Top 5 Things I Learned as an HR Professional
After more than a decade of HR experience, I’ve had ample time to peek “behind the curtain” to a space many others will never see. HR often gets a bad rap - but there’s much more to it than being the “Evil HR Director”
Here’s what I learned from working in Human Resources:
Figuring out what motivates your team is key: I was in charge of birthday celebrations. The first month, I put out beer and snacks, put together a playlist & I had to go around the office to all but beg people to come celebrate their birthday. I was beyond surprised. After that fell flat, I asked around to figure out why: sales team didn’t want to take time away from a sales call at the end of the month; the idea of singing or being sung to was so unappealing to our introverts that they would all but hide to avoid it,; since senior leaders weren’t there it didn’t seem important & there was no face time which would have made coming away from their desks worth it. So I mixed it up - no more singing. Period. Schedule it earlier in the month. Engage senior leaders in both establishing why we do this & how they can be involved.
You don’t have to be the expert in everything: It’s ok, desirable even, not to be the expert in everything. For example, I recruited for positions ranging from housekeepers to graphic designers to senior project managers - I have never done any of those jobs myself. I knew my role & my expertise and partnered with others to round out the process. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can contribute is an outside perspective OR sometimes not helping, is actually helping.
Few things are as valuable professionally as transferable skills: Technical skills can be taught with training & certifications, so when you can demonstrate that your “soft skills” - critical thinking, problem solving, communication, leadership, project management, etc. - are transferable, it’s much easier for me to consider you for the position. Enhancing these skills keeps your options open as you navigate your career path.
Not giving feedback is actually worse than giving feedback: This applies to both the person giving & the person receiving the feedback. It can be hard to share constructive feedback, especially if you’ve tried before and it hasn’t gone well, but the alternative is worse. You continue to have to deal with a subpar or problematic behavior or outcome and the other person loses out on the opportunity to grow and improve or find a place that’s a better fit for their goals, skills and interest.
You may have a bad boss, but that doesn’t mean it’s all their fault: Once you’ve decided you have a bad boss, it’s easy to blame them for everything. All too often, people are promoted based on their individual skills/tenure rather than their ability to lead/manage. I coached employees on this regularly and continue to talk with clients about it now - having a bad boss can be tough. But (and hear me out), perhaps there are things that you could be doing to help the situation anyway. When you’re in a situation where your 1st thought is to blame your bad boss, ask yourself: What can I do to improve this? Am I making the situation worse? What is within my control?
