How to be a business-savvy AND caring HR professional
There is a fine line for people to tread in everyday life, and especially in HR. How much do we give out, and how much do we protect our own wellbeing?
Often, we’re not even conscious of how much we’re expending in the interests of others. It can be a habit, a default position, that we put others’ interests above our own.
The fact is that people come to HR when they need help, not when they’re feeling great about something – unfortunately. I love the saying about people being either radiators or drains, and I guess people are more likely to come to HR when they’re in drain mode. They need some support.
This can create some tensions for HR people in how they’re perceived. It can feel like an either/or – being business-savvy or caring.
I posted recently about an article in Harvard Business Review about the ‘Warmth-Competence Line’. It prompted some frank discussions with HR leaders in my community who’ve received feedback like ‘you need to be less warm’ and ‘you spend too much time with people’.
We actually need BOTH/AND – human qualities and also business credibility. You can’t do that unless you feel strong.
Marion Hewitt and I had 600 people book onto recent webinars ‘Build your strength and impact as an HR professional’ which tackled head-on the costly human dimension of being in HR and the self-care you need.
As a result we’ve created a 3-hour workshop where we cover two key strands:
- Building strength internally; and
- Building strength through supportive and productive relationships.
Our next workshop will be held in May 2023, in the meantime please contact us if you would to discuss this topic in further detail.
