Posts in the Leadership Category at Everyday People, Page 16

My Fellow HRians !!

This past week the President of the United States gave the State of the Union address. Regardless of where you stand politically, it amazes me that we live in a country where it’s leader addresses the nation with his plan for the coming year. There are companies who never fully communicate the Strategic Plan for their company let alone an entire country !!

While the address occurred, there were several of us who participated in a chat on Twitter that was coordinated by Lisa Horn, SHRM Director of Congressional Affairs, and Chatrane Birbal, Sr. Advisor of Governmental Affairs for SHRM. It was fascinating to hear people’s takes on things, but the underlying trend of the majority of the entire speech was . . . HR !!

Seriously !! You can break it down like this – Employment and job creation (HR), Immigration (HR), Education and Training (HR), Retirement programs and MyRA (HR), Minimum Wage (HR), Equity in Pay (HR), and hiring the long-term unemployed and veterans (HR).

That’s amazing !! When I read countless posts and articles about how HR is going to disappear or be irrelevant, I have to chuckle because we were the entire fabric of the COUNTRY !!

How much will get done? Hard to say. Will politicians get in the way and muck things up? Probably. Do we have to fall into that same trap of inactivity and infighting ?? NO !!

This is a real chance for HR to have its voice heard within the walls of their companies, their local communities, their states and the US as a whole !! If you aren’t advocating for these issues so they actually hear the perspective of HR professionals, then this is your chance to shine. Look at what’s before you instead of sitting in the shadows and complaining about more things that are forced upon you due to regulations and legislation. I’ve personally advocated at the State and Federal level and it’s invigorating !! Legislators want to hear from people who actually do the work instead of only hearing from lobbyists.

The key you have to remember in all of this is that if you choose not to advocate or raise your voice, someone will who is on the opposite side of what you believe. I’ve seen this personally happen.

You can be an example as well by modeling positive behavior in how you practice HR in your company !!

Look at how you compensate your employees. If there is inequity, address it and be consistent.
Look at the long-term unemployed and veterans groups as pools of talent and experience versus thinking about what they “don’t have” for your company. Investing in people who WANT to work for you is often more valuable then a pretty resume !!
Be knowledgeable about the impact of immigration, minimum wage, retirement programs and training have on your organization. Be the business voice to Sr. Management about these as an expert and stop waiting for someone to come to you. Be proactive !!

I hope you can tell that this jacks me up !! I hope you see the signs that are extremely visible in front of us. The landscape is wide open and it’s a chance for us to step up, be heard and move an entire country forward. I’m geeked and hope you join me, my fellow HRians !!

Some People . . .

” . . . are worth melting for.” – Olaf

My wife and I went to see Disney’s Frozen this weekend. It is magnificent !! If you take nothing else away from reading this post – go see this movie !! One of the best characters, and a real show stealer, is Olaf the snowman. He is hilarious and beautifully naive and caring.

During a key scene, he does his best to keep Anna warm in front of a fire even though he begins to melt. She is worried that he will be harmed when he breaks out the line that “some people are worth melting for.” Yes, I was crying and I’m good with that !!

It made me think of those around me in my life that are in this category. I’m very fortunate to say that there are several. I’m very thankful that I’m surrounded with people who I value and would do almost anything for. I hope that you have people in your life that you would “melt for” too.

In HR, I think we lose sight of this because our focus is often on those that may be challenging or frustrating. We tend to slink back behind procedures, policies and processes because those things aren’t emotional, unpredictable and ever-changing.

If you don’t look at others as someone you would “melt for,” you may want to evaluate why you’re in HR. That may seem harsh or extreme, but I don’t think so. Olaf doesn’t see what he’s doing as a sacrifice, or something out of the ordinary. In fact, it’s natural because he cares for Anna – which should be our focus on everyone we come into contact with.

This is also tough in today’s social environment because the majority of what is being written, retweeted, and shared is self-focused. People beg and seek to see their name and their work publicized. I struggle with this to be honest. I love seeing the work of others !! I learn from others and, in many cases, I’ve reached out to get to know the authors personally and not just treat them as some avatar that is unapproachable.

I’d really love to see this change on the social forums and in the workplace. I think that if we had the approach that we would be willing to deeply connect with others, naturally, we’d find that the “community” everyone writes about would exist as a tangible, viable force. This group would innately move companies, professions, associations and lives forward.

So, can you do this? Will you join me? Is this feasible, or utopian? In the end, I choose to be like Olaf and put myself out there for others because there are some people truly worth melting for !!

