Category: Human Resources

Leave Your Mark

My wife is incredible in many ways !! Yes, I’m biased and am good with that. She is very creative but she would deny that. She has a dedicated craft room in our house that has been her place to make things come to life. She has been a rubber stamper for decades. This hobby has resulted in countless handmade cards for birthdays, weddings, the birth of kids, graduations, and Christmas cards.

They are true works of art. I know many people who have kept every Christmas card she has made for years, and some put them out every year as part of their Christmas decorations. Debbie would tell you that she sees the ideas of others and recreates them. So, I’ll give her that. Let’s call her a structured creative. If you got to know her, you’d see that this description fits well. One of the many other amazing facets of her personality is her joy in structure. She has lists of things to do all over the house.

Every day I’m amazed that she chose to be with me because I represent the opposite of almost every aspect of how she approaches life. I tend to live in the moment. Very little surprises me, and I’m more comfortable adapting on the go. I’m creative as well, but I’d describe my methods as having flow, movement and involving a variety of styles. I like almost every iteration of how art is presented. I am comfortable if things are abstract, modern, distinctly drawn, or classical. Each one has its value.

Eight years ago, when my first HR book was completed, Debbie asked if I’d like to have bookmarks to give out to people. I was floored and excited at the same time. I didn’t know what we could come up with but I was in !! She upped my level of enthusiasm when she suggested we make tie-dye bookmarks. I couldn’t even conceive how this could be accomplished. I was tickled when I found out that we’d mix our creative approaches by using her rubber stamps along with alcohol-based inks to make the tie-dye patterns along with my idea of variety. We put the ink on transparency film (like what we used to use on overhead projectors).

We started to stamp the clear film cut into the perfect shape for a bookmark together. Debbie took one color of ink and dabbed the applicator before applying a beautiful, linear pattern on her piece of film. I took my applicator and put three dots of different colors on it and then smeared the ink all over my film. I continued to follow what felt right as she methodically constructed her set. When we looked up to pause, I had ten done and was moving forward when she commented, “How can you come up with patterns so quickly?” I shrugged and said, “I just see what I want to make and then try it.”

She then made a bright, executive decision. The step after the ink stamping was mounting the film on white, thick paper for backing and strength. She suggested that I continue with the stamping and she’d assemble them after that. Now, please note, her stamped bookmarks were stunning and crisp. We kept them along with my mish mash of variety, and I loved giving them out to people.

Since then, we made a new batch for use at the SHRM24 annual conference. We followed the process of a separation of tasks that we were both responsible for. Very quickly we had constructed 100+ bookmarks. I just found out that I’m speaking again at SHRM25, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. We just bought a new set of supplies and the manufacture of a brand new set of bookmarks will soon be started.

Let me back up just a moment . . .

More than a story of how we take different paths toward creativity, Debbie also had another stunning idea for making these handmade beauties. She said, “If people are nice enough to get one of your books, wouldn’t it be nice to leave behind a little bit of you for them to remember?” How freaking cool is that ??!!

You see, she wanted me to leave a mark. That thought was incredibly astute and she may not have even been aware of the weight of what she had suggested. It was so powerful because as people, we leave our mark on others every time we encounter them whether we mean to or not.

If you ignore someone or push them off to the side because you’re too busy for them, that leaves a mark. If you are pleasant to others to their face and change your story for how you feel with another audience, you leave a mark. When a task that isn’t yet completed takes more of your focus and attention than the people around you, you have left another mark.

We don’t see this or even acknowledge it. It’s time we did. Choose instead to be someone who leaves each interaction as one that is positive, encouraging and meaningful. Leave your mark in such a way that your impact makes their day better. It doesn’t have to be a big gesture. It can be something simple. Something . . . like a bookmark.

Get A Car Wash !!

I’ve lived in the Midwest for the vast majority of my life. I enjoy the four seasons. They’re never as equally balanced as one would hope but that’s okay. We’ve had one of the more robust winters this year that I can recall. We’ve had more snow, more arctic blasts, more ice, and more gray than normal. It’s funny to me that if we have a year where we don’t get much snow we wish we had more. Now that we’ve had a significant and lengthy winter we complain that it’s too much.

One of the side effects of a full winter is salted roads. The wonderful road crews do all they can to keep roadways clear. This is often daunting because the weather rarely cooperates in the manner it is predicted to. They lay down tons and tons of road salt to assist in melting the snow, ice, and slush. This mixture rarely stays on the roadway due to the volume of never-ending traffic. Vehicle after vehicle speed through the concoction which inevitably ends up encasing your car in a thick layer of white, brown, and mucky corrosive material. It’s as if your car is a blank canvas waiting to be plastered with the evidence of winter.

