‘SHRM’ Articles at Everyday People, Page 24

Be a Giant Slayer !!

This weekend my whole family went to see Jack The Giant Slayer. We love going to movies in general, and I have to say that I enjoyed this take on an old fairy tale because it gave it a new spin. Jack was truly involved in the tale as a hero with character and not someone who was out to dupe the giant.

It got me thinking about HR because EVERYTHING can be tied back to HR !! So often I find myself, and my peers, getting stuck on the minute and minuscule things at work. We spend endless time and effort on something that gives us angst, but has little to do with the scheme of things in general.

Why is that? Why does our focus jump to something so insignificant? Do we feel that if we address whatever it is, we’ll be free and unfettered to do something amazing? No, in most cases we jump to the next small item.

In the movie Jack and the princess “long for adventure” in their lives. Both feel that there is something out across the horizon that will bring excitement, thrills all mixed with the knowledge that the “unknown” is driving them. That’s what I long for as well !!

HR should never been mundane or minimized !! Seriously, when you have the chance to work with people, the landscape of what can happen is truly endless. What would happen to your perspective if you saw every day as an adventure and that there were giants out there for you to go after and slay? I’m telling you that you would be geeked and couldn’t wait until the next challenge showed up !!

Many HR people I meet are exasperated with their work and they don’t understand why HR truly invigorates me. I honestly don’t know if I can explain it. It’s just the way I’ve always approached it. I’m not naive. I know there are daunting aspects to HR. But, to me they’re an adventure !!

So, this week see where your adventure can begin. Identify the giants that are in your path and seek them out instead of avoiding them. Take hold of your corner of the HR kingdom and jump in with both feet !! When you do, our paths may cross because I am already seeing what’s next on the unknown horizon !!

It might be good for your soul. Take a note from the great group They Might Be Giants !!

Image courtesy of Film.com

Eat. Sleep. Do HR.

Hey HR folks !! Is the first word that comes out of your mouth when you head into work – “Ugh !!” Seriously, does the dawning of a new day in your corner of the HR universe generate excitement and anticipation, or drudgery and a loathsome feeling?

The answer most people reading this would say – “It depends on the day !!”

You know, that’s fair. The question you have to ask youself is what mood, or tone, do you regularly set as an HR pro? As a department? Do people like interacting with you, or do they do the classic, “Shhhh, it’s HR !!”

The are approximately 4 zillion posts on HR and engagement out there on the Internet now. I suppose that even as I type, more are being typed and posted. Rarely, however, do I see a post asking if HR is engaged.

Let’s go back to how you approach this field that deals with people. A friend of mine recently gave me this fabulous button. ( I collect buttons, by the way. Great hobby !!)

When I saw it, I just had to add it to my collection !! I wear this button along with my “HR Rocks !!” button on my coat. When Team Members see them, they either snicker or roll their eyes. I’m actually cool with that because I want to get a reaction from them. I ask them why they give the reaction they do, and the answer I get the most is “You sure are an HR geek !!” Sweet !!

The other reason I got this button is to turn those of my peers who see our field as a giant mire pit of one problem leading to the next. If any of you reading this feel this way, it’s time to reflect and see if this is the field for you.

I don’t want anyone to ever leave HR, but if any profession is defined by a black cloud or black hole approach, then you should get out of it. I think HR is dynamic, challeging, uplifting, passionate and messy !! How many fields can say that? I don’t want HR to be soft and fluffy. I don’t want HR to fall into the stereotypes that people often tie to us.

I do want HR to be inclusive, intentional and individualistic !! We should meet people where they are – not where we think they should be !!

Recently, I met with a Team Member for the first time to recognize her for her 5 year anniversary. We have over 1,200 Team Members who work various shifts on various days. I wish I could know all of them personally, but that’s very difficult. When she met with me her eyes were huge and she was anxious because she was meeting the head of HR. When I explained that I was there to recognize and thank her for her 5 years of service, she burst into tears and gave me a bear hug !! “I love what I do !! Thank you so much for this !!” Messy and emotional. HR at it’s finest !!

