Is the real key to succeeding & getting ahead in the HR profession that you essentially need a certain blend of skills & the right type of personality?

From being an HR Advisor to an HR Manager, Senior HR Director or a Chief Executive Head of People, all of these roles call for a certain blend and combination of both soft people, hard business skills and other personal qualities. If one has either an in-balance of more than others, or some which do not come, can be freely articulated or flow entirely naturally, it can invariably make things more difficult and hence problematic in the workplace if you wish to be an effective operator as a practising practitioner.  

These are also the hidden personal qualities not always put or found in the job description or person specification.     

To get to the point, a successful and senior level HR professional often needs to wear many different hats, being a key area of business, such as being a Social Worker by caring for and looking after the employees, a Mediator by balancing the often competing interests of Managers and employees, a Diplomat when explaining that the organisation cannot provide the salary increases and career progression initially envisaged, but able to still keep people happy and motivated to work, but also being a level headed business decision maker when it comes to the bottom line when laying off employees in order to save the organisation. 

Although many of these things can be difficult for most people to demonstrate in all aspects and right measures at any given moment in time, so they come across naturally, if one has neurodiversity, you also do not automatically pick up on or accurately read them either, and they can be even more difficult to show on the right level. 

I feel that I have identified the key issue here, but are these skills and personal attributes that one is either born with or not, or can they indeed be learned and taught behaviours?      

   

      

Parents
  • My (less insightful and possibly blunt) view is that *some* soft skills can be learned by experience, eg if I wrongly judge a situation to be humourous, and am met with the hairy eyeball, I'm mindful that in a similar situation to pause and ' read the room'. My autistic niece cannot do this as her condition simply doesn't allow that new soft skill to be picked up. But some others who are also not NT can pick these skills up, such is the uniqueness of being on the spectrum/neurodiverse.

    I do think that the nature of HR - seeing into the future almost, considering each situation on its own merit, judging one course of action to be a disaster and yet the week after the absolute right call depending on the context - would be difficult for someone who is neurodiverse whos condition means they cannot see beyond black and white into the shades of grey.

    I do think sometimes though it doesn't boil down to any of this and comes down to straightforward willingness to accept there is a need to change. If that condition isn't met, then theres no chance. Regardless of being NT or diverse.
  • Is the best approach here to tell everyone in advance that I have neurodiversity and hence do not automatically pick up on, read or understand the unwritten rules of social communication and social interaction? They therefore understand it. In addition, should I also explain that I am not going to get into any other profession now at 45 with no prior experience and also cannot start trying to change my career or retrain at this stage with no guarantees of employment, so I need to stay in HR, come what may. Reality always dictates as my second choice, Marketing, will not take me either. 

    It can however also be a hidden asset as well as Albert Einstein had it. Essentially, I don't take immediately like ducks to water people who I don't know or meet for the first time. I also find it difficult talking to strangers.   

    All of these things however can be difficult for most people as well, with or without it.  

  • What my other issue is, involves understanding how to read and negotiate the intrinsic social subtleties and signs in order to progress a relationship from that of being an acquaintance to that of being a friend. That I find particularly complex and do not also always understand the various boundaries of different types and levels of relationships and intimacy. Do however most people either?
  • I honestly don't know Andre....again I think it would depend on how it manifests itself during conversations. I think I am the sort of person who would be very upfront if I wasnt NT and say "I have autism/aspergers/tourettes etc so if I say something odd I probably won't mean it in the way its taken and would appreciate you giving me a nudge if I do".....it all depends how prominent it is in your interactions I suppose and how comfortable you would be if someone took you up on your offer! I can't imagine it doing any harm, anyone who reacts with anything apart from respect probably isn't worth giving the time of day to anyway.

    I do think there are some roles that may not lend themselves to someone who isn't NT, just as I think there are certain roles that people who are neurodiverse would outshine those who are NT. e.g. most people I know with creative roles (and are VERY good at what they do, exceptional I'd say) have certain traits that make me think I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn they were neurodiverse, indeed at least 6 out of 10 creatives I know and have worked with are on the spectrum somewhere.

    FWIW I think roles like marketing (sales essentially with a fancier name) are way too corporate and boring and 'normal' for someone who is neurodiverse and can therefore tap into parts of the mind that are usually closed off most of the time to NT's :)
  • I rather just now come out and warn people in advance, especially in the workplace, so there are no undue misunderstandings, misinterpretations and so that certain reasonable allowances can be made for it. People also better understand something that they may sense but cannot cannot quite put their finger on or articulate it in words.
  • André,
    When talking about Einstein being neuro-diverse, beware of falling into the logic error of "all elephants are animals, therefore all animals are elephants"
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