HR Dilemma: Is Being Straightforward a Hindrance to Success in Our Field?

Dear Seniors, in my 5-year career as an HR professional, on many occasions, my seniors and colleagues have told me that I am straightforward, and that's not suitable for the HR field. They suggest I need to be diplomatic to be successful. How true is this?

Regards, Sudha

Dear Sudha,

Whether one is an HR functionary or otherwise, one has to be diplomatic anyway.

A straightforward person:

a) Tells the truth, whether the other person likes it or not.
b) Says "yes" or "no" upfront.
c) Does not camouflage his/her feelings.
d) Does not sugarcoat his/her words.

In contrast, a diplomatic person does the same job with a little nicety. A diplomatic person:

a) Uses interpersonal skills to the core.
b) Does not show a mirror to the other person if it is not called for.
c) Does not speak about others' weaknesses unnecessarily.
d) Does not tell the truth if it is not required. He/she follows the following Sanskrit shloka:

"सत्यं ब्रूयात् प्रियं ब्रूयात् न ब्रूयात् सत्यं अप्रियम्,
प्रियं च नानृतं ब्रूयादेष धर्मः सनातनः।"

- Manusmriti, Verse 4.138

Meaning: One must speak truthfully and dearly, but not speaking unpleasant truth and not speaking dear untruth is "Sanatana Dharma."

Qualities of a Diplomatic Person:

A diplomatic person sometimes ensures that things are done without saying anything. Otherwise, a diplomatic person ensures that someone else speaks what he/she wants to say. However, being diplomatic does not mean being submissive. Being diplomatic requires being assertive or having great control over emotions.

An Example of being Straightforward and being Diplomatic:

A manager joins newly. He does not like the internal environment. He finds that work slows down because of the lack of basic facilities. After a few weeks, his senior asks how he feels to be in the company. Following are the replies for each category:

A Straightforward Manager: Sometimes it is boring to work here as even basic facilities are not provided.

A Diplomatic Manager: Hygienic factors have not allowed my motivation to get hit.

Living a Life of Values and Principles:

When one is diplomatic or a straightforward person, one must live a life of values and principles. Being diplomatic need not mean doing a trade-off with the values. Of course, it is also a challenge, but one has to live with it.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Thank you very much for your clear explanation. I truly appreciate your answer.

In my organization, there have been times when I was forced to handle situations diplomatically, and employees have felt that being straightforward with the truth would have been better. I understand that depending on the situation, I may need to be either straightforward or diplomatic.

Regards,
Sudha

Sharing of information “to be diplomatic or to be successful.”

My life experience, when I was an HR Manager for a big group (a ‘small fish in a big pond’) with multi-state locations. As many of you are aware, in our old system, whenever any General Manager was posted on transfer from one state to another, the first thing was that certain positions, including HR functions, would be revamped to his personal choices. Preferably, his favorites would be transferred or relocated from his earlier location.

I was caught in one such situation. One fine morning, the new General Manager called me to his cabin and asked me to find a way to generate one lakh revenue for the Ladies Club on an urgent basis. The Ladies Club was active in that residential colony, and the wife of the General Manager was nominated as the new President.

I knew for certain that if I said it was not possible, I would either be out of employment or transferred to another remote place. I took 24 hours to reply, came back to my office, and thought about it for more than 6 hours. Finally, I contacted a few external advertisement agencies.

The next day, exactly after 24 hours, I reported to the young, energetic General Manager in his cabin and boldly said that I could generate one lakh fund directly for the Ladies Club, subject to the management extending permission to fix advertisement hoardings by two external agencies inside the space adjoining the colony area, on a 12-month lease basis, facing the national highway.

The result was fantastic and memorable. Not only did the General Manager get out of his chair to hug and lift me, but an invitation was also extended to the Head Office/Corporate Office in Bombay, with gifts and promotions for the recognition of creative ideas. The same idea was later suggested to all group works.