Image courtesy of Walt Disney World for Grown Ups

Happy #TimSackettDay Kelly Dingee !!

One of the things I truly hope to see in my HR “lifetime” is that the two communities of HR practitioners and HR folks in Social Media as one body. A great way to do this is to recognize one of our own.

This year’s #TimSackettDay person is Kelly Dingee. Kelly is the bomb and one of the best resources I know when it comes to recruiting and sourcing. She is a practitioner who is not only rocking this facet of HR – she is also encouraging us all to look at things differently so that we make talent relevant in our organizations !! She is a regular contributor on Fistful of Talent (another great resource you need in your HR quiver to regularly read !!)

Make sure that you connect with Kelly. You can find her on Twitter (@SourcerKelly), Linked In and Google + as well as Fistful of Talent.

Recognition isn’t something to be jealous about because the focus is on someone else. Recognition is an opportunity to share and highlight someone who brings insight, value and new approaches. Kelly is one of those folks.

So, please join in recognizing Kelly on #TimSackettDay (another great HR practitioner) !!

I hope that today is just the start of you recognizing the great HR pros that are all over the planet. Remember always . . . We Are Better Together !!

Who Are You ??

I am an unabashed music freak !! Seriously, I have music on constantly. In my car. In my office. When I do work around the house. Almost everywhere. My office has a signed copy of U2’s The Joshua Tree album (vinyl), a signed microphone from Peter Frampton and a huge collage of the legends of rock.

To keep my musical intake going, I’ve been listening to the autobiography of Pete Townshend, from The Who, called, Who I Am. It is incredibly raw, candid, deeply detailed and fascinating !! This post isn’t meant to glorify the rock life because, honestly, he has made MANY choices that are detrimental in many ways. The cool thing about it though is that he recognizes that and owns up to both his successes and failures.

However, one thing I am taking away from this deep dive into rock lore (he casually mentions how Jimi Hendrix was his friend . . .) is that Townshend is exactly who he is. It’s not a charade. It’s not an act. It’s real at an almost uncomfortable level.

This brings me back to HR. I think that too many of us in our profession are guarded in our approach to most of what we do. We are hesitant to be ourselves at work because we’re “HR”. This is odd to me. How do we expect others in the workplace to be real and open when we’re not willing to be part of the tribe?

I think we’re missing out when we’re not transparent about our likes, beliefs, joys, concerns, successes, faults, etc. In The Who’s epic anthem – Who Are You? – one lyric that Roger Daltrey screams is – I REALLY WANT TO KNOW !!

Most people I know, especially those in HR, are reluctant to put themselves out there because we feel we have to take on some corporate persona that distances us from everyone. And you wonder why people take pot shots at who we are and what we do? If we’re not willing to be genuine and accessible, then how do we expect others to take the first step?

Here’s how I have ALWAYS looked at life (and HR). I make myself open and vulnerable the moment I meet you. Does that mean that I’ve been hurt? Yes. Does that mean that some people take advantage of that? Yes. Has it resulted in more lasting, sustainable and meaningful relationships in all areas of my life? Most definitely !!

There is an amazing amount of risk and reward if you choose to live this way. Overall though, it’s opened doors to be a more intentional person and HR pro who can more effectively connect with the humans all around me. That matters. And, it makes HR so much more meaningful and worthwhile.

To be the “Human” in HR you have to be the “human” first !!

So, this week start peeling back the layers and let people see the great person you are. I have a feeling you’ll see how freeing this is, and I hope (truly) that I get to meet you, know you and see who you are !!

Image courtesy of Quote Diary

Focus.

By now you’re aware that we’ve entered a New Year. The flurry of posts that flood blogs encouraging resolutions, new attitudes, new approaches, etc. have died down. I love to see the positive launch into a new year because I think people are eager to start clean and move forward.

A new start is true for companies as well as it is for individuals. Going into 2014, our company is taking an approach that most don’t – and I dig it. Instead of piling on layers and layers of more goals and objectives, we’re stripping things down and asking people to focus. In fact, it’s becoming so engrained in who we are that the CEO is sitting down individually with his leadership team to review what they’re focusing on each month throughout the year.

This intentional move is a bit uncomfortable because it takes “accountability” away from being something that you hope will happen to something that is EXPECTED to happen !! I had my first meeting with the CEO, and it was so cool to see not only the individual approach to a collective whole, but that HR is supposed to be involved and have focus as much as all of the business units of the company.

So, what am I focusing on ?? The answer may seem obvious, but it’s . . . . people.

