The Innovation Formula

INTRODUCTION

My very first ‘adult' job — and by ‘adult' job I mean that it was not the one that involved dressing up as a witch waitress at Witches in Britches, or the job sewing hats for a local clothing store, or the job singing and playing guitar for people who had consumed a few too many beers in pubs — was as the human resources manager (HRM) for an Australian security firm. I was in the final stages of completing my doctoral thesis in organisational psychology and was excited to enter the world of full-time office working.

I knew little about the security industry (which was probably a good thing, as I am not sure I would have accepted the job if I had known more), but I knew a lot about human resources and the ‘people' side of work from all my studies. I was (naively) ready to transform this security firm into the best place to work in Australia. The last HRM had resigned — I didn't ask why — and my first priority was to recruit as many top-quality security guards as I could, as quickly as possible. There was no shortage of work, but there was a shortage of good staff.

My days were mostly spent in interviews with potential security personnel. I would ask them a series of questions, evaluate their answers, and then make a recommendation to management as to whether we should hire them. Someone from the management team would then conduct a final interview and make a decision.

I was enjoying my job, although it was a little repetitive with such a big focus on recruitment. ...