‘Encouragement’ Articles at Everyday People, Page 3

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 ??

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.

The Value of Context !!

I am a dad. It has to be the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever had, or will ever have. My kids are on the verge of being adults now so they are doing more and more on their own. What I’m finding is how easy it is to take a small amount of information and blow it out of proportion if you are missing context. I’m seeing this both from them spreading their wings and having to make bigger life decisions as well as my wife and I letting them fly more. We don’t always have context around what their decisions are, and it’s hard not to want to step in and “fix” things.

Please note that my kids are flat amazing !! My wife and I are fortunate because they’re both honor roll students (college and high school). And, they’ve made great choices (so far) in their friends, activities and life.

This past week I had a chance to get some more context myself. In addition to being a father, I’m a SHRMmie. A SHRMmie is someone who is active with SHRM as a volunteer, chapter member, etc. I see it as someone who has made a broader attempt at getting involved with SHRM as an organization.

I went to an event put on by my local chapter where Dr. Kari Strobel from SHRM Research presented on the SHRM Competency Model. I’ve known about SHRM’s work in this area for the past few years and have heard about it as it was being developed. Now that it’s completed, it was intriguing to see the depth of the model and how it can be used by HR practitioners.

I learned that they have taken the model and equated each of the competencies to levels of your career. So, you can take the “Business Acumen” competency and see how to utilize it as an entry-level practitioner to a Sr. level practitioner. I appreciated seeing that the model didn’t take a one size fits all approach. I also like that the model is a mix of behavioral competencies as well as solid HR technical knowledge as a competency.

When the presentation finished, the attendees wanted to quantify the SHRM Competency Model to the new SHRM Certification and the impending exam that will launch in 2015. Dr. Strobel handled the questions well and understood that people wanted to seek context around this change. The questions and answers were very good and each one let people build on what was said before it.

It was obvious that the Certification issue is still very personal and emotional – and it should be. You see, when people put their emotions into something, they care more about it and want it to be protected. I appreciate that people care about their professional status and their certification. As an SPHR myself, I agree that it matters.

What I’d ask everyone to do with this passion, is seek context. Please note that I don’t want you to seek context to sway you one way or another. I want people to take the time to seek context because then you can make educated decisions on what you plan to do.

So, as you continue to look at the different aspects of the SHRM Certification as it evolves, get more information. Go to an event at your local SHRM chapter or State Conference. Reach out to someone and talk to them. Go to the site they’ve developed specifically for the SHRM Certification here. It helps to see more about what is happening.

I am excited to see things moving. I’m working on trying to learn more and understand more and get as much context as I can. I hope you’ll join me !!

A Little Piece of My Heart !!

This week has been one of transition. My mother-in-law passed away at the age of 77 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Also, a dear friend of mine, who I sang alongside in our church choir, passed away gracefully at the age of 89. I doubt that few who read this blog know these two great people who impacted my life in tangible, meaningful ways. I am thankful that I can celebrate their lives and what they meant to me.

These two people also had an impact on my amazing wife, Debbie. I don’t mention her much on social forums because she’d prefer to be in the background. You see, she is a perfect reflection of the quote from Jerry Maguire – she completes me. She and I are almost complete polar opposites and everything I do poorly, she does well. I don’t know how my life would look without her. I don’t think it would be nearly as positive and great as it is because she so gracefully and effortlessly fills the voids and blind spots I have.

The majority of the people who touch our lives are more like my wife, my mother-in law and my friend from church. They are meaningful to us individually and the sphere of who they’re connected to varies greatly. Even though I may be personally connected to them, I may not be connected to the other amazing people who they know and interact with.

I want to take the time this week to share something that you may not know. Just like these three wonderful people – you have a piece of my heart !!

Too often, we downplay the impact EVERY single person in our lives has. We keep thinking that people only make an impact if they have visibility, notoriety or celebrity. Sadly, many people keep chasing those shallow attributes of our society thinking it will give more substance and meaning to their lives.

You need to know that YOU matter – at least to me. I don’t take any interaction I have with any person lightly. It may be the one and only time we ever cross paths. That matters. I may not personally see how this affects either your life or mine. But, I know that because you came across my path and in my life – you impacted me and made a difference.

I don’t view life in the manner that most people do. To me, the “humans” are key because my life is not defined by my profession. It’s just what I happen to do.

The losses I experienced this week reminded me that I don’t take enough time to let people who are in my life know how much I value them. I guess I assume they know, but that is a missed opportunity. This is something so critical to all of us as people to communicate how people touch our lives.

Make sure to notice everyone you come across this week !! Don’t ignore, brush off or move past some ONE to some THING you think is more important.

I don’t take our connection lightly. The fact that you would take the time to read this blog as well as connect in person and/or socially drives me and fuels my passion for people more than you know !!

I’m glad you are a piece of my heart !! I know that I am better because of it !!

Image Courtesy of Deviantart.com

Is It Inside You ??

