Changing Focus

While the Dawson ship was sinking, I jumped ship and went to Automatic Data Processing or ADP. My wife worked there and suggested that I interview.

At the end of my run at Dawson, I came to the realization that I didn't really like working in human resources. In school, we were taught that HR could be a strategic business partner, helping organizations manage talent, navigate re-engineering initiatives, and manage compensation and benefits to give an organization a competitive advantage. All cool stuff. In the real world - or at least in my real world - HR was still the company police, enforcing rules, coordinating terminations, handing out forms and, of course, organizing the company picnic. In most cases, HR served in a capacity tangential to the core business. And, if you remember, my initial motivation to work in HR was to help people: well, in most organizations, when HR isn't done right, HR doesn't really help people...it just annoys them. But there was one part of HR that interested me: information systems. In graduate school, and then at Samsung and Dawson, I gravitated toward the systems that stored the HR information. I liked that the information was organized and logical.

ADP was (and still is) a multi-billion dollar company that offers payroll, benefits, and human resources systems outsourcing services. The HR stuff was fairly new to ADP, so I thought the job was an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. At first, I was disappointed: I was essentially assigned to payroll implementations. After two weeks, I almost quit. But I stuck it out and after a year, I was assigned to a small national team (10 people) that was tasked with leading the rollout and implementation of a brand new HR system. It was one of the most exciting times of my life. Within a couple of years, I had become an expert. I was asked to build a technical support team for our regional center. My first hire was Joe. A great guy and a brilliant technician. We were always trying new stuff and often figuring things out as we went along. During that time, I looked forward to going to work everyday. That's rare. Also during that time, the Lord blessed our home with children and income. My wife had stopped working when the kids came, so we were down to one income. But at ADP, I received generous raises and bonuses, and was making enough to support my family. I didn't think I would ever be able to make such a good living.

Eventually though, the job changed. I was a manager now, supervising nine people as part of a helpdesk service. We had to be concerned about metrics and numbers...and I wasn't. I felt like it was time to move on. I interviewed at a couple of places, but nothing came of those opportunities. I was offered a job at Rutgers University doing fund-raising. I passed on it; it didn't seem right.

A couple of months later, I received a call from an old friend, a call that would radically change the direction of my career.