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In Genesis chapters 37 through 50, we see growth in Joseph. He started as a cocky kid, too arrogant for his own good. He didn’t think it was enough to be the favorite of his father—the child who received special treatment and a special coat—the son of Jacob’s old age. He had to rub it in with his brothers. Let’s look at four phases of the Law of Process and how they played out in Joseph’s life:
Phase One: I don’t know what I don’t know.
Everyone starts out in some state of ignorance. I recall coming out of graduate school, ready to take on the world…thinking I was a few years away from running the place! That’s where Joseph began. Just as I didn’t fully understand the experience in front of me, he didn’t understand the dynamics of his family.
The Scripture says that his brothers hated him; and when he described his dream, they hated him more. Joseph’s ignorance cost him more than two decades of alienation from his family.
A few years back, we recognized the need for growth in building relationships—whether you were new to our Human Resources Office or working with a new customer. So, we developed the “Steps to Success for HR Professionals” as pictured below:
Starting out, you establish your reputation in HR through responsiveness and timeliness. For responsiveness, you need to understand customer needs and expectations, and find answers to questions. Often, this requires saying, “I don’t know” then researching the answer and following up. We encourage our HR Specialists to build a reputation for timely work and exceed customer expectations, using the old adage “under-promise and over-deliver.”
Phase Two: I know what I don’t know.
It took a life-changing incident to capture Joseph’s attention and start him on the road to change. Thrust into slavery in Egypt, he began to learn what he didn’t know.
Over the years, Joseph suffered betrayal and learned hard lessons in human nature, relationships, and leadership. The process molded his character, granting him both patience and humility. Eventually, he recognized God as his source of blessing and power.
For HR professionals, the second step to success involves delivering quality products and services and effective communications. We encourage our team members to build a reputation for high-quality work, which involves being error-free with the basics. That way, you earn the trust of your customers. For communications, it’s important to be succinct and clear in writing, e-mails, discussions, and presentations—remembering that less is often better!
Phase Three: I know and I grow and it starts to show.
Leaders who show great skill when opportunities arise, shine only because they’ve paid the price of preparation. When Pharoah finally called Joseph, the young man performed with excellence and great wisdom. He didn’t succeed because he suddenly became good at age 30; he succeeded because he paid the price for 13 years. Joseph’s hard-won wisdom and discernment got him promoted to second in command of what was then the most powerful nation on earth.
Moving to the third step of success for HR professionals, we emphasize customer familiarity and being a team player. Our HR specialists need to know our customers’ business, goals, strengths, and weaknesses. We emphasize that saying “no” should be an exception; instead, we should offer options of what can be done. To be a team player, we emphasize that our team members recognize and respect differences in others and value ideas and contributions from all team members. Ultimately, we want them to have fun and care about the team and the outcomes.
Phase Four: I simply go because of what I know.
During seven years of plenty, Joseph executed his leadership plan with great skill. He filled the cities of Egypt with grain and prepared the country for a famine. While he focused on feeding the people of Egypt, the strength of his leadership allowed him to feed the people of other lands as well. In the process, he brought untold money, livestock, and land into his master’s possession. He also fulfilled the prophecy of his teenage dreams.
In the end, Joseph could trace God’s hand over all the years of his life. And he understood God’s long-term plan for His people, a plan Joseph helped fulfill by growing into the leader God desired him to be.
In the same way, the final Step to Success for HR Professionals is the fun stage. It’s where we offer our talents and creativity proactively for the betterment of the organizations we support. We know the business of the organization and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in our field. We take risks, exploring a wide range of options that lead to valuable recommendations.
We benchmark with state-of-the-art, bringing innovative ideas forward to customers before being asked. We recognize and act on issues before they become problems. If successful, we’re a true partner with our customers.
Now, that’s Out of This World Leadership!