I packed up my HR bags a number of years of go. It was time. I was tired. And my replacement was high-energy, ready and a perfect fit.
“I do have one question for you, Rex,” my replacement began. “Even the people you terminate seem like they think of you as a friend. How do you do that?”
What a heavy question. More than a quarter of a century of doing this “HR stuff” had paid dividends. I had learned so much. Most of what I learned, I learned about myself.
I had gone from being arrogant to being humble, from knowing virtually everything to questioning all things, from the answer guy to a business partner. There’s no greater school to graduate from than the school of hard knocks — HR is probably the greatest example of that, but only if someone is listening, watching and learning.
I happened to have those attributes.
Someone who steals from us is not a bad person. He or she has definitely made a mistake.
Someone who bullies one of our coworkers simply hasn’t enough respect to respect himself (rarely, but sometimes, herself). We shouldn’t expect him to be able to respect others.
Someone who is being terminated for a rules’ violation isn’t stupid; he or she just slipped.
These are humans we’re dealing with. When they are down, we shouldn’t take that moment to relish in our power and kick them, demean them, or begrudge them. When they leave our employ, they should think “Geez, I just lost a job with a great company.” When they speak of us to their friends, they should go out of the way to sing our praises.
Respect is the key. Loving other people is the key. Compassion is the key. Empathy is the key. If you treat people like human beings, not like dangerous things that deserve to be fired, you will not only leave on good terms — you might even turn that person into an ambassador for your company.
REX CASTLE is a co-founder at friendsTED. He has over 3 decades of human resources, training, public speaking and slide design experience. He also has published 3 books:
- Selecting the Brass Ring: How to hire really happy, really smart people (and pay them really well)(the complete work),
- Why not WOW? Reaching for the spectacular presentation, and a parable of his complete work,
- The Brass Ring: How to hire really happy really smart people (and pay them really well).
His passion is working with organizations to increase ROI through creative and replicable models for everything from hiring to leadership to presentation. He is a strategic thinker, thought provoking facilitator and exceptional business partner.
Rex is employed in the technology industry where he is responsible for social media, online help systems, online training systems and assisting the sales professionals in their presentations and slide design. He also has years and years of experience in the manufacturing and finance industries. He is well-traveled and has lived in numerous areas across the United States, but calls Lubbock home and spends most of his spare time with his first grandchild, reading, and enjoys woodworking.
Source: http://www.friendsted.com/blog/friendsted-blog/the-one-rule/
