‘Difference’ Articles at Everyday People, Page 7

Thankful.

This past week my family, along with many others, celebrated Thanksgiving. I am still a traditionalist when it comes to the holidays and their order. Gathering together over food is always a good thing, but what drives it home for me is that we normally do it around people. These people may include relatives, friends or even acquaintances. More often than not we feel recharged and refreshed after spending time with each other.

Then, we return to work and that level of enjoyment and intimacy dissipates so fast that it can’t even be tracked. We are surrounded with another group of people who drive home the mantra of “get things done.” Don’t get me wrong, productivity is essential for the success of businesses and our own personal careers. But getting things “done” almost completely eliminates the interaction of the people around us. We skim across the surface of everyone picking the one or two items needed to move our work and projects forward because spending time with them personally would be viewed as inefficient.

Don’t believe me? There are entire books and conferences dedicated to this. People flock to these forums and love the “take aways” they get from power points, flash drives or tool kits. However, the best resources they could have found were sitting next to them. Those resources were ignored because they are people we don’t know, and we could be seen as too forward if we reached out to get to know them.

I happened to check an e-mail while I was off for the holiday from a friend and it crushed me. She wrote me to tell me that she was thankful for me because I had made an introduction to her back in 2009 that literally saved her business as a sole proprietor. I couldn’t believe it. She went on to say that this connection has continued to lead to business opportunities to this day. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to say thanks.

It led to me to think this . . . Who we affect is far more important than what we get done !!

In HR we have the chance, and the obligation, to positively affect all of the people around us and not just wait for the holidays to recharge ourselves around those we know better. We can dive past the façade of surfaces and spend time to get to know the people who make work come to life and drive productivity. It’s time for us to remember that work happens through people and not in spite of them.

So, I’d like to start something that I hope you take forward.

I’m thankful for YOU !! I’m thankful that you’ve chosen to read this blog. I’m hopeful that we are connected, and if we aren’t, I’m hopeful that we can become connected.

I’m thankful that you’re involved in some way with HR and people. It is a challenging field, but it is also one of the most fulfilling careers a person could ever pursue. You have the chance to interact with humans everyday, and you never know how your interaction may deeply impact them.

Here’s how to move this forward. Be like my friend and thank someone who has impacted you. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or a particular setting. Reach out today with a note, a phone call, an e-mail, or something you know will matter to them. Watch what happens. See how you will be recharged each and every day. You won’t have to wait for that next holiday. You’ll see that being Thankful is a fantastic state to be in all the time !!

Squeals of Joy !!

This past week I got to do something that I haven’t done often over the past few years. I was interviewing potential candidates to become Team Members for one of our pizzerias.

Typically, our great Managers interview, but I got to help this week because we had a bigger hiring need. It was energizing to sit across the table to learn about people who are interested in joining us. One thing I forgot about interviewing was the nerves, anxiety and anticipation of the candidate. Each person I spoke to was eager to give answers and share their experience. A few of them were worried they’d give the “wrong” answer, and a few were very confident with every response.

At the end of the interview we decide whether to make an offer or not. That’s when it happened. When I offered a job to some of the candidates, they actually squealed !! They were so excited that they were going to get a job that they couldn’t help but express their joy.

I guess I’ve been in HR too long because I lost the experience and thrill of what it meant to offer someone a job. I think that’s true for most of us especially when I hear people speak more about metrics and not people. The majority of how our focus in recruiting and hiring has come down to statistics like “time to hire” or “cost per hire.” Where is the statistic – changed my life ??

Think about it. When you make a hiring decision, you trust that the person you just interviewed is someone who will add value to your company. You have been given the responsibility to identify and meet someone who is going to bring their lives, experience and talent to your organization !! Isn’t that more important than a report or making sure that your next job requisition comes off the board?

When we hire someone, we change their lives. They are so excited to have this new opportunity. We miss this squeal of joy because we’re so eager to move onto the next task, interview or project.

It’s time for us to step back and take in the fact that we are adding talent to our company. If we are doing anything else, then we aren’t doing our job effectively because if the people we hire are just to alleviate pressure or ease some uneasiness in low staffing levels, then we’re missing the mark.

What if you approached hiring and job seekers with the same joy they hope to experience by landing a job? What if you met each person with excitement, anxiety, nerves and anticipation about who you’re about to meet? How do you think you’d view the “task” of recruiting and hiring with this type of attitude?

