"..be sure to carry a box of tissues, I always did that for my reviews with her.."

"...be sure to carry a box of tissues; I always did for my reviews with her...," said my colleague with a smile.

Let's call this woman "Rani." Rani had been with the firm for many years but hadn't received a promotion. She was one level away from a managerial position and had expressed her desire to move on from her current role to learn and grow elsewhere. I had recently taken on an additional responsibility and needed another team member. My manager asked me if I would consider her, and Rani joined my team.

Six months later, it was time for appraisals. As I left my desk for the meeting room, her former manager, who sat across from me, said the above quote. The meeting went smoothly. We discussed her performance, and then came the question - "What should I do to get promoted to an Assistant Manager? If you can tell me, I will work on it with discipline." 

 

The great thing about HR operations—or any type of operations work—is that the tasks are usually quantifiable and measurable. I set goals for her based on the time-sensitive steps in her work, each of which had a standard operating procedure. I created a simple Excel spreadsheet to track her work weekly. Deviations due to uncontrollable factors were discussed, while controllable ones were noted as areas for improvement. 

Rani, a determined single mother of two, had never finished her degree because of family responsibilities, yet she was a quick learner. Not only did she learn to handle deviations, but she also mastered tracking her work via Excel. She requested to come in two hours later than the usual start time, which I agreed to, knowing she had morning responsibilities. Some evenings, I'd see emails from her late into the night and suggest she stop working, but she always responded that she was just finishing up a few more emails.

Finally, her zest to learn & perform won and she earned a promotion after another six months. This time, in the appraisal meeting, she had moist eyes, not due to sadness but due to the joy of getting the word "manager" in her designation finally. She continued to excel and earned another promotion 24 months later. She was a classic example of someone motivated and willing to put in the effort to achieve her goals, both personal and professional. All she needed was direction and the right tools.

Eventually, I had to move on from the company, and although I never needed to offer her tissues during any of our reviews, her eyes welled up as I left the HR bay for the last time that day. A few years later, I received a WhatsApp message from her: "Hi! Just wanted to share that I completed my graduation. We moved to a bigger house. My daughter is getting married, and my son just started his first job. Please come to the wedding. By the way, we all still miss you here."

That night, I went to bed smiling, and I think that smile lasted all night long and into the next morning.