I read an old Jeff Bezos quote this weekend about innovation and some such… it was benign but his take on how one must be willing to be misunderstood for long periods of time stuck with me. In fact, I haven’t been able to get that quote out of my mind. So I started thinking about our beloved profession while juxtaposing the concept of being misunderstood against it. Juxtapose – note to self, we need to use that word more… anyhoo…
Think about what we talk about as HR pros, HR consultants, HR vendors, etc… the topics that dominate our lives… kinda reads like the self-help section of your local Barnes and Noble. Right? Review the last 40 blog post titles of your favorite HR bloggers, etc… again, a lot of self-help s#*t. I mean, we’re kinda talking about obvious s#*t. “We need to retain our best employees.” said in high-pitched nerdy voice. That could easily have been said in 50 Ad, 1800 Ad or 2012. Like duh! It can’t just be me that has grown tired of the obvious.
Maybe, just maybe, the reason HR isn’t taken seriously by other business leaders is that we’re too obvious. We’re understood. We’re completely understood. But not in a good way. Like boring – I could see you coming from a mile away understood.
Again, just run with it for a moment… maybe we (collectively) should be talking about more innovative things? Maybe we should care less if people get it and/or get us? Maybe the goal is to become completely misunderstood? Have we been doing it all wrong for the last few years? Beating people with the obvious? Beating each other with the obvious? Believing in the obvious?
I know it’s awkward… we’re people people… yawn & yack… but, for example, if I see another article about talent communities I’m going leave the Internet and never come back. {sic} I’m so sick and fucking tired of obvious HR s#*t.
Okay, solutions time…
I think we need to push each other more… to innovate… not evolutionary, revolutionary… I think it is what is required us. In doing so, we open ourselves up to criticism which again is awkward but necessary. Don’t accept the obvious as “new” or “exciting”. It isn’t and we’re not making things better by allowing s#*t to pass as steak.
I’ll tell you what… I’m pivoting (I know, I’m f’ing tired of the term as well)… in a few months, I aim to be completely mis-the-eff-understood. Now.You.Know.
/end rant/ Go back to your mediocre, ahem, obvious lives. #kidding #notkidding
William is the President of RecruitingDaily. At the intersection of HR and technology, he’s a writer, speaker, advisor, consultant, investor, storyteller & teacher. He’s written over 200 HR articles, spoken at over 150 HR & recruiting conferences and he’s conducted over 1000 HR podcasts. William prides himself on being easy to find on The Internet, Google him and connect with him via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Not up to speed in the social media game? Reach out via email.
William serves on the Board of Advisors for Talentegy, Wellocity, GlitchPath, Talent Ninja, Universum Americas, Engagedly, Echovate, VibeCatch, Continu, Hyphen, Bevy, Happie, RolePoint, Causecast, Work4Labs, Talent Tech Labs, and SmartRecruiters. He was previously an advisor to PeopleMatter (sold to Snagajob Q2 2016), Good.Co (sold to StepStone Q1 2016), Smarterer (sold to Pluralsight Q4 2014) and a board member of Chequed (merged to create OutMatch Q3 2015).
William is a graduate of the University of Alabama of Birmingham with a BA in Art History. He also earned an MA in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.