Tag: Intetional

What’s Your Origin Story ??

I’m a big fan of the superhero movie genre !! I’ve seen most of them during my lifetime. The constant flow of them recently brings out the HR Nerd in me. Whether they’re an Oscar-worthy movie or not, I watch them. I love a great origin story when you find out how the superhero gained his/her powers. I was an avid comic book reader when I was younger as well. Every time I read panel after panel, I would find myself engrossed in the story that continued to unfold throughout the book.

Origin stories usually involve some quirky situation, accident, or supernatural experience that transforms someone from being an average person to someone given unique gifts. Once they realize they have these new powers, there’s a phase when they’re not sure how to utilize them. There’s an experimentation effort so they can harness their abilities. This takes time. It includes successes and failures along the way.

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve only been a human resources professional for my entire career. I chose to be in HR. My start in the field isn’t very dramatic. I was a failing student in college as I pursued a science- and math-based profession. My mother saw I was struggling, and she stated the obvious, which I was blind to. She told me to be in a field where I was able to work with and impact people. It’s what I had always done up to that point in time. It wasn’t glamorous or life-changing . . . or so I assumed.

Fast forward 19 years into my career after graduating from Ohio University . . .

I had been in HR and had five different HR roles during that time. Then, out of the blue, I received a call from an HR peer. It was a typical day. Nothing significant was going on. I was fulfilled and content in my job and was nearing my 10th anniversary with the firm. Here’s what transpired:

“Hey, Steve. How are you doing?”

“Hi, Sandi. I’m great. And you?”

“Doing great. I wanted to reach out to let you know that I gave your name to someone who is looking for an HR Director. You’ll know the company for sure. I told him you could help him find some candidates to consider.”

This wasn’t an uncommon thing for me to do. I replied, “I’d be glad to help if I can. What’s the company’s name?”

“It’s LaRosa’s,” she stated calmly. I was stunned. “That’s odd,” I questioned. “Isn’t that where Donna works?” Sandi came back with, “Well, she did. However, she left a few months ago. Now they’re looking for someone new. You should consider it. I think you’d be a great fit there.”

I thanked her and told her I’d follow through with her request. Later that day, I received an email from the COO of LaRosa’s. He mentioned Sandi’s name and asked if I could send him some resumes of people I’d recommend. I told him that I’d be glad to pull some together and would send them over by the end of the day. I did send him about seven resumes of peers I knew who were looking that I had gathered at the HR Roundtable I facilitated. The following day, I was unsettled. I hadn’t sent my own resume over to be considered. I was content where I was . . . sort of. The company was changing, and leadership was about to transition to people that I wasn’t very confident in. So, I took a moment to compose a new email and sent my resume to LaRosa’s.

Kevin, the COO, responded right away and asked if I could come in for an interview. Later that week, I was sitting in a booth in their anchor restaurant across from him. We engaged in a very comfortable conversation, and he asked how I approached HR. This was easy for me to express. I told him that I felt HR should be available for every employee. He then asked the most unique question. “Do you know why we’re sitting in a restaurant booth for this interview?” he asked. I replied, “I assume this is where interviews occur at the pizzeria.”

He nodded his head and followed up with, “How would you feel about going out and being in our pizzerias?” I laughed and then stated, “Do I even need a desk? I’d rather be out with the people than sitting in an office if that would be okay with you.” He smiled and then set up a 2nd interview for me. I met with several other people a week later for a series of interviews. The following Monday, I received a call from Kevin and a job offer. I was ecstatic. This company was an iconic tradition in Cincinnati. I was eager to jump in.

After giving a tearful two-week notice to my boss at the consulting firm, I joined LaRosa’s. Kevin and I went to lunch my first day and sat in the same booth where we had met. As we were talking and I was learning, he shared something very poignant with me.

