Moulding
Only selected coffee can make it into this cuppa.
Recently my newest staff, the only HR personnel for our KL offices, came down to JB for OJT. I set aside three days for her to be trained under my tutelage as well as that of another senior HR staff. We walked her through our HR and administrative processes and procedures and encouraged her to bring up problems and challenges she faced during her last three months on the job as the lone custodian of our KL manpower.
Admittedly she has quite a lot to handle. She is in charge of the marketing office as well as all the Alicafe outlets. The job requires her not so much as to work hard than to work smart. It requires prioritization skills, time management capability, a very high sense of responsibility, and most of all passion.
When I first hired her, I took a risk. She had very little experience as a HR practitioner but has substantial knowledge of the concepts involved as she had worked for large companies before. But what made me take her on board was her attitude. She had the mannerisms and disposition of a people person, which is very important for a HR practitioner. I interviewed her twice. During the 2nd interview she subconsciously demonstrated her EQ level. That sealed the deal as far as I was concerned.
Grooming such a team member takes time and much personal attention from me. I was not always in KL, but when in JB I monitored her work and guided her through emails and phonecalls. But most of the time I left her alone. Sometimes, I threw her to the dogs. I wanted to see how she picks herself up after a fall.
During the OJT, I read between the lines and listened to the unspoken responses. I then realized that knowledge of HR is only but a small component of what she really needs to learn. Of course she needs to know her stuff inside out for her to at least function as a HR practitioner but to become an effective and respected HR practitioner and one poised to become a capable, independent professional in the field, she needs more personal development and management skills than anything else. She needs to learn to think on her feet, differentiate between urgent and important, be able to balance her department’s needs as well as support the needs of the different HODs from the marketing, sales, and restaurant franchise divisions.
To me, that takes experience and maturity. I don’t believe in spoon-feeding experience to my people, I give them the fishing rod and tell them what kind of fish to look for and leave them to their own devices to fish successfully, correctly and timely. I also believe that opportunity won’t wait, so gaining experience has got to be done from day one.
After three months, I confirmed my staff and am proud to see her effort and own initiative to learn the ropes on her own. It’s like, a system all set to go. I can now drive on auto-cruise.
From the feedback I get from other HODs, she has done a good job and she has become a reliable source of support to them in their everyday work. I was especially pleased when she took over the payroll functions for restaurant operations and didn’t bungle even once in her first attempt.
This has been a good project for me. I now see that it’s possible to train and coach staff on a remote basis. I’ve MANAGED remotely before but never primed team members in the same fashion. Now I know it works.
