True story.
Sometimes, we just have to be shown in a different way.
Back in the early 1990’s when I was taking a test prep class for professional HR certification; there was an elderly woman in the class who was unhappy, curmudgeonly even. She didn’t understand the reason for the section of the course that dealt with technology. She was so incensed, she couldn’t take it anymore. She raised her hand and said,
“I can type a letter faster and better than any of my subordinates with a regular standard basic IBM Selectric Typewriter. These computers seem to do nothing but crash!”
The rest of us looked at each other not knowing what to say. We were certainly not going to challenge her.
A young guy named Kevin smiled at her and the instructor. He began to speak. Still smiling, not missing a beat he assured her, “you can probably type twenty mistake-free letters before I completed my first paragraph!!” The class laughed.
The elderly student smiled.
Kevin went on to explain, “But once I finish my letter, I can actually tell the computer to generate hundreds, even thousands of similar letters, address them and their envelopes within seconds after typing them. I could even “mail” the letters without spending money on postage and the recipients can get them within seconds from the time I press just one key. This is the value of computers. This is why we study this module.”
The seasoned professional smiled some more. This time she nodded, too. She got it. So did we: Kevin was a computer salesman.
Rue Dooley, SHRM-SCP has been an HR Knowledge Advisor for SHRM for over 20 years and has plenty of HR experience as a practitioner and consultant. Rue has daily direct contact with HR professionals around the world, helping them to create solutions, to improve systems, and to find and use resources that improve the delivery of the HR function. Rue has authored and co-authored numerous articles on a variety of subjects; conducted webcasts and podcasts; created videos, and has been quoted in various media outlets.
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