12 lessons from 12 years.. a career in HR

A good 12 years ago on a hot May day, I took my first flight to my first job and walked straight into breezy, scorching, sweltering Mumbai, for the first time!

The last dozen years have gone in a jiffy, as career took me to Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Home (remote work) and now back to Mumbai. The different roles in HR gave beautiful opportunities to reside in and travel to multiple parts of India, and interaction with people from diverse backgrounds, in various professional stages eventually made me realise while Processes may be the brain, People are really the Heart of any institution or Organization!

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But here’s the catch! None of us was born ready, we all sharpen our wings the hard way. Career development happens bit by bit, goal by goal. Successes and failures are mere milestones along the way!

As a fresher coming from a family of independent professionals, I had no first or even second-hand corporate experience. But as an HR Professional, I’ve had the balcony view of how people & their careers evolve, shine, sometimes fizzle and generally grow amidst the corporate dynamics.

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Years 1 – 3 : The Foundation Years

1.????? What’s most critical is hunger to learn while following basic discipline (punctuality, courtesy, the old school values!). At this stage, right efforts are more important than results. ?

2.????? Being super comfortable with data, friendlier with Pivots. Being able to generate, comprehend & interpret insights from an ocean of information.

3.????? Saying yes to new things, taking up diverse roles / projects, moving to different cities.

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Years 4 – 6 : The Expansion Phase

4.????? ?Knowing that every role has immense potential to make impact. Never reducing self to a mere resource / a cog in the wheel. Understanding upstream and downstream implications of your work is significant to deepen this understanding.

5.????? Finding a different role internally is usually more beneficial than switching the Organization altogether, especially if you don’t like or get along with your Manager. Doing multiple roles in the same company allows a development of 360 degree perspective.

6.????? Realizing the power of Mentoring : Seeking & respecting time from senior leaders that you value. Building own relationships. And, someday, becoming a Mentor yourself!

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Years 7 – 9 : The Specialization Stage

7.????? Real learning comes through repetitions, being able to improve from 1 cycle to another - change can be incremental, exponential and sometimes disruptive.

8.????? Practicing self-awareness : Knowing your strengths, gaps, intentions, behaviors and trigger points.

9.????? Learning to deal with conflicts - Workplace conflicts are mere difference of opinions at work, no need to make it personal or getting into ego wars.

Years 10 – 12 : The Influencer

10.????? Unlearning is underrated. Never being afraid to start from scratch.

11.????? Knowledge & experience are important but knowing context is more important.

12.????? Feeling and expressing gratitude. Never burning bridges. Committing to deeper relationships and keeping them alive, even after moving on to different organizations.

And all this while... not forgetting to laugh & take it easy. One day this will all end! ;)