One of the people I hired asked if she could call her dad to tell him she had just landed her first job. I said, “Of course,” and I listened as she shared the news. It was a great wake up call for me. What we do in HR is full of joy everyday in our lives, and potentially in the lives of others. Let’s see if we can make that happen !!

Be a Builder !!

When I look at the vast field of HR, I have to say that I am swayed to the power of Culture more than other facets. I truly believe that people decide to either stay at a company or leave it because of its culture.

Cultures vary with each company that exists. In fact, you could even note that each department within a company has its own culture. With so many different environments, it seems difficult to think that we keep trying a “one size fits all” approach and think that it will work. There are too many factors to take in, and it’s honestly exhausting to try to make everything fit.

In the past, I thought that changing the culture in an organization was the answer. I fell into the mythical trap that things can only get better if things are viewed as wrong and then fixing them. That is extremely presumptuous when you step back and think about that. To think that a culture can only improve if it’s first destroyed devalues all that has been in existence before you were part of that culture yourself.

This week something hit me like a ton of bricks. It was an actual Aha moment !! What if you built your culture instead of changing it ??

You may argue that this is semantics, but I don’t think it is. Building a culture is working from the environment you currently experience. I’m not saying that everyone has the best culture, but it is what you have to work from. If you have a construction approach and not a destruction approach, you can see where there are opportunities to build. Think of how healthy you would be as an HR person if you were adding to things instead of limiting them or tearing them down.

You need to understand that this is contrary to how we currently practice. We are doing way too much justifying and reporting in our roles. Reporting is important, but reports exist because of results. Without actions that generate results, your reports are shallow and mundane. If your focus were to evaluate, take some measurements and see how areas of your culture could be enhanced and improved, imagine what could happen !!

We are always looking for ways to enjoy what we do, and this can be the start of building our profession to be even better. It takes some risk to see things positively and differently, but it’s worth it.

So, this week strap on your tool belt and your hard hat. There are cultures out there where you can be a builder !! They’ve been waiting for you to get started !!

Image courtesy of People Matters (one of my fave blogs !!)

Sorry, We’re Closed !!

This weekend, my son took a giant step of leadership and initiative !! He began work on his Eagle Scout project. He started building a shed to replace a POD for the Animal Friends Humane Society who currently has to pay to have the POD for food storage for the animals. The project is massive, but he is more than able to take it on. Have to say the “proud father” tears often swell to the surface when I think about how amazing he is !!

One of the keys in doing a project like this is that you get first-hand experience on when things go well . . . and when they don’t.

Josh had ordered the shed from one of those big box hardware stores and everything was scheduled to be delivered on site (a mile from the store) the Friday before his first workday on Saturday. We stopped by the store on Friday night just to make sure that everything was ready. The shipping supervisor looked a bit confused and dumbfounded when Josh asked about the delivery. It looked like it was “supposed” to have happened, but another employee hadn’t entered the firm delivery in the computer, so it didn’t exist.

Another key to an Eagle Scout project is to adapt.

Josh asked if we could compromise and get a rental truck and get some of the material to make the shed’s base and floor for the next day because people were scheduled to come and help. The store agreed and waived the rental fee for the truck and apologized for the mistake and confirmed that they could deliver the remainder of the materials on Sunday. Josh added an extra work day, but still moved forward.

On Saturday morning, we arrived to get the rental truck and pick up the material for the floor. We were directed over to the lumber yard, and we were the first customers for the day. A young man in a Security shirt came out of the guard shack and the following happened.

Guard: May I help you?

Steve: We were told to come back to the lumber yard to get material.

Guard: Sorry, we’re closed.

Steve: What ?! (confused and frustrated from the original delivery being mixed up) They told us to come back here.

Guard: Sorry, they must have told you the wrong information. We’re closed.

Steve: But we need to get the lumber. You don’t understand, we have people . . .

Guard: It’s okay. I’m just messing with you. We’re open. Come on in. Can I help you get to where you need to go?

We busted out laughing !! The young man saw that we were in a hurry and had to “get things done.” He noticed we were missing out on starting the day getting some material to do some project. We weren’t there to enjoy the experience and he was supposed to just do his job.

The thing is – he was doing his job better than anyone could have imagined !! He chose to take a rather mundane job (checking people in and out of a lumber yard ALL DAY) and make it enjoyable. I loved his creativity and told him that I appreciated his approach.

I’m sure if typical supervisors had seen this interaction, the guard would have been coached if not disciplined or terminated. We want people to WORK and be productive. We have spent years beating the passion out of people, and yet we expect them to bring the workplace to life through their jobs.

