If you are a Human Resources professional, proceed with caution! The HR Department has the right roles but the wrong people in these roles. BNP Paribas is a big proponent of employee mobility—however, insufficient due diligence results in the wrong people mobilizing into other roles—this is catastrophic when these individuals are in leadership roles. All skills are not transferable. Like other professions, Human Resources and its extended branches, from payroll, benefits, recruiting, and compensation, are specialized skills. A stellar performer/decision-maker in one business unit or role does not make a stellar performer/decision-maker for another business unit or role. A company is only as great as its Leaders. There are some great Leaders at BNP Paribas. A Team is only as great as its Leaders—this is where Human Resources is severely lacking. I am an active employee of BNP Paribas. I have been an HR professional for close to twenty years. I've seen it all! For the first time in my career, I filed an EEOC complaint against my employer based on the practices I've witnessed in Human Resources. If promoting the unqualified is going to be the continued practice—it absolutely should not be, but if it is—mandatory leadership coaching should be required when individuals transition into these roles. Human Resources touches every stage of an employee's career cycle. When Human Resources cannot lead by example because of the ineptness of its Leaders, you cannot expect others within the organization to rise to the call of Leadership.