This is a bigger challenge than you think. Most companies thrive and build on processes and things in spite of people. We all claim that people are our most valued asset, but the reality is that companies focus on revenue. That’s not wrong in the least. The question is do you work through your employees to allow them to truly perform, or do you just make sure things “get done” regardless of who’s handling the work.

The other aspect of this focus that is challenging is – people are typically focused on themselves and not others. People are selfish. They want to make sure they’re taken care of first and that their needs are being addressed. This isn’t “wrong”, it’s human nature.

I want to see HR be a contrarian force in this challenge and be focused intentionally on others first.

This throws people (even people in HR). Why would you put others first? What if they take advantage of you? What if they disappoint you? What if they aren’t committed to this approach and it affects you?

All those things may come true (and probably will). That shouldn’t dissuade us at all. If HR truly puts others ahead of themselves, then actual cultural change will take root and blossom. This isn’t some theory, it’s fact. It’s just incredibly hard because it requires an incremental approach that evolves over time . . . and never stops.

I’m geeked about being able to practice this focus at my workplace. I’ve been trying to do it all of my life. To be able to have it permeate through a company’s culture is extraordinary and exciting !!

How about you? Can you adopt this focus yourself? Think about it. What would happen to you in your life and in your HR role if others came first? I think you’d like the result !!

More Folks I Learn From !!

In November, I started to share some folks I learn from and wanted to continue that effort as we enter a new year. I hope that one of the things ALL of us do as we move into 2014 is that we strive to continually learn. We can’t afford to be stagnant in any way. I hope that these recommendations spark an interest for you to check out someone new and see if what they say helps you think of HR in a different way. I value what they do and who they are !! Let’s get started . . .

John Whitaker (@HR_Hardball on Twitter) is a force !! Being from Texas, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. When I first talked to him he said he was giving me a nickname because he gives everyone a nickname. In fact, he goes by “Whit” and not John himself. Whit brings it every time he strikes a keyboard to write a post. He is a featured contributor to Fistful of Talent (an incredible HR compilation blog of great HR voices by the way !!), and his own blog, HR Hardball, flat rocks !! I know that John also does presentations as HR events which stretch the everyday practitioner to look at the profession from different angles. We all need folks who can bend our brains a bit. Whit does this effectively and is a treat to take in !!

Let’s now go over to the UK for Gemma Reucroft (@HR_Gem on Twitter). Gem brings a grounded sensibility to HR, but doesn’t “settle” for the norms. In fact, she challenges norms every time she posts. As a fellow HR practitioner, she isn’t just espousing things HR folks “ought” to do, she’s practicing what she writes about. I love that she keeps things simple and stripped down. It makes her work very accessible and applicable to what you do in HR. Her blog – hrgem: Thoughts on HR, work and doing good people stuff – captures who she is and her approach to our field. I have her blog highlighted in my Feedly list and eagerly wait to see what she has to share. Make sure you connect with her !!

Back to the states and to beautiful Colorado !! That’s where you can find Mary Faulkner (@mfaulkner43 on Twitter). I met Mary at the SHRM National Conference in Chicago this year, and found out what a brilliant leadership, training and OD professional she is. I have found it hard to connect with many OD folks because for many of us, it’s wrapped up in our HR generalist roles. Mary is solid and her blog, Surviving Leadership, is one of the most straightforward blogs around. She is just “breaking onto the scene” in social media, but you wouldn’t know that. Her content is fabulous and is something I take to heart when looking at the leadership and OD efforts at work.

Make sure to connect with Whit, Gemma and Mary !! You’ll be glad you have new outlets for resources in your work. Be on the lookout for more folks I learn from. There are a ton and I hope that there will only be more and more throughout the year !!

Why You Should Contribute !!

A few weeks ago, my friend Ben Eubanks asked if a few of us would be interested in having new HR pros guest post on our sites. It’s part of the North Alabama SHRM Mentor University program and I really dig this. I think ALL HR pros should mentor future HR folks and allow them to learn from you . . . and YOU from them !!

The following guest post is by Kirsten Stutts, PHR. Kirsten is an HR Manager for a company is Huntsville, Alabama and she is encouraging HR pros to understand the value and contribute to the SHRM Foundation. Check out her 1st blog post ever !!

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SHRM Foundation’s Support for the HR Profession

I have been a member of North Alabama SHRM (NASHRM) for several years, and this year I finally decided to volunteer. In June, I was invited to join the NASHRM Board as their SHRM Foundation Director.