So, this week as you get ready to jump back into the mix. You have to ask yourself – am I going to just DO HR – or am I going to ROCK IT ??!! I think you know the answer I hope we ALL say . . .

Time to reflect !!

Being that it’s the last post of 2012, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on something. I have seen other great bloggers make lists, reissue great old posts from the year and make resolutions.

I wanted to try something different. I want to make an “intention” for 2013 !!

What’s an intention? It’s different than a resolution because most of them are derived at by looking at some significant “gap” in our lives and then resolving to radically alter ourselves and our behavior to attain our ideal. More often than not – they fail.

An intention is a commitment to be intentional in a way that builds on who you already are and incrementally moves you forward. It honestly can be in whatever area of life you wish to try – faith, discipline, relationships, etc.

For my 2013 Intention, I plan to practice more and more “others focus.” It’s pretty simple, I want to focus on others and help them succeed !!

We are surrounded by people who grew up being fiercely independent and willing to go to almost any length to personally succeed in spite of others. We continue to reward this in organizations and encourage it in others. Ironically, the newest generation entering the workplace rapidly doesn’t get this.

The current generations belittle the newest generation because that’s what’s been done for centuries !! We think that ours is better than the next. That ours works harder, is more loyal, etc. Honestly, each generation is amazing in its own right.

I’m fortunate to have two great kids, a freshman in college and a sophomore in high school. They’re teaching me the value of “interdependedness.” They rely on others to a fault. Socially, interpersonally, professionally, academically. There isn’t an area where they aren’t connected to someone. They want personal success, but they want others to succeed as well.

I dig that. I have tried to be someone who puts others first. This runs contrary to most I encounter and it usually results in some awkward looks and/or conversations. I want to continue to build on this and make others around me develop, grow and burst into greatness !! You may think this is to idealistic, but why should people have to settle in order to make others happy? It’s my “intention” and not yours. There’s no reason to settle.

So, where are you going to reflect this year going into 2013? What will you see when you look in the mirror? Where can you be more intentional?

I know that by making others better, they, in turn, will make me better. That rocks and I can’t wait to see what happens !! Happy New Year everyone !!

My Christmas Wish !!

One of the best things about Christmas time is that people come together. Whether it be families or friends, people make time out of their hectic lives to be with each other. I know that I’m looking forward to our family’s “Big Christmas” where all of my
Aunts, Uncles and cousins gather in tiny Luckey, Ohio at the American Legion Hall.

We’ve been gathering as a family for over 50 years now and it is something that I treasure. When all of us are in the same room, it is quite like a company. Four generations are gathered, and the interests, skills and talents are all very diverse. There are white collar, blue collar, small business, corporate, urban and rural representations.

The key to all of it is that we have the common bond of being family. This brings me to my “Christmas Wish.”

Our profession of HR is like my family. We come from all generations, from all walks of life, from all types of industries and from all areas of Human Resources. The gigantic difference is that we aren’t all together. I honestly don’t understand that !! There isn’t a good reason for us to be separated, isolated or divergent !!

So, help me by being a part of this wish. I have this crazy, hairy goal to truly connect all HR pros from around the globe. You may ask why someone would even desire something like this.

I see it this way . . .

We are only better if we’re together. We can learn from each other. We can come together on issues to make the workplace better for both employers and employees. We can make our professional associations stronger and relevant. Instead of rallying against them, let’s work together to make them better !!

With technology especially, we can be more and more connected. I cherish the times to see and meet HR pros in real life because then the connection really takes on a new life of its own.

We can’t keep trying to improve HR being isolated. It has never worked, and it won’t work in the future. I also hear from friends who are stating that even HR blogs are lacking “new” ideas, or things that are fresh.

