I bring it up because the first article spoke about actions speaking louder than words. This adage still holds despite all the years. HR professionals must identify what we want to be known and then demonstrate that with our actions. It’s not difficult to do this on your own.
Kris Dunn is the author of a new book, The 9 Faces Of HR: A Disruptor’s Guide to Mastering Innovations and Driving Real Change. This book provides a detailed look at career development for human resource professionals. This is something that I doubt we spend too much time on because we are so busy caring for everyone else in the company. Kris agreed to share his thoughts with me.
The book was written in the 9 Faces of Human Resources because I felt that the HR world needed a career guidebook. Change is the only constant in our world of work. We have forgotten to look after ourselves in HR because we are eager to help others navigate environments of massive change.
These days, the world is moving very fast. My network includes HR professionals at all levels impacted by the change. They could have avoided layoffs and built stronger relationships within their organization if they had been more aware of the messages they sent about innovation and change.
Second, I wanted to create a more entertaining book than HR books. It was fun to create The 9 Faces, and I hope readers find it informative and entertaining.
You know how I came up with the names. I looked around and decided on what to call people who have very specific worldviews. The faces are familiar to most people because they have seen them before in HR. Everybody knows the names of the Cop’, Judge’, and ‘Assassin’. Although I had to think about the names of others, I believe I came up with names that give the reader an idea of the person/persona I’m looking at.
You could have named me independently, and there’s a good possibility that 3 to 4 of the 9 names will be the same. These characteristics are well-known in HR.
[Dunn] The book has good instructions and is quite easy.
- You can find a behavioral assessment that you can access, preferably one with a cognitive component, and then go through it.
- After you have completed the task, find your cognitive, assertive, rules orientation, and detail orientation scores and then browse the chapters detailing each of the 9 Faces.
- You can find the profile that best suits you, cross-reference to confirm your career level, and voilà!
I can also place anyone who purchases the book through our house evaluation platform. We will share the results with you and read about which person that is.
[Dunn] The key is to use your knowledge/self-awareness of your persona to understand your natural state and the signals you put off. After you have read the book and understood that organizations open to change (who don’t want change) would be more successful. Every day is a test. Others constantly evaluate you to see if you are fast enough, creative, etc. Similar – Find a way to say “yes” more even when you don’t want to.
[Dunn] Many HR leaders have already purchased the book to give their teams. Most of them are running their own book clubs, regardless of whether they realize it. Buy the book, have your team go through 3-4 chapters, then bring it up for discussion.
- What were they interested in?
- What is BS?
Early reports indicate that this type of open-ended session can be quite dynamic. It also encourages HR staff members to think about how clients view them.
As you mentioned, HR professionals are drawn to the book’s title and cover. Everybody wants to know their face and the faces of the people they love and hate in HR.
We are grateful to Kris for sharing his knowledge and experiences with us. After reading this interview, I’m sure you will want to purchase “The 9 Faces of HR”.
The main takeaway from “The 9 Faces of HR” is that we must remember that professional development is crucial for HR professionals. We must hire, retain, and engage the best people to ensure our organizations succeed. This means having an effective HR function.