What is the SHRM Foundation Director you might ask? Well, I didn’t know either. Luckily SHRM has a webpage called the Volunteer Leaders’ Resource Center (VLRC) dedicated to answering many of your questions about your new volunteer role and offering a host of resources for you to utilize. Really, the SHRM Foundation Director role serves two purposes:

To raise money for the SHRM Foundation, and
To educate people about the Foundation and how it supports the HR profession.

Did you know that . . .

You can apply for a scholarship to pay for your tuition towards an HR degree or certification?
The SHRM Foundation offers complimentary resources such as DVDs, Effective Practice Guidelines, and Executive Briefings that you can use personally or as a program for your Chapter?
When used as part of a 1-hour educational session, the DVDs even qualify for HRCI credit!
SHRM Foundation is also the leading funder of HR research!

I didn’t know any of this before I accepted the role of SHRM Foundation Director. So what can you do to get more connected and involved?

Click here for their home page, SHRM Foundation, to check out the resources that the SHRM Foundation has to offer!
Support the SHRM Foundation when your local chapter has a fundraiser or donate to the SHRM Foundation directly; and
Volunteer to be a part of your local chapter of SHRM. You may get more out of the experience than you think!

I think people will benefit from knowing more about the SHRM Foundation and how it helps us all as HR professionals and as an entire profession.

Be Disruptive !!

This past week I hope you felt a shift in the time warp continuum in the HR universe !! Over 200 people gathered at the incredible Rhinegeist Brewery for the beginning of a new movement – DisruptHR !! I was fortunate to work with Chris Ostoich, from BlackbookHR, and Jennifer McClure, from Unbridled Talent, in making this groundbreaking event come to life.

The employees from BlackbookHR and the sponsors we had made the event literally seamless and “set the stage” for what erupted. 13 speakers from a variety of backgrounds and companies took the mic to give their presentation in a way that was truly new to the normally conservative Cincinnati.

To be a presenter, you were given five minutes and 20 slides which automatically transitioned every 15 seconds. Even though I’ve given many presentations, I never had to compress everything into that tight of a time frame.

The rules were cool because the audience was encouraged to be supportive of the brave souls who stood in between the two gigantic screens that seemed to be racing as fast as they could !! The presentations ROCKED !! The styles ranged from a more traditional feel to complete presentations with pictures only and no words. People were much more relaxed and felt at ease after Chris became the first ~~martyr~~ speaker to take the stage.

Now, I know that Ignite talks, TED talks and Unconferences may be the “norm” in other cities around the globe, but DisruptHR was truly a pioneering effort !! It’s not often that you can be on the ground floor of a new movement and direction for HR.

There were some key observations that came from the night:

There are MANY more voices in HR that we need to pay attention to and get to know. It was exciting to meet new folks and hear their perspectives. I think we get too narrow too quickly to follow certain people. This isn’t being critical – it’s a call to open our horizons and make sure we continue to take new voices in.
There are TONS of HR people who aren’t connected to the greater HR community !! There were so many people who came to DisruptHR that aren’t normally at other HR events. What a great opportunity !! This forum drew a new group out to connect and get engaged. So cool to get a chance to meet more HR people !! Seriously. I am geeked whenever I can meet new HR people !!
People are wanting to hear new messages in a new way !! We can’t continue to think massive conferences that take days away from the office as well as immense amounts of training/traveling dollars are the way to reach people. One night, in a brewery . . . for FREE and people flocked to be a part of it. We need to change our models if we truly want to reach HR people where THEY are vs. where we expect them to be.

The coolest thing about DisruptHR wasn’t its initial success. It was the fact that it’s only beginning !! This was just the inaugural event. Now it’s going to grow to other cities and to other venues. So, be on the lookout !!

Get ready to attend, or even better, get ready to present !! In the end, I hope ALL of you are disruptive from now on in HR !!

Here’s a little taste to get you hooked !!

DisruptHR – Cincinnati 12/4/2013 from BlackbookHR on Vimeo.

Keep Your Head Up !!

This past week I went to the SHRM Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. It’s one of my favorite events because the SHRM local Chapter and State volunteer leaders come together to network, learn and share great ideas on how to get HR pros connected, engaged and involved.

The past few years I’ve started the week by advocating in front of the Senate and the House of Representatives on legislative issues that affect business, employees and HR. I broke away from our larger Ohio group to support one of our other Ohio SHRM volunteers because she had never advocated before, and I wanted it to be a great experience for her. As we were walking over to the Congressman’s office, she said the most poignant thing.

