Thank You, May I Have Another?

What was your first reaction when you read the title to this post?

"Thank you, may I have another?"

Did you "go negative" right away? Did you think I would be discussing HR leaders getting dumped on by their colleagues, the employees, and a long list of other ungrateful souls?

Wait Just A Second
How about we try this approach instead...

"Thank you, but I would prefer the high risk project"

"Thank you, however, I would like to take the lead on that new initiative"

"Thank you, but I would really like to be a part of that expansion project"

There is is huge difference between the "regular" HR folks who default to a "whoa-is-me" professional existence...and then there are those that...

...well, they go for it!

They don't fall into the trap of hubris, excuses and arrogance.
They don't chase glory and extra squares on their org chart.
They don't wait until every plan is so perfect, that it is actually too late to execute (if they know how to execute at all.)

Old HR is Dead...Welcome to the New World
I don't always get it right in my work. I also make mistakes...regularly. But I can honestly tell you this my friends...

I am not afraid to do what's right.
I am not afraid to stand up to the bullies.
I am not afraid of the nay-sayers who are living in their self-indulgent arrogant past.

It is 2018. It's time to be more than you ever thought possible!
It's time to go for it!

How About You
Who are the weak links in your world that are living in the past? Perhaps it's time to stop giving them any airtime, and simply push your organization to the next level? They wouldn't understand how to lead the way, so why waste precious company resources on old school slow-movers?

Go for it friends. Today!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Vulnerability - A New Leadership Competency

I've been working for a long time. Well, actually, for a really long time, and most of that has been in leadership. Some of the "virtues" of leadership I learned early on were to never show weakness or be indecisive, because...

weakness = career over
indecisive = zero respect

I'm guessing that mindset is not unique to the healthcare industry.

However, I would suggest there is a different competency out there that is a far cry from the commonplace failings of weakness and the inability to make a decision.

Vulnerability.
- "open to criticism"

New Leaders
Once upon a time I was a new leader eager to climb the corporate health system ladder. I wanted to try new approaches, use new technologies, and take risks. For some reason I've always been enamored with risk!

...which doesn't make me sound like an HR guy...but whatever...

What I often ran into though was a large group of old-school leaders: bright, successful people who had no interest in doing anything differently, ever.

I quickly grew frustrated with what turned out to be my perception of these folks...what they considered their "strengths" I considered to be an "out of touch" view. What they thought of as "steady and consistent" I soon labeled as "stale."

Fast forward to today...am I'm asking myself if the young leaders in the world of work look at you and me that way?

Are we out of touch and stale?

New Expectations
I'm convinced now more than ever that not only is effective leadership about staying current with industry trends, technology, and employee expectations as they shift and modulate over time. But also to show something else...

...our vulnerable side.

How many of us equate being vulnerable with weakness? 
How many of us see a direct link between loss of credibility and being vulnerable?
How many of us are obsessed with maintaining our perceived power as leaders?

Consider the impact of being real and showing our human side to the employees in our organizations. Do you think they will connect with us more? Might they see beyond our fancy job title and lofty position on the maze of boxes on the org chart?

Maybe, just maybe, they will believe in us and want to stay and be part of something special.

How About You
How do you show your human side at work? Perhaps embracing vulnerability, and leveraging it as a true leadership competency is the missing piece in your approach.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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In Our Mind

Group think. 

Let that phrase roll around in your head for a minute. Group Think.

Is it positive? 

Is it the corporate equivalent of a lynch mob? 

Thinking Is Good
It sounds funny to say it out loud, but thinking through the challenges we face is a really good thing. Except, there always seems to be a little voice in our head that cautions us about our thinking.

"What will the other leaders think of that crazy idea?"

"That will surely be a career-limiting decision if you push too hard."

"Remember the tricky behind-the-scenes alliance of those leaders who conspire against those who don't do things their way."

That little voice is annoying as hell...and is just as wise.

Thinking Is Bad
Sadly, the pressure cooker of leadership brings doubt, fear, and worry about our decisions when in reality we should be excited about the energy our teams create together.

We should be fired up about a new day to solve problems, help people breakthrough to the next level in their leadership, and help our team members feel even more valued than yesterday.

But that little voice...

How About You
How do you handle that voice that tells you to slow down...don't take risks...fall in line...and maintain the status quo? I used to listen obediently as a member of the executive club.

Until I realized that's not what real executives do. So I listened to my own voice instead, and decided that taking risks and kicking ass was not only a lot more fun...it actually helped me get the work done.

