Harjeet Khanduja Talks About His Journey As An Accomplished HR Professional
He is an alumnus of IIT Roorkee and INSEAD. He is currently working with Reliance Jio.
Talking about Khanduja’s background, he is an SAP HCM consultant, Six Sigma Greet Belt and Assessor for Predictive Index. He has three published patents, and his book “Nothing About Business” has been a best-seller on Amazon.
So, let us first know how Harjeet started his journey as an HR professional. Harjeet initially started as an industrial engineer managing the Tata Sumo assembly line. He worked with workers and changed the layout of the assembly line. He was recognized by none other than Mr. Ratan Tata himself. Then he was transferred to the central Industrial Engineering team, which used to be part of HR. That’s how he landed in HR.
When asked about how Harjeet maintains his work-life balance with so many of professional responsibilities, he answered that “Work-life balance is a mindset”. He stated that work is an integral part of his life. He feels incomplete without his work. Work helps him make a difference in the world he lives in. It gives him the purpose of his existence.
When we asked Harjeet about his diverse roles and the transformative projects he had undertaken, he said he had never put a boundary of a role around him. He feels that limits the ability to accomplish things on the professional front. He likes to work as an owner for any organization he works in. He feels that almost all the assignments he undertakes transform him. He always tries his best to add value to the assignments, both in the short and the long run.
Moving forward, when asked about his biggest challenges as an HR professional, he stated that his biggest challenge is breaking the HR stereotype. He feels that the business models are rapidly changing in the present times. With this ever-changing business environment, people, processes, practices and old rules of engagement are also perpetually changing. So, he feels that as an HR professional, his biggest challenge is to proactively prepare for the future, which is exciting and, at the same time, challenging.
When asked about how the pandemic has affected his professional career positively and negatively, he answered that he could view life through a positive lens throughout the pandemic. He channelized his energy into certain other things like writing, speaking and research. He wrote three books during the pandemic and also spoke at multiple forums. He also filed a patent. So, Harjeet made the best use of time during the pandemic to add value to his life.
This truly is an inspiration to all of us as we see how one can add feathers to his hat even during the trying times of the pandemic.
Lastly, when we asked Harjeet to reveal any vivid experience or a personal story that he can share for inspiring or motivating others in the HR industry or people who want to enter the HR industry, he said that “Help a person. You will feel good.” He believes that helping others will give you an invaluable sense of satisfaction. Once a person starts helping, it grows as a habit. So, he believes that people wanting to help hundreds and thousands of people should either be an HR or an entrepreneur.
We hope you enjoyed reading this conversation with Harjeet Khanduja. We will soon be back with more interviews with renowned HR professionals setting trends in the industry.
