10 Things 30 Years in HR Taught Me

Early in my career, an employee came to me with a complaint about a coworker. The issue wasn't performance, attendance, attitude, or workplace conflict. It was the sound of fingernail clipping coming from the next cubicle.

As we looked into it, we discovered the employee wasn't just clipping his fingernails at work. Sometimes the socks came off and toenails were trimmed as well. And then we learned he was storing the clippings in his desk drawer.

Almost thirty years later, I still remember that situation. Not because it taught me a profound leadership lesson, but because it perfectly illustrates one thing about HR:

If you work with people long enough,

you'll see just about everything. 

Along the way, I've picked up a few lessons that are worth sharing.

10 Lessons that Improve the Workplace

1. Hire for attitude; train for skill. Skills can be taught. Curiosity, accountability, humility, and work ethic are much harder to develop after the fact.
   
   

2. Rely on logic as your guide. Facts and data matter. Emotions have a place but are best balanced with logic to make good decisions.
   
   

3. If you avoid a difficult conversation, you're just making an appointment for a harder one later. The issue rarely gets smaller while you're waiting.
   
   

4. Don't overthink it. I've watched organizations spend weeks analyzing decisions that common sense solved in five minutes.
   
   

5. Culture isn't what you say you value. It's what you reward, what you tolerate, and who gets promoted.
   
   

6. Work is called work for a reason. The goal isn't constant happiness. It's meaningful contribution, growth, and enough good days to outweigh the tough ones.
   
   

7. Employees don't expect perfection from leaders. They expect honesty, consistency, and the occasional admission of, "I got that wrong."
   
   

8. Most people problems aren't actually people problems. They're leadership problems, communication problems, accountability problems, or clarity problems.
   
   

9. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don’t get me wrong, the work matters! But a healthy sense of humor will get you through a lot of situations that may require a new perspective.
   
   

10. Character always shows up eventually. In interviews, performance reviews, promotions, and crises. Given enough time, people tell you exactly who they are.

Organizations Succeed Because of the People

My years in HR have convinced me that organizations succeed or fail because of people.

• The best leaders create clarity.

• The best employees take accountability.

• The best teams have honest conversations.

• And the best organizations never lose sight of the fact that business is ultimately about human beings trying to do good work together.

That's not always easy. But it is usually simpler than we make it.

And every now and then, if you're lucky, you'll collect a story that reminds you not to take any of it too seriously.