Judge me more by my future than by my past

Premature death rites have occurred before. Truman was prematurely declared the loser before he won the 1948 election. Mark Twain, said “Rumors of my death have been seriously exaggerated.” Huck Finn attended his own funeral. The 1969 New York Mets were deemed vanished prior to their miraculous comeback and World Series victory. Churchill changed political parties but continued to rebound. Phil Nieckro, the great knuckleball pitcher, was continually counted out but kept returning for another year. John Travolta’s career seemed moribund before he reemerged with the leading roles in Pulp Fiction and Phenomenon. Premature deaths occur not only in lifestyles, but in professions. In the field of human resources (HR), death rites have been proclaimed, eulogies written, and funerals prepared for the demise of the HR function. These eulogies are premature. While HR as we know it (with images of policy police, regulators, and administrative guardians) has passed, a new HR is emerging. If HR is to play the more significant role many advocate, then the future will have to be characterized by understanding and mastering nine challenges.