Sincerity

Absolutely no one sets a goal to be a hypocrite.  Some careers do seem destined to have that perception though, and Human Resources would probably rank fairly high on the list.  If you saw last year’s movie "The Dark Knight", it brought a dramatic visual depiction to the character Two-Face.  Depending on the approach you chose to Two-Face, you would see a normal, nice-looking human being, or from the other direction, the gruesome monster. 

The same can seem true for those in Human Resources but more from the aspect of who is doing the approaching.  When an employee comes seeking HR, we are viewed as an advocate, a buddy, someone to help them with a problem.  If HR is looking for the employee, it is a typical assumption that it can’t be good, and therefore the villain has arrived.

Maybe a more palatable term than hypocrite is the expression "middle man".  Human Resources always wants to be a voice for the employees, but at the same time must continually have the overall best interest of the company in mind.  One day you are arguing against your insurance provider to be sure the employee gets every benefit due to them, while empathizing with them regarding their ill or injured family member.  A few weeks later, you may have to meet with the same employee regarding a disciplinary issue, or worse yet, to terminate their employment.  The employee can’t possibly think good of you after seeing this two extreme faces so close together.  Or can they?

Is there a key character trait that lends some consistency in this roller coaster ride, not only for HR personnel, but for anyone in management?  And offers some consistency to the employees’ perception of that person?  The basis must be sincerity.  It is possible to sincerely like an employee, yet have to occasionally discipline them.  We do that with our children all the time, don’t we?

There is no one on this earth we love the way we love our kids, but for their greater good as an individual, correction and tough love are often required.  If you are a parent, you are a manager; similarly, if you are in management, you are a parent.  Let’s say you take an elementary-age child to the park, and there is a child there who "doesn’t play well with others". The other kids just don’t play with him.  His caretakers have done him a disservice by not providing discipline and boundaries.  As adults at work, we don’t have the liberty to "just not play" with a certain individual.  Everyone, including HR, managers and co-workers, must accept the task of helping this person become a productive, accepted part of the group…or move them along to something that will be better for everyone, themselves included.

If we can focus on this responsibility, there can be sincerity in even the toughest of conversations.  Plan the discussion, in advance, in a way that you truly believe in the points that have to be made.  If your heart and mind can’t support what you are saying, you can be certain it will come across to the listener.  Remember, if you are acting a certain way during a conversation (sincerity doesn’t act), it is not a genuine, honest discussion.  George Henry Lewis once said, "Insincerity is always weakness; sincerity even in error is strength".  Some hypocrisy is probably inevitable.  By our very nature, human beings can not be 100% good or evil, but we can all put complete effort into being sincere.