He Played the HR Role, but He Was No Role Model

He was a business major interested in “the science of administration,” and a self-styled human resources geek. But his other attributes, including some oh-not-so-best practices, certainly do not make him a role model.

A news story on New Delhi Television (NDTV) tells the secret of the man who issued job applications, fussed over orientation and training for his “interns,” obsessed over dress codes, and called for “a development and planning department” for his organization.

This administrator looked for certain attributes in new workers, including the ability to listen, good manners, obedience, and pledging to follow one’s superiors, according to Wikipedia. And NDTV says the “job application” said in part “Please enter the required information accurately and truthfully. Write clearly and legibly. Name, age, marital status. Do you wish to execute a suicide operation?”

You have probably seen these new hires on TV—running over obstacle courses in the desert carrying weapons.  Yes, this administrator was none other than Osama bin Laden, late leader of Al Qaeda!

Well, bin Laden did study economics and business administration at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which probably sparked his interest in human resources practices.

NDTV reports that documents seized by U.S. troops in bin Laden’s Pakistani compound after his death included memos, manuals, assorted forms, and standard operating procedures written as if they were from the director of human resources at a multinational company.

According to the TV station, bin Laden also listed reasons for termination. The Al Qaeda boss said someone who “display[s] boredom, does not finish the tasks assigned to him, and gets mad quickly, we have to remove him from external work.”

He also had a managerial system, promoting deputies who were effective at getting everyone to follow the rules and procedures, as well as a professional development program, sending top lieutenants to colleges to study things like business administration and computer engineering.

Yes, he was surprisingly effective at managing personnel, but, of course, being threatened with death is a real motivator. Don’t think we’ll see a TED Talk on his HR innovations very soon.