“You know what, Steve? Sandi, the person who contacted you, was interviewing for the role we just hired you for,” Kevin stated. “What ??” I asked, perplexed. “It’s true. She was the choice of our CEO. He really wanted her,” he shared. I sat there quietly. “Do you know why she didn’t get the role?” Kevin followed up. “I have no idea,” I replied. “Remember that question I asked you about being out in the pizzerias?”

“Sure, I remember. It seemed like a logical question to me,” I shared. “That wasn’t her comfort zone. She wanted to do HR from her desk,” Kevin retorted. “I don’t fault her. I appreciate her honesty. I was looking for someone who would be comfortable out in the stores.”

“That’s amazing,” I stated. “One more thing,” Kevin added. “She recommended you.” I sat there stunned. My friend was interviewing for the role for which she recommended me !! To put this into context, I’ll be celebrating my 20th anniversary this November at LaRosa’s. Sandi was my origin story.

I have never liked that so many in HR say they fell into the field or found themselves in human resources by accident. That implies that it was almost a career mistake. How awful is that? You don’t hear anyone else say they fell into sales or ended up in operations by some fluke. I am proud to have been an HR practitioner for 40 years . . . ON PURPOSE !!

What’s your origin story in HR? How did you get the opportunity to be in the best profession I know? What happened to position you in the only field that has an opportunity to impact the lives of every company employee?

I hope you embrace who you are as an HR pro. Be the superhero of your company by making people-first practices your superpower. Shed your secret identity, and step into who you are, or can be, intentionally. Own what you do because it matters.

Story postlude:

A few years ago, I was able to go to a gathering of senior HR folks. It was Sandi’s last week at the job she took instead of LaRosa’s. She was retiring. I bought pizza for her and the group to celebrate and thank her. I wouldn’t have had the career I have without her. I shed some tears, thanked and hugged her. I shared that she was my origin story. It was perfection.

Go Into The Storm !!

We seek comfort in all facets of our lives. It’s something that gives us peace and certainty. We don’t like to be uncomfortable at all. Even though that’s what we strive for, it’s difficult to maintain because storms inevitably come. Storms come in all shapes and sizes ranging from personal challenges to natural disasters. What may seem to be trivial to some could be overwhelming for others.

The reality of ongoing storms has been on my mind because I’m fortunate to work in Human Resources. Yes, fortunate. I don’t take my career choice lightly because I have the opportunity to be involved in the lives of others. I don’t know that many of my peers view HR in the same manner. I think that’s because we have decades of practice that have sought to reach that state of comfort and a sense of calm as our primary goal.

Think about it. During your day, are you spending more time keeping things in line than anything else? Don’t get me wrong, there is value in reaching comfort at times. However, those in HR tend to make this their primary reason for being in the role, and I think this completely overlooks the humanity of the people we work with. We skate along the surface of polite and courteous interactions while skirting around any potential for conflict, controversy, or any action that would be unsettling.

By doing this, I think we are missing out on making a deep and lasting connection with our employees. It’s time we ran into the storms !! There’s a unique characteristic of buffaloes. You may wonder where this is going, but you need to know that when a storm comes upon a herd of buffalo, they band together and run toward it to get through it quicker rather than avoid the storm for protection.

What would your workplace look like if you were the one who stepped in to know your people more? When you heard about what they were facing, what if you slowed down and listened to them? Just listened.

I’m not suggesting that you be cavalier, reckless or arrogant feeling you could solve the storms swirling in the lives around you. This isn’t about bringing about solutions. It’s merely encouraging you to be the person who runs into the storms to help others get through them. You can do this by standing up for those who aren’t regularly seen or heard. You can do this by not always saying “Yes” and challenging supervisors, people managers, and senior leaders in order to do the right thing.

Running into storms takes courage and a willingness to be intentional even when others will advise you not to. The urge to conform and flee from the storms in our path is difficult to overcome. Keep this in mind though.

If YOU don’t run towards the storm, who will?

The people in our lives and at our workplaces are yearning for someone who will come alongside them to weather all they are facing. Let’s band together as a profession, an industry and as a community as HR professionals. Storms are brewing on the horizon. Let’s start running right at them !!