If I take an HR course, will I ever become a CEO?

I'm not a fortune teller, but I can answer this one without gazing into a crystal ball. My take is that if you have the right skills, attitude, and direction, you can very well become a CEO with an HR background. And if you lack on these fronts, even with a top-notch MBA degree, you won't go too far up that ladder.

Some of the stalwarts who branched out from other streams of management into HR are:

1. James Strong: ex-CEO, Qantas

2. Anne Sherry: CEO, Westpac

3. Geoff Plummer: MD and CEO, OneSteel

4. Mohandas Pai: Head of HR, Infosys

5. Peter F. Drucker, Management Guru

Some experts feel that it is actually easier for HR folks to move into a CEO's role because:
1. There’s no reason that the HR director of a large company could not step into the role of CEO if they have that full understanding of the business.
2. Being a HR practitioner can provide useful insights into being a CEO because of the knowledge gained around how the people in the organisation really work and the processes around it.
3. An HR person applying for the CEO position can make an ordinary business really successful business through understanding what motivates people.

To quote James Strong, "The biggest task for any CEO is to build a team of people around them because I think we all know that you’re not going to be able to do everything yourself at any stage. So it’s about building a terrific team of people. And if you’ve been a HR specialist, that should be something that you’re very familiar with – watching people, evaluating people, identifying the qualities that you think are outstanding or vital.”

P.S. To sum it up, I'd say that HR folks do become CEOs, if they choose to take that path. Even if not many go in that direction, so what? Gives us the chance to be trendsetters, doesn't it? Like I'm quoting Mr. Strong, someone could be quoting your words here, 15 years hence.

Isn’t HR only for girls or for those who don’t get admission anywhere else?

Now, that’s offensive! The next thing you would be saying is that there is a tooth fairy too!

Actually, the truth of the matter is that HR used to be perceived as a ‘soft’ profession earlier, and hence there used to be an inclination towards the fairer sex.  However, HR is as competitive as any other stream of management today. There are tough targets in hiring, selection, training, appraisals, consulting etc. Men and women are on an equal footing, and compete as well as collaborate together on many fronts.

And yes, there are some who have to settle for an HR course, because they didn’t get anything ‘better’. But then, the world is full of go-getters, and that’s what we HR folks consider ourselves as.

Is HR only for those good at ‘interacting with others’?

HR is about managing the human capital of a firm, to meet organizational goals. There are some functions which need people interaction, and others that don't. Almost every profession needs people who are good at interacting with others. Can you be a successful football player, if you can't 'interact' with others? A salesperson? An advertising guy? Whatever! The core responsibility of an HR person is to maximize the returns on the money spent in hiring, retaining and developing human resources or human capital – the new age term. Of course, this needs to be done fairly, and within certain legal boundaries. HR has vast scope, and is broadly divided into:

a) Recruitment - includes strategic planning, forecasting, hiring, and selection

b) Learning and Development - training, learning management and administration, career enhancement

c) Performance Management - appraisals and promotions

d) Industrial Relations - mainly for blue-collared jobs, but progressing into white-collared ones as well

e) Compensation - using wages as a strategic tool to gain advantage

f) Consulting – handling traditional HR issues like recruitment, training, performance management, compensation or newer ones like organizational capability, organization design etc.

Now, think about it. Would just being an extrovert, and having a liking for 'talking and interacting with people' qualify you for a job in any of these fields? No, right? You'd have to work just as hard as any other professional, to do well.

And this is not to negate the importance of your communication skills. By all means, being good at written and verbal communication is useful. It’s just that it is a necessary but not sufficient condition to be a good HR manager.

The Vicious Cycle

When you walk in for an interview at that awesome company you always dreamt about, which department do you typically interact with first?

When you quit a company, in search of better opportunities (and possibly, more money), which department do you interact with last?

When you are working in a company, which department do you interact with least, on a day-to-day basis, but you abuse and curse the most?

It should come as no surprise that the answer to all the three questions would be ‘HR’ for most people. But then, what makes the HR department so universally reviled? Why do people smirk whenever the words ‘work’ and ‘HR’ are uttered together?

One can’t really blame people for this, you know. It’s a vicious cycle. Traditionally, HR has been a support function rather than a strategic function. And so, it has not earned itself the respect that it should have. Consequently, it doesn’t pay what it should, leading to many good candidates giving it the slip, and opting for other ‘valued’ specializations like Finance, Marketing or Strategy. Since many of the candidates coming into HR happen to be the ones who didn’t have any other choice, HR doesn’t pay as well as it should.

And that’s why even some top executives often fail to realize the role that HR plays in an organization, and think of HR executives as outcasts and pariahs. Of course, the winds of change are blowing, but they will take some time to usher in the new paradigm.

Till then, the cycle goes on…

Row, row, row your boat

The story goes that with great fanfare, India decided to participate in the annual international  boat race. After the usual selection drama, the Indian contingent of 9 boatmen and 90 officials went off to the US, the venue of the race.

