There are many HR leaders who accidentally found themselves in the industry, Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, is not one of them. In fact, Eubanks knew he wanted to be an HR professional before he even knew what it was called.

“I wanted to be in HR when I was a kid,” Eubanks recently shared with HR Daily Advisor. “My parents owned a small business, and I always saw the trouble they had with hiring the right people, training and keeping them, and paying them too. So, even as a kid, I thought ‘if I could figure out how to solve that, I probably would always have a job.’

“And when I got into college, I had a chance to learn what this thing is called—human resources,” he continued. “And I was like, that’s what I’ve always been meant to do. So, I got my degree in HR and worked in the field for years. What sparks my passion every single day now is I get a chance to do research, uncover what’s changing, and what’s trending.”

The best part? Eubanks is now able to share all that he’s learned with friends who are doing the hard work of HR every day so “they can be a little bit better tomorrow than they were yesterday.”

In this week’s HR Query, Eubanks discusses what sparks his passion for HR, the value of a service mindset, and how HR leaders can benefit from AI tools.

What sparks your passion for HR?

BE: I’ve had so many incredible leaders that have inspired me, mentored me, and that have motivated me over the years and helped me to become a capable leader myself. Although it was not easy, I was always willing to share. I had a chance to work for two different leaders right after another in the same company. One of them really encouraged me to think bigger, to push myself to look for ways to grow. When she left, she handed the reins over to me as a young 20-something person running the HR team for the entire company.

Ultimately, in our company, it was amazing and scary because the boss that I reported to was a former special operations pilot. He had been a prisoner of war and had this incredible story and testimony. One of the things that he told us often is when you’re in this type of work, someone’s life is potentially at stake. So, the thing that I learned from him was to tell me how we can, not why we can’t. We can spend so much time talking about what doesn’t work and the excuses and the reasons and the whys, but let’s not waste any time on that. Tell me how we can do it and we’ll find a way to make that work.

Why is it important for HR to have a service mindset?

BE: There’s this ancient religious ceremony where they take a cup and pour into it until it’s full and overflows. It’s meant to show that you can’t serve others unless your own cup is full. I think it’s similar as a metaphor to putting your own mask on first to take care of someone else. But instead of saying, just put it on to survive, put it on to serve. That’s where your heart is. Every great HR leader I’ve met has that heart of service. So, I encourage you, don’t just put your mask on first, but serve from a full cup.

How Can AI help HR leaders?

BE: HR professionals have this vision in their head of what great looks like. We have this picture of what it would be like if we had the resources we needed and if we made the contribution we want to make. At the same time, we’re always too busy churning away day-to-day stuff to ever get to that real vision—it’s always just out of our reach and that’s a really tough thing to live out. So, when I talk and share about AI, it’s not for AI sake. It’s because it can help us achieve that vision of what great looks like in our heads instead of it being in our head as reality. That’s what I’m really hoping for HR leaders. When I talk about AI and I’m educating on it, it’s really meant to help them think bigger and help them bring to fruition what great looks like in their head.

If this Q&A with Ben Eubanks got you thinking, just wait until SPARK HR 2025 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, April 30-May 2. We’ll be diving even deeper into engagement leadership and workplace culture with speakers from LinkedIn, NASCAR, Chobani, Microsoft, and more. It’s not just another conference. It’s going to be hands-on, interactive, and a chance to connect with people who really get it. Plus, we’re adding some Disney magic, so you’re going to have a great experience. See you there!

This article is presented in partnership with HR Daily Advisor. HR Query is a Q&A series by HR Daily Advisor that focuses on HR professionals' insights on current HR trends and dives into their personal stories, helping HR peers connect with challenges and opportunities.

In this must listen episode of Nine to Thrive HR, host Cindi Koetzle explores the power of inclusive language with linguistic anthropologist Dr. Suzanne Wertheim. Together, they dive into the hidden biases within everyday speech, the impact of language in workplace culture, and practical strategies for HR professionals to foster more inclusive communication. Dr. Wertheim shares insights from her book, The Inclusive Language Field Guide, shedding light on how small language shifts can lead to big changes in employee experience and organizational success. Tune in for a mind-opening conversation on creating a more respectful and inclusive workplace! 

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