On the Brink of Lies

"I've had enough of her...get rid of her today."

"We're fallen behind schedule...someone is going to pay!"

"That's ridiculous...go writer her up now. Right now!"

"That's why I have you here...to keep me out of trouble when I have to take action."

"We've lost confidence in you..."

"You're no longer a good fit..."

HR Leadership is Hard
I don't know how many times my colleagues have told me the following..."I could never do your job." 

Wait, what? Is HR that horrible? Is it so pressure-packed that our friends and colleagues can't even imagine sitting in our chair?

Wow.

So, why then do we put ourselves through that pressure-cooker? Why do we put ourselves out there for all the world to see (and sometimes criticize) and frequently thank us for helping them through difficult issues or projects?

I used to have very HR-ish sounding answers, full of cliches and jargon, blah, blah, blah. I don't think I feel that way any longer. 

As I...ahem...grow more mature in my career...my answer feels different than all the HR-speak I've pumped out for years.

Something Bigger
HR leadership is not the only difficult role out there. And guess what? I've told my colleagues I would not want to do their jobs either. Have you caught yourself saying the same thing?

Be honest.

Leadership to me...HR or otherwise...done authentically, honestly, and frequently with a mouth full of humble pie has to be done deliberately. It has to matter to us as individuals. Of course we want to make our organizations better. Of course we want to create an environment where people want to work and feel as if their contribution to the world matters.

Leadership...for me...is about doing something that is bigger than me, and staying committed to that, even when times get tough once in a while.

I've never heard of any effective leaders that didn't face significant problems in their careers. I'm no different.

But when leadership means doing something bigger than yourself, you don't quit. You don't deflect responsibility or run for cover. You pick yourself up, get your game-face on, and you own every damn bit of the problem. Only then, can you make the course corrections necessary to be successful.

How About You
Which leaders do you look up to? Have their careers been perfect? Have they always made the right call? Or, do they mean so much to you because in spite of their missteps, they never quit? Ever.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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All the Lies...That You Tell

I've been thinking and writing about communication lately...why it's important, how it should be done, and how it overshadows many other organizational challenges that may initially be perceived as "the real problem." To that end, a big part of communication is accuracy.

That means I shouldn't be worrying about getting played, hearing a version of the story that the other person wants me to hear, or simply being fed the wrong information. (I call that last one lying.)

Intent v Self-Preservation
Before we get too far down the trail let me say that the overwhelming majority of people do not intentionally lie in the workplace. They come to work, put forth a lot of energy doing good work, and then head home after a busy day or night. However, the challenges are more pronounced during periods of rapid change. Old routines are disrupted, expectations are evolving, and the self-confidence that once fueled the work day is not quite so strong.

This leads to a focus on self-preservation, not on effective communication.

Break Through
So how does an organization break through the feeling of a chaotic work life and establish a new sense of stability? The answer is our old friend communication. When the pace transitions from a state of business-as-usual to a perceived state of chaos, it's time to pull the team together and talk.

Maybe it's the need to simply validate that it is a chaotic time, and you and the leadership team are going to have a bit of a bumpy ride for a while.

Perhaps it means that an update is necessary to ensure each person is current on the new initiatives that are underway.

Or maybe it's time to have a strategic planning session to help the leaders understand their roles and expectations going forward.

Whatever you feel is ultimately necessary, no one on the team will fault you for pausing momentarily to bring the team together and get everyone grounded again.

How About You
What steps are you taking to provide calm leadership during a stormy time? Regardless of how you feel about the changes going on, it's imperative that HR step up and help the organization's leaders settle down, so the real work can get done.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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