Today, if twitter is to be believed, (and there are many whom attribute gospel-like reverence to it) HR is focused on talent, technology and turnover. Throw in an employee experience or two and you’ve got the top 5 “issues” HR needs to address. I have orbited HR for over 15 years, and if I step into the wayback machine, 15 …
Always in Beta
One of my clients refers to itself as “always under construction”…that’s another way of saying you’re always in Beta… This has been their tagline for close to twenty years and they truly are always under construction in every way they approach business including HR and Talent… But what is Beta? Webster’s defines it as: a stage of development in which …
What Happens When What You Know Ain’t So?
How often do you challenge your assumptions? You know, those things that form the bedrock of your opinions, beliefs and decision making. Do you ever ask yourself if what you think you know, is really so? You should. My experience has been that many poor decisions and failed concepts can be traced back to believing some key fact or piece …
Communicating Through Organizational Change
I recently delivered a presentation to my organization that will have a huge impact on the lives of our team members. I believe that the impact will be a very positive one. Regardless of this, change is change. Which is to say that change is hard. But why? Why is it so hard to have successful organizational change, and how …
The Plane Isn’t Free Falling, But You Still Need to Put Your Oxygen Mask on First.
The person who gave me my start in HR also gifted me with a book, “Managing Transitions” by William Bridges. At the time I was going through a professional change and my organization was in flux–the book was much appreciated. Fast forward almost 28 years (yes, I started my career at 12) and I still revisit that book whenever I …
You Can’t Change the World on the Internet
Let’s say you are passionate about something and want to change the world. Q: How do you fix significant problems by using the internet?A: You don’t. Stop yourself before you start. – Laurie Ruettimann The internet is but one tool to affect social change, and it’s an imperfect one at best. You need an omnichannel approach that includes academic research, …
HR Practices Making You Feel Bad? Check Your Habits
7 months ago, I made a personal decision to stop drinking. Although not a chronic issue, it had become a habit that wasn’t giving me the “feels” anymore. Frankly, it was making me feel “more bad than good,” so it was time to make a tweak. A habit is “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is …
Kicking It Old School
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 …
HR, Take Some Risks and Just Say “What the ****”
My favorite movie line of all time and something every HR practitioner needs to do, “Sometimes you need to just say ‘what the ****’ and take some risks.” The quote comes from the movie Risky Business. Joel, the character played by Tom Cruise, is much like a teenage version of an HR pansy. Coasting through life on smarts, good looks …
Your Future Boss Thinks You Suck
“Where are we at <insert random request for information>?” This question is not an invitation to list what’s been done. It’s a test. Put on a helmet kids, because I’m about to give you some tough love. YOUR FUTURE BOSS THINKS YOU SUCK At some point in the future, all of you reading this post are going to get a …