“You know I can’t believe I’m here. Most of the time in my role I find myself with my head down doing my HR job. I need to keep my head up more to see all that is around me. I would miss great things like this if I didn’t try to be more aware.”

We had a great session with the Congressman’s staff and shared our position on the issues. When we were done, she wanted to go over to the Senate offices as well to see them. As we entered the building, I noticed several cameras up on the 2nd floor of the rotunda we had just entered. I said, “Let’s go see what’s happening !!” So, we walked up confidently and saw a press table outside the Kennedy Caucus Room and it was packed with people. The folks at the table asked if we’d like to go in, and we jumped at the chance not knowing what we would find.

In the room we stumbled into history . . . literally !! We were able to see the 30th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award being given to Egyptian Human Rights attorney – Ragia Omran. The event was emceed by Soledad O’Brien and we heard RFK’s daughter, Kerry, speak about Ms. Omran’s accomplishments and the actual award was given by Ethel Kennedy – RFK’s wife !! It was amazing that by “keeping our head up” and taking a risk to see if we could be involved, we saw something we NEVER would have seen if we were just stuck on following the patterns that were set before us.

This experience was just another example of how I feel HR should be ALL the time !! Too often we are criticized because we think that by keeping a narrow focus we are diligent. The fact is that by being narrow we can miss what’s happening with the people even though we’re cranking out the tasks laid before us.

There has to be a mix of these two worlds. You can, and should, be diligent in your HR practice. However, your perspective should be as broad as possible because the great people you work with may have the insight, input, or knowledge you need. You can’t keep your head down any longer !!

The rest of the week was even MORE eventful than our experience in the Senate !! I’m even more geeked and energized about HR, my profession, my volunteer role and SHRM than I ever have been !!

I hope you join me as we look to the horizon to see what’s next. It will be awesome, I’m sure !!

Do You Teach or Demand ??

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go camping with my Scouts again. It’s always a great time that inevitably involves rain !! I’m used to that and so are the scouts. It’s truly fascinating to watch the interaction that happens during an outing because the adults aren’t in charge of any facet of what happens.

The scouts plan the outing, plan the meals, pack the gear in the trailer, set-up camp and also plan all of the activities that happen throughout the weekend. The reason it’s so fascinating to watch is to see which style of leadership the boys choose to employ. Adults want to step in to fix and correct things, and that’s where I come in to remind the adults that we’re basically on the outing to ensure safety and that the boys carry out their plans.

Here’s a simple example . . .

At EVERY campout we play Euchre !! If you don’t know what Euchre is, it’s basically the card game of kings. Seriously !! The boys can’t wait until some down time to get cards out and start playing. They play each other and relish the chance to take on the adults. Euchre is not an easy game to learn. It has some twists that don’t seem logical. Hence, the nuances of a game. All great games make you think and react. We play for hours at a time and set up tournaments.

If a scout doesn’t know how to play, you have to teach them. For people who are seasoned Euchre players, teaching someone is tedious. You want the new player to “get it” but it takes time and several games to learn. Once a new player understands the game, they take off !! They can literally play the game, and enjoy it, for life.

It’s amazing to watch a new scout struggle to learn and understand, but most everyone is understanding. However, once a scout starts playing for one or two outings, they become extremely frustrated and intolerant of those who don’t know the game’s rules or how to play well. They completely forget that they just learned how to play Euchre just a few short months ago.

You can take this example to almost every facet of an outing. The kids either teach each other how to do skills and are patient during the process, or they demand that people just catch on to what they’re supposed to do. If they don’t do the task well or right, the boys just want to skip working with others and will even avoid them or work around them.

Sound like work ?? Sound like HR ??

I think it’s exactly like the interactions we have at work. In fact, at work the “demand” approach is what is followed the vast majority of the time. HR needs to recognize this and destroy it. When I see HR that is built on compliance, discipline, writing people up, “building a case”, and policies that only measure what goes wrong, I see the demand approach in full bloom. HR isn’t the only department that uses the demand method, but it IS the department that can eliminate it.

Teaching people how to perform and giving them expectations of outcomes and the ability to use their skills is what we should strive for in any workplace !! When we do it, they’ve learned something they can enjoy and “play” for life. We have to recognize when Managers and Supervisors fall into the demand mindset and “teach” them as well. It’s time-consuming and incremental, but worth every single moment.

So, HR, step up !! Refuse to be like the norm in our field who use the demand system and parameters to feel they’re practicing great HR. Be a teacher instead !!

And, if you need to learn Euchre, let me know. I know some pretty good teachers !!