I have a long commute to work from my home. It takes anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour plus depending on the volume of people joining me on the road. If you have construction or an accident along the way, the time only increases. Throw on top of this the various winter precipitation of snow, freezing rain, or sleet, there’s no telling how much time you’ll be behind the wheel. With my extensive commute, you can imagine how my car’s exterior starts to appear throughout the winter.

The below-freezing temperatures that held us in an endless grip for weeks on end only meant you couldn’t get your car washed. The dirt, grime, and sludge just grew in depth while creating an abstract painting that became a hardened shell. It becomes a nuisance because, even though I’m fortunate to have a garage at home, each time I try to walk around the car my coat and clothing get salt transfer. It only seems to stain or smear when you try to wipe it off. It never gets completely removed.

This weekend, the temperature sneaked just above the freezing point. I decided to chance it and get my car and my wife’s car washed. We have a local business just around the corner from where we live that does a great job. It’s an automatic, ever-moving chain that pulls your car through the various brushes and blasts of water and soap. When I pulled up, I saw that I was one of many who were trying to take advantage of their services as well. The trip through the car wash took less than two minutes. When I exited the building, I could swear I heard our cars sigh with relief. They were clean once again !!

A car that keeps moving through the mix of winter precipitation and road gunk is a lot like working in HR. One of the challenges of being in this field is that we get to experience and hear the dark side of work. This may include the various “life” situations people are facing or the general negative conversations that abound throughout the workplace. It can be, and is, draining. You hope for uplifting and encouraging conversations to be the norm, but they are unfortunately the exception.

I’m not trying to be a downer, and you need to understand that I am generally an overly positive person most of the time. However, even I get caked with layer after layer of road salt at work. It comes with the job and is as inevitable as taking a winter commute to and from work. If we’re not cognizant of our exteriors being constantly covered in road spray, then we too become encased in a hardened shell . . . and heart.

We need a car wash. We need to make sure to take a few minutes on a regular basis to wipe out the darkness that tries to envelop us. Too many others around us don’t see that they too are covered in their own blanket of dirt. When the majority of people start their days worrying about what is sure to go wrong, then you’re already facing an uphill battle. Lay on top of this a poor conversation in the hall, the emotions tied to senseless media and social media opinions with the pressures of performing, and you get folks who are buried.

It’s imperative that we’re more aware of the environment we’re in. We need to wash off whatever tries to hold us captive so that we can be at least one bright spot in the days of others. I’m not asking you to ignore the challenges and divisiveness swirling around us. I’m just encouraging you not to let it encompass or define you. It shouldn’t. Remember, a quick trip can wash away months and months of crud (that’s an official HR term by the way).

This next week, make time to get a rinse. You’ll breathe that sigh of relief as well, and it will allow you to move forward with confidence once again.

It’s Bananas !!

If you’ve been a regular reader of my posts, you know I have some quirks. I think most people do, but they tend to keep them to themselves. I find that they help define who I am and how I view life. I have various collections of llamas, lava lamps, conference lanyards over my entire career, buttons (like the flare when TGI Friday’s was popular), and shoes. Specifically one brand of shoe – The Chuck Taylor Converse.

I had my first pair when I was in 7th grade and joined the Ada Jr. High basketball team. When I started to play basketball, the standard of having nice, high-top, leather sneakers hadn’t yet come to be. I was at the end of the tradition of playing basketball with canvas Chuck Taylors which had absolutely no support whatsoever along with no arch supports. They are not “good” for your feet, but man are they stylish !! Our school’s colors were purple and gold, so my first pair was a beautiful dark purple set of size 13 high-tops.

I loved them and was hooked. Throughout high school, I always made sure to have a least one pair in my closet even after we switched to leather high-top Adidas sneakers for basketball. I just liked wearing them. Their innate comfort was a way to relax as I made my way through those awkward teenage years. During college, I made sure I had a pair of kelly green Chucks as I meandered the pathways of my alma mater Ohio University because the school colors are a proud kelly green and white.

Post college when I started my HR career, I bought a pair of bright red Chucks since I moved to Cincinnati and was a Reds fan. In fact, I went to a Reds outing with work peers from Procter & Gamble, and they asked me to sit in a section away from the majority of them because of my shoes. I was geeked that something so simple could be so disruptive. As my career started to take off, I invested in more pairs of Chuck Taylors so that I had a variety of colors to wear whenever I felt the need.

When I started to speak at HR conferences, I originally dressed like the other speakers. I wore khakis, a buttoned-down Oxford dress shirt, and dress shoes. I was mimicking those I saw who were also on the speaker docket. I thought that following the norm would open more doors for me. It didn’t feel right. I wasn’t being true to myself. At my third presentation, I decided to bring out the Chucks. I went with a solid deep blue. I switched from khakis to jeans, and my Oxford shirts switched to either a rock t-shirt or a sweet 70’s inspired paisley.

