In my second HR job, I worked for a start-up manufacturer. We made the components for convenience stores at gas stations. This included a modular store, the canopy covering the gas pumps, and the sheaths which gave the pumps a decorative look. We were ahead of our time because others constructed stores onsite and from the ground up. We made the full store in our shop, and then delivered them to a site. They were placed, plugged in, connected to utilities and were ready to go.
To perform this intricate work, we hired welders, carpenters, truck drivers, painters, metal workers, and field crew. The employees were hard-working, proud and diligent. Sure, we had some petty things people complained about but not much. I was responsible for every facet of HR and honestly, I was not versed in how to do it well. I understood the administrative mechanics of HR. They came to me easily. What I didn’t know was our business.
I could rattle off the names and roles of every employee, but I couldn’t tell you what skills they needed to do their jobs well. We had the requisite job descriptions, hiring process, and interview template. I interviewed daily and hired regularly. The problem was that all of the front-end steps I was taking didn’t mean I was choosing the best candidates. They breezed through the HR side of joining our company, but many of them couldn’t perform the tasks that were needed to build our products.
The president of our firm heard from the plant manager that the HR guy wasn’t finding the people he needed. I was raw and new. I didn’t have a working relationship with the plant manager so it made sense that he went around me. The president, Dick, told Ron, the plant manager, that he had a solution to see if I could learn the role. He liked me and my approach overall. He also knew how green I was.
He came up to me on a Friday in the office and told me he wanted to talk with me. “Steve, on Monday I want you to go to the plant at Homeward Way.” That didn’t seem like an unreasonable request. I told him that would be fine. I liked being at the plant. “Oh, one other thing. Wear jeans and get some steel-toed shoes. You’re going to learn how to weld on the floor.” Then he left and my jaw dropped.
I chased after him and asked him why he wanted me to weld. He replied easily, “You aren’t hiring well because you don’t understand our work. So, I want you to weld for the next 30 days. Ron knows you’re coming and he’ll get you set up.” I stammered and responded, “But I’m the HR guy.” He didn’t miss a beat, “I know you are. But you need to learn what we do, who does it, and why it matters.”
On Monday, I reported to the plant and saw Ron. “Hey there new welder !!” He giggled after saying this. I went out on the floor with my toolbox from home which looked as if it had never been used with my brand new, ultra-clean work boots. Roy, the welding supervisor saw me coming and he scoffed. “What’s he doing here Ron?” Ron replied, “Dick wants him to learn how to weld. He’s all yours.” Roy swore under his breath and reluctantly took me on.
“First things first,” Roy exclaimed. He then stepped on my new boots and scuffed them with black soot. The other welders on the shift came over and did the same thing. I didn’t know if this was some cruel hazing initiation because everyone did the scuffing silently. “What’s going on ??,” I said angrily. Roy simply stated, “If you’re going to work with us, you need to look like you really work.”
That month was one of the most challenging of my young career. The guys messed with me, played pranks, and also took time to teach me. I learned to value who they were and what they did. We became close and I grew to appreciate them. I hadn’t really noticed them as talented people. I thought they were necessary “workers.” I couldn’t have been more wrong.
After my one-month training session, I returned to interviewing. Before my trek, 8 out of 10 of my hires failed. Afterward, I was hitting 9 out of 10 who stayed. Later I took some time to be a carpenter, metal worker, field crew member, and painter. (Never did learn to drive a semi-truck and that was best for all involved !!)
I learned something back then that has remained with me to this day. People who work with purpose are truly talented. They don’t go through the motions. They want to bring their best every day not only to produce but also to make the company succeed. By valuing what our people did and understanding it because I worked alongside them, I now had a full appreciation of their contribution. Along with this, the guys on the floor had a better sense of who I was and how I could help them through my role as their HR person.
Do you work with purpose?
Have you stepped back to ponder that? I’ll bet you haven’t. For far too long you’ve been going through the motions because tasks have become rote. You know the patterns you follow, and you make sure others are following theirs.
The reason I want you to reflect on this is simple. You can’t expect others to work with purpose if you don’t do it yourself all the time. It’s like trying to hire welders without knowing what it entails to be a great welder. It would be amazing if you decided to stop working how you’ve been working and go back to working with purpose.
After you have this practice mastered, you can start developing a culture where working with purpose is the norm versus the exception. The lesson I learned decades ago rings true to this day. Value what you do and value what others do. Encourage them and acknowledge them. Do it. On purpose.
