The best HR leaders I know aren't just investigators; they are closers.

The best HR leaders I know aren't just investigators; they are closers.

That realization stopped me mid-negotiation during a mock litigation residency I completed as part of my Master of Legal Studies program at Pepperdine's Caruso School of Law.

After 25+ years leading HR, investigations have been a critical, and at times heavy, part of my responsibilities: determining right versus wrong, assigning fault, deciding discipline. It became instinctual until a live negotiation simulation reminded me that resolution and closure don't require agreement on who caused the problem, or even evidence of it.

The real question isn't "who's right?" It's "what will bring this to a close?"

The best HR leaders I know aren't just investigators; they are closers. They are people who can move a room from conflict to resolution without needing to litigate who was wrong first.

That shift, from adjudicating blame to designing resolution, is why I pursued formal mediation certifications alongside my MLS, earning both my civil and county court mediation certifications from the Florida Supreme Court. It's also why I now build mediation language into my own business contracts as a matter of course.

Where have you seen "who's right" get in the way of becoming the closer a room actually needed?