You’d have thought I injured somebody when I received comments from tenured HR peers and conference committees. This wasn’t “business casual” or the classic “professional.” Ironic isn’t it? How someone dresses is more of an obstacle and a focus than the content a speaker provides. Now, 20+ years later, I’ve started to see the dress of speakers begin to shift. Some still rock out traditional suits and dresses while others stretch to wear jeans and dress sneakers. I’m cool with whatever they choose to wear. If it makes them feel at ease, and they can bring their content to help others learn, then it all works.

One of my favorite pairs of Converse is covered with bananas. They are reflective of an Andy Warhol painting. I’ve always had an affinity for Warhol. He looked at the obvious things around him and turned them into art. Soup cans, Brillo pads, Coca-Cola bottles, iconic celebrities, and bananas. He even tied the banana to the experimental and revolutionary rock group – The Velvet Underground. They’re also made of leather versus the traditional canvas that most Chuck Taylors are constructed from.

The shoes are a reminder to always view HR, people, work, and life differently. Refusing to follow the norms while still being inviting to others. Being disruptive doesn’t mean one has to be destructive. Far from it. It only means that you don’t have to accept things and just fall in line because everyone else does. It’s a small variance from what people expect. Usually, it leads to conversations, questions, and interest. Then who knows where things could lead?

I think it’s bananas that more people don’t push the boundaries around them to form new ones. It would be great if everyone found whatever their personal Chuck Taylors were. Then, they’d make sure to put them on and walk into the world around them. I think if more people would look at constructive ways to disrupt, the world would be a brighter place !!

Get Your Mojo !!

I used to work in an HR department of one for an engineering & architectural consulting firm. I loved it there because of the people. Also, I had quite a field day being one of the few extroverts working with an entire firm of introverts. I was there for over nine years and didn’t think I’d ever change jobs. (Quick aside – Never say Never. I did change to take on the role I’m in now for the past 18+ years . . .)

One of the great parts of my role at the firm was to incorporate a social vibe into our highly detailed and analytical company. I was surrounded by incredibly smart and talented people. The majority of their day was spent creating drawing sets, cranking out calculations, and working on securing permits for the work they were designing. The employees were at a desk behind a monitor for 8 to 10 hours a day.

I decided we needed to break the pattern of people’s daily existence. So, we had the CDS Open – our version of a golf scramble. (CDS was the name of the firm where I worked.) We opened the outing to all of our team members. There was no qualification for skill level or golfing acumen. The employees jumped at the chance to experience something different. They wanted to have a break from their daily activities. Almost everyone in the firm signed up to play. We had enough teams to rent the entire golf course. This initial idea stuck and we ended up having the Open annually and it was a blast !!

People loved to not be tied to their computers and desks, take time to play, and “compete.” There were a handful of people who golfed well while most of us hacked our way up and down the course. At the end of the day, we’d have a cookout and give out prizes. I organized the outings, got the prizes, and was the emcee for the award ceremony. We had the traditional scramble prizes of longest drive, longest putt. closest to the pin, and the team that needed to vastly improve on top of an award for the best scoring foursome. People were cordial and congratulatory for each winner.

The first year I found Mojo golf balls from Nike. I bought them because of the name, look and vibe. The carton looked like it was designed after the psychedelic rock concert posters from the 1960s !!

Each member of the winning foursome received a carton of Mojo golf balls. When I handed them out I said, “Your team won because you had your Mojo going !!” People would howl – especially engineers and architects. I was fortunate to be on the winning foursome that first year and I still have the carton in my office as a reminder that I need to bring my Mojo to my work every day.

How about you? Is that how you view what you do in HR? Has it become too mundane and/or challenging?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of the daily grind as HR pros. If that’s true for us, you know it has to be true for all of the employees around us regardless of their level or role in the company. We can all slip into a funk that drains the joy, fun and drive to perform and do well.

This week see if that’s the case and then fine something that helps you get your Mojo back. Figure a way to break out from the malaise that threatens to swallow us. You can find a way to untangle yourself from the hairball of work. It’s time to get your mojo back. You owe it to yourself and others.

Work with Purpose

In my second HR job, I worked for a start-up manufacturer. We made the components for convenience stores at gas stations. This included a modular store, the canopy covering the gas pumps, and the sheaths which gave the pumps a decorative look. We were ahead of our time because others constructed stores onsite and from the ground up. We made the full store in our shop, and then delivered them to a site. They were placed, plugged in, connected to utilities and were ready to go.

To perform this intricate work, we hired welders, carpenters, truck drivers, painters, metal workers, and field crew. The employees were hard-working, proud and diligent. Sure, we had some petty things people complained about but not much. I was responsible for every facet of HR and honestly, I was not versed in how to do it well. I understood the administrative mechanics of HR. They came to me easily. What I didn’t know was our business.

