Big Hat no Cattle – is this still HR?

In doing some research I came across an article back in 1981 in the Harvard Business Review.

The story struck me in that I continue to think there is still too much conversation in the HR coffee houses about the need to be an “executive” without having done the grunt work.

How many HR folks have run anything.  Like the guy with the big hat, probably never had run a cattle farm, but that hat looks Oh so cool!

Is this why most HR folk continue to “hide behind” the safe practices of working on being “employee” compliant and handling day-to-day administration?

Its solid work of that there is no question. It always was and always will be.

It is a sucky role and will never be of significant value.

It will not develop a business strategy or make your business or people grow exponentially.

It will not make you a leader and it will never make you the best in anything.

Too many conversations are about HR wannabe conversations and expectations without earning the right through having done the “grunt” work.

Or of actually having done the job themselves, too many HR folk continue to want to tell other people what they need to do and yet have never done it themselves!

It’s not about expectations to be in the executive role it is about earning the right!! When you do that you never have to apply for the job or even ask!

 

About these ads