Adarsh mishra (chro, panasonic) wants hr professionals to be always ready to give solutions to their stakeholders
How, where and when did you start your career, specifically in HR?
I started my professional career as Management Trainee – Human Resources with Jindal Steel and Power, based out of Raigarh.
Why did you choose HR as your professional field?
I grew up with a cosmopolitan and diverse culture at the Tata Iron and Steel company. At a very early age, I realized that I could get along well with people, and my strength was to connect with them. I was fascinated by the work the Personnel & HR department was doing at one of India’s largest open cast iron ore mines. My father wanted me to follow his footsteps and study Mining Engineering, but I chose Personnel & HR, as I wanted to work for people’s wellbeing and make a difference in their lives.
Could you briefly describe the initial years of your career – what were the challenges you faced, the areas you enjoyed the most, the lessons learnt during the initial years?
When my career began, Jindal Steel and Power was in a mega expansion mode, looking to expand in core business areas like setting up power plants, rail mills, blast furnaces, and so on. The top HR agenda was land acquisition, recruiting the right talent, and building a sustainable learning environment in the organization. I consider myself very fortunate, as I was asked to work for and assist some of the most demanding professionals during the initial days of my career. My job required 12- 14 hours of rigorous engagement every day at that time. Apart from my regular HR tasks, I was engaged in other key projects which helped me learn the different aspects of the business, which I still cherish. The best lesson learnt during the initial period was that one should always be optimistic, and choose an organization with a demanding culture and challenging assignments as the first job, because it is the initial experience which sets the tone for the rest of a professional’s career.
What would you describe as the highest point of your HR career? A.During my 13 year long stint with LG Electronics, I was lucky enough to work with some of the top professionals of the industry. When I moved from the power and steel sector to the consumer durables industry, I found the work environment and management’s expectations very similar to my first job, which helped me settle down faster than my colleagues.
The company was growing rapidly in the Indian market and aggressively launching products like TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens, compressors, etc. The company had set an internal target of becoming the number one consumer durables brand in the country within five years of its inception, and the HR team was faced with the herculean task of opening sales offices across the country, and acquiring suitable people in the areas of research and development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and support functions. During the late 90’s, the industry was evolving, and there was an acute shortage of talent. Hence, the biggest challenge was recruiting and retaining competent employees.
The second task was to build a performance driven culture with focus on innovation, supported by reward and recognition for individual and team contributors.
This could be possible only with the right systems and processes in place. Various projects like Six Sigma, Tear Down Reengineering projects (TDR’s), 5S, Change Agents and Joyful Working were launched. It was ensured that each and every member of the team was engaged in some project or the other and contributed towards reaching the organization’s goals. We were successful in creating a unique, and innovation based, culture in the organization. The strong cultural foundation laid by the HR team was helpful in fulfilling the organization’s vision of reaching the top of the industry by 2003.\
The most memorable event of my career was building a robust talent pipeline and bringing attrition down to an all time low of six per cent in 2008–2009, thanks to the successful execution of our talent retention strategy.
How did this achievement transform you personally and professionally?
My experience of working in a challenging environment has given me lot of confidence in my abilities, and an understanding of the various aspects of the business. The cultural diversity I was exposed to has helped me work with different sets of people, and understand and handle complex situations better. It has also taught me the importance of an eye for detail while executing projects.
What advice would you like to give HR practitioners of this generation?
An HR professional needs to associate closely with the business, and build on their business acumen to meet the CEO’s expectations. They should be ready to experiment with new ideas, and inculcate a culture of innovation. Most importantly, they should lead from the front. Always be available and give solutions to all your stake holders. This will bring acceptance and credibility to an HR professional in the organization.