On D-day, during the qualifiers, the Indians were last, losing to the American team by 5 miles, in a 6 mile race. Obviously, everyone was down in the dumps. The 90 officials decided that they needed to find out what had gone wrong. So, a team consisting of senior officials was formed to investigate the issue and make suitable recommendations.

The report indicated that the Americans had 8 people to row, and 1 to steer, whereas the Indians had 1 to row and 8 to steer. The Indian team management was perplexed. They hired the most expensive consultants for advice. The consultants examined the issue for 2 months, and concluded that there was not enough rowing being done by the team.  Hence, the team management decided to reorganize the team structure. They promoted 4 of the members to Steering Managers, 3 to Steering Supervisors, and 1 as Head of Operations – Steering. In addition, the rower was issued a warning letter telling him that he needed to improve his performance to save his job.

The next year, the Indians were last again. This time, they did not even complete a 100 metres of the race. Humiliated, the management fired the rower, and dissolved all investments made in the field of boating. They used the cost saved to give a bonus to the management team, and rehired the consultants.

No doubt, that seems like a far-fetched story. But in truth, it is quite close to the way some organizations function. In fact, if one uses the above parable, some possible issues could be:

a) Flawed organizational design – In a world obsessed with designations and fancy positions, it is easy to lose sight of objectives and just focus on building a hierarchy. Top-heaviness is a syndrome that many modern organizations suffer from.

b) Lack of performance management – Yes, the organization, like our boating team has a macro goal – to be the best. But, someone needs to break that down into simpler pieces for each individual to know his/her role. (To use some typical jargon, this would be MBO – management by objectives)

c) Improper planning – The organization here was committed to its results, but then you probably cannot build a world-beating team in such a short time. Without deciding on how long they were prepared to wait for results, the reactions of the management were simply knee-jerk.

Ultimately, in the long-term, no one gained in this scenario (except the consultants, probably). But, if they had done a little bit of homework, they probably could have given the American boatmen a run for their money, instead of ending up like the Titanic – sunk.

A sureshot way to crack that interview…

So, you have that sardonic smile on your face and an expression that says, “Ahan! Here comes another one of those articles that promise interview success. Dream on, kiddo!”

 

But really, there are numerous ways in which you can stride into the interview room, brimming with confidence and ready to take on whatever bouncers the panel throws your way. Yes, some indicators of your potential such as past academic record, work experience, and past achievements cannot be changed in retrospect. But, if you play your cards right, you can still cover the chinks in your armour and present a positive image. Nestle seems to feel that an interview is all about the 5C’s:

• Confidence – It is said that, “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” So yes, you can be asked more than you know, in greater depth than you ever anticipated. But, a courteous admission of your not knowing the answer is better than trying to lead the interviewer astray. Be poised and calm and just say, “I’m not aware of the answer.”
• Courage – In case you are asked a question that is not rote-based, and needs some level of critical thinking, don’t hesitate to think out of the box. Be creative and original, and defend your ideas strongly. (Of course, the catch is to not appear stubborn and closed to ideas.)
• Composure – There are interviewers who could try to psyche you out with tough questions, or just by taking an aggressive and attacking stance to interviewing. Don’t let them get under your skin. Maintain a slight smile, and have positive body language. Don’t appear defensive or too protective of your ideas.
• Competence – Your CV got you this far. But, how does one know how far you will go in the future? How does one judge your potential with a fair degree of accuracy in just 15 minutes? Make sure that you use your opportunities well. Be descriptive when asked to answer behavioural questions like ‘strengths and weaknesses’, ‘biggest successes/failures’, and ‘describing yourself’.
• Conscience – This is certainly important. ALWAYS take the moral high ground, and show that you have a clear sense of what is right and what is wrong. You might be cross-questioned a lot on this, but be prepared to field any questions with appropriate rationale.

The best part about these 5C’s is that they are not only useful in landing you your first success, by clearing your interview but also in taking you further and further along the road to success in your career. Executives at Nestle are taught the importance of 5C early on in their careers, and vouch for the success of the principles of the model.

 

Hopefully, you’ll find it useful too. All the best!

Engaging your employees

Every organization wants to excel in its specific domain and be a world leader. To this end, senior leaders burn midnight oil and pots of money, and try to reach the holy grail of realizing their corporate mission. But, despite hiring the best employees, employing the latest technology, and adopting the best practices across the industry, not every organization makes it big.

 

Why? One may ask. Well, if you bought all the parts to make a sports car, assembled them together, painted it bright red, and hoped it would win the next Formula I Championship, you would be justified in thinking so. But, what if your state-of-the-art engine is not delivering full power?

 

Jim Haudan, in his book, “The Art of Engagement” aptly describes employees as “true engines of business”. He reiterates the point that unless employees give their buy-in, even the most brilliant of business strategies will fail.

 

Obviously, the next question is – what prevents employees from engaging with their jobs? Why do companies that are leaders in HR practices, and even good paymasters at a loss on this front? There are various reasons that can be ascribed to this:

1. Information overload – Employees typically hate being carpet-bombed with communication pertaining to strategies, plans and processes. Beyond a point, they may even automate the process of sending all these files to the ‘Junk’ folder.

