HR MISTAKES BY YOURS TRULY 8

 I have a first degree in Sociology and Anthropology from the best university then in that discipline in Nigeria, the University of Benin, Benin City.

During my undergraduate days, I decided not to earn naira on graduation, so when my course mates were rushing to major in Organizational Behaviour, I opted for Medical Sociology. I equally decided to go on to obtain a Masters Degree in Epidemiology so as to ensure that I work with either WHO or UNICEF where I would be paid in dollars.

However, my university of choice was then being shut every other three months. This was against another decision of yours truly that I shall not spend more than 12 months for the masters program.

At this point, I changed my mind to study Industrial Relations and Personnel Management at the best University then in that discipline in Nigeria, the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos.

This major shift brought yours truly into a profession that it's major tenants contradict my major attitudes to life.

Some of these attitudes are:-

- Integrity vs Rigidity.

- Truthfulness vs Inability to play politics.

- Speaking truth to authority vs the boss is always right.

- Being forthright vs lack of diplomacy.

- Capacity to speak one's mind vs Saltless language.

- Being sold to HR function vs Admin function.

- Acquiring applicable knowledge at work vs Acquiring inapplicable knowledge at work.

- Practical experience vs Theoretical pontifications.

- Informed position vs Following the crowd 

- The rule vs Exception to the rule.

- Meritocracy vs Nepotism.

- How well vs How long.

The Mother of all HR MISTAKES by yours truly is going into the HR Profession by obtaining a Masters degree in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management instead of a Masters degree in Epidemiology.

However, all was not lost because somewhere in practice, I prayed a prayer that was prayed by King Solomon and God answered yours truly. This prayer is found in Proverbs 30:8-9.

In the next two to three months, I shall be Reacting to posts by other HR Professionals,  again because I agree with King Solomon that there is nothing new under the sun. After about 25 years in this HR Profession, there is nothing anybody would post that I would not have experienced. The exceptions I see are Aping and Infantile postulations.

What I can tell you without apologies is that Newton's Third Law of Motion is not applicable to HR.

Finally, nothing being new under the sun, I rely on King Solomon in Ecclesiastics 1:9-10. In the book of Genesis, God remains the first person to deplore Air - to - Surface - Missiles ( ASMs).