FROM A HUMBLE BEGINNING TO A SUCCESSFUL HRBP

My name is Md. Musharrof Hossain came from a remote village in Bangladesh. I am a self-directed and motivated professional who started my professional career with CARE International in Bangladesh in 1984. I chose CARE Bangladesh because it's a rapidly growing nonprofit international organization that provides employees with many opportunities for learning and development and for gaining invaluable experience within a multinational team. My key focus was on managing rural development projects. In CARE, I have had the opportunities to work with great managers and exceptional leaders who mainly were foreigners. I learned a lot from them, especially managing employees and their activities. During my 20 years' job with CARE in different positions in different parts of Bangladesh and overseas, I have worked hard to make a partnership between HR and line managers that helped foster the organization to a greater height.?

In 1998, I moved to pursue my Masters in Continuing Education major in HR Leadership and OD from the University of Calgary, Canada. After completing my master's, I have been more equipped with more modern HR knowledge and contributed significantly to the up-gradation of HR practices in CARE-Bangladesh. I have been working as the Head of Human Resources Management with another international organization called the icddr,b since March 2005 and contributing to branding and reputation through international best HR practices in my organization.?

I have been teaching in the MBA program with a few leading universities as the Adjunct Professor in Bangladesh and Somalia. My university teaching aims to share my professional learning with the students to help them know market-driven education during studentship.?

HR practice in Bangladesh lagged well behind that of other industrialized countries; thus, we, the ten leading HR professionals, founded the Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management (BSHRM) in 2001 and served as the Founder General Secretary for four Presidents during ten years. During my Presidency, I have been able to obtain the entire membership of BSHRM with the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resources Management (APFHRM), and I got the APFHRM board membership. Due to my outstanding performance at the APFHRM board, I have been elected as APFHRM and served four years. As APFHRM is the full member of the World Federation of the People Management Associations (WFPMA), I also served as the board member of the WFPMA for five years from 2014 ti0 2018. Due to my attachment with the regional and world level HR platforms, I had the opportunity to take Bangladesh HR to the world level and excel in my leadership at the regional and world level and am known as one of the global HR leaders. In recognition of my leadership, I have received numerous national and international awards, including the "Lifetime HR Achievement Award 2013" from the BSHRM, "Lifetime Achievement Award 2017" from the World HRD Congress, and "Global HR Leader Award 2017" from the Malaysian Institute of Human Resources Management. I am now known as the Global HR Guru and Thought Leader.?

I firmly believe that my job with CARE- International and icddr,b provided me with an exemplary focus on people and presented opportunities to progress and develop across a range of diverse career paths. The opportunity to get involved with veteran HR professionals across the globe made me a global personality. I have proven my ability to provide critical support in building HR functions and implementing HR strategies in Bangladesh to achieve business results.??

When Bangladesh had more than 10 HR professionals' associations and organizations, we felt the Federation of Bangladesh Human Resource Organizations formed in 2018 and accordingly formed FBHRO under my leadership.?

I'm incredibly proud to be known as the Global HR Guru globally. Now, I am associated as the chief advisor with many HR organizations and institutions and providing them with necessary directions and guidance.?

In short, all those achievements were possible because of the followings:??

A Global Perspective?

In my mind, there's no question — HR leaders need global experience. The best HR people I've met come from international backgrounds. That's because most HR departments are no longer hubs of administrative work. Instead, the HR department has transformed into the talent department, and talent leaders need to know how to work with many different people, potentially spread over different continents.?

A Deep Understanding of How Tech Is Changing Work?

I am a critical observer of continuous change, especially in technology, and constantly adapt by managing the changes. We're in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution. The fourth industrial revolution is now underway. Uber is the world's largest taxi company, despite its having no taxis of its own. Airbnb is the most well-known real estate company globally, even though it has no real estate. We can expect disruptions as a result of these exponential technologies. HR must be informed about the impact of exponential technologies on the marketplace. HR has to stay connected to what those exponential technologies are doing to the market.?

Acquired Business Experience?

The best way to get experience as an HR leader isn't to take more courses and work on more formal certifications. Therefore, my focus was to get involved in other department operations to understand the business, talk to more people, and better understand how different departments work.?

A Focus on People?

Finally, as an HR professional, my focus was always towards the betterment of people— it seems crazy to even have to say this — good with people. We're living in a world where most people are unhappy at work. Employees are looking for a better experience. Only HR professionals who understand people and care deeply about making work better can impact.??

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison

Md. Musharrof Hossain is the President of the Federation of Bangladesh Human Resource Organizations (FBHRO), Past President of the Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management (BSHRM), Past President of the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resources Management (APFHRM), and Past board member of the World Federation of the People Management Associations (WFPMA). He is also the Chief Advisor of several HR Associations and Organizations.?