This is the ‘easy listening’ version of a HR text: lots of personal stories from the author, written authentically and from the heart. But whilst it seems initially to be little too saccharin sweet, read on – it gets very interesting.
Sartain is bold. She challenges a lot of HR mental models, and asks why HR has an obsession with sitting at the executive table, reporting to the CEO, and queries why the profession has a need to label everything with tiresome buzzwords. Her experience as a senior HR professional (VP HR for Yahoo! and Southwest Airlines) gives her a lot of clout and the book is worth a read. It isn’t a how to, toolkit or a practical guide. But it will challenge the way readers think.
Some HR practitioners will embrace this text, with its emphasis on ditching strategy and trying to be a tough executive and instead focusing on simply finding great people and strengthening the company culture. She is very convincing in her argument that this approach will deliver the accolades at a senior level, contribute to the bottom line and of course, earn HR a seat on the board.
This bookis about reflecting on your own HR career and taking charge of it. The best line from the book: “If the best thing a potential employer can say about their company is ‘People are our best assets,’move on – quickly.”
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