People Are The Key says Uzair Hassan, CEO Three H Solutions, Dubai

People are the key. They and they alone can make or break an organization. They are the lifeblood and they provide the impetus, the competitive edge, the chutzpa.

It is upto HR whether they support these very people to take the organization to new heights, or, bury them under processes, politics and toxic culture. Will HR protect people or will they choose to protect the system. After all, systems were made to protect the people. Purportedly.

Diluted accountability, slow decision making, movement being confused for output, loud presence being taken for leadership qualities, involvement as opposed to engagement, misplaced priorities and misdirected loyalties. Hiding behind policies, creating and running unnecessarily complex structures and processes, departmental silos and internal sub departmental direction issues and territorial agendas. It doesn’t end. HR needs to generate a shift out of its current state. Fast.

Simply managing policy or defending structures processes and systems wont work anymore. The spirit of the matter is what needs to be taken into account. Not the written word.

Simplify complexity, challenge the leadership, push the boundaries and not be bound by them, revisit it all. HR has to turn human potential into business performance. They need to ask themselves, what would that take?

It is a befitting analogy where the people are the engine driving the organisation forward, and, HR is controlling speed limits, regulating the fuel, rationing the oil etc.

The uncomfortable truth is always difficult to hear. The truth is that we can shout it out from the tallest structures “People are our biggest asset” but then design structures that frustrate, cultures that disengage and exhaust, allow toxicity & favouritism, play politics and defend territorial rights instead of doing exactly the opposite.

Policy obsessions, hiding behind exhaustive rules that have not been revisited since they were put together, endless frameworks and conducting surveys that change nothing.

Disconnected well-being campaigns, inflated competency matrixes or corporate speak are passe. The need of the hour is real time commercial impact. Bottom line results. Crunch time is here.

The dichotomies HR works under, the schisms they tread between managing the employees, ensuring safety and managing potential discomfort of leadership while supporting organizational values. They tread a path that is not easy. Their success lies in doing so effectively. Not being seen leaning one way or the other and ensuring everyone is happy.

The goal posts have clearly shifted. The question used to be “Does HR have a seat at the table”. We have moved beyond that narrative to “What value does HR bring once they get there”. The prep so far has been how to get there. Now the focus needs to shift to value and how to make that not only visible, but applicable.

The questions to ask would be:

Ø Are we creating momentum or are we creating drag?

Ø Is this needed or a nice to have?

Ø Is it a feel-good element or a bottom line driving, commercially viable aspect?

Ø What is the value this brings to the table?

This is by no means a critique of HR. It is a mirror and a wake-up call. Introspect. Assess the aspects of HR raised and ask yourselves if any of the things connect, sound familiar.

Re-visit. Re-focus. Re-generate.

We need to focus on the tangibles, connect the quantifiable aspects to the fluff.

Sell the solution, not the product.

Uzair Hassan

CEO, Three H Solutions

Uzair.hassan@3hsolutions.biz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/uzair-hassan-6451024/