In the classic film Spartacus, Kirk Douglas leads a revolt against Rome. He and his fellow slaves are face-to-face with the Roman troops when the commander demands that Spartacus reveal himself. All of his fellow slaves stand and declare that THEY are Spartacus until the entire throng claims to be Douglas. He stands defiantly facing his enemy while everyone rallies around him. It is timeless and a call to arms for people to support a just cause and overthrow the empire !!
This past week a true revolutionary in our field of HR, Laurie Ruettimann, released her new e-book, I Am HR: 5 Strategic Ways to Break Stereotypes and Reclaim HR. To put it simply, it is magnificent !!
Laurie has been a trendsetter in Social Media and HR for several years. Her punk rock approach to what we do is edgy, challenging and intentional. She hasn’t settled for HR to remain in stasis, and that doesn’t always sit well with people. In fact, I know that people tend to either be hot or cold with Laurie since she rarely takes a stand in the middle of the road.
I respect Laurie for being a boundary stretched in a field that cries out so desperately for this. For too long HR has bemoaned how it “isn’t this” or “isn’t that.” We are the ONLY profession that does this by the way !! Laurie and I have different approaches to being passionate about HR, but I consider her a dear friend who makes me think and not accept the norms that are often set as standards for our industry.
This e-book takes the stereotypes of HR and peels them back. It doesn’t pile on or reinforce them, but it does ask you as the reader to face what we’ve become.
The true appeal to Laurie’s work is that she offers some tangible solutions for each of these stereotypes to be addressed and thwarted. Some HR books give lofty theoretical models filled with catchphrases and false motivation to get you jacked up to “act” into yet another phase of corporate ambiguity. This book doesn’t do that. In fact, Laurie gives real world examples of HR professionals that she has observed as people who break these stereotypes. You can find each of these HR pros active in all facets of the field and from all types and sizes of industries. Ironically, each of the people she lists are also visible and active in Social Media trying to move the entire profession forward as well as where they work.
This book will push you to look introspectively and then ask you to stand and proclaim. I know that when I read it, I readily exclaimed, ” I AM HR !! ” as if I was rallying with Spartacus. I encourage you to download the book, keep it on hand, refer to it often and join the throng to proclaim that YOU ARE HR !!
