Capability Mantra for HR Leaders (Learnings from the Bhagavad Gita)
April 23rd, 2024Associate Partner, Tutul Consulting
Krishnan Vaidyanathan
In the last year, I have been involved with HR teams for coaching, visioning, development initiatives, and change agendas. In the process, I have realized that there are four critical aspects that HR leaders need to aim towards building.
The Human Resources function in any organization has a paradoxical role. On the one hand, employees look to HR to represent them within the organization (other than their immediate managers, of course). On the other hand, HR represents the organization to prospective employees in the talent marketplace.
As companies become large, complexities also increase, with the HR teams having to work across different functions. Thus, an ‘HR for HR’ system becomes a necessity, which can help in enabling their career, ways of working, etc.
I will take the help of Sri Krishna’s words of wisdom to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita to explain these aspects. In Chapter 17 Verse 15, he discusses the tenets of austerity in the Upanishads- Satyam vada, Priyam vada, Mitam vada, and Hitam vada.
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत् |
स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते || 15||
anudvega-karam vakyam
satyam priya-hitam ca yat
svadhyayabhyasanam caiva
van-mayam tapa ucyate
Words that do not cause distress, are truthful, inoffensive, and beneficial, as well as regular recitation of the Vedic scriptures—these are declared as the austerity of speech.
Four Critical Aspects for HR Leaders
1. Satyam vada builds Credibility
As HR leaders, this is the most fundamental strength, as employees are impacted by what they say and do. ‘Doing what you say, and saying what you do’ is integrity - and this builds the credibility of one as a leader.
HR leaders do not have a number target at the end of every quarter to show that they are in the right direction. Rather, it is the energy that is continuously circulating in the organization that measures the impact of their work. Hence the HR leader’s credibility is what decides and keeps the people's initiatives moving in the right direction.
2. Priyam vada expresses Compassion
One can typically be kind to the people around oneself. But as an HR leader, one’s ability to understand and be compassionate to the needs of a sales employee in a far-flung town, or one maintaining the conveyor belt in a godown, makes a big difference.
Managers and their teams are able to easily relate even on an individual level as they are involved with each other on a daily basis. However, an HR leader has to cultivate empathy and connection with a diverse workforce across all parts of the organization in order to enable an engaged and involved team. Sometimes he/ she may have to deliver a difficult message to leaders or employees in a considerate and kind manner.
3. Mitam vada develops Clarity
Any good organization will have leaders who are credible people managers. Hence, they will have strong opinions on what works with their employees and teams. As an HR leader, one is expected to influence and align leaders across the organization towards a powerful way of bringing to life ‘the people agenda’. Hence it becomes important to have a studied and considered opinion about individual behaviours and group dynamics. Thus, being able to give an elevator pitch to the other leaders in the organization on the ‘right’ way of managing people becomes an important skill.
4. Hitam vada makes one an Employees’ Champion
In the time of the manufacturing era, the HR manager of the plant was the ‘union leader’ for the employees as well. As the HR leader, he/she represents the cause of the employees collectively (sometimes individually as well). There are trade-offs between business delivery and people agendas in organisations as is evident with the lay-offs and uncertainties in the current economies across the world. In these moments of truth, championing and ensuring that the cause of the employees is well-heard in all the necessary platforms differentiates great HR leaders.
