Almost 12 years ago, I wrote my first blog post for FOT. It was about Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and when he mistakenly placed the Stanley Cup upside down during an NHL event. I wrote: Why the blunder? Because no one coached him. No one took the time to pull him aside and whisper, “Hey Joe, this is the …
Protect Your Assets – Your People
How many of you are in your guest rooms/living rooms/patios “behind closed doors” working on a RIF spreadsheet? It’s a horrible exercise I’ve done too many times, and especially tough right now. With an unimaginable amount of uncertainty across most businesses, cost-savings levers are being pulled. As part of looking for cost-savings, how much quantitative analysis is taking place? It’s …
HR’s Greatest Opportunity to Support Gender Diversity
As a mom of a young daughter, I’m paying more attention to the gender diversity push than ever before. I personally never felt passed over for roles or promotions due to my gender – nor afforded them because of my gender either. That said, until the last half of my career, I worked in corporate HR where a lot of …
Focus! Maybe An Accountability Partner Would Help
I am a big believer in the power of focusing. “Focus and finish” is a phrase you’ll hear me say to myself, my daughter – and perhaps occasionally to my husband. Most of us in the HR space know year-end and the fast start once January 1 rolls around = bust your a$$ while everyone else is taking time off. …
Kick-Start Your HR Creativity in 2020 with these Two Lessons
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 …
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). …
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 …
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 …
Call Me! The Lost Art of Picking Up The Phone.
Gen X version: “Call me (call me) on the line Call me, call me any, anytime“ Millennial version: “Hey, I just met you, And this is crazy, But here’s my number, So call me, maybe!” Aside from the observation that Millennials are much coyer in their request for a call (“So call me, maybe!”) and those of us who identify …
I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!
“Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley” is one of the reasons I continued to watch SNL in the 90’s. Al Franken invented and acted out Stuart in a way that made you laugh and cringe at the same time. I’m not an affirmation gal. The closest I get is coaching my daughter to tell me to “Buck up, Mommy!” whenever I …