HR person, take off your mask!

Lots of HR people walk on eggshells these days.
They wear a mask.
They bury who they really are.
They’re not authentic.
They’re uncomfortable revealing parts of themselves they’d love to share with others.
The try to fit in rather than stand out.
They do this because they believe their organizations don’t really value their uniqueness.
Or, they fear they’ll get biased treatment.
And in many cases, they’re right.
However, the key to excelling, impressing and inspiring others as an HR professional lies in your ability to bring your “whole” self to work.

 That means feeling comfortable talking about that pick-up basketball game you played in the inner city on weekends instead of golf.
It means being comfortable sharing your activities in the Gay Pride events in your town.
It means speaking up and taking a stand — when no one else will — if your HR experience tells you that the brand new performance appraisal changes are just too complex and won’t work,
I will make no pretense that any of this is easy to do or will be embraced with open arms by everyone.
But you know in your heart who you are, what you believe and what’s true to you.
So act accordingly.
You cannot bury who you really are if you want to truly impress other people in HR.

If the face you always show your colleagues, your clients and your boss is a mask, one of these days there will be nothing beneath it.
That’s because when you spend too much time “shape shifting” to adapt to everyone else’s perception of you…or who everyone else wants you to be… you eventually forget who you really are.
So, don’t be a shape shifter.
Stop hiding behind a mask.
Be yourself.

After Allan Collins