Which voice are you going to listen to?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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This Battle Chose Us

leading through change

leading through criticism

leading through risk

leading through failures

leading through setbacks

leading through growth

leading through fear

leading through breakthroughs

leading through bigotry

leading through new perspectives

leading through sadness

leading through success

leading

through

it 

all.

We don't have a choice. 
The real leaders keep pushing, no matter what. 
That is the path chosen for us.

Are you with me?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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How Did I Do That?

I get asked a lot about using social media in my work. How did I get started? How do I find the time? How did I know it would make such a difference for the company? How did I deal with the criticism from the old school leaders who are out of touch?

Lots of ‘how’ questions. Today I’ll offer some brief answers.

How Did I Get Started?

Six years ago I was privileged to move into a VP of HR role at an organization filled with great people, but one that had not made any moves into the contemporary talent acquisition space. I hadn’t either.

With mounting vacancies across the organization and a non-existent national employer brand, something had to change. I decided I needed to learn social media tools and bring them to life with the human resources team.

Stop worrying about starting, just get started.

How Do I Find the Time?

For years I preached the gospel of work-life balance…and for years I struggled mightily with work-life balance! The more I understood about being a leader, the more I realized there is only one thing: life balance. Today I integrate my work life, personal life, and digital life into one continuous flow. 

Stop worrying about time, just get started.

How Did I Know It Would Make a Difference?

As a healthcare executive I looked around and found that not many of my peers were using social media personally or professionally (read here —> almost no one.) As I looked outside my industry I saw a flood of successes. I also paid attention to…well…all of society! Why was…(and still is)…healthcare so far behind? It didn’t matter…the data was clear, and I went full speed into social media.

Stop worrying about changing the world, just get started.

How Did I Deal with the Criticism?

When I started to experiment with social tools, those around me (not my team in HR) found it ‘easy’ to poke fun. There was often an undertone of jealousy (and over compensating in my view) because although those folks were incredibly smart, they had simply been left behind. The world of work had roared past them and they did not have the courage to keep up.

Stop worrying about criticism, just get started.

How About You

As you muster up the courage to lead the way, simply focus on one important thing: you! You can take your career to a whole new level. You can bring your organization to a whole new level too.

You, can make a real difference!

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

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Line of Fire

I remember the first time I realized that not everyone was excited about moving into leadership. I was a very green young manager and my hospital had a number of management vacancies. I couldn't believe that we didn't have any internal applicants. In fact, it would be safe to say I was stunned! How could this be? No one wanted a "great" management job?

I Get It Now

As it turns out leadership is difficult. In fact, leading in a mediocre way is tough, let alone trying to actually be effective. I spend a lot of time on this blog pushing for effective leadership behavior, but I know it's a heck of a lot easier to write about it than it is to do it.

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep trying to get better every day.

The Firing Squad

One of the ways I've found to be effective in my role as a leader is to step in front of the proverbial firing squad on behalf of my team. As we all know, Human Resources lives in a fishbowl. All of the hiring managers, employees, and executives can see our every move. They all expect results, and candidly they deserve them. That is the opportunity of working in HR, not the burden!

The problem is that sometimes the team around us can become an easy target (read here --> scapegoat) for operational problems. It is in those moments that I believe HR leaders need to intervene. Simply letting our staff take all the heat (often it isn't even justified) while we hide in our offices is just lame.

 

I hate being lame.

Let me be clear...I'm not suggesting our team members cannot handle criticism, complaints, or areas that need to be addressed. What I am saying is that when you know the "noise" you're hearing about your team is inaccurate, you better get your butt out of your chair and stand up for them. 

How About You

It's no fun being in the line of fire as leaders. Imagine what our team members are going through? What must that feel like? More importantly do they know you care? Show them you are behind them 100%, and take a few bullets for them. Sometimes they won't even know you're doing it....but you'll know...and that's pretty important too.

I"d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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3 Deadly Words

As leaders we often don't feel any different than how we did earlier in our careers. Sure, we appreciate our greater scope of responsibility, we know the strategic direction our organizations must work toward more than most, and we certainly have a longer to do list than ever before. What often gets overlooked however is the significant impact we have with our words and behavior.

Yes, we know that how we interact with others is important, but in senior leadership roles the impact of what we say and how we say it is magnified on a scale we simply can not appreciate.

What terms from many years ago still ring true when we consider the missteps that seem to continue to plague so many leader today? What can these words tell us that make perfect sense?

