I had a
wonderful opportunity to co-teach a Public Personnel Administration
undergraduate college course with the HR Doctor, Phil Rosenberg.
After one particularly uneventful class meeting, amid the blank
stares and unenthusiastic participation, I wondered to myself where
will the next wave of enthusiastic human resources professionals
come from? In pondering this question, I first got depressed, then I
became apathetic, finally I realized the answer is simple: the
future HR professionals come from us!
Human Resource
professionals are made, not born. While many skills may be innate,
such as the sixth sense the HR Doctor wrote about (available at:
www.hrdr.net), a complete HR professional is a result of many years
of learning through various experiences.
A key
experience in the development of any HR professional is the ability
to learn from other HR professionals. These learning experiences can
take many forms and, if we are committed to continuing the high
level of the human resource profession, we, as current human
resources professionals, need to reach out and ensure that the
future is preserved. Outreach can be in many forms and includes the
following:
Use an
Intern
Intern programs, whether formalized or not, are
good sources to train future HR professionals. They are also an
inexpensive way of getting much needed assistance. Contact the
placement office at local colleges and universities for interested
individuals who want to get hands on experience in the real world,
while you get help cheap.
Shadowing
Like
the emergency room television shows on the Learning Channel,
shadowing allows individuals to ride along and observe what real HR
professionals do. The ability to show individuals first-hand what is
required of HR professionals not only provides a learning experience
for future HR professionals but also provides a better understanding
of the importance of HR to non-believers.
Mentoring
Whether your organization has a formal mentoring program
or you participate in a program with a local charitable organization
such as the Boys/Girls Club, mentoring provides one-on-one guidance
to individuals not only in HR but in all areas of life.
Teaching
A big part of the HR professional is to impart HR
knowledge and philosophies to others. Take the opportunity to
educate. Whether to a class of undergraduate students in a public
personnel administration or your organizations supervisors,
education is a key. Its amazing how receptive people can be if
given the information necessary to be successful. With proper
training anyone could be an honorary HR professional wouldnt that
be a wonderful world to live in?
Of course, any
outreach or imparting of HR philosophy is worthwhile, even to non-HR
professionals or non-HR wannabes, because the HR philosophy is
simple and can be used in everyday life. That philosophy is treat
others as you would like to be treated The Golden Rule.
A different way
to say the same thing is respect. This is a very basic message every
one could practice, from the HR professional to the person standing
behind you in line at the local supermarket. Many HR problems can be
avoided if people practiced respect and allowed individuals some
human dignity.
We should never
stop imparting this core value to future HR professionals or society
in general. This brings me back to the class of tired undergraduate
students that I had the opportunity to teach. It is my
responsibility, shared with all other current HR professionals, to
teach the values of HR administration and to awaken them with a
passion and enthusiasm for the HR profession. This is what it will
take to ensure the success of the profession for years to come.
Accept the challenge! I know I
have.
