One Journey - Two Decades -Hundreds of Stories

Yesterday, I completed 20 years in Human Resources.

All these years as an HR, one thing I always did was to make notes of my daily tasks in a dairy and kept it as a memoir.

As I scanned through these dairies today, I sensed nostalgic of the stories it holds.

I entered this profession thinking HR was about people, policies and processes. What I didn’t realise that time was, I will be part of many stories.

Stories of people who joined as young professionals and went on to become managers and leaders, going places and yes, proud of their achievements.

Stories of people who needed someone to believe in them and support in their difficult time.

Stories of difficult conversations that changed perspectives of mine and theirs, building the empathetic way of working, together.

Stories of teams built from scratch and also stories of team dissolved to be rebuilt later, stronger.

Stories of organisations transforming, businesses changing, mergers happening and people finding their way through uncertainty.

When I look back, I don’t just see organisations, roles, titles, promotions or projects. I see thousands of faces, countless conversations, friendships, challenges, failures, victories and lessons.

I have had the privilege of meeting some truly wonderful people along the way — leaders who shaped me, colleagues who became friends, mentors who showed me the way, and team members who supported at every given situations and many others who taught me things no textbook ever could.

I have hired people as a Recruiter, built teams as a Business Partner, handled difficult situations in Governance, navigated transformations, worked through Mergers and Transitions, and stood beside people during some of the most important moments of their careers.

Perhaps the most fulfilling part of these 20 years has been knowing that somewhere along the way, I was able to change the trajectory of a few people's careers and lives — sometimes through an opportunity, sometimes through a conversation, sometimes simply by believing in them and many times standing behind them (without their knowledge, till date) vouching with leaders to trust those individuals and proving I was right, they flourished.

There were moments of pride, moments of disappointment, moments I questioned, and moments that drained the energy out.

The greatest measure of an HR career isn't the number of positions held, but the number of people whose journey became a little better because you were part of it.

Grateful for every person I met, for every lesson learnt, for every opportunity. Grateful even for the difficult chapters — they shaped me the most.

Over these, I have had the privilege of meeting thousands of people — some stayed for years, some crossed my path briefly, and some became lifelong acquaintances.

I have also had my share of setbacks, disappointments, difficult decisions and moments when I wondered whether I was on the right path.

But every chapter — the good, the difficult, the unexpected — shaped this journey in its own way.

Looking back, I don't measure these two decades by designations, promotions or numbers.

I measure them by people, by the solutions I gave and some of the relationships I built, most important, by the people who still call, message or remember our work, years later.

That, to me, is the real reward of an HR career.

In this journey, I have changed organisations and roles, I have learned and stumbled. Grown and believe helped others grow, in whatever little way I could help.

But one thing has never changed — I still believe in the power of people, power of self-belief and the power of human intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence.

To everyone who has been a part of these 20 years — leaders, mentors, colleagues, team members, friends, associates, vendors, candidates and countless people - Thank you.

You were not just part of my career - You were my career.

A thousand memories made. And hopefully, many more chapters to write one day - The HR Stories

Here's to the next chapter —with more persistence.