Human Resources

Happy Friday,

Human Resources is a funny name. What does it even mean? I asked Grok.ai, which listed several tasks, adding: “Essentially, it’s about supporting and developing the ‘human’ element of an organization to help it run smoothly and effectively.” Supporting and developing, but not optimizing.

When you distill it to its essence, success is a function of how deeply people care about an organization and its mission. When people care more, they arrive early and stay late. They check their work, make fewer errors, take fewer risks, and safeguard the organization. They communicate proactively and enthusiastically. They become more innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial. They promote the organization’s reputation and invite friends and other top talent to join, and they don’t quit. The more people care, the luckier you get.

People call your organization an engineering business, a public works department, or a water utility. But that’s what it does, not what it is. What it is is people, and it's their motivation, more than anything else, that determines your organization's success. The more they care, the steeper your trajectory.

But who’s the grand people strategist? Chances are it falls to a few already very busy engineers, now leaders, who find themselves somewhat out of their element trying to figure out and compete in the realm of human motivation.

As a former CEO, HR represents the greatest irony and missed opportunity in business. It’s an entire field dedicated to the human element, even having ‘human’ in its name. Yet HR folks spend all their time on transactional tasks like recruiting, hiring, training, employee benefits, payroll, performance evaluations, and ensuring compliance with labor laws and company policies. Important for sure, but lacking a holistic strategy.

What every organization needs is a strategist to weave it all together. An insightful, high-level advisor bent on maximizing how deeply people care. It's not a party and award planner. It's a true #2 to the CEO with authority and influence. A Chief People Officer who understands the organization, the mission, and humans.

None of the other strategies that consume so much time and attention offer more potential to drive long-term success. And this role doesn’t require an engineering degree. It requires a particularly insightful, high-level understanding of the organization’s human resources. (Ahhhh, there it is!) And it's the pinnacle of what HR could and really should be.

Have a great weekend 😀 ,

Dave

P.S. Also, big-time congratulations to my friend and former business partner, John Enloe, on receiving the President's Award, the highest honor bestowed by the WateReuse Association. If you know John, you know why the world needs a lot more like him. If only...

Feedback and blowback are always welcome: dave@goodnewsfriday.com

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