Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Your HR Ally: Kickstart Your Human Resources Career by Melissa Hume. This blog tour was organized by Lola's Blog Tours. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!
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Author: Melissa Hume
Publisher: Aurora House
Publication Date: August 16th 2021
Print Length: 314 pages
Genre: Non-fiction, Business
Genre: Non-fiction, Business
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Get started with a bang!
Are you ready to kickstart your HR career?
Your HR Ally is specifically written for those eager to prove their worth in the first few years of their HR career, or anyone looking to understand human resources practices. This book will provide you with a comprehensive insight into the important pillars of HR, starting from the very beginning of the employee life cycle—recruitment—to the cessation of employment and beyond. Addressing topics authors have traditionally avoided, such as corporate politics and internal tensions that can arise from being a HR practitioner, Your HR Ally will teach you how to become a proficient player in an organisation’s political arena and kickstart your HR career into success.
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EXCERPT:
Business Politics
So, I have left the best chapter until last. This chapter is all about
learning how to navigate the wonders of corporate politics…
and I say “the wonders” sarcastically. It is an unfortunate fact
of life that in HR or any profession in a corporate environment,
you are going to face the unpleasantness of corporate politics.
I personally loathe getting involved in corporate politics.
In the first few years of my career, I was naïve and had no
inclination on how to deal with corporate politics, or even the
basics for that matter. I was even unsure on how to approach
a situation with my direct manager when I disagreed with
their point of view. Any feedback I was given I took to heart,
and I was easily influenced by older and more mature players
in the corporate game. I felt lost and not in control of my
own career path. I actively rejected getting involved or taking
sides in any political drama and tried to stay as neutral as
possible.
By reflecting on my own experiences, I made a lot of
mistakes. It was only from observing the behaviours of others
that I built my own political savviness. It is my ambition that by
you reading this chapter, you can avoid having to make as many
mistakes as I did and learn from my blunders.
The way I view corporate politics, and as it was explained
to me by a seasoned professional, it is like an ancient Roman
court. Imagine a bunch of people dressed up in white togas,
discussing their opinions and stating arguments that suit
their agendas. Alliances are formed and people make plans
to take down their enemies, whether it is in a subtle way or
more explicitly like what happened to Julius Caesar. Before
you know it, people around you have changed sides and are
the ones digging the figurative knives into your back. It is a
colourful analogy, isn’t it?
Well, this is what it can be like working in a corporate
environment. As you rise the corporate ranks, the stakes become
higher, and, without your own initiation of these behaviours,
you will find yourself stuck in the middle of the political
drama. As your career progresses to a senior management
level, you will be forced to deal with more seasoned politicians
with established alliances and relationships in the business. The
purpose of this analogy is not to frighten you, but to make
you aware of how barbaric some people can act when trying
to gain a career promotion or safeguard their future in the
business. Not everyone who is involved in the political game
is vicious and will switch alliances to suit their agendas. Some
players are loyal while ambitious and will make more behind
the scene moves. This is the unfortunate reality of working
life. Some organisations have healthy cultures and supportive
colleagues, and other businesses foster competitiveness and
a culture where you do anything you can to benefit yourself
and only yourself. So, what can you do to survive the political
nightmare? The first lesson I had to master was the art of
managing upwards.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melissa Hume is a Sydney-based HR professional with over ten years of experience in the field. She noticed a lack of Australian resources available to support those in the beginning stages of their careers and was inspired to author her first book Career Guidance for Now and for the Future – a practical guide to help you understand how companies recruit and select candidates. Your HR Ally is Melissa’s second book.
As a HR Excellence Awardee in 2021 and the founder of Career Guidance Now, Melissa is continually taking her career to new heights. She has a number of qualifications including a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree majoring in Psychology.
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