I love to write. It’s cool to have a blog to make this happen. But what if there’s more? Are there ideas that have been percolating and they are just aching to get out?

Have you read other’s people’s work and thought “I could do that !!” Well, what hold’s you back? How do you go from a wish and make it come to life? What if you wrote an entire book ??

I have a few HR friends who have done this and put out some amazing content !! I would recommend you picking up Dwane Lay’s Lean HR, Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt’s Social Gravity and Dr.Daniel Crosby’s You’re Not That Great. The took the jump of making that inner voice public. All of them are great resources !!

Another great resource is the new book by Cathy Fyock and Kevin Williamson entitled On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks. They provide the perfect starter to get your words down on pages and into a book. You see, they wrote a book on how to write a book. Brilliant !!

Cathy is an accomplished author, with this being her fifth book, and a fabulous HR pro. I’ve known Cathy from my work as a fellow SHRM volunteer at the State level. Kevin is an editor with incredible experience. (His Style section at the end of the book is worth the book alone !!)

I loved this book because it demystifies what most would think is a daunting task. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a huge amount of work which takes intentional effort and discipline. However, Cathy and Kevin give tangible examples and break down the process into manageable pieces. The exercises at the end of each chapter will help you build the discipline you’ll need to create your book.

I’ve been seeing a flurry of blogs later that are saying that HR seems to be stuck in an endless loop. The thought is that people aren’t coming up with creative ideas, but I disagree. There is still so much to learn, share and generate.

More and more people are joining the blogosphere from HR. It’s great to see new voices and I still make sure to read the myriad of posts which come out each day. I think it’s better to be positive about what’s being said. You can always learn from what others have to offer.

Make sure to get Cathy and Kevin’s book. After reading it you’ll see if you want to take that next step. They make writing a book seem not only attainable but also inviting. I know it peaked my interest !! Now to get that voice out to see what hits the page !!

Dark Matter

The conversation usually starts out like this . . .

“You’ll never believe what just happened !! I have an employee who . . .”

The conversation unfolds and you find yourself deep inside yet another difficult, dark employee relations issue. Before you can say a word, or offer any insight, the mob (usually folks outside of HR) have gathered their torches and pitchforks ready to unleash their fury in the form of some level of progressive discipline – up to and including termination. At least this time they came to you versus handing out their own type of justice first and expect you to pick up the pieces.

The challenge for you is not only that you are delving once again in the dark matter of people’s lives and in the organization, but how do you keep it up? Seriously. If you are always around the dark side of people’s lives and behavior, how do you not quickly fall into that same black hole?

Have you ever been to an HR Conference? It’s like a dark matter convention. If you listen in on what HR pros are talking about, more often than not, they’re unloading the dark matter situations that they’ve been dealing with since the last conference. It becomes a flurry of “Oh, yeah but let me tell you about this one !!” I don’t fault people for sharing because they’re doing it to try and cope with constantly being surrounded with difficult situations. Some of the stories truly are funny, but most of them are tragic and sad.

Add on to this the constant bombardment of people wanting HR to focus on Employee Engagement, being a great place to work, and building an attractive culture. These are definitely items people would prefer working on. The barrier to doing this is the lurking feeling that the next dark situation is just around the corner.

What can be done to combat this fact of working in Human Resources? How can you make it so that you aren’t consumed with the next negative aspect of human behavior? Is there something that isn’t trite or cutesy like inspirational posters on the wall that no one reads?

There is. It’s not easy, but there is.

I’ve been in HR for over three decades now and I continue to enjoy it more and more each year !! That’s not some motivational quote for a blog. It’s the truth !! Have I been discouraged at times? You bet. It hasn’t been for long though. Here’s what I do to fight the dark matter:

Remember that EVERYONE has value !! – We always talk about employees as if they aren’t people. We also forget that we’re people too. We can’t wait to pull out some manual and address people with policies. You need to address people as people first. If their behavior falls into an area that deserves discipline, then be consistent with it. However, you must meet with the employee first and see what’s happening with them before launching into some short-sighted action just to lessen the pain.

Surround yourself with positive people !! – This is more than the usual “be positive” encouragement. If you are around other HR pros who are positive as well as you are, then you have a community that gives your alternative perspectives to consider.

Have an accountability partner !! – You will slip and get dark. It’s impossible not to. However, you need to have an anchor or two who will be there for you no matter what. They are your “confessor” so that you make your feelings known and they’ll be there for you no matter what is shared or felt.

Be the light in the dark !! – I know this sounds like a catch phrase, but hear me out. You have the choice as to how to approach people every single day. If you think poorly about others, it will show. If people constantly bring a sigh to you and not a smile, then you can see where you are.

Turn that around. I can tell you that it’s worth it. I don’t think being positive is some parlor trick. It’s a way of life. Be that light. Start dispelling the darkness. Your company is looking for it !!

Friends.

