Tag: OD

I’m Manic !! Who Knew ??

I love things that make me think !!  I relish something that truly challenges the way I approach life, work, values, etc.  Following the norm has never really appealed to me, and I love hanging around contrarians.  You know, people that take the boundaries of what is normally expected and then stretch them in ways in directions that just didn’t seem so readily visible.

Meet Dr. Daniel Crosby – a friend, colleague and contrarian.  He is an accomplished consultant to many industries, speaker at several conferences and now an author !!  Recently, a non-descript manila envelope arrived at my house near the holidays with Daniel’s address on the return label.  I opened it and there was no note – just a book.

Not That Great BookThe title hit me square between the eyes !! “You’re Not That Great – A Motivational Book.”  I was laughing so hard because it took me by surprise.  How did he know?  What this book just for me?  Then I opened the front cover, hoping for a bit of his wonderful satirical wit . . . and it was blank.  Must have come straight from the publisher.

So, even though I didn’t get a special note (which he actually covers very well in the book) I jumped in !!  Once I started I couldn’t put it down. (And didn’t even really want to !!)

The book challenges you on every page and makes you use your mind.  Normally when you read business books (especially about HR) you find more and more of the same things with someone’s “twist” on them.  Not this book.  It goes into great places to tear down your preconceptions and makes you understand the traps your brain puts you in when it comes to items like giftedness, self-esteem and being a bit crazy.

I loved the chapter that states “Mania is a state of abnormally elevated mood that could almost be thought of as the opposite of depression . . . hypomanic (that is, slightly manic) individuals tend to be more creative and more prolific than their non-diagnosable peers.” (p43)  Sweet !! Daniel often wants me to “cheer up” because I seem to be too positive.  Now . . . I’m hypomanic !!  Dig it !!

You can see yourself in these pages and they are extremely applicable to what we do in HR !!   The psychology of people is intertwined with every facet of HR.  Instead of reading another tome on how to improve your talent management or some insane performance management system – read this instead !!

Learn how you tick, how others tick and then see what approach works.  Daniel helps affirm the fact that we are unique, slightly flawed and 100% human !!  Make sure to delve into this book.  I am rereading it already to be able to understand myself and also work with the GREAT people around me.  It’s worth the investment !!  Get yours now !!!

I added the extra !!! for Daniel because . . .

Complex Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Courtesy of the 20 x 200 Blog

We’re Just Playin’ !!

When it comes to training and OD, HR tends to take things to extremes.  We hire the best consultants, make sure we follow the newest trend of training noveau, and the more “HRey” it is, the better we feel justfied of our existence.

Okay, that’s a little extreme in itself.  But, the point is this – we try too hard when it comes to training exercises !!

I was made aware of this tendency at a recent retreat we had.  I was excited to be involved in training our great folks.  My topic was “Communication” and Operations told me I could be over the top to make sure we had fun.  I was a little skeptical about this honestly. I don’t mind going over the top whenever I do presentations to HR chapters, conferences or even other businesses, but I wasn’t sure how I would be accepted.

The Ops leaders threw another curve at me when they said they were going to kick off the day with something “fun.”   My abject fear of the Lifeboat Exercise was racing through my mind (when you’re given just one item and then you determine who should survive).  Just what was fun going to be?

When the day of the event came up, we met at a very cool place called Blue Ocean Facilities . Spread out all over the room were board games. Everything from Clue to Apples to Apples. (my personal fave)  The Ops Leaders then pulled out the classic OD training technique of numbering us off from 1 to 6.  Then the radical instructions came – “Okay, now we’ll go by numbers, pick a board game as a group and go play it.”

That was it.  Go play the game. One GM even started by saying “So, what’s the real meaning here that you’re looking for?” Isn’t that sad that we’re conditioned to expect some hidden agenda even before we started?

No agenda. We just played board games for the first 1 1/2 hours of the day.  It was a riot !! BTW – my team picked Apples to Apples and we howled and laughed the entire time. When we finished one round, we had the option to change, but my group stayed with it to laugh even more.

Playing a game set the stage for the rest of a VERY successful day where we did take time to learn about better communication as well as improving our guest’s experience.

Here’s something I’d like all of HR to remember . . .

When we were kids the world was limitless. We could imagine anything from simple household items and change the world with our imagination.  We also played constantly. Everything was a game !!

You know what happens when kids grow up ??  They become our employees.

So, keep things simple.  Play a game !! It’s the best “training” you’ll ever do !!