We are taught to call a spade a spade, but later life has taught us to be milder and more diplomatic. In trying to be diplomatic, one shall not be Machiavellian. Be true to your words, try to fulfill all commitments made, and in case you encounter a problem, take the initiative and inform the other party before they check on the progress. Remember that credibility matters a lot in the HR field; perceptions can make or break a person, especially for an HR professional who should be seen as reliable.

Dear Colleague,

Very great and valuable insights have been given by our colleagues for your query.

The dilemma faced by HR professionals

At least 6 out of 10 HR professionals will encounter such a dilemma in their careers. It's a very good point to discuss. HR, being a profession that deals with people, must be handled in a way that creates a win-win situation between different segments. In this case, the HR professional has to create their own style and have their own brand. As you have been in the field for around 5 years, soon you will have your own brand that you never compromise. Be honest as you are now and never compromise for the benefit of a few reasons. BE YOURSELF AND HAVE YOUR REAL IMAGE.

Establishing your brand

No one—employees, managers, unions, government officials, management—will dare to bend you for any of their desires when they understand that your brand is this. To establish this, you need to demonstrate that you are like this and that you will not compromise your basic values and qualities.

There may be a few ups and downs in your career, but at the end of your career, you will have a lot of satisfaction and pride. Be yourself. You can be tactful in your profession without compromising your good qualities and value system, but for the overall benefit of the organization, business, and the wellness of employees.

So be TACTFUL without compromising your VALUE SYSTEM. Practice this and create your OWN BRAND. God bless.

In addition to the above posts, you may find this presentation helpful.

The Art of Diplomacy

I think being diplomatic is an art and skill, and if we work on it, we can develop it over a period of time.

All the best.

It's all about discovering new ways of calling a spade a spade. In order to convey something, one has to be very careful about tweaking the message without diluting it.

Hope these two lines help.

Regards, Amol Nakve

Dear Sudha,

First, you need to understand that being straightforward does not mean being rude. It means that you tell the truth. If you do it while empathizing with the people involved or affected, you will probably do well. In some cases, you have no option but to follow a particular path; you need to be able to tell that also truthfully. That is being straightforward.

In contrast, being diplomatic does not mean you need to lie or avoid telling the truth or hiding a fact. It actually means that you need to be tactful. Where possible, instead of telling a harsh reality, if you can find another way to convey the same without hiding the fact or compromising on your duty, that is an important HR skill.

A very basic example: If you have someone who will lose his job if he is not punctual, you can either call him and tell him he will be fired, or you can call him and discuss his lack of punctuality and how it affects work, organization, discipline, and rules. At the same time, you need to be clear to him that he needs to improve and warn him that if improvements are not visible, soon the management is likely to terminate his services.

In the above case, you are being diplomatic as well as straightforward. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Hello Sudha, No, HRs do not need to be fully diplomatic or straightforward to be successful. Truth be told, you should have the right balance of a diplomatic and straightforward attitude. Now, it completely depends on the situation/problem you have to deal with. While some situations can be easily solved by being a diplomat, others can be resolved with straightforward reactions.

Qualities to Ace Your Profession

All that said, you should also have the following qualities to ace your profession:

- Sympathetic attitude
- Quick decision-making skill
- Integrity
- Utmost patience
- Formal tone
- Socially responsible
- Good communication skills

For instance, HR professionals in HROne make sure to be as responsive as possible to their employees. They listen to every trivial problem faced by their employees and understand them. This, in turn, allows the company to easily keep their employees engaged and satisfied along the way.

Hope this answer helps you.

The Importance of Balance in HR

Remember, straight trees are cut first, and straightforward people are scrutinized first. It is a matter of situations—how, where, and when you choose to use your diplomatic or straightforward approach. Balance, responsibility, and discipline serve as good guideposts for achieving prosperity and success in any walk of life. The HR job is based on psychology, intelligence, common sense, and emotional intelligence.