Years ago, when I was working for a large conglomerate, I hated having to deal with the human resources (HR) department. It was my pet peeve. To be blunt, it seemed like HR was more concerned about following rules and keeping the company out of legal trouble than it was about finding and keeping the best and brightest people.
When I started Rising Medical Solutions, I envisioned something better— a great place to work with little bureaucracy and talented, happy people. Mind you, this goal did not stem from any bleeding-heart, ivory-tower philosophy. Simply put, the company with the best, most focused talent wins, and my competitive nature, lofty goals and desire to enjoy my own working environment requires such a team.
What are some secrets to establishing a great human resources department? To me, my “secret” is simple— we’ll never have an HR department, because there is no advantage. That’s why I established a talent management department (TMD), not an HR department. Believe me, it’s more than semantics. What’s the difference? In basic terms, traditional HR assumes the worst about people and seeks to avoid the danger, while TMD assumes everyone wants to be great and helps them achieve it. HR focuses on rules and risk avoidance. TMD focuses on empowerment and results. HR emphasizes policy, process and procedure. TMD emphasizes people, potential, and yes, profit.
How does my staff take to this concept? We tell our employees exactly why we don’t have an HR department, and they seem to agree. It’s even become a great recruiting tool. When beefing up our TMD staff recently, our job posting was headed, “We Don’t Call it HR.” Those who “get it” were the first to apply.
Thanks to this unique approach to talent management, I've been able to surround myself with innovative employees eager to learn and grow in a productive environment. And really, isn't that what good business is all about?