Once upon a time, in a small village, there was a mental asylum — home to many individuals undergoing treatment. (Let’s pause and remind ourselves: a madman is someone who repeats the same actions expecting different results… sound familiar in some annual HR reviews?)
One fine day, a sharp and inquisitive inspector visited the asylum. As he walked around, observing the patients, one peculiar individual caught his eye — he was furiously scribbling something.
Curious, the inspector approached him and asked, “Hey, what are you writing so seriously?”
The man looked up and said, “A letter.”
“Oh? And who’s it for?” the inspector inquired. The man smiled and replied, “To myself!”
Now half amused, the inspector chuckled and asked, “And what did you write in it?”
The man paused, smiled sheepishly, and whispered, “I don’t know yet, sir… I haven’t received it.”
How often do we roll out the same training, the same policy communication, or the same engagement survey — waiting for different results each year? Let’s be honest: we’re sometimes writing letters to ourselves, hoping for magic.
HR professionals see it all, know a lot, and speak very little. In the name of confidentiality, we hold on to information so tightly that even we forget the weight of it — until it begins affecting us, our credibility, and our people strategy.
Just like the patient waiting for a letter he wrote himself, not knowing what has been written in the letter.
