Tag: INSHRM

Enough or Not Enough ??

When you get to work on Monday, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind?  You’re in HR and you get the opportunity to do something great yourself and through the people that work with you and around you.  But, is that how you view things?

This isn’t just the “half full / half empty” question.  It’s much bigger than that !!  I was reminded of this just last week when my good friend, Brad Galin, crossed State lines from INSHRM to speak to the State Council at OHSHRM. He spoke on moving from Scarcity to Abundance.  The title may seem a bit heady, but it is a reality we all face when we hit the door this week.

People are difficult.  The odd thing that we forget in HR is that WE’RE people !!  So, if we’re difficult too, then how can others see HR differently?  In moving from scarcity to abundance, you change your viewpoint, your approach and your behavior.  It’s not enough to much wish that you’ll do better.  You need to move !!

Why is that important you may ask?  Isn’t in “enough” that we get our work done?  Aren’t we measured (and measure others) on productivity?  People aren’t processes or things.  We keep losing sight of that, and, in turn, HR suffers.

Negative to PositiveThinking, and acting, abundantly isn’t some wealth strategy where you’re promised some mythical get rich quick solution.  Being abundant means that your view starts positively and then moves forward from there.  It stays positive too.

Brad shared a great example from his work with Stone Belt, a non-profit group who works with adults with disabilities. He stated that the adults who are his clients are thankful for everything !!  If you stubbed your toe, they’d say, “That was awesome !!  Way to go !!  You did that great !!”  The room laughed, but it was refreshing to hear as well.

So, do you have enough or not?  Can you be a great HR person where you are, with what you have and who you work with?  Are you even asking these types of questions, or are you putting your head down and grinding through?

There’s too much of life around you to keep your head down !!  Remember that you’re difficult . . . just like everyone around you.  Isn’t that freeing ??  Now, jump into this jumbled mix of humanity and live it up !!  The folks around you have been waiting for you to join in !!

When Kids Grow Up . . .

What happens when kids grow up?  They become our employees !!

I find it fascinating in the workplace today that HR practitioners have lost sight of this reality.  How much time of your day is spent on behaviors that seem childish?  When you look at the policies and procedures you write, are you doing it for a better workplace, or trying to address those who won’t behave ??

This list of “what if’s” can string on and on.  And, often in our workplace it does !!  When you ask people what they think about employees, it isn’t positive.  That is really a shame.  It’s a shame because we’ve allowed the workplace, and HR, to be driven from a negative filter.  It’s the “let’s see what’s wrong and address it” model.

This past week I had a great opportunity to speak at the INSHRM Leadership Day for their volunteer leaders.  We laughed, howled and learned together.  I showed them my newest HR “tool” that has proven to be very effective.  I doubt you’ll see it in many of the blogs, publications and theoretical models that keep churning out in our field.  Take a look . . .

It’s a Kaleidoscope !!  A toy.

You see, I’ve been giving them out to the managers of our stores because I want to have them “look at things differently.”  When I handed out the first batch of them, I did the HR thing and started jumping to the next point in my presentation.  I had to stop because I turned around and each person had their kaleidoscope pointed up toward a light, and they were twisting it to see what new shape would appear next.  There were a lot of “oohs” and “aahs” coming from this great group of Team Members.

Then it hit me again . . . what happens to kids when they grow up ??

A better answer is that they still love to play !!  They love to laugh and have fun !!  They want to enjoy what they do and it’s fairly obvious that most workplaces have taken this inate element of who we are as people and controlled it.

Our WORK is more important than bringing ourselves to work.  We’re so used to creating and designing new systems that we have lost sight of the simple fact that kids like to play.

So, this week go out of your way to laugh !!  I mean it.  Instead of looking for the next great team building exercise, have fun yourself !!  If employees see you having fun, they’ll be curious and wonder what’s happening.

Trust me.  If you do this, it will change your perspective and how you look at HR, at employees and at work !!  Be a kid !! You are one anyway !!