My Teacher's Day tribute
Today, September 5, is Teacher’s Day in India. It is a day for us to celebrate our teachers - people who we learn from. Today, I’d like to acknowledge and thank my colleagues who have taught me a lot. Specifically, my colleagues in the Human Resources team, a department that I had the fortune of leading for 2 years, up until a month ago. Two years ago, mid-July 2015, then Dean of the ISB, Ajit Rangnekar, asked me to head up the HR function since the incumbent had resigned. I remembered asking Ajit ‘Why me?’ since I did not have a HR background and he said ‘You know the school (and the business) well. So, that’s what really matters.’ I said yes and embarked upon, what has since been, a remarkable 2 year learning experience. This team (and those who were part of it earlier) have taught me a great deal which has helped me run HR at the ISB and my gratitude to them. There are many others to thank for, but the team always comes first.
I remember reading (and sharing on FB) the July-August 2015 issue of HBR, the cover of which said “It’s time to blow up HR and build something new”. I truly believed this was an opportunity to do something different. I had three things in my to-do list -
a) ISB is a great institution where students love to come and study. How do we make ISB a great employer where people love to come to work?
b) Internally from a service point of view, how do we build HR’s reputation on the ‘ease of doing business’ index?
c) To build ISB as a learning organization.
We have made good strides on all fronts but still have quite some distance to cover. We will get there eventually.
HR at ISB (as in many organisations, I suspect) has a very important role - one that of creating a culture of co-creation and collaboration, empowering our colleagues to have a sense of ownership and a sense of purpose. To achieve that, we need to be clear in our minds. We need to be rooted to the organisation and have our priorities sorted out. I am often reminded that while HR can be a centralized function, people management is not. #WorkatISB
And, here’s an unsolicited career tip - If you are ever asked by your CEO to run HR, jump right at it. Here’s why - Why more executives should consider becoming a CHRO? You can thank me later. :-)