Quotes from Famous People that Relate to HR

The Human Resources profession is challenging during a normal year, and 2020 can be classified as anything but normal. 2020 may have beat and battered you until you feel like you have no energy left. It’s important to take time to nourish your soul and remind yourself that what you do it crucial to your company. While the people who made these statements weren’t directing them to HR at the time, they are certainly relevant. Here are quotes from famous people that, if you think about it, relate directly to HR.

“Trust, but verify.” ~Ronald Reagan

This quote is hiring in a nutshell. Sure, we want to believe what the handsome man in the expensive suit says, but is everything on his CV true and accurate? There’s a strong chance the answer is no. It’s important to take what a candidate says in the interview and on his CV into consideration, but to back the claims up by verifying aspects of his background, such as the employment and education history.

“People are definitely a company's greatest asset. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.” ~Mary Kay Ash

A company’s people are HR’s bread and butter. It pays to treat them right. HR pros can be the leading ambassador to encourage a positive company culture, a fair and safe workplace, and a diverse, accepting environment. By taking what is in place and adding new ideas, employees can feel valued and excited about the opportunities waiting on them. Treating them this way can decrease turnover and keep high productivity standards on point. 

"Time spent hiring is time well spent." ~Robert Half

When open positions are causing a disruption in productivity and stressed out employees covering the extra load, it’s tempting to rush through the interviewing process to get a warm body in the seat. Don’t do it. Failing to take the time to get to know and properly vet your top job candidates can cause bigger problems down the road, like dealing with incompetent employees and increased turnover. Take the time to choose the best person to fill the role, no matter how urgent your need.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” ~Charles Darwin

It’s not your dad’s workplace anymore. HR professionals who continue to embrace new ways of accomplishing their goals and make a concerted effort with technology tools are going to flourish, and the ones who stay stuck in their piles of paper and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitudes will sink. 2020 alone has handed us a plethora of changes we were required to handle on the fly to stay in business. Embracing, or at least accepting, constant change is the difference in success or failure as an HR pro.

“In the absence of feedback, people will fill in the blanks with negative. They will assume you don’t care about them or don’t like them.” ~Pat Summit

Communication is vital to success as an HR professional. Whether it’s hiring a new person, onboarding, or working with tenured employees, people want to feel like they are heard and their efforts matter. Find ways to give feedback, kudos, and guidance, and encourage an environment for managers to do the same. The result will be more engaged employees with higher morale. And those people can do great things for your organization.

“Failure is an important part of your growth and developing resilience. Don’t be afraid to fail.” ~Michelle Obama

Many of us are so afraid of failure we are crippled. Fear stifles our creativity, wreaks havoc on our confidence, and undermines our efforts. If we can accept that failure is part of life, we can end up accomplishing more than we thought possible. HR pros should venture out of their comfort zones and attempt to put new ideas into action. The temporary discomfort may just lead to a helpful learning experience, whether you succeed or fail.

By taking time to absorb these quotes from famous people that relate to HR, hopefully you feel more motivated to tackle the important job you perform every day. Now go kill it.😊