I Don't Have the Time for My Personal Brand

The questions, and the obvious struggle, seems to be popping up everywhere I turn. Colleagues and clients alike are starting to understand just how important having a personal brand is for their career.

Now, for those of you that think "personal brand talk" doesn't hold any weight; really impact the world of work, or make a difference in the trajectory of your career, please stop reading and go back to watching Happy Days.

It's a digital world now...are you with me?

Time or Priority

Here's the chatter...

"Jay, I wish I had the time to work on this stuff....I work hard, love my job, but know I should be doing more for myself....and I know it will help my company too..."

And here's my response...

"How about we replace the word 'time' with 'priority?' It goes something like this...I haven't made my brand a priority." 

How does that feel?

Getting Started Is Easy
I'm not sure how the "mystery of a personal brand" started, but candidly friends, there is no mystery. If you can copy and paste, text, or click a share button you are well on your way.

3 Steps to a Fast Start!
- Make sure your social media accounts are up to date (LinkedIn, twitter, Instagram, etc.)

- Identify 10-15 sources of content you would like to share (always include your employer's content)

- Share content across your social channels throughout the week

BOOM!

You're off and running!

How About You

Let me help you get started. Reach out when you're ready, and we'll get you set up and rocking in no time! 

Let's do this!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Getting Started Using Social Media in Your Career

Even though the echo chamber is louder than ever in the social media space, there continue to be many...many...professionals who have yet to adopt these tools into their professional lives.

Honestly, getting started, particularly for my #HealthcareHR colleagues can feel like they are literally putting their jobs at risk. However, it does not have to be that way at all!

Start Slow
A key step in the process...from my experience...is to take your time. There is no hurry, you're not behind anyone else, and you certainly should never rush adopting new ways of doing your work.

However, it is time to get started. That means, today!

Step by Step
This is the easiest part of your transition to becoming a contemporary leader. You've probably already done part of this already. Do you have a Linkedin profile? Good! 

Next, open a twitter account. Keep in mind...you haven't posted anything yet, so you are not taking any risks!

Last step...start to identify content that you might like to share.

Pro Tip!
- your company probably produces content regularly....start there! 

Other ideas include professional journals (within your industry, Harvard Business Review, Inc., etc..) Start sharing this content once a day. It's safe, will make you look like you're aware that it is almost 2017, and you will begin to differentiate yourself and your company from the competition.

How About You
That wasn't so scary after all, right? Other helpful strategies as you get started should include following people in your industry and replicate what they do. Slow and steady actually does win the race.

Have questions? I'd love to help...reach out anytime.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Going Social Transformed My #HealthcareHR Career

I didn't get into social media tools because I thought they were cool. Quite honestly, it was out of desperation. My hospital at the time had far too many vacant positions, and the traditional #HealthcareHR tactics simply failed.

Just as they still do today.

Bold Leaders Are the Only Leaders
I literally had to make a bold move or risk compromising the quality of care provided to the patients at my hospital. That was the way I looked at it. I may not have been a direct care giver, but HR plays a vital role in the patient care process. If someone tries to tell you something different, fire them.

That's right. For those HR leaders that still believe they can use approaches from ten years ago and actually make a dent in the challenges they face, they are kidding themselves...

...and are losing the respect of their "team" (if they still actually have a team.)

The Truth Hurts
Am I being critical today? Actually, no. I'm begging you to lift your head up from the comfort of your policy manual and the noise from your over-priced ad agency and make a change.

Change yourself. Change your HR culture. Change your organization for the better.

How About You
You have the power...today...to radically transform your company. Yes, you. Start by allowing yourself the freedom to explore and learn new tools. Release yourself of the burden of anything traditional, and embrace growth, performance and success.

You can do it.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.
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Defining Your Brand

Work is hard. Successful work is even harder. For those that have moved up the ranks, or aspire to one day, there is a new requirement that must be addressed.

