It seems Hollywood is obsessed with making movies about comic book characters. With the help of sophisticated technology the characters fly around and smash things. The kids (and many adults) love it, and the definition of superhero drifts away from real life and lands in fantasy land.
That's okay...I guess.
I Met A Hero...But He Didn't Meet Me
I work at a very special organization that takes care of the most fragile patients in the world. Literally. Some time ago when I was visiting with our amazing team members I met what I would consider a superhero. He didn't wear a cape, or brightly colored tights. He didn't have biceps the size of a truck, or shoot fire from his hands. In fact, he was quite still and small.
You see, he was facing a battle far more epic than a midtown Manhattan taxi throwing clash between fantasy characters. The stakes were much higher.
Team Means Something Different To This Hero
As I visited with the employees and we discussed a variety of issues, they constantly scanned the equipment keeping our hero going. Any slight variation, any seemingly minor change was reacted to instantly. Nothing was ignored...except me...and I was fine with that. They actually apologized for interrupting me so they could jump to our hero's aid.
Even though our team was glad I was there to discuss issues that impact their work life, I was really a secondary priority. Our hero was first...by a mile.
How About You
How do you define superhero? For me, it's much more than someone who can hang upside down from a skyscraper. Sometimes it is someone who is just getting started, yet they can still save the day.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
photo credit
I'll admit it. Occasionally I get a bit too fired up for my own good. A topic comes up that I'm passionate about and I get ahead of myself. In my enthusiasm to express how important the issue is (to me), I might overlook the other people involved. Passion is good...but blowing past your colleagues is not.
Department Leader or Organizational Leader
One of the dilemmas we face as HR leaders is that our view of "work" is not just the cost center we are assigned . In many ways the organization is our department. Think about it, how many of you come to work and only think about HR? If you do, ahem, it's time for a change.
Since we're tasked with providing organizational leadership, what should the smooth HR practitioner do when areas beyond their direct span of control are a mess and the leadership over those areas is woefully slow to respond?
Hello rock and a hard place.
Silos? What Silos?
Diving in to help is what we in HR do, right? We all have that cape hanging on the back of our office doors that we can quickly put on as we fly off to save the day. The problem is, our colleagues may not necessarily want us to come in and solve their problems. Heck, they may not even realize they have a problem. It's our job to be calm, professional, and passionate about the reality of the situation when we explain:
1. What is really going on
2. What the specific impact is on the organization
3. What the options are to move forward
Skipping these three steps and becoming a Super Hero Problem-Solver will more than likely alienate your colleague, not bring you closer. Remember, you are the internal consultant and should treat that leader as a client, not someone who has missed the boat.
How About You
Do you fall into the trap of "knowing just what needs to be done" and you aren't shy about letting everyone know? I hate it when I act that way. Maybe we should only be Super Heroes after hours?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pics courtesy of Integral Options and Cafe Press