Let’s take our cue from my favorite Christmas song ever because of who did the duet. It’s the Little Drummer Boy sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. It happened on a 70’s Christmas special and I remember watching it live with my family. My Dad asked who the “freak” was and I said, “Dad, you know that’s Bing Crosby !!” After running away from him, we both sat down to listen and it was beautiful.

Here’s my challenge . . . Join in !!

Threre are great new efforts by Charlie Judy on HR Fishbowl and Paul Smith on Welcome to the Occupation for HR folks to share their voices. There are also great collaborative groups you can learn from like: XPertHR, Women of HR, Fistful of Talent, Performance I Create, The EO List and Talent Culture.

Instead of nodding at this post and saying that you’re in or supporting this effort to be more intentional and connect with other HR pros, write a comment on the blog to let me know it.

Seriously. Step out (including you uber social folks who RT, but rarely comment) and join in. If this was on Facebook, people would rally. This takes a bit more of an effort. Join in. Be intentional and starting now and through 2013 – connect !!!

When Kids Grow Up . . .

What happens when kids grow up? They become our employees !!

I find it fascinating in the workplace today that HR practitioners have lost sight of this reality. How much time of your day is spent on behaviors that seem childish? When you look at the policies and procedures you write, are you doing it for a better workplace, or trying to address those who won’t behave ??

This list of “what if’s” can string on and on. And, often in our workplace it does !! When you ask people what they think about employees, it isn’t positive. That is really a shame. It’s a shame because we’ve allowed the workplace, and HR, to be driven from a negative filter. It’s the “let’s see what’s wrong and address it” model.

This past week I had a great opportunity to speak at the INSHRM Leadership Day for their volunteer leaders. We laughed, howled and learned together. I showed them my newest HR “tool” that has proven to be very effective. I doubt you’ll see it in many of the blogs, publications and theoretical models that keep churning out in our field. Take a look . . .

It’s a Kaleidoscope !! A toy.

You see, I’ve been giving them out to the managers of our stores because I want to have them “look at things differently.” When I handed out the first batch of them, I did the HR thing and started jumping to the next point in my presentation. I had to stop because I turned around and each person had their kaleidoscope pointed up toward a light, and they were twisting it to see what new shape would appear next. There were a lot of “oohs” and “aahs” coming from this great group of Team Members.

Then it hit me again . . . what happens to kids when they grow up ??

A better answer is that they still love to play !! They love to laugh and have fun !! They want to enjoy what they do and it’s fairly obvious that most workplaces have taken this inate element of who we are as people and controlled it.

Our WORK is more important than bringing ourselves to work. We’re so used to creating and designing new systems that we have lost sight of the simple fact that kids like to play.

So, this week go out of your way to laugh !! I mean it. Instead of looking for the next great team building exercise, have fun yourself !! If employees see you having fun, they’ll be curious and wonder what’s happening.

Trust me. If you do this, it will change your perspective and how you look at HR, at employees and at work !! Be a kid !! You are one anyway !!

Together as one !!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the SHRM Leadership Conference. It is a true favorite for me because it is made up of fellow HR volunteers from all over the United States !! I also had the chance to meet some great people from SHRM India !!

What continues to amaze me at these intentional gatherings is that people still tend to run in the groups of people that they know. People stick within their State more than cross boundaries to meet others even though we are all in the same profession and we also have the commonality of volunteering !!

Fortunately, I have always believed in expanding boundaries. I love connecting with new people wherever I go and SHRMLead was a great opportunity to “reach across the aisle” and make this happen.

When I did this, along with my compatriot John Friend from North Dakota, incredible things began to happen !! People began to recognize the great things that bring us together. We have a passion for HR, people and seeing the profession strengthen and grow now and into the future. We also want to see it be relevant and necessary in all businesses and industries.

However, this won’t happen unless we start to realize that we are all in this together !!

If we want HR to be better – we need to be together !!

If we want SHRM to be better – we need to be together !!

If we truly want to be global – we need to be together !!

