Interviewer: Mahmoud Mansi
Edited by: Nada Adel Sobhi
“Practicing martial arts: I am a Fighter against an opponent, being an HR employee: I am fighting for the rights of others or best results for the company.”
Nessreen Haidara
About the Interviewee:
Nessreen Haidara, Senior HR Projects Generalist & Assessment Program Specialist at Rita Maselli & Associates. She is a black belt beholder in Karate & she provides her own Karate classes. Nessreen is a learner and she finds passion in linking between martial arts and human resources. She is a dedicated reader as well and she peruses her passion into learning new kinds of martial arts.
THE INTERVIEW
- 1-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: Was it your choice at the beginning to join the HR field? Why do you like this career?
Nessreen Haidara: Actually in the beginning, I began my career as Administrative Assistant for 7 years in my first company. Then we had an internal job posting for an HR Assistant. I applied for the job, with other colleagues, and passed the test with good grades, which prompted the management team to choose me for this position. I found myself as a person in HR because I like dealing with people, helping them solve problems and creating processes, procedures for HR-related areas.
- 2-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: You started as an HR Assistant and now you are a senior. From your point of view, what are the reasons that helped you get promoted?
Nessreen Haidara: While I was an HR Assistant, I was faced with different situations that pushed me to increase my competencies towards solving difficult and challenging problems. This, in turn, allowed me to be promoted from HR assistant to HR specialist. I moved to another company with that background and faced various kinds of new work issues and was able to find solutions using different methods. This helped me get promoted from HR Specialist to HR Senior Generalist/Assessment Program Specialist.
Now, when I face a problem, I take it as challenge and enjoy solving it.
- 3-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: Currently you work in a training organization and you get exposed to many delegates from different fields. What is your analysis regarding Egypt’s trend in HR?
Nessreen Haidara: In some organizations there still exits the old concept of dealing with HR as administration or personnel, old-minded decision makers still resist any change or giving power to HR. In some sectors, they don’t know how to write proper job descriptions; they write it for the person not for the job.
We still need to exert more effort in order to change the mindset of some managers and help them understand the deeper meaning of HR and how HR has a great effect in moving the organizations forward.
- 4-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: You took a lot if HR courses. Which one was the most effective for you and why?
Nessreen Haidara: I believe that practicing HR with no HR background is not enough. You have to study what you are doing to increase knowledge and build good infrastructure. There are many HR certificates that are important for anyone who is working in or has shifted to the HR field.
I had different HR courses; currently I am in the process of having PHRi certificate accredited from HRCI. I consider this a good step for me to enrich my HR knowledge and skills.
- 5-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: You have a black belt in Karate. Do you think there is a connection between Karate as a sport and philosophy with HR?
Nessreen Haidara: I like this question. From my point of view, it is the same philosophy: athletes (players) are like employees in the company. Let’s take the Recruitment Function as an example. The process is the same: looking for (screening) different candidates to fill certain positions in the corporate areas, then interviewing and testing their abilities and skills, then choosing the best for hiring in the company and finally measuring the employee’s performance during the year.
It is the same thing with athletes: searching for (screening) different athletes to fill certain position in a sport, then interviewing, testing their abilities and skills, then choosing the best player to participate in that sport, then measuring the athlete’s performance during the year.
- 6-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: How do martial arts influence you at work as an employee?
Nessreen Haidara: Practicing martial arts: “I am a Fighter against an opponent,” being an HR employee “I am fighting for the rights of others or best results for the company.”
- 7-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: You took the Training of Trainers (TOT) course and you also work as a Karate trainer. Do you apply the training methods of HR on your Karate students? How does HR make you a better Sensei?
Nessreen Haidara: Yes, I do apply it. At the end of the day, it is all “Coaching”. It helps others to improve, develop, and learn new skills, find personal success, achieve aims and manage life changes and personal challenges.
Being involved in HR every day enables me to learn more in different areas, helps me to improve my skills to be a better “Sensei” in terms of dealing with my kids, understanding theirs gaps/needs, using assessments tools like I use in HR and identifying the required training to improve their weak skills.
- 8-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: On the other hand, how can a manager become a Sensei to his/her employees?
Nessreen Haidara: First of all let me clarify the meaning of Sensei. A Sensei is the guide or the experienced master that teaches his kids, giving them his experience – but not to be like him – for better performance at the end of the day. It is the same thing for the manager; he/she should guide, help and train his/her subordinates to better achieve results as well.
- 9-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: You work with Dr. Rita Maselli. What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from her?
Nessreen Haidara: I worked in the HR department of a pharmaceutical company for 4 years and I learnt a lot. At that time, I thought I had enough HR knowledge, but when I moved and worked with Dr. Rita, it was a big change. I learned new things; I had the opportunity to go deeper into HR. I’m so thankful to her. She is not just a leader to me but she is also an inspiration. Her hard work has been my inspiration since I became a member of her staff.
- 10-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: How do you think HR can empower women’s rights at work and in the society?
Nessreen Haidara: All countries should act to empower women and should take steps to eliminate inequalities between men and women. This can be done by:
Establishing ways for women to participate in a more equal manner at all levels of a company.
Bettering education so that they can find jobs that will help them be respected, and have equal pay with men.
In corporate, HR should avoid discriminatory practices by employers against women, such as salary, recruitment discrimination, and promotion.
- 11-HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: You are a member in Global HR Forum, how does this support you as an HR professional?
Nessreen Haidara: It is my pleasure to be member in HR global forum, because it gathers all HR professionals in one group, and gives the opportunity to everyone to learn and practice, while bringing about, communicating, and creating events.
In particular, I had the opportunity to participate in an HR success story competition; it was great experience for me.
- HR Revolution Middle East Magazine: Ms. Nessreen, we are honored to conduct this interview with you, and we are proud of who you are. Thank you for inspiring the world.
