There Are No Rules

"The future of work will not include the archaic rules we cling to today."
- Me

Protocol
How many times do you consider protocol before making a decision? When you think about what is "acceptable" in your workplace do your decisions change? Why?

Is there an established set of rules, policies or procedures that everyone must follow? Probably yes for some things, but I'm guessing not for how to raise issues, take risks, or God-forbid, identify break-through thinking.

So then, what is so powerful about protocol?

Corporate Culture
The answer I most often hear has to do with something called corporate culture. What surprises me most about this response is the inherent assumption that an organization has one homogenous culture. That is impossible.

Corporate cultures are actually made up of the dozens, or hundreds, or thousands of micro-cultures that exist at the team or department level. 

That is where the core values and mission of the organization must be effectively communicated and exemplified by leadership if a "corporate culture" is going to materialize at some higher level.

The Future of Rules
The only way I've been able to make real progress over the years was when I simply disregarded the norms, protocol, and generally risk-averse ineffectiveness of "modern" leadership.

The leaders of tomorrow are openly wondering why things move so slowly; why their big ideas do not get the obvious support they deserve; and how they can continue to push themselves to be more than they ever imagined.

How About You
I'm thrilled about the future of work. Candidly, I'm going to continue to lead as if the future is now.

Rules be damned.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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We Only Need One HR Policy

I’ve been in human resources for twenty years. I’ve written, revised, edited, printed, emailed, posted and leveraged policies to make decisions over and over again. Too many times following the policies morphed into the focus of the work…instead of the work being the focus of the work.

Sound familiar?

We Need A Policy for “That”

My favorite policy of all time is the “policy on policies.” You know the one. It describes the proper format, headers, indentations, when to bold and not to bold, etc. Argh!

How has such a high impact function in the organization devolved into a paper pushing bureaucratic machine? 

It’s as if we in human resources believe we are the core business, when in fact we are the engine that fuels the core business. I’ve even seen policies called “Policy on ___.” 

Seriously? We love them so much we even put the word policy first! 

All for One and One for All

Here’s where I'm going with this concept. The noise, criticism, and candidly glacier-like movement that typically comes from HR relative to change must end. The one-policy approach can send a powerful message to the organization, that no longer will human resources hide behind a stack of excuses…er, paper…any longer.

Here's my human resources policy of the future:

“We will follow all applicable laws that impact our organization and will treat each team member with respect as we strive to be a truly world class company.”

Done.

How About You

One policy says it all. The only piece you need to ensure you keep track of is the consistent practices for various issues so as to avoid unwarranted discrimination or third party claims. Let’s start moving away from the paper, and get into the business of driving the business forward.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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This Team Is Designing the Future of HR

This is the second in a series of posts about SHRM's Global Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Summit that was held in conjunction with the national conference. It was an amazing collection of senior human resources executives from around the world who gathered for an in-depth and inspiring meeting in Las Vegas.

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Imagine the future of human resources. The words are different…the roles are different…the value HR adds to the organization is viewed in a radical new way. 

Maybe...

At the recent Global Forum for Chief Human Resources Officers this was the exact issue discussed. CHROs from around the world wrestled…sort of…with what that future state will be for HR.

Top Thinkers

The session was led by John Boudreau who has been deeply engaged with a world-class team of human resources executives from some of the top companies in the world. His research, and the focused output the team is generating is a fantastic start.

The group he assembled shares a level of frustration with the state of HR today, in that it is difficult to describe what our role is in a rapidly changing world.

Here’s my spin...

- couldn’t we outsource benefits support to a call center and manage the spend through the Finance department?

- couldn’t we fold employee relations into the legal department now that our society (at least in the United States) is ridiculously focused on litigation or extreme views from various government agencies.

- couldn’t an education department that reports through Operations build a team of trainers/change management professionals to ensure we had complete alignment with what the front-line needs of the leaders are?

The short-sighted answer to these questions is yes. It’s also the wrong one. What’s missing here is the role that human resources plays when addressing talent, culture, and living the values of an organization.

I’m sorry, but Finance, Legal, and Operations do not have stellar track records for driving change, responding to the workforce, or meeting the challenges of growth in a radically different world than just a few years ago.

Only HR can deliver on that…and this is where John’s team might miss the mark, but not for the reason you might think.

Future of the Workforce

The powerhouse team I mentioned that is planning the future of HR is missing one very important member...

…the people who are going to be the future of HR. Hear me out...

"If millennials are going to dominate the workforce in just a few years, it seems odd to exclude them from the planning process.”

Teams of executives have the power and influence to make change. But at what cost? If the entire group that is planning the future of HR is retired in fifteen years, have they done a disservice by excluding those they are trying to help?

I submit yes! 

The courageous leaders on this team should not only invite non-executive leaders into the group, but must insist on it. 

While I stand and applaud the desire to make things different, it is clear the group is not current. (I could barely find twitter accounts for half the group, yet they are designing the new world of HR?)

How About You

What are you doing in your world to make a difference for your profession? Are you adapting to new ways to work? Or, are you simply moving the same old concepts around into a new format and claiming that you’ve made a breakthrough? 

John’s team is taking a bold step forward and I will support them in every way I can. Let’s hope they don’t miss the most important piece of the puzzle.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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I Met the Future...and it Means Business

I recently had the privilege of spending a couple of hours with a young man who will be graduating form college next Spring. He decided to spend this summer learning as much as he could about the world of work. He wants to be as prepared as possible when his undergraduate days end.

Let me tell you something...if the next generation is as focused, driven, polished and thinks about work the way he does, we are in very good hands.

Oh, and there will also be a whole bunch of leaders who suddenly find themselves reporting to him, because he's all ready demonstrated the leadership traits we all spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to "develop" in our people. (Please...why don't we just hire leaders instead of trying to turn non-leaders into something they're not?)