The only thing that keeps us from doing it is that we need more folks to reach out and be willing to connect with each other. We grow stronger as a whole when we incorporate the phenomenal ideas, approaches, strengths and diversity of our geography and our opportunities we face !!

By the end of the week I had been meeting and hanging out with people from Ohio (gimme since it’s where I’m from), North Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, California, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Montana, New Jersey, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Washington, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arizona, Arkansas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, and India !!

These weren’t just chance meetings or passing each other in the halls. We spent time together advocating on Capitol Hill, sharing ideas in breakout sessions, sharing meals and the occasional adult beverage, and laughing about the incredible field of HR !!

I’ve written that one of my favorite groups of all time is U2 and their song “One” captures it all – “We’re one, but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other – Carry each other”

This week reach out. Make that intentional connection with other HR people. Join me in starting to bring us together. It’s going to happen !! And I’d love it if you were part of us . . . together !!

Do Something About It !!

This coming week I get to attend the SHRM Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. The gathering is for Regional, State and Local Chapter leaders. We get together to share what’s great and also give input on how we’d like to see things improve.

Before going further, let me be clear on my stance on SHRM . . .

I’m a fan !!

I know that things can be improved. However, I would state that we could make that argument not only about our various organizations, but about our profession as a whole as well.

I didn’t used to have this perspective and I was once far from being a “fan.” Let me share a story about someone who was EXTREMELY intentional with me in the past . . .

I have been facilitating a monthly HR Roundtable in Cincinnati for the past 12 years. I never would have made it this far if it wasn’t for one fateful meeting. We had another full house and the session went very well. At the end of the meeting, I was complaining about our local SHRM chapter and pontificating that the Roundtable was “so much better” than what they had to offer. A person heard this and she literally pinned me to the wall when she did.

She said, “I’m tired of you bashing our chapter. If it’s so bad do something about it !! Don’t just sit here making comments. If you want it to change, then step up and get involved.” Now, you have to understand that this great person is about 5 ft. 2 in. tall and I’m 6 ft. 5 in. tall. It was quite the site.

This wasn’t some passionate SHRM zealot. It was a person who cared about the chapter and didn’t like people making snarky comments about it as if they were film critics who never saw the movie.

I took her words to heart. I jumped in with both feet !! Instead of easing into a volunteer capacity, I ran for Vice-President of the chapter. I won (which surprised me) and that lead to beint the Chapter President. During my tenure, our chapter won the Pinnacle Award from SHRM at the same conference I’m attending this week. I went on to be involved at the State level and lead a phenomenal team two years ago for the Ohio HR Conference with our HR Rocks theme !! We had the most successful conference to date. Could have stopped there, but then took on the role of State Director for Ohio SHRM – which is where I am . . . for now.

Please forgive my personal SHRM history. The point is that because someone stepped out and confronted me to take action, I have had incredible fortune and success. I also have made lifelong friends and have done a small part in trying to make SHRM and HR better.

So, this week I am geeked to see friends, make new connections and see what else I can do to make SHRM even better. I hope that this week you can do the same in your corner of the HR universe.

It’s time to quit wishing things were better. Do something about it !!

Where Everybody Knows Your Name !!

This past week was the Ohio HR Conference. It was phenomenal in each and every way !! This was my 14th year as either an attendee or SHRM volunteer at the event. There are so many aspects of the conference that resonate with people ranging from the great programming and professional development opportunities, the gigantic themed resort at Kalahari or the social times together.

I’m fortunate to have several of the speakers as friends, and I made sure to ask them what resonated with them. More often than not, they said that they felt truly welcomed and a part of the fabric of the Conference. (Side note – we invite the speakers to stay all week with us at OHSHRM and let them attend sessions, social gatherings, etc. just like the attendees) Now, we have speakers who don’t do this as well, but the ones that do notice the vibe.