2. Incomprehensibility – If someone were to send you a technical paper on mitochondrial synapses that affect ATP/ADP breakdown in humans, you would not be particularly enthusiastic (unless of course, you have an interest in molecular biology). So, you can well imagine the plight of an employee to whom your structures and frameworks are nothing but ‘rocket science’.

3. Fear factor – Unless an organization creates an environment that promises to support sharing of ideas without fear, employees may just have the mindset of finishing their allocated tasks and moving on without participating in any value-adding suggestions.

4. Big picture – Working on small, allocated tasks without understanding the deeper significance might make their jobs sound meaningless and unengaging.

5. Ownership – Rather than dumping the strategy on their heads and asking them to work towards it, a better idea would be to treat them as shareholders and consider their say before implementation.

6. Integration – If the organization’s planning, organizing and controlling arms are working in silos, with little or no interaction, it is unlikely that their strategy will ever yield results.

 

All these factors are fairly simple to fix, but can have far-reaching negative consequences if left untreated. To make the most of their human capital, organizations must:

1. create line of sight – You cannot allocate a portion of the field to each football player in a team with crisp, clear instructions about what to do in various situations. Everyone must know the broader goals, and be able to contribute towards them.

2. connect goals – A football team’s objective would be to win the match. If a player who plays in defence runs ahead, wanting to score a goal instead of preventing the opposition from scoring, it could lead to a disaster. Hence, it is important to ensure that individual goals and organizational goals are in sync.

3. develop capability – If a defender does have the ambition to move up ahead and be a goal-scorer and the team needs goal-scorers, it may be a good idea to equip the defender with the necessary skills to do so. Better opportunities must be promised by the organization.

 

It is of course, one thing to applaud a game as a spectator and a totally different one to be out there, helping the team win. As a team manager, ensuring that you have a set of charged, motivated people, ready to go out there and win is your responsibility. Take it!

What can I ask in an interview?

“So, do you have any questions for us?”

 

Are these the words you most dread when you appear for an interview? Is this when you stutter and stammer and your mind completely refuses to function? Do you think of this question like the proverbial sword of Damocles hanging over your head, threatening to drop any moment?

 

If the answer to any or all of these questions is ‘Yes,’ then it is time to act and seize initiative. The aforementioned question is typically one’s strongest chance to bag that offer. Miss out on this opportunity, and you may find yourself back on the drawing board, strategising for the next interview.

 

Depending on how you play your cards, a good question could demonstrate your zeal for the position, your levels of competence necessary, your confidence, or simply your charisma or appeal. There are certain rules that ought to be kept in mind while framing these questions:

1. Ask an open-ended question. A closed-ended question can act as a complete conversation stopper.

2. KISS!! (Not the interviewer, silly!) Keep it short and simple. It works. Believe us.

3. Think before you ask. Don’t be in such a hurry to steal your 15 seconds of fame that you botch the question. It’s ok to take a few seconds before you ask anything.

4. Don’t ask overly complicated questions. For example, an interviewer may not be clear on what the company’s strategy to deal with underwater stock options issued to employees during the recession in the market is.

5. Ask questions that are non-obvious. For example, asking for the locations or key businesses is a waste, because that is information, which you should have researched well in the first place.

 

Of course, there is no restriction to the type or number of questions that you can ask. But, it is suggested that you steer clear of questions that seek details of compensation, relocation policies, or convey any of your constraints or limitations. Remember, the question is provided to you to be able to convey your position of strength, not to expose weaknesses.

 

In addition, the research that you should have done before walking into the room ought to include:

a) Full name of company and the history behind it

b) Where is it headquartered? What are its various locations?

c) Core business or businesses (for a group)

d) Revenue/sales figures (You don’t have to act nerdy and mug up stuff. Just knowing the basics helps.)

e) Global rank and number of employees

f) Name of the CEO

g) Chief products and their respective competitors

h) Recent challenges faced by the company

 

Based on that, some questions that we suggest you could ask are:

1. I’d like to know what a typical work day for you at XYZ is like. (The question conveys your interest in the position, is comfortable for the interviewer to answer, is something that you would not find by googling, and puts the interviewer on comfortable ground. People love talking about themselves.)

2. What convinced you to work for this company? (This question can help you in selling the company to yourself, depending on the response you get. In addition, if you have read up on the culture and values of the organization, and spoken about your value system earlier in the interview, it leads the interviewer’s subconscious mind to make the connect.)

3. What was the rationale behind the company’s decision to diversify into a particular business or location? (This shows that you read up about the company, and that you are genuinely interested.)

4. What does the company do to keep abreast of changes in knowledge management? (This question could be domain-specific i.e. Marketing/Finance/HR/Operations etc. It also conveys your interest in the role.)

5. Could you please explain the career path for me in the organization? (This question should only be asked if the information has not been made available to you earlier. It shows your ambition and drive to excel, apart from helping you find out if the organization actually has anything good to offer you.)

 

In case you need some specific questions for specific situations in your interview, do leave a comment or email us.

 

Till then, good luck with those interviews!