The Great Leadership Disconnect

Ask a business leader about their HR partners and you’ll hear, "They don’t understand us." Ask an HR leader about their business partners, and you’ll hear, "They don't listen to us."

This disconnect is not just a communication breakdown – it’s a systemic dysfunction that keeps the greatest engine of a company (its people) sputtering.

The Great Leadership Disconnect reveals that transforming HR from a perceived support act into an indispensable commercial force is the responsibility of both business and HR leaders. It diagnoses the dysfunctions that keep HR and business leadership disconnected and challenges conventional thinking with commercial, clear and grounded solutions drawn from behavioral science and real-life leadership dilemmas.

The old model of HR as a siloed support function is no longer relevant. HR can be – must be – a leadership amplifier and a business driver, focusing on commercial impact, employee value and the space where impact, performance and people meet.

Serkan Deveci is a senior leader at Google with a rare blend of leadership experience in global Sales and strategic HR. Having operated on both sides of the executive table, he offers a unique perspective on aligning talent with business outcomes. A recognized keynote speaker, his work is grounded in his PhD research.