I could rattle off the names and roles of every employee, but I couldn’t tell you what skills they needed to do their jobs well. We had the requisite job descriptions, hiring process, and interview template. I interviewed daily and hired regularly. The problem was that all of the front-end steps I was taking didn’t mean I was choosing the best candidates. They breezed through the HR side of joining our company, but many of them couldn’t perform the tasks that were needed to build our products.

The president of our firm heard from the plant manager that the HR guy wasn’t finding the people he needed. I was raw and new. I didn’t have a working relationship with the plant manager so it made sense that he went around me. The president, Dick, told Ron, the plant manager, that he had a solution to see if I could learn the role. He liked me and my approach overall. He also knew how green I was.

He came up to me on a Friday in the office and told me he wanted to talk with me. “Steve, on Monday I want you to go to the plant at Homeward Way.” That didn’t seem like an unreasonable request. I told him that would be fine. I liked being at the plant. “Oh, one other thing. Wear jeans and get some steel-toed shoes. You’re going to learn how to weld on the floor.” Then he left and my jaw dropped.

I chased after him and asked him why he wanted me to weld. He replied easily, “You aren’t hiring well because you don’t understand our work. So, I want you to weld for the next 30 days. Ron knows you’re coming and he’ll get you set up.” I stammered and responded, “But I’m the HR guy.” He didn’t miss a beat, “I know you are. But you need to learn what we do, who does it, and why it matters.”

On Monday, I reported to the plant and saw Ron. “Hey there new welder !!” He giggled after saying this. I went out on the floor with my toolbox from home which looked as if it had never been used with my brand new, ultra-clean work boots. Roy, the welding supervisor saw me coming and he scoffed. “What’s he doing here Ron?” Ron replied, “Dick wants him to learn how to weld. He’s all yours.” Roy swore under his breath and reluctantly took me on.

“First things first,” Roy exclaimed. He then stepped on my new boots and scuffed them with black soot. The other welders on the shift came over and did the same thing. I didn’t know if this was some cruel hazing initiation because everyone did the scuffing silently. “What’s going on ??,” I said angrily. Roy simply stated, “If you’re going to work with us, you need to look like you really work.”

That month was one of the most challenging of my young career. The guys messed with me, played pranks, and also took time to teach me. I learned to value who they were and what they did. We became close and I grew to appreciate them. I hadn’t really noticed them as talented people. I thought they were necessary “workers.” I couldn’t have been more wrong.

After my one-month training session, I returned to interviewing. Before my trek, 8 out of 10 of my hires failed. Afterward, I was hitting 9 out of 10 who stayed. Later I took some time to be a carpenter, metal worker, field crew member, and painter. (Never did learn to drive a semi-truck and that was best for all involved !!)

I learned something back then that has remained with me to this day. People who work with purpose are truly talented. They don’t go through the motions. They want to bring their best every day not only to produce but also to make the company succeed. By valuing what our people did and understanding it because I worked alongside them, I now had a full appreciation of their contribution. Along with this, the guys on the floor had a better sense of who I was and how I could help them through my role as their HR person.

Do you work with purpose?

Have you stepped back to ponder that? I’ll bet you haven’t. For far too long you’ve been going through the motions because tasks have become rote. You know the patterns you follow, and you make sure others are following theirs.

The reason I want you to reflect on this is simple. You can’t expect others to work with purpose if you don’t do it yourself all the time. It’s like trying to hire welders without knowing what it entails to be a great welder. It would be amazing if you decided to stop working how you’ve been working and go back to working with purpose.

After you have this practice mastered, you can start developing a culture where working with purpose is the norm versus the exception. The lesson I learned decades ago rings true to this day. Value what you do and value what others do. Encourage them and acknowledge them. Do it. On purpose.

HR Can Be Cool

On the eve of the college football national championship, I felt I needed to share a story from the first university in the State of Ohio – my alma mater, Ohio University !!

When I was a student at OU, I went all in. I’m not kidding. I went to every sporting event and did every activity in my dorm. I made sure to spend time in the downtown area with my fellow students, and I checked out several groups to get involved with. I was the first person from my hometown to attend OU in many, many years. When I arrived on campus, I had no friends or connections. I went in cold. Instead of fretting about this, I chose to reach out to meet as many other students as I could with the hope of anchoring with at least a few of them.

I was fortunate to be at a dorm that both fit me and my mission. James Hall was an all male freshmen only dorm. The fellow residents were from all over the United States and the world. I was thrown into an instant pool of diversity and it was magnificent. One of the main reasons my transition to college went so smoothly was my Resident Assistant (RA), Bob. I had never met someone who was so chill, calm and cool. Nothing ever seemed to rattle him. He was a junior and had been working in dorms for two years.