That "requirement" is staring back at you in the mirror every morning as you contemplate your jam packed day ahead. (The same day that you say is so busy you don't have time to work on the requirement....but that's none of my business.)

You Have A Story
My story really kicked into gear when I googled myself a number of years ago. Sure, I found a "Jay Kuhns"...unfortunately the only one I could find had been a physician in Hawaii in the 1940s.

That's right. Despite being a Vice President of Human Resources at a well respected hospital, I was invisible.

Hello, reality check.

Reinventing Myself
The stark reality of having a strong career but nothing to show for it outside my organization was downright depressing. I was beginning to realize the power of personal brands (I prefer the term Leader Brand); and how a person's brand could be used to differentiate themselves and their organizations in the market.

To make things worse, I often said I was a "brand ambassador" for my hospital, yet I was not posting, retweeting, or sharing any of my own organization's content. 

Massive failure on my part.

By the way...the SAFEST content to share is from your own company. It has already been fully vetted and approved...so why isn't every leader automatically sharing it?

Here we go...

Step 1. Eat a massive helping of humble pie. I do it regularly to keep myself grounded.

Step 2. Start building your social profiles on the big three.
- twitter
- Linkedin
- facebook

Step 3. Post content every day. Once you get comfortable with it you'll need less than 10 minutes. I know you have 10 minutes, so don't use the "time" excuse.

Step 4. Be amazed as you "suddenly" become someone that is viewed as a contemporary thought leader who understands and uses modern tools for business. 

Oh, and every person you'll ever hire again is using these tools, so imagine what they'll think when they are researching whether or not they want you to be their boss?

How About You
There is so much more to discuss about building your brand, but in order to go deeper you must first get started. Start today. No more excuses...no more jokes about social media being a waste.

It is not a waste. It is an incredibly powerful tool for business that you must start using now. I will help you. (I get kind of fired up about this stuff.)

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Snapchat, Ghosts & Not Being Old & Lame

I've been experimenting with snapchat lately. The tarnished image of the app is gone (yes, it is) and it has now moved to powerhouse status rivaling the other heavy hitters in the social media space.

What has been an unexpected surprise to me is how many long-time social media "experts" (ahem, I hate that word), have come out proclaiming the futility of using snap for recruiting, because they do not see a way forward.

Really?

Brands Love It
The last time I checked, which is daily, major brands around the world are pushing out high quality content on snapchat.

Are they doing this because it is a waste of time?
Are the doing this because "the experts" keen insight is fun to ignore?

Um...

Isn't there a direct link between employer brand and recruitment?

Now before you discount the millions of people using this tool every day, remember they are the workforce of today and tomorrow. 

Still reading? Good, I'm not done.

Ignore the Noise
Is there noise around snapchat? Of course there is. Is the ghost codes craze over begging for hearts annoying? Of course it is. 

Is snapchat's recent major upgrade a sign of massive innovation and change for a platform with unlimited upside?

You bet your closed-mind it is.

For those of you that have decided that snapchat has no future in the talent acquisition space, I caution you to hold your opinion at the risk of sounding like a fool.

"Those proclaiming so early that there is no future using snapchat risk sounding like the grumpy old neighbor yelling at the kids to "get off my lawn."

Don't be that person.

How About You
I wonder if the bright minds in the social media space that adopted facebook, twitter, Pinterest, swarm, and so many others have lost their edge? Has the fire gone out, and it's simply too embarrassing to admit that you haven't figured out snapchat yet? 

Or, do you need an in-your-face blog post to get you all fired up again so you can get back in the game...and lead the way once more?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Your Community - Your Future

The incredible power of communities in today’s world of work is literally transformational. Particularly for the untapped world of healthcare human resources or other risk-averse industry professionals. 

I’ll give you a real life example…me.

I spent twenty years in hospital human resources leadership, including the last fourteen in executive roles. As I watched the world of effective leadership change rapidly, I realized I either had to step up or stop claiming I was a leader.

