The 4 'Be's that Shaped My HR Career in 2023

Exactly a week ago, I spoke at Africa Tech Radio on Trends that shaped how we worked in 2023

I work in Tech and I've worked as an HR Lead in the Tech Space for over 4 years. I jokingly tell people I have a love/hate relationship with Tech and I feel the relationship would be very long.

People say HR is HR but practicing HR in the Tech World is a bit different from other industries. I discuss with my colleagues from other industries and some things are strange to me and I can't relate to because of how I'm conditioned to practice HR in Tech

I would have loved to share some of the insights I shared on the show but you can tune in to listen yourself ??

What I want to talk about are key lessons I've picked as an HR in Tech as well as the workplace, especially in 2023. HRs in various industries can learn from this as well as HR Enthusiasts looking to thrive in their career.

1. Be prepared: The Workplace is similar to a chess game. Explaining the principles of winning a chess game would take up a lot of space but applying chess principles in your career can be helpful.

Companies need HR to think ahead. It is not just about going through your to-do list on the barest minimum tasks to be done but thinking about what can happen and how you can be prepared for it.

Bringing this to home as an individual, you should also think about your career when all is well. What can you do to future-proof your career or ensure your career won't be on a downward trajectory when unexpected issues arise? As you are thinking about the business, also think about yourself.

2. Be Involved: As an HR Rookie, I kept hearing it repeatedly when I went for conferences about the need for HRs to be involved in the business and I thought it was a norm BUT I realized the majority of us are clueless.

We think we know the business just because we have read the website and we know how they make money but you don't understand the day-to-day of the majority of the staff members you manage. That's why Finance folks seem to grow faster in their career than HR folks.

The biggest lesson I gained a long time ago was the importance of being involved FULLY. HR is not a welfare officer, they are business partners. I've seen people fail because of this.

3. Be curious: Take a cue from being involved. Nothing would land on your lap because HR is seen as the 'support' role that is only involved at the last minute.

Curiosity would get you a seat at the table. Naturally, I'm a curious person but being a coach deepened that skill in me. I don't just stay in my lane, I want to know what's happening. That skill has helped me not look stupid in front of my key stakeholders.

4. Be data-driven: Like the popular quote: “In God we trust, all others bring your data”. I lead a team and I also report to business professionals. No one is interested in stories and English.

When analyzing a problem, I look for facts and not assumptions from what people have convinced themselves to believe. This is a lesson I learned since 2018 though but I was able to leverage that a lot this year. Critical thinking isn't just about knowing how to think (because most humans have that ability) but leveraging data, facts, etc to critically analyze issues and come up with a solution.

One last thing before I sign out, I would like to work with just 10 people towards taking the driver's seat in their career in 2024.

?Do you wish to be more intentional about your career in 2024?

?Do you need clarity in your next career steps?

?Are you experiencing a roadblock in achieving your Career and Life goals?

I don't have the bandwidth to work with more than 10 people and I'll be having a preliminary chat with selected people before I choose to take them on as clients. I want to only work with people who are hungry for results.

I am offering a 50% discount to those who are chosen. You can register here: https://bit.ly/CCWYJ You should take advantage of this and stop sitting in the driver’s seat of your career.