Bob treated everyone with respect and allowed most of us to have a pretty wide berth when it came to how he viewed the dorm rules. He felt rules were needed, but he also wanted us to have the full college experience. He knew we were young and were trying to figure out what life was like on our own. I made sure to spend a ton of time with Bob. He kept his door open every night. He welcomed anyone into his room at almost any hour. He never seemed put out by any visitor.

As my freshman year progressed, Bob approached me and encouraged me to become an RA myself. He shared with me the pros and cons as he had seen them. He thought I had the makeup to be someone who could be a shepherd for others just like he had been for me. I took him up on his suggestion and applied to become a Resident Assistant. There was a series of interviews and then an excruciating waiting process. There were no cell phones or email back when I entered this gauntlet.

After about a month, I received the good news that I had been chosen to be an RA. That was the first hurdle, and the next one was waiting to see where you’d be assigned. You could put your first, second and third choices on your application but that didn’t guarantee much. I wanted to be like Bob and be an RA in James Hall. I wanted to work with freshmen to help them make the same transitions Bob helped all of us with.

We didn’t hear anything before the school year ended, and the anticipation was awful. Two weeks after going home for the summer break, I received notice that I got my first choice. I was going to be an RA in James Hall. I was ecstatic !! I returned to OU about a month early for training, team building and prep time to get my floor section ready for the next incoming class of freshmen. This time was encouraging, supportive and allowed me to build a network of peers across the university campus.

Once my “guys” came to school for their first year, I was ready to go. I followed Bob’s example and shared my expectations of each of them. I explained the “rules” and closed with the guidance that if you stayed within the parameters, you’d have no problems. If you were blatant in your behavior outside those parameters, I would address it. That was it. Simple. Broad. Effective.

I made sure to make time to meet and get to know the 30 gentlemen in my section. Some of them warmed up to knowing their RA and others wanted to be left alone. It all worked for me. The ones who chose to be closer enjoyed the university, did well in their classes and made other connections fairly easily. Many of the students who wanted to remain distant didn’t make it through their freshman year. That crushed me but their engagement was their choice.

As with any job, you were part of a team. My fellow RAs were an eclectic bunch. Some of them were enjoying their job and others thought it was daunting, miserable and their section was full of awful people. That wasn’t the case. THEY were the ones who struggled and they projected this onto their students. While we were at a staff meeting a few months in, one of the other RAs asked me, “How can you stay so cool all the time?” I didn’t have a great answer. I explained that I wanted to be the person who watched over my section, help students where they needed it, hope they enjoyed being at OU and James Hall, and watch them grow up. Most of them shook their heads in disbelief because they didn’t see how they could follow this approach.

A few weeks passed and then something odd was taped to my dorm room door. It was a comic strip called “The Adventures of Cool Steve.” One of my fellow RAs had drawn it. Everyone wondered how I’d take it, and . . . . I LOVED IT !! Seriously, how could I not? I was humbled and touched. They were very funny. It actually brought my guys together as well as those throughout the dorm. Kevin, the artist RA, kept adding strips on a weekly basis. People waited for the next one to come out.

After several months, he asked the Director of the dorm for permission to make a mural. The strip had become so popular that he sketched it out and painted a mural of Cool Steve on the wall between my room and one of my next door residents. This was bold because dorms are so transient. I was floored by this !! Our sophomore year wrapped up and I asked to be reassigned to my room, section and James Hall for my junior year. The school approved.

My third year in James Hall was even better than the prior two. I became VERY close with all of my residents. Many of this group became lifelong friends. I did make a switch to become an Assistant Director of the Graduate Student dorm during my senior year. It was time to move on from James Hall, but the new one I worked in was still close by on West Green. When I was getting ready to graduate, the “kids” from my junior year made sure Cool Steve would go with me.

They knew that my mural would be painted over by the new staff who had no idea who Cool Steve was. So, they took one of the bathroom doors and drew the mural for me. It made its way to me when we went out for dinner the last month before graduation. I was moved once again.

(Quick note: The bathrooms in the dorm were being remodeled with new fixtures and doors, so it was okay that my guys had procured mine.)

This great story is now almost 40 years old. As I look back on it, little did I know that the approach from Bob and my time as an RA was actually a training ground for how I’ve practiced HR throughout my career. I learned how to see people for who they are, meet them where they are, and expect the best from them. It is okay to be cool and still practice HR in a meaningful and productive way.

This week, step back and reflect. If someone described your style and approach, what would they say? I recommend you do what you can to make HR cool. It works !!