Learning As A Competitive Advantage 

One of the first things that impressed me was his desire to learn. He didn't present himself as a know-it-all...in fact, his humility was only overshadowed by his energy to make a difference.

I kept thinking to myself, 'he sure doesn't fit into the Gen Y stereotype all of the "experts" have been telling me about.'

Which, by the way, again reinforced my absolute disdain for the term "expert." It's usually a self-appointed term...am I right? Don't believe me? Go read your own twitter or LinkedIn bio.

So there I sat...sharing my experiences, advocating that the "rules" that have been established in the world of work need to be ignored, and that he shouldn't be afraid to forge his own path.

It was awesome.

Thinking Big All Ready

As he shared his ideas to make an impact on the projects he's involved with this summer I kept thinking the same thought..."how quickly can I hire this guy into my company before someone else gets him?"

I'm not kidding.

After two hours I also realized he'll probably be running his own company by the time he's twenty-five or so, which means my window of opportunity to recruit him is almost closed.

How About You

When was the last time you spent time connecting with one of tomorrow's leaders to share your experiences? I hope that he was able to take a couple of things away from our time together. He'll never fully appreciate how much he gave me without even knowing it.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Rising

I'm lucky. I know it too. Sure hard work and taking risks significantly increases your chances of being lucky...but I know I'm just lucky anyway.

Pressure
It didn't always feel that way. There were periods of time when the future was so unclear I thought I would never get through the fog. The pressures of working in the modern world just seemed to grow and grow...

- new technology
- new ways to work
- new leadership expectations
- new employee problems
- new beginnings

...and the list goes on.

Do Something
One of the most effective strategies I discovered as I was wandering through the fog, unsure and doubting myself, was this...

Do something. 

We can always freeze up and question ourselves about our own competencies, our ability to lead, or whether we are "really cut out for this or not."

You are cut out for your job. You can make a difference. You can realize the vision you have in your head. But you must take a step forward. One step is all it takes to regain your confidence, momentum, and energy.

How About You
If you're feeling the pressure more than ever remember that action is the antidote. You've already thought about these issues long enough, it's time for movement. You can do it....even if you don't believe that you are up to the task. Go for it today. Who knows, you might end up feeling just as lucky as I do.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Stand Up and Shout - #NewWayToWork

Last December I threw in the towel. I had been living in a never ending battle with my Inbox and had lost all hope. I gave up...thinking I could never actually integrate the most important communication tools and documents in my world into one place.

...and the email kept coming...

A New Way
Two weeks ago I participated in something truly amazing. I was one of 30 digital influencers brought to New York City to be a part of IBM's launch of an incredible new product: IBM Verse.

I was excited on several levels. Being part of a major product kick-off was cool enough. But when you add that the product could actually help me in my work...well...I'm all in!

Moving beyond the buzz, the execs, and the inspiring trendy start-up leaders who spoke, I was taken aback by the seismic shift that is underway at IBM. Our experience involved much more than just a fancy product launch. 

We spent three days connecting...challenging the collective wisdom about the world of work...and learning about the radical transformation underway at IBM that is now delivering products like IBM Verse.

I didn't see it coming.

Now I can't wait to get started! 

It's All About the End User
What excited me the most was that the new approach at IBM, and candidly what should be every organization's priority, is the end user. What is best for the customer, the employee, the colleague...you get the point!

What will make a difference for those we're working with instead of what is most convenient for us? 

That my friends is the way we all should focus our leadership styles forevermore.

Who's with me?

How About You
Check out IBM Verse and see for yourself how you can integrate all the aspects of your world into one place. It's clean, straightforward, and simple. It's time to stand up and shout about the future of work and how we want it to function...with us in mind. Isn't that how the world should be anyway?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

We Shall Destroy - #Thinkathon 2014

Last week I had the privilege to attend the inaugural Thinkathon session in New York City hosted by the amazing team at purematter and IBM Social Business. Thirty of us were brought together from all walks of digital life to tackle the future of work. 

What does it look like? 
How will people work? 

What will the workplace...and workspace...look like?
What about loyalty?

What about full-time employment?
Will any work get done?

What about the younger-aged (and younger-minded!) workforce? Are they all self-serving work-life balance fanatics who don't appreciate 70 hour work weeks?

We were brought together to destroy the world of work as it exists today.

The Future is Cool...and Scary!
Our session kicked off with a fascinating (and haunting) message from Faith Popcorn, a prophetic futurist who is so accurate you'll want to follow her around and simply listen. 

Robots, genetic transformation, and the potential for more than one hundred million displaced workers got us all fired up to continue our mission!


Start Destroying!
The afternoon was then taken over by Hendre Coetzee, an absolutely brilliant facilitator and leader who guided our group of "world-of-work assassins" through a series of highly interactive and challenging sessions on what it will mean to work in the future.

We powered through five key drivers that will change how we work forever:
- the future of work talent
- the future of work culture
- the future of big data/analytics at work
- the future of technology at work
- the future of work collaboration/communication

Whoa! Heavy topics for a group of heavy-hitters!

By the way, when, not if, you seek out Hendre for guidance in your own organization you will not be disappointed. He is masterful at his craft.

How About You
The man that made this all possible was Bryan Kramer, CEO of purematter and the connection to the IBM Social Business team. Kudos to you Bryan and your amazing team for putting together an event that blew me away. (The following two days focused on IBM's #NewWayToWork campaign...more on that later!)

What are you doing to get out in front of the evolving world of work? Are you clinging to the status quo? Don't do it! The future is now! I'm fired up to hack the future of work in my organization! Who's ready to destroy with me?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.




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