Mehta on the Map - Tracing the Human Side of HR

In talent and OD work, most people notice the final outcome — a smooth assessment center, a well-run workshop, a report that captures someone’s leadership story. But what often goes unseen is the quiet craft behind it, the slow and patient work that makes all of it possible. A lot of my day doesn’t look dramatic. It looks like sorting through behavioral data, aligning indicators, checking whether the exercises reflect real work, and making sure the systems we build aren’t just accurate, but fair. It looks like conversations with clients where they explain what’s not working in their teams, and I try to translate that into something structured without losing the human side of it. Sometimes the most meaningful moments are small. Like when a participant in an assessment writes in the feedback form, “The exercises felt real.” Or when a client says, “This finally helps us understand where our people are struggling.” Most people never see the hours that go into getting those things right. ...

In HR consulting, especially at my level, most of the work doesn’t happen in the spotlight. It happens quietly, in the background, while everyone else is focused on the bigger conversations. I’ve realised that a lot of the real insight comes from simply being present in the room. You start noticing things that never make it into the formal agenda. A manager’s tired smile during an assessment. A team member who hesitates before speaking. The way a leader glances at their feedback report as if it holds something heavier than numbers. Once, during an assessment day, everything looked perfectly planned. Exercises were running smoothly, participants were engaged, and the schedule was on track. But during a short break, one participant sat by himself, tapping his pen in this restless pattern. When I asked if he needed anything, he said he was fine. Later, in his discussion, he opened up about feeling unsure in his new role. That small moment of noticing made the rest of his day make sense. T...