How many of us have seen our leaders (C-Suite, bosses, the ivory tower, “the brass”) abandon their integrity when the going gets rough? Maybe they decided to cut salaries to shed costs without cutting their own, or they identified a sacrificial lamb to take the fall for what was their mistake. Perhaps they simply elected to flat out lie to …
In today’s hot job market nearly all of us are trying to “build a better mousetrap so the world will beat a path to our door,” as the saying goes. We are all authoring our employment brand, and trying to one-up our competitors. And a lot of that work revolves around understanding and then documenting/describing our culture. Culture is such …
Grace is a word not often used in a business context. It should probably be used more. And even less so, grace is not something we typically associate with firing someone, taking away someone’s source of financial security, involuntarily. But we should. Because when it comes to firing someone, grace on the part of the employer is what’s needed most. …
There is an email that occasionally makes the circuit in the HR community. The content of this email is an amusing excerpt from a 1940’s transportation magazine article entitled Guide to Hiring Women. The point of this forwarded email isn’t about how atrocious the recruiting practices of women were in the 1940s, but rather to challenge its readers (recruiters, HR …
My pre-interview checklist. Hugo Boss suit. Check (although it fits a lot tighter than I remember it fitting a decade ago). Conservative tie. Check. Polished shoes. Check. Ironed and starched shirt. Check. Fresh shave, cleared hair out of nose and ears. Check. And perhaps most importantly, investing several hours getting to know as much as I can about the slate …
I’ve had the really good fortune of traveling internationally for a good chunk of my career. It’s been a career filled with humbling and tremendous learning, derived from surviving the potent mix of immigration/border security lines, horrific plane meals, and profound cases of jet lag. In fact, I would go so far as to say that traveling internationally has played a …
Think about the best professional advice you’ve ever received. Where did it come from? A how-to YouTube video? A TED talk? Your spouse? An executive coach? Maybe a lawyer? A book? A keynote speech at an HR/talent conference? Likely not. Or… from a fellow HR/talent colleague? Yep, that’s what I thought. Networking is all the rage. So are conferences, podcasts, …
As HR pros we all want to work for a progressive, forward-thinking company that values its people. A company that is recognized as a great employer – or dare I say one that treats their employees “as their greatest asset”. No HR or Talent Pro seeks otherwise. “Man, I just want to find a company where I’m a replaceable cog …
It’s not lost on me that I’m uber-lucky to be a white male born in and living in the greatest country in the world. The land of opportunity, especially for me. Privilege and opportunity that others who work here or in other countries around the world will spend their entire lives in hopes of getting. And which some, regardless of …
What do you remember most about 9/11? It’s perhaps the most memorable day in our generation’s history. I suspect it will be mine. Here’s my story. I was working for an agricultural cooperative and I was responsible for a team of 430 men and women who sold agricultural input products to farmers. We were in the middle of our three-day …
