Human capital seminar.

Business leaders gathered in mid-February for the seminar entitled "Facing the Challenges of 2004: Reenergizing Human Capital," designed to help AMCHAM member companies get the most out of their human resources in Mexico's troubled labor system.

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Chaired by Luis Manuel Guaida, president of AMCHAM's Human Capital Committee, a series of speakers addressed a variety of topics ranging from creative compensation for prized workers to more general points such as methods of motivation and the qualities of leadership.

In his address on compensation, Sergio Delgadillo, the human resources director at Towers Perrin, outlined ways to reward employees without tying the company into costly, long-term financial commitments under Mexico's protective labor laws.

He encouraged managers to look at their employees as individuals rather than pieces of a group. He also hit on simple truths that are often forgotten in the rigid, hierarchical Mexican workplace.

"Always link your system of compensation to the individual's performance," he said, pointing out that managers too often rely on basic standards--such as the amount of years an employee has been with a company--in constructing a compensation strategy.

"I found it enlightening," said Horacio Manjarrez, the head of human resources with Sabritas, following the session. "We have to look at specializing compensation rather than dealing with it on a collective level."

In his address entitled "Re-energizing Personnel: Communicating Enthusiasm as the Road to Productivity," Alejandro Molina Bortoni, the director of Revitalizacion Organizacional, said that managers often forget that compensation is not always about financial reward.

"Seven out of 10 employees want individual recognition for a job well done," he said in citing a recent study. This recognition can be awards or simply a pat on the back and some words of kindness. Effective recognition should be "timely, proportionate, sincere, specific, individualized and personalized."

The human resources consultant warned managers against referencing "external threats" or making decisions "without dialogue" or behaving erratically.

Victor Manuel Rodriguez of the consulting firm Orozco, Medina and Associates praised the Molina speech during a late-morning break, saying it encouraged him to seek out new ways "to align the interests and values of individual employees with the organization's."

Victor Manuel Bejar, the director of Coaching Center, closed the seminar in discussing leadership, saying that leaders must have the risk-taking courage to lead their team to the "promised land"--he repeatedly cited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a model of leadership.

Other speakers included Eduardo Garza of Projecto Sintesis (ethics and values) and Armando Esquivel Robledo of People Value (outsourcing).

--M.B.