Choosing people over personnel

Not long ago, I met with a new MBA student, at the very start of her program, who was having an identity crisis. It was job-related, and so much of our identity tends to be intertwined with our work. This was her situation:

She was working in her firm’s Human Resources department and dealing extensively with their sales team. Through this work, she had a revelation: she really loved interacting with her sales team, love the work they did, loved how they went about their jobs. She felt like part of that team more than part of her HR department.

Many of us have roles that overlap different departments and functions, straddling that line. But her title still included human resources.

This happened to me too. I started my MBA program with a concentration In HR management, and my internship was in what was then called the Personnel Department. I soon realized that the work I did was really marketing… marketing the company to outsiders. I added the marketing concentration to my program and never looked back… I made some very sharp turns, but never looked back.

Do what you love. Work with people you enjoy being with. Don’t let your title define you. Know that you have more skills than you think.

What do you think?

See you tomorrow.