I had to come back later Saturday morning, because you always have at least 3 return trips to hardware stores during a project, and I saw the guard again. I couldn’t resist, so I said, “I see you’re open now !!” He didn’t miss a beat, “Yeah, you just caught us because we were closed ten minutes ago.”

HR needs to take note to give employees permission to love what they do and who they interact with. Work would be a better place if we looked at how to make people smile in what we do regardless of our role.

That young man made our day !! I’m sure glad he was “closed” !!

The Campaign for HR !!

We’re getting closer and closer to another election season. Even though this is a “light” year for elections locally, that doesn’t stop the candidates who are running for office from filling the airwaves with commercials. And, true to form, there are few candidates who say what they’re going to do. Instead, they spend millions of dollars to smear their opponent. People must feel it works because it gets worse the closer you are to the actual election day.

To me it seems similar to what I see from other bloggers in the “space” when they write about Human Resources. People feel that if they continue to tear down HR, it will somehow get better. I don’t follow the numbers and metrics of posts, including my own, but negativity must sell. When I see posts that focus on division and separatism I get concerned. Why would people want to work in a field that only wallows in things that are wrong?

I had toyed with the idea of seeking political office in the past and I determined back then that if I would ever run, I would only be positive. I think people should make choices on what you can bring and not focus on one and another’s faults. Therefore, I am launching a campaign in support of HR !!

When is comes to HR, I am literally ALL in !! It’s been my career of choice and I try to be active and visible through volunteer work, social media and speaking at events. I only see HR growing and becoming more and more relevant in my organization and in many organizations across the globe. There are creative and innovative people who are changing their approaches and their cultures to have workplaces where people can perform their best and move their organizations forward.

Here are the planks of my platform to share to make this campaign come to life !!

Be Others Focused

We are in the one profession that is built with a focus on other people. Think of what a great opportunity that is !! Seriously, you have a chance to work with people on purpose. It’s built into your job and it needs to be the base of your thinking and approach every day.

Be Certified

I refuse to continue to argue on one certification versus another. Certification should be our ticket to moving ourselves, and the field, ahead. The key to being certified is more than passing a test. Having a professional certification gives you credibility and gives you the base on which to be a continuous learner and seek professional development. We need to know HR to practice HR. Take the time to get your letters and then build on your education from there going forward.

Be Connected

HR on its own is career suicide. You will struggle if you aren’t connected to great people, great resources and great events. Every time I read something, I look to learn from the author and their perspective. When I find resources that help me do HR better, I share them with others. Most importantly, when I go to events, I make sure to meet others to build my network in order to connect others. We’re only better when we’re together as a profession.

So, can I count on your support ?? Will you join me in moving HR forward in a positive way ?? I would love to have you join in and stem the tide of negativity. I know we can do it and am geeked to see what happens !!

I’m Steve Browne, candidate for the Campaign for HR, and I support this message !!

What’s Your Sentence ??

As I write, I’m recovering from the Ohio SHRM State Conference. It was another incredible event full of learning, fun, laughter and engaged HR pros. Everyone there found something that they could use as a takeaway to improve their role back at the workplace.

Personally I was geeked to be able to give a presentation myself !! It is always a highlight for me when I get to speak to my peers. I also enjoyed participating in a Town Hall to update folks about the new SHRM Certification with Nancy Conway from SHRM.

I enjoy going to events like this because I seek out sessions that will stretch me and how I look at what I do. I want to hear new thoughts and approaches to see how I can approach HR in my organization in a fresh and relevant way. I was encouraged that the entire conference would have sessions like this when Bill Taylor opened as the conference’s first keynote. Taylor is the author of “Practically Radical” and I was intrigued as he shared real world stories from today’s companies that are differentiating themselves.

He also shared a story when John F. Kennedy was President and a noted female Republican member of Congress met with the young leader. She confronted the President and questioned his scattered approach to his job. She told him that he needed to be someone who would be remembered by what he did in one sentence.

Kennedy took that advice to heart and Taylor challenged the conference attendees to reflect on this advice as well. He asked what your sentence is for HR? What is the sentence for your company and what is your sentence for you?

I think it’s something that calls for you to set up your legacy, but I’d like to challenge you to make it your present approach to HR !! Think about it. You don’t have a legacy until after you’re finished. To get to that level of being positively remembered, your actions have to start now.

