The Thin Red Line. Fight Club. American Psyco. These are films that solidified Jared Leto‘s success as an Oscar-winning actor. Then, as his star was rising, he basically stopped making movies. “I think it was about focus. I knew that I needed to commit everything to music at that point in my life,” said Leto. Fast Company interviewed Jared Leto and …
The Weight of the Matter
Of all the topics that are taboo in the inner sanctum of the Talent/HR world, weight may be the toughest to be honest about. Especially here in the US and especially with female HR executives, although today’s quip is coming from the cliché Overweight, Caucasian, Over 50 former C-suite dude. Today I will weave a true and humbling story of …
Want Employee Engagement? Just Ask.
Employee engagement continues to be a challenge for organizations of all shapes and sizes. The road map to tackling this challenge is right in front of you if you are willing to involve your employees in the solution. But what should you be asking your people to get that answer? What they value, of course. Pretty simple, but nearly impossible …
Just Leave Us Alone
I read a quote last week that I would surely butcher if I tried to recall word-for-word, but the overall theme of the quote was this: People are not required to be constantly available to you, or you to them. And yet, there I sat at 8 AM on a Thursday morning with 57 notifications on my phone. By 7 …
What’s Your Story?
Everybody has a story, maybe more than one, impacting your work life. A few years back while attending the SHRM National Conference in Orlando, Heather Abbott, a Boston Marathon bombing victim, gave a rousing 10-minute introduction to the conference. An HR executive whose life was dramatically altered after losing a leg in the tragic event. She has recovered, moved on, …
Can You Choose Your Work/Life Balance? 3 Actions To Take.
Can you? In this world where we are always on, is it possible to draw a line in the proverbial sand and give yourself that desired balance? Is it possible to feel like you have mastered being a super employee and super (mom/dad/spouse/partner/person)? More and more as I screen senior-level candidates, I find this to be a struggle for them. …
All for One and One for All! Employee Engagement Peanut Butter.
I started my own blog in 2006. Not an actual OG but very close. Heck, I used to use Typepad for chrissakes. That’s seriously old school. And some of (most of) my posts since that time have been about employee engagement. I know this because every time I’m up to write on Fistful of Talent I panic because I may …
To Support Mental Health, Let Employees Walk out the Door.
Do you know what really makes my heart hurt? The fact so many employees are still miserable at work. It’s not the fault of any one “thing,” but rather a systemic issue. In the US, both depression and loneliness epidemics are in full swing, which is exacerbated by many working environments. Somewhere in the intersection of technology, the demanding speed …
It’s Time to Talk About Mental Health in the Workplace
Thanks to increased awareness driven by celebrities, athletes, politicians and more, mental illness has become less stigmatizing than it previously was. But as society gains a greater understanding of the issues, the conversation around mental health (and how we should handle it) has failed to permeate the workplace at the same rate. As companies tout improved work-life balance, gym memberships, …
Workplace Bullying, the New Normal?
At age thirteen I was led to an epiphany. The year was 1976, and this is my story – – I was an eighth grader, rocking a pair of light blue converse all-stars, the perfect afro, and living large at Canterbury Jr. High School. That was the year of my (to this day) most infamous encounter with Clifford, a classmate and neighbor, who by that time …