"Harsh? Not really. I take the title of leader very seriously, and I believe leaders have to actually do the work, not just sit around fancy conference rooms tossing around leadership quote meme ideas."

Leadership is not only talk…leadership is action. I took ownership of what I knew had to change and completely reinvented myself and how I practiced HR. I made the conscious decision to grow my communities, and ended up positioning myself (unknowingly at the time) for the job I have now.

Oh, and by the way...making these changes revolutionized the talent function at my last hospital far beyond my wildest expectations.

Getting Started

1.  The first step is learning…branching out to try new tools…and it is surprisingly simple:

"Get over yourself."

Forget about your ego, your loaded LinkedIn profile, and your inflated sense of self. I'm serious...you're not that special (neither am I.)

2.  The second rule is to select one tool to help grow your community. For example if you choose twitter start by setting up your account, be sure to use the same picture from your LinkedIn profile, and be patient.

No one will expect you to be a power user on day one! Search the tool to find other leaders in the #HealthcareHR space (it will be a quick search!) or other industry. Look for other leaders, organizations, and thought leaders you trust and connect with them.

Engage

3.  The third step is to start using the tool. One of the best ways to do that on twitter, or snapchat (which is now #2 behind facebook, yes!); or any tool for that matter, is to participate. Retweet and share content. Let others know you like their work. Compliments are completely risk-free!

Remember, you talk to people all day…every day…so you can certainly handle hitting the Retweet button!

How About You

4.  The last step is to reach out directly to others, particularly those outside your specific industry space. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, explain that you are learning and want to participate. While this may sound like a long slow road, what you will quickly discover is that your online communities will grow so quickly you won’t believe it.

...and that impacts your leader brand.
...which impacts your employer brand.

I’m living proof.

Please do not feel like you need to do this alone. 

I want to help! Connect with me and let's get you started:

twitter:            @jrkuhns
snapchat:        jrkuhns
Instagram:     jrkuhns
Swarm:           Jay Kuhns
Pinterest:       jrkuhns
anchor:          Jay Kuhns

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.  

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No Community - No Future

I’ve been pushing myself to learn lately. The new tools that are redefining how executives transform their brands, their teams, and their organizations are exploding all around us. I know that if I do not stay current I will fail. We no longer have the cop-out options of having too many projects, too many meetings, or not enough time to keep up.

When have effective leaders ever had “enough time?” For God’s sake, stop saying that.

Your Community

For most healthcare human resources leaders that I meet their definition of community is the team they work with at their current employer, plus the people they’ve worked with in the past. If you throw in a few people they’ve met at conferences over the years and add that all up you get…their teeny, tiny community.

That approach worked well while Gerald Ford was President, but means absolutely nothing in today’s world.

Let me ask a couple of questions:

- Do you need high quality talent on your team?

- Does your organization need high quality talent?

- Does your employer brand dominate your market both regionally and nationally?

- Are you completely satisfied with the morale in your organization?

- Do you have the ability to reach out to people you’ve never met in person…and get the support you need?

Leaders Take Action

Never before has it been so easy to start connecting. Never before has it been so easy to learn from people far beyond the comfort zone of our “industry.” Are we still so narrowly focused on how “special” our industries are that we are afraid to learn from another sector of the economy?

And God forbid we learn from someone younger than we are! 

How About You

The role your communities play in your professional life have never been more critical to your success. In my next post I'll focus on how to build, engage, and grow your communities across some of the tools I’m using personally and professionally.

Are you willing to lead differently; or, are you simply too busy preparing your next PowerPoint loaded with excuses as to why the talent shortages are not your fault?

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Trend Killer

I don’t know about you, but it feels like the pace of change is at an all time high. Combined with a hyper-competitive struggle to find and keep the best talent, it is clear that staying current as leaders is no longer a ‘nice to do.”

It truly is a “must do."

New social media tools are exploding onto the scene everyday, and they all can be used to connect with employees and candidates alike.

