In a sea of systems and rules it’s no wonder we find it hard to keep our passion alive for our work as HR aficionados. This is nothing new. I distinctly recall being waved off the HR path after graduating from university and considering my options. “I think your job is interesting,” I told one of the HR people in the corporation I was temping at. “Oh no,” she said, “don’t let the title fool you. It’s all rules and no people.”
Years later, when I was standing before the HR path once again, a book magically (as books tend to do), found its way into my hands. I read it and with the wisdom of HR From the Heart in my heart, I leaped into the profession with both feet. Starting in the world of local non-profits, then going into some pretty extreme environments throughout the world with Doctors Without Borders.
I’ll never regret taking the leap. Having said that, there are occasions when my flame flickers. There are times even when my doused flame requires a full reigniting. Like most HR aficionados, I too swing between “I can’t believe they’re paying me to do this!” and “This job would be great if it weren’t for all the people,” on the Passion for HR Pendulum.
Today, as we leap into 2019, what I wish for anyone doing anything HR-related is that you keep your passions burning and your flames alive throughout the year. And of course, there will be flickers from time to time. And for those occasions when the pendulum swings dangerously close to feelings of “Ay yi yi!”, may I offer five suggestions to help you keep your passions burning and flames alive.
Read HR From the Heart
This is a classic book reminding us why we answered the call of HR to begin with. We did not choose a profession, we chose a purpose. We bridge the critical gaps between people and policies, caring and metrics, heart and HR. Read it. Read it again if you’ve already read it. Then recommend it to the colleagues you care about.
Use your flame to light another’s
“It’s a lonely profession,” someone else once told me. But it doesn’t have to be. Like everything we do, it is our choice to make. Find your people, engage with your pack, and help one another keep your flames alive. Remember, one tiny spark has the power to light many flames.
Drink tea together
Adhering to systems, treating people the same, the formalities, it all piles up. Then it bogs us down. Get out from under. Stand up, leave the systems, and go have tea with your colleagues. Visit with them not because a form needs to be signed or a policy clarified. Visit them because you want to know about their hopes and dreams and what it is that makes them unique.
Consider flickers as opportunities
Instead of thinking “Ay yi yi!” think “Oh goody goody.” It may look like a bug in the system but really, a learning has been teed up. Just for you. Life is messy, especially at work. All these unique people running around with agendas and dreams. Hard to believe there isn’t more tension. And let’s remember, it’s tension in the strings that make some instruments sing.
Sleep more; play more
I know, that makes seven suggestions. But combine the two and they transform into one magic elixir. An elixir that invites inspiration, creates new thoughts, simplifies the complex, and brings about joy. You think you don’t have time to take this magic elixir, but really, you don’t have time not to.
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If I were in your field — and that’s a very big if — I’d be reading everything you wrote and listening to every word you spoke. Terrific!
Reading your work causes me to fell the spectrum of emotions! Keep writing…of course I too have cooked with your mother…once! She’s much better at it so it serves me well to sit back and enjoy!