Joe Biden told a group of human-resources professionals Wednesday that the president of the U.S. is in a sense the nation’s chief people officer before passing on leadership lessons he gleaned throughout his decades-long career in Washington.
Speaking in San Diego to members of the Society for Human Resource Management at the trade group’s annual conference, the former commander-in-chief emphasized the importance for leaders to treat all employees with respect.
‘Leadership is all about getting personal’
“A job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity,” Biden said, referring to a lesson he received early in life from his father. “And that lesson has guided my whole career,” he added.
The former president also stressed that leaders should recognize that family matters to employees — and to encourage employees to not be afraid to take time off from work to meet family obligations.
“Too often we try to separate people into categories of their work and their family. We say it’s business, it’s not personal,” Biden told the audience. “Leadership is all about getting personal. … It’s about connecting. It means having empathy.”
When he was vice president, Biden said he sent a memo to White House staff to make sure they knew where he stood on the matter. In the memo he encouraged them to prioritize important dates in their loved one’s lives such as birthdays, weddings, and graduations over work. And he said he’d be disappointed if they didn’t heed his message.
Biden acknowledged that it can be hard for people to set aside work.
“We tell ourselves, ‘I have to be at that meeting. I have to get that report done. I have to take that trip,’ ” he said.
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But Biden, who lost his first wife and daughter in a car accident in 1972, emphasized that this kind of thinking can be a mistake.
“There are moments you’ll never get back,” he said.
‘Keep helping people get back up’
Later, Biden argued that leadership is about sharing credit, giving recognition, and being willing to risk losing your job if it means doing the right thing.
“At some point in our lives, in ways large and small, all of us are called upon to show bravery,” he said.
Biden closed out his remarks by encouraging the audience of HR professionals to continue to be strong leaders, because they are the ones who shape the workplace.
“Keep seeing everyone’s value. Keep helping people get back up when they get knocked down. Be brave when bravery’s called for,” he said. “This is the kind of leadership you need right now. That’s how we build a strong workplace, a strong economy, a strong nation.”
