There is a widely held stereotype that HR people aren’t good at math. I have probably done a thing or two to help with the spread of this myth because, well, I’m not that good at math.  To be completely honest, it’s not that I am that bad with math, but I genuinely hate math.  It is ironic because some of my best friends are very good with numbers.  One of the best bosses I ever had was a CFO.  My two favorite nieces and my favorite nephew all have engineering degrees (and one is actually working as an engineer).  But personally, I abhor math, and I fear that my weakness has been extrapolated out to all HR people the world over.  So here is my chance to shift that perception by presenting the HR Formula, because nothing says “I’m Good at Math” like a formula.  In fact, as soon as I am done here, I am going to begin drafting my Fields Medal speech.  I can start with my Nobel Prize speech for Literature, based off this blog and my book – YES! That is a shameless plug!

Alright, so here is the Optimal Human Resources Formula:

(.98H)+(.02R)=AFHRP

Meaning: 98% Human + 2% Resources = Awesome Freaking HR Pro

Too often HR Peeps tend to put more focus on the Resources function, and less on the Human functions.  It is easy to do – we can get caught up in the processes and the “resource” function of the people that are part of our organization, but not into the Human side.  Bottom line, at the end of the day, the thing that really matters is – how are you with people?  Are you able to empathize?  Can people see the human side of you?  Yes, you need processes, and yes you need procedures, but if you become a robot, your job can very easily be automated into something else…