People are not resources

People often say “resources” when they really mean “people”. When you call people “resources” they become interchangeable or something that is easily disposed of.

When thinking about the big picture it’s all too easy to slip into a mode of thinking which dehumanises the work that we do. We think of deadlines, of deliverables, of stakeholders and of resources. But thinking like that blinds us to the reality that everyone who works with us is another human being, another person who is an individual and who has their own unique skills and outlook on life.

When you talk to a person face to face you probably call them by their name; maybe you talk to them about what they can do and what they want. I don’t imagine that you address them as “hello, senior developer” or “hi there, testing resource”. Yet when you talk about them behind closed doors, have you ever found yourself doing that?

So today when you’re talking with your colleagues, when you’re thinking about the work you’re doing, take a moment to stop and ask yourself: “am I talking about a resource or a person?”

People-decisions are time-consuming, for the simple reason that the Lord did not create people as “resources” for organization. They do not come in the proper size and shape for the tasks that have to be done in organization—and they cannot be machined down or recast for these tasks.

Drucker, Peter F.. The Effective Executive (Harperbusiness Essentials) (p. 33). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition