‘Change’ Articles at Everyday People, Page 7

Go Against the Flow !!

This weekend I had to get my HR Nerd on and go see The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. It was phenomenal and you should absolutely see it in the theater for the best experience. You may not be a Middle-Earth/Lord of the Rings fan, but I think the movies did a great job capturing the essence of the books that I have read multiple times.

In the final Hobbit, the main character, Bilbo Baggins, is in an uncomfortable predicament because he has the key to make everything “right,” but he keeps the treasured jewel that the King wants to himself. Now, don’t panic. This isn’t an in-depth review filled with a myriad of fantasy terms and characters.

During a key scene in the movie, Bilbo stands up against Thorin, the King, and tells him that the reason there is conflict is because of the King’s behavior. This was not a popular stance to take in the least. In fact, Thorin threatens to throw Bilbo over the castle wall to his death !!

In HR we are in a unique position that others don’t share. We need to remember that we represent both management and employees. Too often, it is perceived that we only represent management. This perception is from employees who only see us take the side of senior management. In many cases, companies only want us to represent management. This is where you should go against the flow !!

Our role is to represent the Company. That means that there may be times where you will be like Bilbo and confront the “King.” It’s not easy to be the person who stands up to management, and it doesn’t make you popular. The key to deciding if you should make a stand is that your action is to make sure that the company is doing the right thing.

It’s an incredible position to be in by being able to represent both management and employees. It shouldn’t be daunting, but it usually is. We fear that if we take a position that is contrary to the normal flow of things, it will damage our status within the company or we could even lose our jobs. I’m not here to encourage you to take a stand regardless of your fear, but you should take a look at how management is treating HR. If you aren’t able to have those tough conversations when they’re needed, then I contend that HR will be limited in its effectiveness.

As we wrap up another year, you have a chance to reflect and see if you are someone who goes with the flow, or if you are someone willing to go against it. When I’ve had those tough conversations, I actually gained more access to the senior management. They are looking for us to give them an objective viewpoint so that decisions can be made for the greater good of the company and also the situations you’re facing.

It’s not easy to be a contrarian, and it’s not something you have to do all the time. Just be willing to step in when you need to. It will be uncomfortable when you’re in the midst of tough conversations, but in the end you, and the company, will be better for it.

Build Your Own Model !!

Now that we are getting closer to Christmas and my kids are really young adults, I miss the days when toys were exciting !! The days when you hoped and hoped for something that was truly special, and that you couldn’t get for yourself.

I have always been fascinated with models. I loved getting a kit and pulling out the one sheet plans with the miniscule drawings and instructions. I’d take the pieces out to make sure they were all there and then spread everything out on a card table. First, I started with snap together models which were fairly simple. I grew into trying easier models where you had to glue pieces together and even paint some things. I made super hero models, models of cars, planes, and my favorite . . . battleships !!

Something you may not have known, I am a huge history buff. In fact, I have a minor in History from Ohio University. So, building a model of something that had existed gave me a rush every time I even saw a kit on the shelf of the local drugstore in my hometown.

One Christmas, I got a model of the Bismarck and was physically giddy !! This was one of the most famous battleships from World War II and I couldn’t believe that it was in my hands. It took me several days and hours of concentration to bring the small, gray pieces to life. It was fantastic and I made sure it had a visible place in my bedroom.

At this time of year, there are countless blog posts that recap the year in HR and give you a set number of steps (3,5,7 or 10) that you can implement in 2015 to make your role better. I have a different suggestion. Instead of following the models that everyone else tells you to follow – build your own !!

You take the components that matter to you in your current role and build the model that works. Now, just like the toy models I built, I would encourage you to make your model come to life and also position yourself to make history !!

Too many people in HR float along with the various ebbs and flows of organizations. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great characteristic to be adaptable. But, it’s another thing to let HR be relegated to the outskirts of an organization. By having a model that works for you, that doesn’t have to be who you are.

There are some key things you’ll need in building your model. First of all, you need to build one that reflects you personally and also fits where your organization wants HR to go. Secondly, you need to be intentional. Your model will remain like pieces in the box that never come together if you don’t have a plan. Finally, picture what your model will look like and what it will do. It shouldn’t be a model like the ones I built as a child that sat on a shelf. It should be something that grows and evolves over time.

So, this year, I hope that under your HR tree is a beautifully wrapped present that you can’t wait to open and put together !! I am going to be adding to my model, and I’d love to hear from you about yours !!

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 !!

Spending Your Time !!

The one commodity that people state they don’t have enough of is time. Our lives are so full that we have this constant sense that we’re either always behind or that something important isn’t being done. This attitude puts us in a position where we are stressed and often focused on minutia that we feel, if handled, will put things back in their rightful order.

This isn’t a post about balance. This isn’t a post about workforce flexibility. This post is about choice.

We are all given the same amount of hours each day. Our lives have patterns that we have chosen that involve our work which consumes most of our time during the week. We rarely look at how those hours are used because we become set in certain methods that keep things relatively stable. This is alluring because we accomplish the things we enjoy completing more often than not if this pattern is maintained.

The challenge with this is that our patterns become our expectations and any deviation from this throws us for a loop. The other aspect of this repetitiveness is that it limits the number of people we regularly interact with and keeps us from having the chance to interact with the countless others who pass by us every single day.

So, a big question for us is WHO do you spend your time with? I think if you sat down and wrote down the number of people who get your time, it would be fairly small. That may be comfortable for you, but why choose to be limited? Why forsake the opportunity to meet and learn about others who, if given your time, could benefit from knowing you and you knowing them.

I have always been a person who is surrounded by people. This has been my choice and I can’t get enough of it. I don’t expect others to have this same perspective. I understand that we all have a certain capacity for the number of people in our lives. My contention is that you should see how full that capacity should be !!

I recently went to a fundraising dinner for the Boys & Girls Club of West Chester/Liberty which is the community where my family and I live. During the presentation, the Executive Director quoted a study that says that kids spend less than 4% of their time with adults these days. Think of that. It’s staggering to think that kids, who will one day be our future leaders and employees, have so little meaningful interactions with adults.

How can we expect them to be the next great generation, when we aren’t willing to spend time with them? This is just one example. There are so many ways to have a positive impact on those around you for the present and to be a legacy for the future. You need to choose if that is something you’re willing to do.

The story which gives us all the perspective of why how we spend our time matters is best told by Lauren Hill. Lauren is a freshman at Mt. St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and she has inoperable brain cancer. Her story has gained national attention because she had a goal of playing at least one college game. Today, she did that and she scored the first two points and the last two points of the game. She may not live until December of this year, but her goal was set and accomplished. When you hear her tell her story of her shortened life, she only focuses on reaching those around her.

This week slow down time. Take a look at how your spending it and who you’re spending it with. Make the time with those you’re with the fullest it can be and then see if you can take on even one more person. You’ll see that it’s the best way you could ever use of your time !!

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” !!

An Oasis in the Desert !!

As I sit to type my weekly post, I am overlooking a beautiful mountain range that encircles the Las Vegas strip. It’s my first time to visit Vegas, and I find it to be an incredibly intriguing human experiment !! (That will be for a later post to be sure.)

One thing that strikes me though is that in the midst of a desert sits an endless series of skyscrapers, neon lights, constant movement and a throng of people taking in absolutely everything their senses can endure. It’s like an oasis filled with people searching for something to refresh them.

After finishing the Ohio SHRM State Conference, I noted another oasis in the midst of a desert. During the hustle and bustle of the sessions, vendor hall, food, SHRM Store and entertainment, people are looking for something to refresh themselves professionally. You see Social Media usage jump from literal non-existence to a robust life because people have to tell others what they’re experiencing. It’s great to see people embrace social media, even if it’s for this short burst. Ironically, there’s still a movement out there at conferences that wants to squish and limit social media. In fact, one of my friends was attending another State Conference said that they had speakers (who weren’t on social media themselves) encouraging HR to not allow social media. That narrow look at things kills me.

You see, I think social media is more than a platform for exposure. Sure, that’s what many people use it for. However, I think social media is the best method to connect, communicate and curate. There is a hole in HR people. They want to connect and become this amazing tribe, but they don’t know how. It starts to bubble at HR events, but then it dissipates as soon as the event concludes and “real” work starts again.

We continue to compartmentalize social media as something that exists “out there” and is “for others.” I’d like to see that change. To me the first primary function of social media is to connect. Before social media, our HR sphere was limited geographically both in how far we were willing to go and who we met at traditional gatherings. Social media allows us to meet others who do what we do and face the same challenges and opportunities we do. You aren’t alone !! This is one facet of the oasis that is within your reach.

The next is communication. Now we have the ability to reach out with the touch of an “enter” button to talk to anyone. We have no reason to say that resources aren’t accessible. People want to help each other, but YOU need to be the one who reaches out. Sitting by your mobile device hoping someone will ask you for your keen and sage advice isn’t going to happen. Reach out first. It’s not as risky as you think.

The last piece is curation and it’s something that needs to start happening more. This is more geared to my friends who are already well-versed and comfortable in the social media space. People want to hear your voice and the voices of others. I appreciate that people fill social media with content, but I see most people publish and not push. By “push” I mean sharing the great content you see to others. When we get caught up in analytics and how our numbers are running, I feel that we want see how our personal social media brand is doing more than making the profession stronger.

Be the oasis !! Get information out to people and gather them together so that they are renewed and equipped to be able to do the good work of HR in their corner of the HR universe. I want you to join me in making social media a platform that is more than just a series of announcements !!

People in HR are seeking the oasis. Let’s start meeting there. The desert isn’t really where need to be. HR practitioners want to gather and come together. Join me in making this happen !!

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 !!