After a great Easter weekend, it’s easy to come back to work because I had the chance to take in something that I value more and more. I hope that I have always valued what I experienced this weekend, but I would have to say that sometimes I take it for granted as well. What am I talking about? Friends.

This weekend for our Easter gathering, my family got together with two of our closest families. Our children are now all young adults and we have been together since the birth/infancy of each of the seven kids. We aren’t related biologically, but these two families are as close and as dear as any family member could be. There was nothing unique, magical, or overwhelming when we got together. We went to church, shared an incredible lunch where everyone pitched in, played outside, laughed, shared stories and memories and ended the day with warm hugs as everyone went on their way.

So, what in the world does this have to do with HR ?? Absolutely everything !!

You see, many HR pros continue to struggle and practice in what they do because they try to gut it out on their own. You can be somewhat effective in this approach, but the key word is “somewhat.” Now, I’m not talking about having a “network” or your own personal “Board of Directors.” Those are important, but this is something more basic and essential.

Because HR folks are in a field that has more challenges than rewards at times, you need friends. Friends are people you can open up with and not fear about being judged. Friends are people you can laugh with, share with and encourage through all types of situations. Friends may have answers for you as a resource. At other times, they might just be present for you when you feel no one else will.

For far too long, HR has been taught that you aren’t supposed to develop relationships at work. You’re supposed to keep an arm’s length distance from others in the event that you have to be the negative voice sometime in the future. This stance has put a dark mark on our profession and the people who practice it. How in the world can we say we’re in a field to care for people, but we’re not allowed to be close to them? It seems way too out of kilter for me.

I do my best to develop as many friendships as possible as I can with other HR folks. I want to make sure that people have at least one person who wants to know who they are, what’s going on in their lives, how things are in their corner of the HR universe, and what they love to do. I usually call folks every night on my long commute home just to check in and see how they’re doing. I don’t schedule it or make it formal. I just call them to let them know that I’m there for them and can’t wait to hear what’s happening in their lives.

When I go to conferences, I do the same thing. I want to meet and get to know as many humans in HR as I can. We need friends. It’s something that keeps us grounded. It’s something that needs to be the norm and not the exception.

So, this week as you head back into work, reach out to someone else in HR. Check in to see how they’re doing. Be a friend. Trust me, you’ll love every moment !!

Image courtesy of Oozie

A Daily Mantra !!

This past week we celebrated a Team Member’s 30th anniversary !! This is a rarity in any organization these days. She truly is beloved. When we sent out the notice that we were going to recognize her, many people, including several Executives and Senior Leaders, cleared their schedules to make sure they were present.

Our recognition program is very personalized. We meet our Team Members during their shift and at their location. We finally learned that recognition needs to be focused on the employee and not the HR program or benevolence of the company !! This simple shift has made recognition meaningful for all involved.

What made this occasion so great was the impact that this Team Member has had. EVERY person who came to say congratulations had worked with her including the CEO and the President of the company !! She has literally touched the lives of an incredible number of people who passed her to take on loftier roles in the organization.

When everyone gathered, there were loads of hugs, laughs and stories shared. She had at least one story about everyone who came. Here’s mine . . .

She is truly unique and salty !! When I started in my role, my first interaction with her was because she had hung signs in the kitchen that said, “Make sure to put away your mother*$#*%ing glasses !!” She heard that HR wanted to talk to her and she was ready for me. I told her that I’d like to take the signs down, and asked her why she felt the need to say these things. She didn’t miss a beat. “Do you see all the glasses sitting around ??” There was never any ill will or intent in her approach.

No one has ever felt threatened or hurt by her coarse language. When I talked to her I got to know her better and she got to know me as well. I make sure to drop by and see her every once in awhile and she says, “Hey, Steve, I haven’t put up any f*#$ng signs lately.” And, we howl !! We’ve both learned from each other over the years.

The whole time we were recognizing Louise, it was very emotional. We shed tears, laughed until it hurt and reveled in the stories from her 30 years with us. It was fantastic !!

As we were wrapping up, the President of the company shared this . . . “Recently, I read that to have a full life people should laugh out loud, cry out loud and touch someone else’s life every day – and Louise that describes you perfectly !!” You can guess that tears flowed freely.

I think it’s something that all of us as humans can take on as our mantra. This isn’t just an “HR” thing. You see I believe that our workplaces are full of people like Louise. It’s just that so many people continue to think that HR’s focus is on the negative. I hate when I hear people trying to learn from HR horror stories because that’s when idiotic policies, procedures and programs come to life.

I could have jumped her when I saw her signs. I could have written up a tenured employee because she was using harsh language. I could have overreacted and jumped to conclusions, created a massive anti-cursing policy with 5 levels of progressive discipline. Or, I could talk to her and hear her side of things.

I’m so glad I took the last approach.

I made sure I was Louise’s last hug. It was warm, caring and I told her how much she meant to me and to the lives of so many. She pulled back and said, “Thank You. Now get out of here you . . . “