TONY’S BIZNEWS BULLETIN – 28th June 2005

ARE THEY PEOPLE OR HUMAN RESOURCES?

“You do not manage people, you manage things. You lead people”

That wonderful quotation, and which is at the root of my antipathy towards the business term ”Human Resources Manager or Director” was made by Admiral Grace Hooper USN (Ret’d), a dynamo of a woman who is accredited with bringing the US Navy into the computer age.

The reason for writing this BizNews Bulletin is that across Australia, with the financial year closing the day after tomorrow (30th June), the accent very much is on numbers and the goal of profitability.

The fact is, in this scramble for “the right numbers”, a businesses most important asset, their people, is often overlooked and it is over looked at your peril.

If the term “Human Resources” is much in vogue with your enterprise, may I suggest that the problem is already manifesting itself and that an orange light is glowing.

As my mentor Sergio Carlos Maresca once said, “leadership is all about having others do what you want for their reasons” and the only way you get to know ”their reasons” is by working with them.

Is this the case with you and your people?

Carpe diem

Tony
Tony Fountain
Professional Speaker, auctioneer and author
Sydney NSW Australia
tony@rainbowchaser.com.au