Academic Paper in the subject Leadership and Human Resource Management - Leadership, , language: English, abstract: Human resource professionals are one of the most valuable resources that organizations have. In some organizations they are considered as a source of competitive advantage that enable successful implementation of business strategies. Organizations have realized the importance of Human resource professionals. It is for this reason that many organizations have started welcoming human resource professionals to take part in strategic planning. It is crucial for human resource professional to participate in strategic decision-making because they play a major role in implementing business strategies. In the recent years, human resource roles have been changing from the traditional people management roles to strategic contribution to the growth and success of businesses. This has made it necessary for organizations to identify unique behaviors, competencies, and capabilities that excellent human resource practitioners should possess. An excellent human resource practitioner should be business driven, strategic architect, and should be an ethical and credible activist.