Let me say that again. They ALL can be used to connect with employees and candidates alike.

Just A Trend?

Have you fully embraced social media yet? If not, are you comfortable filling the role of “empty suit” in your organization?

I hate to break it to you, but simply because you’ve been so scared to look bad in front of your team because you don’t how to use these business tools (yes, business), doesn’t mean you are some sort of strong leader. What you’ve actually done is position yourself as the odd man (or woman) out.

Put simply, all of your employees and the talent you want to hire are using multiple social accounts. However, since you are now invisible you no longer matter. Oh, and saying you have a LinkedIn account with (hopefully) a picture, and a couple of job titles and dates of employment doesn’t count.

You’re invisible.

Much More Than A Trend

The solution to the seemingly bottomless pit that you continue to dig for yourself has two simple steps.

1  Stop taking pride in the fact that you don’t use contemporary tools for business. Just be quiet. You’ve all ready proven how clueless you are with respect to how all of society now interacts, and you aren’t going to kill this trend. Just. Be. Quiet.

2  Eat a gargantuan slice of humble pie and reach out to someone you trust to help you get started. (Insider tip: social media tools are so ridiculously easy to use even you will be a pro in a few hours.)

How About You

Am I fired up about this topic? Yes! But it’s really not social media that I’m focused on today. If that’s all you’re taking away from this post then either you’ve completely missed the point; or, I’ve done a poor job of explaining myself.

You and I must be contemporary leaders. We don’t have a choice. We need to push ourselves into areas where we are uncomfortable. It's time for us to be better every day. Claiming that we’re “old school” and “don’t have time for that stuff” makes us sound stupid. 

Don’t be stupid. Suck it up and lead the way instead.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

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Change Management...for the Love of God

I may be about to alienate my HR friends…but here goes. 

I’m tired of hearing about change management tools, approaches, messages, and models. Are employees incapable of adjusting to changes in the workplace with out an inservice, lunch-and-learn session, or a team of life counselors to help them through it all?

Oh, please.

How about this:

“You’re a grown up…things have been changing since forever…let’s all act like adults, support each other and press on."

Easy Now…People Are More Sensitive Today

Alas, before I forget that the planet has done a nosedive into the comfortable world of politically correct mediocrity, let me take a step back.

Big changes require good messaging. Let’s say your organization is faced with a layoff (twitter). Clear, concise and honest messaging goes a long way. And for the record, in Jack's message to the employees, he didn’t discuss a series of change management educational sessions (think work-speak as therapy) to help everyone get through it all.

Easy Now…You’re Not Supporting the Profession

I love human resources. I’ve spent my entire career trying to lead effectively as a human resources professional, and candidly I don’t see any other executive roles that integrate the people side of the business more than HR.

But sometimes we get caught up in our own “stuff” and we end up looking…well…silly in front of our colleagues at the table. (Yes, we’re at the table…for those of you that don’t think we are you haven’t been paying attention.)

How About You

When big issues hit your organization you better have a well thought out communication plan for the team. But please, let’s not get so caught up in our HR work that we forget that we are not the business. We support the business.

Once we have that level of awareness, we can make all the difference in the world.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Don't Spare Anyone

I've worked for organizations that had 40,0000 employees, and I've worked for some that had less than 100. They had different business models, types of employees, and were in very different industries. They had charismatic leaders, and others that struggled on such an epic scale that I helped a number of them to the door.

Despite all of the differences and complexities, every organization shared something very powerful in common.

Each of them struggled with internal communication.

How Is This Possible

We're living in a time when communicating with other people has never been easier. Recently I was carrying on simultaneous conversations with colleagues in the UK and Australia using twitter. Seriously, it was so simple. Gosh, I love twitter.

So if the list of communication tools out there is so abundant, easy to use, and in many cases free, how is it that the story hasn't changed over the years when I speak with employees? --> "we need to improve internal communication."