I think it starts by reflecting to see if how you’re practicing is genuine or manufactured. Are you putting on a facade which is fraught with stereotypes of HR and the myths of what others say about us? Are you putting on this shield over your clothes because you feel that’s how you are “supposed” to act?

You can’t expect others to be genuine if you aren’t willing to be genuine yourself. The fact is that if you’re genuine, you will be more attractive to the people around you. I’m not talking about your physical appearance. Genuine people are a draw and attract others. If you attract others, you can establish a relationship with them. If you have a relationship, you can talk about anything and influence the behavior and performance of others.

To get this going, I want to share with you my sentence. I hope that it comes true. I need to establish this in order to make it come to life. Here it is . . .

” I want to make a difference in people’s lives every single day.”

Not sure what that difference will be. Not sure that I’ll even get to see it. However, it’s what I can do that matters. It can shape my attitude, my behavior and my approach. It will keep me grounded and mindful that my actions affect others.

I’m glad I went to OHSHRM just for this. Trust me, there was much more that I learned, but this will serve as a cornerstone for how I practice HR from now on. I have my sentence. Now you have to ask yourself – what’s yours ??

Repurposing HR !!

Recently, my family and I had a gigantic garage sale !! Seriously, my entire garage, family room and front porch were filled. We had all of the possessions of my mother-in-law who recently passed. There were tons of memories as we sorted everything, and it took over a week just to sort all of the “treasures.”

We prepped, priced and positioned everything so it had the best chance to be sold. Our goal was to sell it all with the proceeds going toward my son’s Eagle Scout project. It always amazes me that when you have one of these sales your street is lined with people who just can’t wait to see what you’re offering. We were scheduled to open at 9:00am and the first folks started showing up at 7:45am !! No one was turned away and the sales started building.

People came looking for certain items and knew exactly what they wanted. We were fascinated by people and their choices. We even came across some people who were “resellers.” These folks were professionals. They pulled item after item because they were going to take them and repurpose them into something “new.” They were great negotiators and rarely wanted to pay full price. I thought they were really fun and saw items that people may consider as junk as something that had potential.

There were a few items that we hoped wouldn’t sell because deep down we wanted to keep them. We ended up with a set of antique 1/2 gallon milk bottles with a carrier that used to bring milk to people’s homes and a set of steel chairs from a patio set. We took the chairs and went to work on them by scraping loose paint, washing them down and giving them a new color so that they each had a new look !! We knew that these would be a unique addition to my daughter’s 1st college apartment.

They turned out great !! It only took an hour and a few dollars to breathe life into something that had been buried in a garage gathering rust and dust. It was also very fulfilling to know that this simple investment of time and work would help out someone else who could use them for years to come.

While I was giving the chairs a facelift, I thought of HR. I know that may seem like a stretch, but hear me out.

How many things are there that we do that sit and gather dust after we create them? We’re so excited when they were introduced, but we missed it when they were no longer relevant. The difference is that if we had a sale of old HR stuff, people wouldn’t be lined up to check it out.

What do you have that needs to be cleaned and given a new coat of paint? What do you have that needs to be put out for the sale just to flat get rid of it?

This week do some cleaning. Don’t settle for how you’ve been doing HR. Dig deep and take the items that need new life and give it them. At the same time, take the systems, policies and procedures that have no purpose anymore and get rid of them. Have the HR garage sale that you’ve needed to have !! You’ll be glad you did !!

Calling All Disruptors !!

In December 2013, a ripple in the HR continuum occurred when Disrupt HR was launched in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a phenomenal event where 12 speakers took the stage at the Rhinegeist Brewery for their fast paced 5 minute talks using 20 slides each !! I’ve been fortunate to be involved with this movement since the beginning along with Jennifer McClure from Unbridled Talent and Chris Ostich from BlackbookHR. Our first time around was a wild success and we’ve seen other great events pop up around the country in Denver (twice) and Cleveland !!

The talks are invigorating, unconventional, high energy and provocative. To get a feel for what has happened so far, check these sample talks out !!

We’re about to launch our 2nd Disrupt HR in Cincinnati on Wednesday, September 10th – and this is where we need you !!

You can get involved in two ways. The first is the easiest and something that I’d encourage ALL HR folks within the Greater Cincinnati/Dayton/Northern Kentucky area to consider and that is to attend the event. We are going to have this episode of Disrupt HR at the incomparable Memorial Hall !! The tickets are free and you can get yours here. It’s a great way to network and be a part of the greater HR community. I truly hope to see you there.

