OK, that’s about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in years. It’s one (of many) fields where people skills, intuituion, a second chance, coaching, looking for the good, helping people, and vast numbers of other soft skills matter so much. Apparently…not so much in the new world of HR.
This started when I was listening to a People VP from a Fortune 500 company being interviewed on a new book he had just published. Yup, apparently, the ‘new’ HR is, or needs to be, or will be, much more about data and analytics. When he was asked a question about the need for people skills, his exact response was “that WAS great…”
HR is a great career for every Color. The Golds and Greens often gravitate to the tech part and payroll. The Oranges are often found in the training area, while the Blues are the front-line recruiters, people who do the interviewing, coaching, etc. But, in my humble opinion, and working with HR departments for over 17 years, it’d be a big mistake to diminish the massive (but often unmeasurable) contribution of Blues.
The bigger the company, the less senior management already listens to Blues. I can list you a fair number of Boards of Directors, and senior leadership teams, where there may be one (or two at most) Blues. They add the people perspective that (us) Golds and Greens don’t immediately take into consideration in making decisions. But at some point, that Blue director, senior leader, or board member just gets too worn out fighting ‘City Hall’ in always being the discenting opinion and leaves….Sad but true…