Meet Me Where I Am

It’s hard to believe that I’m inching closer and closer to two milestones in my career. I’m moving towards my 19th year with my current employer and in a little over a year I will have been in HR for 40 years !! Neither one of these things seems even feasible. I’m not stating these as some foreboding “end of the line” post, far from it. I’m still as geeked and eager to see HR continue to grow and thrive as when I did starting out decades ago. Probably even more so.

There was an HR Chat that was recently rekindled on the new BlueSky platform that is based in the UK. It’s called the “HR Hour” and I love it. It follows a simple format – two questions over one hour. You’d think there’d be giant gaps of silence, but that’s not the case at all. The conversation and dialogue is rich and diverse.

This past week when they kicked things off after a short hiatus, they started with the question – “How has HR changed over the past 25 years?”

I jumped in to share immediately since I had some observations and I also had worked through that entire time period. After the hour of chatting drew to a close, I remembered when I first started in my current role . . .

I work for a regional pizzeria that is truly an iconic institution. We celebrated our 70th anniversary in 2024 which is a rarity in the restaurant industry. We continue to be vibrant, viable, and growing. When I first joined, many of my HR peers pulled me aside and said, “Are you sure? HR in restaurants isn’t easy. There’s a ton of turnover and people stuff that happens.”

I didn’t have any HR peers who also worked in the restaurant industry at that time. I was a bit perplexed that others were more discouraging than encouraging. I hadn’t even started !! I’ve never been a person who feels compelled to go just from others’ opinions. I’d much rather dive in and make my own experiences, and then decide what an environment is/isn’t.

My new boss may have sensed some uncertainty when I started. You see, I was an outlier. The vast majority of the corporate staff had grown up within the company. I was an outside hire which has been the exception rather than the rule for our organization. He gave me an odd set of directions to follow when I began. He said, “I want you to listen to everyone for three months. I don’t want you to bring me ideas or suggestions for change. I just want you to observe and get to know folks at our pizzerias, our manufacturing plant ,and our call center. Make yourself available. That’s all.”

I’ll be honest, this was the most unique approach I had ever had. Even though I was a bit skeptical when I started, he held true to his instructions. We’d check in with each other on a weekly basis, and he’d ask me about who I’d met and what I’d seen so far. Once the three-month timeframe passed, he asked me for my ideas. He started with, “Okay, Steve, now that you’ve been watching, what would you change?”

I responded with a story . . .

I told him that while I visited the pizzerias I saw a change occur over time. When I first started to visit, I’d hear managers and team members say, “Shhh, that’s the HR guy from corporate.” It was disappointing that this was the initial response I received. However, I’m sure it was earned over time. If you know me at all, whenever I’ve received this type of greeting, I jump right in. I don’t let people have this kind of relationship with me or with HR.

I walked into the midst of folks and did something radical . . .

I’d say, “Hi there. My name’s Steve. What’s yours?”

That was it. I didn’t bring up my role, or my title or mention anything that alluded to any sense of “authority.” I just made sure to get around and meet each person. Every. One. After I’d get their name, I’d ask what they did and how long they’d been with LaRosa’s. Then I’d ask about their lives. Some shared and some didn’t. During every encounter, I never talked about my HR role. I’d share stories about my family and would answer any questions I received. I felt it was more important to get to know people for who they were.

My boss concurred with my approach and encouraged me. He liked what I chose to do. I explained that I have always felt more comfortable meeting people where they are vs. where I expected them to be. Each person is unique and comes from a different background and place in life. Acknowledging them for who they are connected me more effectively than trying to establish myself from some corporate position.

It worked and has been working for the past 18+ years. Actually, it’s how I’ve viewed HR since I began. We have a distinct opportunity to value people for who they are by meeting them where they are. It seems simple, and we tend to look for some model or formula that is far more complex in order to interact with people. Those never work and never will.

This week start meeting people where they are. It’s a good place. You’ll find out more than you ever imagined by being the person who’s open, vulnerable, genuine, and accessible first. It works for HR and for people in any environment. Just start with your name and see where it goes from there.

Being Shaped !!

My wife and I have been engrossed by the Netflix series, Blown Away, which is a competition between glass blowers. There have been four seasons so far, and we love how creative these artists are. I kept saying how intrigued I was by what the contestants did, so my wife surprised me with a gift certificate to a local glassblowing shop as a Christmas gift. I was so geeked and pumped to be able to try my hand at this craft. Then, I put the certificate in a drawer along with other gift cards.

That was three years ago. This year, though, I received the best request from our adult daughter Melanie. She was going to be able to spend most of the week of Christmas visiting us. She asked if I’d take a day off for a father/daughter day. You need to know how much that touched my soul. You see, Melanie turned 31 on Christmas Day, and here she was asking if she could still spend the day with her dad. Did I get weepy? Of course – as all good dads should regularly do.