Dolos
Treachery, deceit, no cunning, no guile

In your leadership practice are you focused on raising others up; or, are you narrowly focused on how you will be perceived for that next promotion? If your updates are filled with "I this..." and "I that..." then my guess is that next promotion is a long way off.

Loidoria
No verbal abuse, no snapping back, no getting even in our relationships

In the heat of the moment do you remain calm? Are you able to appreciate how stressful it is for a member of your team to share bad news with you? Do you think they are concerned with your reaction? How about you surprise them next time and don't over react, but instead brainstorm realistic options to keep moving forward.

Apeileo
We are not to threaten to bully to coerce in our relationships

All too often I see leaders treat their employees unfairly without even saying a word. Their bullying behavior speaks for itself, and everyone around them is keenly aware. The ancient perspective that fear breeds respect is long dead.

Treating people with respect breeds respect. If you're still focused on a command and control style, your time in leadership is short.

How About You
What words do you chose when giving feedback to your team? How do you engage your staff to help them maximize their potential (which by the way typically means your organization is more productive and profitable.)? Let's all heed the lessons of the ancients who taught us such powerful leadership terms.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Shut Up, I'm Not Being Defensive

The role of the HR leader is an odd one. We're expected to be there for employees, and also understand the industries we're in so we can make effective decisions at an institutional level. We are sometimes expected to stay out of the way while the Operations folks take charge; that is until the Operations folks mess things up and we are expected to "get in there" and get everything back on track.

To be perfectly honest I don't think there is another role quite like that of the HR practitioner.

The Blame Game
One of the core competences of the HR team is to recruit viable candidates for the organization. It's an exciting part of the job, and with the crush of so many social channels available, it can be an incredibly creative part as well.

Except when recruitment isn't going so well...then we suck. Or at least we're sometimes made to feel that way, even when we know we're putting all our efforts into the search process. We often need a hiring manager who understands the dynamics of an odd labor market and can actually make a hiring decision. It's really nice when that happens.

So in that moment when you're receiving "feedback" (read here -> HR is being told how ineffective they've been and all you need to do is listen to the completely inexperienced non-HR leaders and all will be right with the world) how do you react?

Are you angry? Is frustration creeping in? Are you laughing when you hear the most ridiculous suggestions and you realize they are serious? Earlier in my career I did each one of these things.

That wasn't good.

It's Work, It's Not You
Nowadays I try to take a very different approach. Instead of falling into the trap of an emotional reaction (good or bad) I try to simply listen. Sometimes the hiring managers have valuable insights about the search process, and other times they come off as being very inexperienced because they are inexperienced.

Just because I have been in healthcare for a long time doesn't mean I can provide clinical care. The same holds true for the well intended but off-base hiring manager. They too have worked in healthcare for a long time, but they have not been responsible for the full cycle of sourcing, advertising, and recruiting candidates.

That's okay...they are supposed to be taking care of patients, not worrying about HR. That's my job!

How About You

How do engage your hiring managers? Is it a partnership where each person respects the other's professional experience and role in the organization? Or, are you constantly finding yourself ready to argue about the latest criticism combined with a ridiculous recruitment idea that "clearly no one in HR had ever considered before?"

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Leadership Failures...Not Me, Right?

19,500,000.

That's how many results Google provided when I searched for the phrase "leadership failures." Wow, we must suck.

I'm Not Buying It

With all due respect, I have not given up on the notion of good leadership. Yes, we struggle. I'm at the head of that line. But I for one believe it's worth it to keep trying, not because I have to, but because I actually believe leadership is a noble role.

Now before your eyes roll into the back of your head, consider this: How many times have you complained about a decision a leader made in your company, or social club, or sports team? How many times have you felt that you could do a better job than someone else in a leadership role? Have you seen leaders lose their way because the pressure of the job was too much for them?

Leadership isn't easy. There is often so much criticism directed at these people that we miss what the impact is on them as human beings.

Leadership ages people. Don't believe me? Take a look at the before and after pictures of American Presidents. Sure, that's an extreme example, but the reality is leadership can wear people out.

Nowhere To Go But Up

If then, the pit is so deep, it seems to me we only have one option: start climbing. With all of the chatter about failing and whether or not it is in vogue to openly discuss it, I say who cares. People are going to fail, and that includes leaders. That includes me.

But the true champions will keep pushing forward and try to improve. Even if it means they have to check their ego at the door. I hate it when I have to do that...but I've gotten pretty good at it.

How About You

So why in the world do we stay in these positions? What could possibly be the draw that brings us back over and over again? Easy, we have the privilege to help others do incredible things in their work every day. Now that is something to be thankful for.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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