The Foundation of My HR Practice
When I first started working in HR, I had a personal goal – to make my father proud. My papa was a successful executive in his own right. Schooled as a mechanical engineer, he was lucky to have been assigned in diverse roles, including manufacturing, logistics, sales and even finance, before eventually landing his last corporate role as a general manager. I idolized him, and will always be in awe of how he excelled in so many disciplines.
It was a long time ago, but hearing him say that the person he respected the most in his leadership team was his personnel manager, cemented my eventual career choice. Later he explained that he felt most comfortable with management disciplines that were grounded in exact solutions. In contrast, he found that managing people was not such a discipline – it required a different set of skills that I sensed stretched his own abilities. I don’t remember the name of his personnel manager, although I wish I did, I do recall how my father admired the patience, understanding, and genuine concern that this trusted partner showed when managing people; qualities he wished he himself had.
This became the foundation of my HR practice – a steadfast belief in the goodness of people. I was convinced that through patience, understanding and concern, I could help empower employees to achieve their potential. Sure there would be challenges along the way because people, unlike the exact sciences my Father was so fond of, are a messy bunch. Despite this, I was prepared to work hard, be flexible in my approach, and see every employee as individuals who may not always behave as I expected (perhaps because of differences in background, beliefs and feelings.) I was convinced that if I tried hard enough I could understand what makes a person tick and achieve his fullest potential. My reward, more than career growth and the benefits that come with it, would be the warm glow of knowing I played a part in someone else’s success.
However, I must admit that I have not always been consistent in my approach. Like many in the field, I occasionally found myself drifting toward the idea of prioritizing business objectives over my original intent of bringing out the best in people. There were times when I felt the pressure to adopt a more transactional mindset – seeing myself primarily as a business person in a human resource role, in the hope that by doing so, I could gain the proverbial “seat on the table” many HR practitioners long to have.
This approach isn't necessarily wrong. Many successful HR leaders, whom I greatly admire, proudly identify as such and consistently align their actions with their statements. From my perspective, however, there are already numerous business people at the table prioritizing the interests of shareholders and investors by managing and controlling resources. Meanwhile, the HR Leader is usually the only person representing the interest of employees – that one element in the organization that will engage freely with organizational objectives only if they perceive these as ethical and meaningful.
Therefore, it is crucial for HR leaders to establish their practices on a strong foundation of ethical principles and a genuine concern for employee well-being. When faced with the dilemma of prioritizing business interests over people, we must adhere to the principle that individuals are not merely a means to an end, but ends in themselves. It is only right for businesses to aspire for growth, remain viable, and make a decent profit. But HR must ensure that the business does so without sacrificing the rights of people to be treated with dignity and respect, and recognize them as individuals with aspirations, fears, and needs that must be met.
For those of you just starting your HR journey, and for those already well on your way, I must caution you that if you build your practice on the same foundation as mine – you will often be tested. At times, as I have experienced, the pressure may be so intense that you might find yourself compromising or even failing to uphold employee interests in the face of conflicting business decisions.
But do not loose heart, our role as guardians mean that we are obligated to persevere in preserving our seat at the table where strategic decisions are made, to ensure that conversations and decisions made there reflect the importance of respecting human dignity. When layoffs are unavoidable, for instance, it’s HR’s role to handle the process with compassion, transparency, and support; minimizing the impact on those affected and maintaining the trust of remaining staff.
Our commitment to uphold these principles requires a thorough understanding of the organization's values, and dedication to integrating those values into every policy and practice. It's about crafting strategies that fulfill business goals without sacrificing the human element.
The leadership role of HR in embedding these values also involves shaping a culture where respect and dignity are reflected in corporate policies and applied in everyday interactions and decisions, modeled by every leader in the organization who take every opportunity to provide psychologically safe platforms for employee feedback, opinion and advocacy.
If I could stay true to this foundation and encourage others to do the same, maybe then I would succeed in my goal of making my father proud.