I wanted the day to be memorable when I remembered the glassblowing certificate I had tucked away somewhere. My incredibly organized wife knew exactly where the gift certificate was. I told her I was going to see if I could get a class for Melanie and I to create some art. She hoped the certificate was still good which was a fair concern. I mentioned the thought of being in a glassblowing hot shop to Mel and she jumped at the chance.

I called Neusole Glassworks and asked to schedule some time for us to make two items – a Santa Claus hat and a Christmas Ornament. Thankfully, the gift certificate was still valid and we had a time set for the Friday afternoon after Christmas. Our father/daughter day started with a full breakfast with my wife and my Men’s Group at a local breakfast diner. Then we did some errands and shopped for some miscellaneous items to span the time before heading to the Glassworks.

When we arrived, we were given a quick tour and some safety instructions. We had already received instructions on the type of clothing to wear. They especially recommended wearing a T-shirt because of the heat in the hot shop. It was a brisk, cold winter day when we went so we had sweatshirts over our t-shirts. Once we entered the hot shop, the sweatshirts were shed within two minutes !! The oven that was used glowed brightly, and you felt the immense heat immediately.

We were scheduled for 1 1/2 hours in order to make our items. Seth was our instructor. He was patient, thorough, and encouraging. I was a bit concerned I’d be able to work the glass because the stations are set up for those who are right-handed. I am fiercely, and almost exclusively, left-handed. Seth assured me I’d be able to do all of the necessary tasks. He was right.

We had an absolute blast making our items while concentrating through sweat and a dry mouth. We both wanted to take the molten glass and shape it so that our pieces would be both unique and wonderful. Once we completed everything, Seth placed all four creations into the annealer to cool for several days. We had to wait a week to see how things turned out.

We closed out our father/daughter day by going to music trivia at our local haunt along with other family friends. We won too !! It was the perfect day all around.

Melanie returned home to Indianapolis over the weekend. While I was waiting to collect our glass creations to cool, set, and reach their final state, I thought our experience reflected something very applicable to HR, employees, culture, and work.

Glass, by itself, will maintain its shape unless it’s dropped or chipped. Then, unfortunately, it shatters and can’t serve its purpose. However, it can be reclaimed, heated and melted. The molten blob on the end of a blowpipe can become anything in a glassblowers hands. It can be clear or multi-colored. It can be shifted, altered, and maneuvered in any direction. There’s no telling what will be the end result.

People and change are just like glass. They all have a purpose and if they’re in their normal state, they can perform. However, when they get nicked, chipped, or even shattered they lose that intended purpose. We don’t like it when we face stress or “heat” that causes us to bend, fold, and change. It’s uncomfortable and we will do what we can to avoid these types of situations.

What we need to come to terms with though is that heat is exactly what we need to shift, grow, and stretch. We need to trust that when this happens we can be shaped into new creations that can offer even more than our original shape. We need to trust that these actions are what we need to go through even though its uncomfortable for a time.

At the beginning of a New Year, instead of resolving to “get into better shape,” why don’t we agree that we may need to be shaped ourselves? I have a feeling that each of us has more to offer if we’d allow the heat and stress to unlock the creative object that is waiting to come forth.

By the way – I picked up our artwork. It came out perfectly. Take a look !!

Put Your Apron On !!

My family is made up of an eclectic mix of people who have had a variety of occupations. I come from three families altogether – my mom’s side, my biological dad’s side, and my step-dads side. (My mom remarried my second dad after being widowed.) Many of my relatives were, or are, farmers. They’ve had farms where they worked the land and raised livestock. These farms have been generational, and through their hard work they have fed countless people.

Another portion of my family worked in manufacturing plants or in front-line roles putting in hours in various conditions. They were also responsible for making great products or providing services to many people. Most of my extended family never saw the end users of their efforts. One person stands out, particularly in this family work history – my stepdad, Don.

Dad grew up on a farm and used to tell us that he began work soon after birth. That was probably more truth than fabrication. I know that he worked constantly for his family growing up. He and his twin brother, Ron, were two boys of seven siblings. After high school, he began working at a grain elevator in Ada, Ohio (which would become my hometown later.) He worked his way up over time from shoveling grain and loading trucks to becoming the manager of the elevator. When he married my mom, he was the manager. I don’t know if he ever only worked 40 hours a week. Not kidding. He would put in a full day, come home for dinner, and go back to work.

His work ethic was genuine and natural. He modeled it and expected the same effort and commitment from me and my brother. It didn’t matter if that was in school, our volunteer efforts, or in our jobs. He viewed work as something to cherish and give your best to every day. Sure, I bet there were times when things were a grind. And, I’m sure he also experienced challenging employees and customers. That never swayed him.