Growing up in the 80’s as a young adult, I was a HUGE Cheers fan. Every episode of the sitcom was great because the cast of characters wanted to see each other and share their lives and experiences. Even the theme song captured the “culture” of their beloved Boston pub . . . “Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, And they’re always glad you came; You want to be where you can see, Our troubles are all the same; You want to be where everybody knows your name.” Theme by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo.

HR people long for that camaraderie just as everyone else. It’s great to have a culture that promotes that because the hope is that those HR pros can continue that effort in their organizations !!

You see, sometimes the best “professional development” is to remind us that we need to recharge our batteries and be welcomed. This coming week, make sure to be welcoming yourself and show employees the value of being welcomed each and every day !!

Play Ball !!

This week I head out to the 40th Annual Ohio HR Conference – HR: A League of Our Own !! Geeked isn’t even a strong enough word for how excited I am !!

The Conference Committee has once again put together a spectacular event including national speakers, buckets of HRCI credits, incredible Resource Partners and other surprises that will make for a sold-out show !! Standing room only !!

I know that we are in the midst of State Conference season. As I was packing my gear getting ready to head north to Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio, I wanted to share some things I’ve found that make a conference successful !!

Have a game plan !! – That goes for every aspect of the conference. How long does it take to get there? Are you firm on which sessions/speakers you want to see? There are many more questions to consider, but by planning ahead, you won’t be rushing to decide when you arrive.

Meet the team !! – No game is complete without meeting the great folks around you. I know this may come easier to some than others, but we’re in HR – we should be able to get out and make some great new professional connections. This includes both attendees and Resource Partners !! The vendors may be the perfect piece you’ve been looking for to enhance your efforts at work. Don’t just get the swag. It is fun, but meet the great folks too !!

Start the Wave !! – This is a big step for most folks, but conferences are not only a great venue for professional development, but they’re also a great place to stretch a little. Go to sessions that may show a different perspective than what you’ve traditionally attended. You may find great information that can make your HR efforts a “grand slam” in your organization !!

So, in the end, get off the bench and hit the field. It’s time to Play Ball for all of us !! Make sure you are getting out to a phenomenal SHRM State Conference around you. They are amazing and you’ll love them !!

Stand Up Against the Odds !!

My family and I just rented (yes rented) The Hunger Games. We were enthralled !! No one had read the books, so we had no preconceived notions. It was intense, dark, dramatic and hopeful !! If you haven’t seen it, please do.

In the story, Katniss, the heroine, goes through an adventure none of us would venture to volunteer for or dare to endure. One of the incredibly moving images of the movie is from the inhabitants of her District. She hails from District 12 which is a mining area and the poverty is devastating.

The people watching her compete in the Games all lift their hands in a three-finger salute of solidarity supporting her and against the State. It is moving and causes them to rise up in action to fight the oppression they are under.

Sorry to be so geeky – but there is a point to all this.

As HR professionals, we often find ourselves in the middle of “everything”, but still on our own. HR folks are one of the few professions who continues to try and perform in isolation within companies.

It’s time for us to raise our three-finger salute in solidarity. Not “against” anything – but FOR each other !! Too many of us feel like Katniss in the Hunger Games out surviving for ourselves and doing our best to fend off the fires that we rush to put out.

We need to be more connected as professionals and as a profession. In doing so, we will be better able to lead in our companies, mentor others and move things forward. If we keep trying to do things in isolation, then we’ll be picked off and no longer be in the Games at all. (Read the books and see the movie – shameless plug.)

So, if you have a chance to go to an HR Conference – do it.

If you have a chance to reach out and attend an HR chapter meeting or professional development event – do it.

If you can connect with people on Social Media forums like Linked In, Twitter, etc. – do it. Don’t be afraid of these. See how to use them best !!

And most of all, if you can personally connect with other HR pros “in person” by phone or face-to-face – then don’t pass up that chance !!

As you are reading this, my right hand is raised in a three-finger salute looking for you to join me as we stand together in HR !!