Yet at Pitney Bowes (PB), a mail stream solutions business, where I am VP HR International, that is exactly the opportunity I was given.
In addition to being head of HR for the 28 countries in which we operate outside of the US, in 2005 I was given the task of heading up Pitney Bowes South Africa.
The move is standard practice at PB where, under the leadership review process, managers who have reached a senior level in support functions like HR, finance and IT are given the chance to take on operational roles to gain first-hand experience of what it is like to ‘walk in a line manager's shoes'.
Not every development opportunity is as interesting as the one I had, but they are all designed to achieve two objectives: to give the executive first-hand experience of the demands of generating sales and profit, as well as provide a different perspective to that leadership challenge.
So I found myself in charge of the 52-staff strong business, (made up of sales, service, finance, HR and software solutions staff) and directly in charge of the local gross margin. To say I was plunged straight in to the deep end is underplaying it.
I had to immerse myself in the politics of South Africa; get involved in trying to influence government postal policy; come to terms with cultural differences in a country challenged by AIDS, poverty and racial tension; deal with clients' criticism face-to-face and handle recruitment situations making appointments from limited slates of qualified candidates.
On a day-to-day level being on the operations side was an eye opener. The world of HR can be preoccupied with having a place at the management table but there is no substitute for the sort of experience I gained during this assignment in closing the gap between P&L leaders and colleagues heading up ‘enabling' functions.
Stepping straight off the plane and being taken to our largest mail house customer in Johannesburg, who had concerns with the productivity of our equipment, was part of the learning experience. This customer was entirely unaware of my HR background and therefore rightfully expected that I understood his business, his issues, the importance of our equipment to his business and to have the answers to his problems. The only way to successfully get through this type of encounter is to do one's homework - both in terms of how our company's solutions can help and the customer's operations.
On occasion, the level of criticism from the customer was challenging. I did learn that, in these cases, it proves all the more satisfying when you can turn these situations around. In the example of the large mail house, we put in our own technical experts on site 24/7 to ensure the machines ran as efficiently possible.
PB has strong working relationships with the national postal organisations in the countries in which we operate. In South Africa this proved tricky. When political appointments and dismissals are made at frightening speed it makes it difficult to forge long-lasting relationships. On a number of occasions key influencers of the mailing market in South Africa, simply left to be replaced by a new person with limited or no experience of the industry.
Yet South Africa can be deceiving. It may be a developing country but in many ways it looks just like a first world country. The airports, the European cars and most major hotels are reflective of this. But scratch the surface and you see a country troubled by poverty, AIDS and racial tension. Power cuts are common so PB offices have to have their own electrical generators. Security is a major issue and personal security cannot be dismissed as a non-workplace issue. For example, I had to sign off investment in security cameras and alarm systems for the GM's house given his concerns about break-ins at his home.
It was an immensely fulfilling role. The experience benefited me in many respects, not least, my credibility with my line management colleagues who can no longer accuse me of just being the custodian of the ‘people issues'.
Not every HR professional will have a chance like this, but my advice to those in the HR profession is to grab any opportunity to gain first hand line experience with both hands. It will make your aspirations to be a true business partner that much easier to realise.
David Denney is vice president of international HR at Pitney Bowes
