HR people are forever putting themselves in a hole from which they can’t extricate themselves. They are accepting “mission impossible” from line clients, but they don’t have the option to refuse the assignment and the tape never self-destructs.
For example, no one should be “tasked” (another word which causes nausea on contact) with the responsibility to make screening decisions without clear criteria. I find HR people all the time who are “tasked” to screen consultants, or filter venders, or narrow down requests for resources. But how can you do that without criteria for the filter? Too often it’s done with smoke, mirrors, and biases.
It’s valid for an executive who needs, say, a coach to ask HR to narrow down the candidates, but it’s the boss’s job—both from a fiduciary and ethical standpoint—to personally choose from among the final small group, and not be faced with simply a sole alternative. Further, the boss should make clear what the conditions for screening are, e.g., work in the industry, five checked references from happy clients, a degree in psychology, etc. It’s fine for HR to contribute to the criteria and of added value to do so, but the executive must buy-in to the objective assessment. (And, in my example, the failure to do this is why there are so many “coaches” employed who know nothing other than how to have a business card with “coach” printed on it. No one is sure what to look for.)
The next time you’re “tasked” to do some screening, ask the executives if their own tasks have been fulfilled: setting the criteria, providing time for several finalists, making the ultimate decision, and debriefing with HR on the process and how to improve it next time.
If we’re true partners, then tasks must be shared.

© Alan Weiss 2002 All rights reserved.

Alan Weiss, Ph.D., CMC is the author of 16 books, including the seminal Million Dollar Consulting (McGraw-Hill) and his newest, The Ultimate Consultant (Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer). You can reach him at Alan@summitconsulting.com. Visit his web site, http://www.summitconsulting.com to subscribe to his free monthly newsletter, Balancing Act: Blending Life, Work, and Relationships.