The second way to get involved is to be a Disruptor and give a presentation. I know this may seem daunting to most people, but I also know that there are many HR folks who have great opinions and thoughts that others can learn from.

I loved presenting the first time and look forward to being involved again. I’d love to see you step out and make your voice heard. We need a few more people to speak at our event – so take the leap and sign up on our site for the Cincinnati event here. (Click on the button on the bottom right hand side of the page where it asks you to “Sign Up to Disrupt.” You’ll be glad you took the stage !!

HR can’t change unless we step up and make our voices heard. I know that you’d welcome the chance for HR to be better and now you have a forum to do that. So, here’s my best Paul Revere call to arms. The future is coming and you can be part of the movement that will shape it !! Be a Disruptor !!

Culture of Awesome !!

There are countless numbers of blogs and articles regarding culture. I’m absolutely in that mix because I feel that culture is the most critical factor of today’s workplace. The challenge I see though is that people continue to offer models of what will absolutely work for you. I think this is an incredible presumption !! I can’t come close to understanding what your company culture is or isn’t.

There are a few assumptions I can make that will be accurate:

Your company has people that work there.
All the people you have are different and unique.
No one agrees on having the same culture.

In our constant pursuit for the silver bullet for all things HR, we tend to get frustrated because we can’t make everything “the same.” I’d like to suggest one component regarding company culture that you can control, but you overlook. That cultural component is . . . YOU !!

In organizations, we talk about others and how THEY need to improve their behavior. In fact, the majority of our time in Human Resources is dealing with the behaviors of other employees. After a while we get desensitized to thinking about how we affect the behaviors of others because we are always trying to address and “fix” people. That approach is exhausting isn’t it?

A friend sent me this picture with the message, “I thought of you the moment I saw this.” I am smiling even as I type this blog because I get Geeked everytime I see it !! What makes it an amazing picture is that the advice is not to start with others, it’s for yourself first. Behavior is most affected by what you model and not what you dictate.

If each and every day started this way for you, how would your day go? Imagine that this framed your behavior as you pulled up to work, got out of your car, and as your hand hit the handle of the door to enter your building – it was on !! I understand that this could be tough to pull off for some people even one day a week. I just believe that HR has the ability to set the tone of the culture where they work. If you came in to set up a Culture of Awesome – you would set the world on its ear. People would look at you, and at HR, differently. There may be some skeptics to start, but you’ll see that it will become a norm for the environment around you.

Tomorrow, or when you read this, start with Rule 1, move to Rule 2 and see how you start working better with everyone around you as you incorporate Rule 3 !! I think you’ll agree that it’s AWESOME !!

It’s How You Look At It !!

This past week we lost a comic genius in Robin Williams. It’s sad that he passed because he always seemed to bring joy through his work. I’m one of those who “grew up” with Williams from his stand-up comedy, through Mork & Mindy and all of his movies.

I enjoyed his comedy because he looked at things from a slightly different perspective. His views were frenetic and never predictable !! I think that’s one reason that people loved watching him because you never knew what what coming. I think most would agree that they loved watching Williams and his madness, but they would not be comfortable practicing it themselves.

Having a different perspective on things is never popular. The pressure to stay within the norms of interactions, conversations and actions is huge. If you are an outlier, then people tend to look at you as a disruptive force instead of something inviting.

HR needs to learn from Robin Williams in a couple of ways. The first is that we should be the group that brings the different perspective to situations. We have the opportunity to represent both the employee and the leadership in organizations. Too often we are seen as representing management only. We need to be the voice of both sides and that takes some moxie to stand up and not be aligned to the Company only.

Secondly, we can breathe life into our role and our organizations like Williams did for us. Today, people don’t enjoy coming to work. It’s well documented and publicized to the point that you wonder if anyone enjoys work anymore. We can be the overwhelmingly positive model through HR. Each company has it’s struggles and obstacles, but it’s how you approach things.

One of my favorite Williams’ movies was Good Morning, Vietnam. In it, his character takes the horror of the situation people were involved in and looks at it differently. The humor he brought gave the troops a little light despite the situation they were in. I know what we do on a daily basis doesn’t compare to that type of extreme environment, but bringing a positive viewpoint to what we do is sorely needed !!

This week take the step to start having a different perspective in what you do, how you do it and allow others to bring in different viewpoints as well. Also, make sure you’re taking time to laugh and bring a positive perspective to HR and the employees you get to serve.