your commitment
It's not unusual to set a goal but never quite get round to doing it. Checking you are actually committed to achieving your goals can save a lot of time and frustration. So:

Recall a goal that you were absolutely committed to, and that you knew you'd get done. Notice where you feel that sense of commitment in your body. It will be somewhere between your jaw and the top of your legs

Describe the feeling out loud

Shake yourself to remove the feeling. Now imagine working on your current goal. Notice whether you feel the same sense of commitment in the same part of your body. If you do, go forward knowing you are going to meet your goal. If not, then re - analyse the goal itself.