You want candidates who are passionate about what they do for a living, don’t you? Of course you do. But passion for a profession is tough to get a grip on. And like most subjective things, there’s a whole lot of bulls**t going on in the world related to determining whether someone has passion for what they do. But the …
Hello 3-Day Weekends!
If you’ve been in the workforce for 20+ years, you probably grew up thinking working longer hours meant you were more productive, or helped you advance your career. I spent many years arriving at and leaving an office in darkness. Microsoft has put a bit of data behind the fact longer hours do not equate to higher productivity (or happiness). …
Feeling Like A Pretender? (The New Leader)
If you get things that you desire, there may be unforeseen and unpleasant consequences. Another way to say that, “Be careful what you wish for,” but Google reminded me that’s also the name of a cheesy Nick Jonas flick (redundant, I know.) Whatevs, the spirit of the comment is the same – anyone striving for advancement in their professional life is …
4 Critical Steps for Success as a New CHRO
Starting anything new is a bit daunting. A new exercise program. A new school. Sporting a new hairstyle. The internal questions of “Am I ready for this? Will I make friends? Is the “Rachel” really back?” will bubble in the pit of your stomach. Starting a new gig, especially a leadership role, builds even more intense emotions. Starting a new …
Sweet Lies About Work and Other Final Thoughts from HR Tech 2019
Editor’s Note – FOT Contributor John Hollon is on the ground this week reporting from the HR Technology Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas How do I know I’m at an HR conference? I know when I hear Marcus Buckingham giving a keynote speech. To put it another way, if Josh Bersin is everyone’s favorite HR technology analyst, Buckingham may …
How Do You Bury The Dead in Your Organization?
So, the question for today is how do you bury the dead in your organization? As I discuss this, I am reminded of a scene in the Monty Python classic movie “The Holy Grail”. During the black plague, dead bodies are being loaded onto a horse drawn cart and an individual says to the body taker that he is not …
Have you traveled on the dark side? Lessons from a Diversified HR/Recruiting Career.
Confession time…I have never been and will never be a 30 year employee. 3 yrs, 5 yrs, 10 yrs…I can hit those milestones. But beyond that, fat chance. My career has been guided by gut and need and not always in that order. Why by gut? Work should be fun. You should love what you do and where you are and …
Lessons On Leadership from My Bad Boss(es)
Need a conversation prompt? Just say, “I hate my boss.” Add a swear for emphasis, some name-calling if that makes you feel better. That phrase usually starts an echo around a table or at a bar. A lot of “me too” and “oh, you should meet mine.” Then everyone starts to recite all of the oh-so-obvious ways that their managers …
10 Things HR Should Have Given Up by Now
I attended an awards luncheon where the nominees were asked the question, “What would you have expected to have given up by now?” Answers involved a lot of childhood sweets, biting nails and imaginary dogs (that was not mine). Slap that question on the HR profession and I have a few ideas around the answers. Some are common sense and …
Welcome to the Sh*t Show!
Have you ever noticed that as soon as you believe your organizational dysfunction has reached a peak, you always can find another organization that takes it one step further? We love to think that our “Sh*t Show” is the worst, but we always know it’s not. Recently, I was speaking with some colleagues about some stuff going on and I …