While working at the elevator, he put himself through night school to get his Associate’s Degree in Accounting. This led to an accounting role for the local electrical co-op where he worked until he retired. I’ve always appreciated and admired my dad for how he approached work.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago . . .

I was asked to be a guest on a webinar for WorkProud. Their CEO, Michael Levy, and I had a great conversation about the future of work and how to develop a people-first organization. I am grateful anytime I have the chance to contribute to blogs, podcasts, or webinars. I don’t take it for granted. Once the webinar was completed, Michael asked me for my address because he wanted to send me something as a “Thank You.”

Soon there was a package on my porch and I was floored when I opened it !! I saw some weathered green canvas along with some leather. I was confused as to the contents of the package at first. I pulled out the item and began unfolding it. It seemed to unfold over and over. It still wasn’t clear as to what it was until I laid it flat on my kitchen island.

It was an apron !! A work apron. It was magnificent and I took several minutes just to look it over. I ran my hands over the material and it already felt like it had been used. It was as if someone working in a hands-on environment had finished their day’s work and had hung it up on a hook to be ready for the next shift. My wife asked if I was planning on keeping it, and I immediately said, “Absolutely !!”

You see, I think the apron is a solid reminder for everyone in HR to pick up their proverbial apron and put it on as we head into work. We can have the same approach and dedication my dad showed throughout his career with our “aprons” on. We are a profession that rarely sees the outcome of our efforts because we have the privilege of working with people. Each day provides a different circumstance to take on and work through.

Having a put your apron on mentality will keep us grounded as well. It is a tangible reminder that we represent all employees from the front line to the C-suite. Our “work” is in caring for, assisting, and developing others. We can build up our callouses doing this work well. This week I want you to pause before you start. Break up your regular pattern and add a new step. Find your apron. Put it on. Tie it tightly and then head in !!

Cluttered

Now, I know that even the title of this blog may make some people squirm. I want to challenge that notion if only to offer a different perspective. As I’m writing this post, I am surrounded by a stack of books I intend to read, various notebooks all dedicated to different areas of work, a stack of crumpled flip chart pages, two sets of markers, two tote bags, and two backpacks. I have a playlist with the soundtrack of the alternative Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy, on shuffle and I’m watering our trees to thwart the drought we’re facing. This is normal and comforting . . . for me.

Please note that I’m not touting that my method of approaching life is what others should do. As mentioned earlier, any semblance of this type of manner of walking through life unsettles far more people than those who concur. I have no recollection of ever not having this as my standard style. I don’t want to venture into if my brain is wired in a certain way or another. I don’t feel it’s fair to project or label how anyone moves through their daily lives. When I find people do this, it’s not comparative, it’s judgemental. There’s a right and a wrong.

I believe there just . . . is. That may be far too existential for some. However, when I look at the world and the people around me I see variety, diversity, and uniqueness. I try my best not to squelch or confine anyone else. I don’t particularly agree with how others maneuver through work and life, but only because I know it won’t work for me. If you visited me at my office, you’d see this pattern of being cluttered lived out. To me, it’s a very natural environment that offers endless stimulation and movement. It’s a snapshot of how the world appears in my head daily.

One day a former executive came to my office and was mortified. He looked at everything stacked, teetering and threatening to topple at any moment. His countenance dropped and he was immediately judgemental because my setting ran completely counter to how he did life. That was true of his dress, his communication, and his leadership style. Instead of trying to understand my beautiful mess, he challenged me because he wanted to show me how wrong I was to work like I do.

“This is something,” he retorted.

“Is there something you need or I can help you with?” I replied.

“Do you even know where anything is? I mean (dramatic pause) LOOK at this place !!” he exclaimed. His voice was raised and he started to turn red. I didn’t understand why this was a confrontation, but I remained unphased.

“What would you like me to get? Glad to help you.” I said this with a bit of a twist and a hint of sarcasm and he felt it.

“Well, um, where is the project list we’re working on for the Strategic Plan?” he stammered.

I reached into the middle of a stack while steadying it with my other hand. “This list?” It was exactly what he was asking for. I said, “This isn’t luck or a magic trick. It’s how I think. I know this isn’t how you like to approach work and I respect that. I ask you to do the same.”

Needless to say, he was not happy. I didn’t want that to happen, but I also felt he should be more open-minded to different perspectives. We all say we’re comfortable with those who are different than us, but that’s not really true. If we were honest, we consider different – wrong. It isn’t. It’s just different.

This week take a look around and take in the array of the people you work with and see how each one is unique. They’re all amazing because of their differences. Some will be organized and others will be cluttered. Some will think linearly and others don’t even know what a line looks like because they see countless versions of ever-changing intersections.

Let’s see how all of those differences make us better. I need to get back to my stacks . . .