Happy Birthday, John Clayton Mayer!
Growing up, John Mayer’s music has always been by my side. Holding my hand through a dizzying teenage phase, it has given me company on tough days at work, been my solace in heartbreak, shared my laughter over drinks with friends and been my personal cheerleader, pepping me up before my big days. To celebrate his birthday tonight, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on what some of his songs have taught me about working in Human Resources since the last 3 years.
Scared of the world outside, you should go explore
Pull all the shades and wander the great indoors
The great indoors
‘The Great Indoors’ is from Mayer’s debut album called Room for Squares in 2001. These lyrics have stayed with me because it taught me to value the vast storehouse of knowledge that we possess internally — the insight that sometimes, the most relevant and deployable solutions to organizational issues such as lack of collaboration between teams, or workplace conflict lie with us and not necessarily with external experts. This song is a slow, melodious reminder to pause, and reflect inwards for productive solutions more often than demanding it from the world outside. To look and learn from the issues that plague oneself, one’s team, and one’s own organization — before externalizing and looking at other colleagues, their teams or their organizations is a powerful proposition that HR begins most of its conversations with.
Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open
Say what you need to say, say what you need to say
‘Say’ was written for Rob Reiner’s “The Bucket List” in 2007 and was one of the first commercial singles in Mayer’s career that did not release through his album. It was later re-released in his third album, ‘Continuum’ which holds many beautiful songs that we’ll soon talk about. But ‘Say’ taught me that an essential role of the HR business partner is to stand up for the employees no matter what. That the function upholds honesty across hierarchies and stakeholders, and that its custodians will always say what they need to say, without fear for giving in, or giving over.
Excuse me Mrs. Busybody
Could you pencil me in when you can?
Though we both know that the worst part about this
Is I would be free when you wanted me, if you wanted me.
Mayer covered Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘Lenny’ live in Birmingham while he was touring for Room for Squares in 2002. Aside from the beautiful acoustics in this cover and the heart-breaking lyrics, this song serves as a harsh analogy for most support functions and the painful, one-sided relationship that I’ve seen them harbour with their Line. I’ve been on the receiving end of too many “I’m busy” and “Not today” to count for development discussions that were immensely imperative, but were relegated to the dusty corners of procrastination. ‘Lenny’ has been a reminder to keep pushing and probing stakeholders to make time, and keep building their commitment to developing people through continuous involvement.
I could have met you in a sandbox
I could have passed you on the sidewalk
Could I have missed my chance
And watched you walk away
Oh no way!
Mayer’s ‘Love Song for No One’ is almost an aide-memoire; a nudge that reminds me that people and opportunities will pass us by if we’re not keeping an eye out. The inner recruiter in me found value in that premise when I saw another colleague stumble across an extraordinary profile. He fought tooth and nail with the line manager to interview the person, in spite of having no vacancy at the time. 2 years later, he joined the organization and led its transition into greener pastures.
No, I’m not the man I used to be lately
See, you met me at an interesting time
And if my past is any sign of your future
You should be warned before I let you inside
I couldn’t conclude these thoughts without bringing up ‘Continuum’ again, the album which earned Mayer his first Grammy award for the best pop vocal album in 2006. ‘I don’t trust myself with loving you’ is from this album and this verse in particular is a cue on how volatile I’ve experienced this function to be. The future of work, the growing presence of AI at the workplace and the expansion of workforces to include talent which is both on and off the balance sheet are all forces of pressure that are reshaping and redefining the role of Talent Management and Development. While these are interesting times, one must aptly be warned before getting pulled into the pandemonium.
I have the ringside tickets to this view, but I know Mayer has my back. Happy 42nd Birthday, John Clayton Mayer!