day 221: Human Resources

I've spent most of my career as a Human Resource executive. With that role comes lots of potential influence and positive impact on the business. However, it also comes with, because of how many people do the job, a stigma of being in a role where you can be perceived as not making anyone happy. If the job is done wrong, management sees you as an impediment to business progress and the employees see you as not really doing anything but pushing papers around. That is not the way the job is supposed to be done and when done correctly, a Human Resource group can be an important part of people reaching their full potential and feeling fulfilled in their jobs and the company can see their talent force being a competitive advantage. The idea of someone to look over the work force is an old one. I am not sure where it started but even in the Bible we see examples of this division of labor. In 2 Samuel, Chapter 20, verses 23-24 we read: "Joab once again became the commander of David's army. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the king's bodyguard. Adoniram was in charge of the labor force." For all I know, Adoniram may have been one of the first HR leaders. I've always felt that if each of us are doing our jobs as we should that we are all HR Leaders in our own way. We should be there for each other in times of need and when the time comes for a message to be delivered to management, we shouldn't need an intercessory. We should be courageous enough to go direct to our managers and tell them what they need to hear. Of course, this is not always possible, but it is what we should be striving to do, versus allowing ourselves to fall into a situation where someone else carries messages and speaks on our behalf. If you believe that the purpose of your work is to ensure that you bring glory to God in all that you do, then you should think of yourself as someone who embodies what a great HR Leader should be doing. On the job, we seek out others who go the extra mile for us and who we know truly care and take interest in helping us solve our problems. If we are that type of co-worker, then just like what happens in the HR office, you will have the chance to help someone better themselves and as you do so, you will be delivering a larger message than you may imagine as your co-workers see God at work through you. It's not hard to stand out on the job as someone who is "different". By being caring, thoughtful, listening, and following-through for others, you will be easily differentiating yourself from others. You will be living out the human part of work. Today, think about who in the office needs you to be their "HR person" and act upon it. They, and you will be glad you did.

Reference: 2 Samuel 20:23-24 (New Living Testament)