Tools Don't Matter

We have email, staff meetings, yammer, lync, skype, intranets, social media pages, one-on-one meetings, project teams, work groups, conference calls, and off--site retreats.

These approaches mean nothing.

It turns out that tools are not the reason that organizations struggle with internal communication. It has nothing to do with technology, too many meetings, or hectic travel schedules. Effective internal communication is actually based on one simple concept...

Leadership commitment.

The reality of the world of work is that leaders make the decisions, set expectations, and hold the team accountable. If internal communication is going to improve it will be driven by leadership's commitment to making it happen. But how?

1. Ask your team how they want to be communicated with and do what they say. Don't tell them it's not convenient, or the system 'can't do that' or that it will take too much time.

2. Hold them accountable to actively participate in the communication process. After all, internal communication is a shared responsibility.

              

Get Started...Now

Look up from your computer. Do you see the door? Walk through it and start talking to the employees in your organization and ask them what communication channels work best for them. Build your list and implement what you've heard. Remind them that you're doing it and that you fully expect them to do their part too.

How About You

It's about time we looked at internal communication as a leadership responsibility instead of a leadership excuse. Use multiple channels (your team will generate the list for you), and get moving. Don't spare anyone in this process, because every employee matters.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Is Pushing Social Media A Good Idea?

Over the last three and a half years I've integrated social media into my personal and professional lives. I am a very social person, so imagine the perfect fit for me when twitter, facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and many other tools suddenly were important tools my business as a human resources leader. 

Quite frankly, I'm not sure how anyone can be truly effective in HR if they are not using these tools for business.

Making The Jump

I'm often asked about my level of social media engagement and I offer the same answer every time. I started slowly...did lots of watching and learning...and then gradually started to participate.  For those that believe getting active on social media requires a massive change in their life to suddenly "get it" they are way off the mark.

Nothing in life happens overnight (think of the starving actor who waits tables for ten years and then is "discovered.") Relax. There is plenty of time to figure out which tools are best for you, and how to incorporate them into your work.

To Push or Not To Push

There is a new reality to the era of social media. Whether or not you have the desire (read here --> are afraid to try) social media, the truth is you have to. You no longer have a choice, particularly if you want your organization to be considered current. As leaders, it is very difficult to "tell" our team members to use social media tools yet not be active ourselves. 

That is why I started. That is why you need to start too. Leading the way is still part of the leadership job description, right?

What about pushing others outside of your span of control who absolutely should be active on social media? Is your Marketing Executive active? How about other members of your company's leadership team? Is your CEO active? Article after article show that CEOs need to be on social, and that those that are active are trusted more than their own company's press releases.

If you're a social media leader inside your organization should you push others to get engaged? It's a difficult position to be in. 

Pushing too hard means you'll risk driving a wedge between you and your colleagues who are intimidated or who don't understand the power of social media as modern business tools. Conversely, not advocating strongly enough means you're letting your organization down.

Which approach is best?

How About You

Regardless of what you think about social media it is now a dominant force in the world of work. Adopting it yourself is a required first step; but pushing it across your organization is a much trickier prospect. What are you doing to make sure your organization doesn't look like it has it's head in the sand? 

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Attention HR: You Can Hire Using Social...I Did

Social recruiting works. Let me say it again HR...social recruiting works. Three weeks ago I wrote a blog post about my need to fill a recruiter vacancy. I went through my "new" normal routine of using twitter, facebook, our HR web site and Linkedin to spread the word.

Bang! The job was filled less than two weeks later.

No journals, no newspapers, no magazines, no old-school personnel strategies...just social.

Welcome Michelle!

Please welcome Michelle Nelson to All Children's Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine. Michelle comes to us with an incredible track record of success recruiting registered nurses and other healthcare professionals for many years in the Tampa Bay area. She is a Linkedin power user and is jumping into the twitterverse too.

We're so glad you're here Michelle!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



Graphic courtesy of my buddy @andyheadworth

Pic courtesy of All Children's Hospital