I recently attended a marriage in the family of a HR professional, a friend for decades, where I was pleasantly surprised to watch an incident on the dais. A batch of union leaders from the company he left ten years back were hugging him with joy written all over their faces and wishing him and his family.

I couldn’t believe it as during these days we hardly come across any farewell parties even when the person is leaving the company and here are these persons coming all the way to wish him even ten years after he left them. I couldn’t imagine how he was able to earn and sustain such a long lasting personal credibility and popularity.

I pulled my friend aside and asked him how it is happening… He smiled and said, “Well , to tell you the truth ,I also don’t know it but come to think of it I was just myself…”

His simple reply triggered a few thoughts…

Personal credibility is a building block for trust,Personal Credibility is a quality or a power and capability to elicit belief and make others rally around. Classic example that comes to my mind as to how personal credibility helps is the case from scripture Mahabharat, where Dharmaraj got credibility as a person who never lies and speaks truth only. Hence with that credibility, even when he lied that Aswathama died, every one believed him including Aswathama’s father.

Results of a research study flashed in my mind - -a research by  University of Michigan Business School (HRCS Study) which concluded that among the five factors essential for success of HR professionals of today , their personal credibility is the top most rated competence.

Needless to mention, a HR person with credibility can sell ideas faster, manage changes, respond to crisis quickly and manage it successfully.Personal Credibility enables any HR professional to become intimately involved with the organisation at a strategic level. A HR person not so trusted would invariably be left out of Strategic HR interventions.. Thus it makes him effective or ineffective in his role.

I was also reminded of a book by Sandy Allgeier titled , “The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You’ve Lost It)   (Amazon) where the author presents how does one build personal credibility through simple steps like : Forget Power,Position,Status and other Nonsense; Honor commitments and Avoid Gossip ; Know yourself -Good ,Bad and Ugly…; Respect Others as they are ; .Ask More and Listen More…

All these simple sounding but practical mantras sound good but who is the real internal customer of HR, who can build or dismantle credibility of HR folks ?.

Is it the top management?

or is it the Union Leaders ? or Employees at large ?

or fellow management team? Or fellow HR Team?

Or is the immediate boss ?

And if none of them who else??.

A satisfied and happy internal customer may or may not convey his happiness to his/her friends but a discontented internal customer invariably shares the anger with a lot of his friends. And if all or some of the above cited members are HR’s internal customers, how does a HR Professional balance conflicting interests and expectations from these different internal customers as often they build or dismantle the credibility or image of HR folks.

In absolute terms, probably, HR Fraternity has to set self-defined standards and compete with the same to enhance value through innovative HR interventions as Dr.Santrupt Mishra said in some context (2002) .

While the HR function’s credibility is impacted by its internal customers, may be the HR professional’s personal credibility gets carried along with him/her to which ever company he goes. Where ever he/she moves, his /her personal credibility follows like a shadow or  the Hutch Dog in the ad and some times even the image foreruns before he/she joins the new company.

Hence every HR professional in one’s own interest, build , nurture one’s credibility and guard it by one,s actions.

The HR professional has to

· look at long term interests rather than short term excitements,

· walk the talk, through leading by example,operate not by one’s own power or position but by his expertise as also in this knowledge era only knowledge gets respected not the        position he /she holds

· authentic while meeting the conflicting expectations

· cater to internal customers with genuine service orientation.

My friend’s simple reply, “I was my self” made profound sense.

But the challenge seems to be to establish personal rapport with employees in an environment with increasing out sourcing of HR services ?

-How does any HR professional , avoid alienation from his/her internal customers while attaining benefits of HR Out sourcing like enhanced bottom-line and efficiency in service ?

The author Dr.PVR Murthy,is founder CEO of a leading Search Firm –Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants  and can be reached at pvrmurthy@exclusivesearch.com

Personal Credibility Dr. PVR Murthy