#1, Behind the Scenes of HR
With Ms. Jisu Lee
Growing up with a strong personality and independent spirit, I had to learn - sometimes the hard way - how to coexist with others without losing my sense of self. Once this balancing act became more natural, I found myself looking beyond my own experiences to those around me. Whether as a friend or in leadership positions, I began wondering how I could help others find their place and thrive in our shared communities, just as I had learned to do.
When it came time to think about my future career, my first thought was clear: I wanted to work with diverse groups of people, communicate effectively, and help others grow through positive influence. While exploring fields that might align with these interests, I was drawn to Human Resources - a department whose very name suggests its focus on the human aspect of organizations. This curiosity led me to an enlightening conversation with Jisu Lee, an HR manager at The Walt Disney Company Korea.
"HR isn't just about managing resources," Ms. Jisu explained, challenging my initial perceptions of the field. "It's about understanding people's potential and creating environments where they can thrive." Her words resonated deeply with my own experiences, helping me understand that what I had been doing informally with peers could translate into a meaningful professional path.
However, the reality of HR work, as Ms. Jisu revealed, involves a delicate balance that I hadn't previously considered. While my peer support efforts could focus solely on individual needs, HR professionals must master the art of dual advocacy. "It's like being a bridge," she explained, describing situations where she had to deliver difficult messages such as when she has to let someone go or handle conflicts between employees while maintaining trust and respect. Her experience handling employee terminations particularly struck me; even in such challenging moments, she emphasized the importance of preserving dignity while upholding company standards. This complexity mirrors my own experiences, albeit on a smaller scale, where I learned that truly helping my ADHD friend meant not just offering support, but also maintaining consistent expectations that would help them grow.
Since HR's role ultimately involves guiding employees toward company goals and values, Ms. Jisu emphasized how crucial it is to work for a company whose mission you genuinely believe in. She shared her experience of leaving a certain company due to misalignment with their treatment with employees. Now at Disney, she feels she can truly believe in what she's doing because Disney's mission to inspire and inform people matches her personal values. When she needs to advocate for company policies or guide employee development, she can do so with authentic conviction because she believes in Disney's vision. This made me realize that finding a company that shares your beliefs about how people should be treated isn't just about personal comfort - it's essential for doing meaningful HR work.
Perhaps the most profound insight from my conversation with Ms. Jisu came through her discussion of personal values in professional settings. As a Christian, instead of trying to evangelize people or judge them, she aims to be someone who makes others think differently about Christianity through her actions."I want people to see something different in how I approach my work," she reflected. When she faced challenges like supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives, she thought deeply about what Jesus would do and decided that showing acceptance and love was the right path. It was really eye-opening to see how she navigates these complex and dilemmic situations as a Christian struggling to balance these issues myself.
The many different roles in HR surprised me too. There's Talent Acquisition for finding the right people, Learning & Development for helping employees grow, and Organizational Development for solving company-wide problems. Ms. Jisu compared L&D work to "giving people vitamins for their potential," which I thought was a neat way of putting it. But what really caught my attention was how she described the challenges HR professionals face. They often receive criticism since they have to balance both company and employee interests, so they need to be emotionally resilient and good at bouncing back from stress. While having good communication skills and maintaining confidentiality are important, Ms. Jisu emphasized that what really matters is having a servant leadership mindset - being someone who helps the organization function better through serving others rather than wielding power. Being an HR professional means being okay with sometimes being unpopular while still maintaining trust and good relationships. She finds it most rewarding when employees tell her "we're fortunate to have you as our HR person," showing that success in HR comes from being authentic and hardworking, not from trying to be liked by everyone.
What I found most encouraging in my conversation with Ms. Jisu was her emphasis on authentic growth over predetermined paths. "Your major doesn't define your HR career," she assured me, citing colleagues from engineering, literature, and various other backgrounds. What matters more, she stressed, is developing core competencies: emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and the ability to build trust across different groups. This insight has helped me see how my own background - from helping peers navigate challenges to understanding different learning styles - could translate into valuable HR skills.
As I near the end of middle school, I've watched many of my friends and seniors plan their future paths, with many choosing STEM fields to keep pace with technological advancements and the rise of AI. While I'm considering STEM as well, I also find myself drawn to humanities and liberal arts, making my career direction less clear-cut. My conversation with Ms. Jisu opened my eyes to new possibilities and helped shift my perspective on career choices.