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
Recently I was traveling on business and had the unexpected privilege to sit next to a businessman on a flight from Tampa to Baltimore. I intentionally use the word privilege because as we talked throughout the flight he shared a story of his wife who had died in a car accident only three years prior. She was in her early 50s, and her name was Rose. At her funeral, a woman approached him who he did not know, but was insistent that she share her only experience with Rose.
Times Are Tough
The woman told him that times were very difficult for her and her family. They struggled to pay the bills, and had to watch every penny. She had been in the line at the grocery store and had miscalculated the total bill as she placed items in her cart. As the cashier rang up her total she realized she was short of cash, and did not have any way to cover the difference. Rose was behind the woman in line...and immediately handed the necessary money to the cashier to cover the difference.
The woman had seen Rose's obituary and picture in the newspaper and wanted to be there for Rose and her family in some small way.
Please Tell My Boys
Upon hearing this story Rose's husband asked her to please repeat the story, this time with his three sons present. You see, Rose had never shared this story with her family, it was just how she lived her life. He wanted them to hear this story about their Mother's character, and how she could continue to teach them, even when she had gone on ahead.
I sat there next to him watching his eyes well up with tears, knowing the pain of his loss was still very fresh. You see, Rose had died on the way to the airport to pick him up from a business trip, so as we got closer to Baltimore, the memories came rushing back. I thanked him for sharing his story about Rose...and then there were a few moments of silence, as if we were remembering her together even though I had never "met" her. Somehow I felt like I did though.
How About You
Legacies are a complicated issue. We leave them as leaders as well as in our personal lives. I hope that when it's time to talk about my legacy, I will have done at least one thing like Rose. Then I will have really made a difference. What legacy do you want to leave?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic courtesy of LBD
How important is self-esteem? Is it a priority in your leadership style? It should be. All the strategy, data analysis, planning, fancy buildings, social media tools and shrinking budgets in the world pale in comparison to focusing on self-esteem. And I don't mean your self-esteem.
There's No "You" in "Team"
Am I suggesting that the items I listed above are not important? Of course not. But they don't come first. The people come first. The ones that do the work, execute on your plans, engage with your customers, help manage costs, and drive innovation. They need you to maintain or improve their self-esteem.
Easy to Say, Hard to Do
Maintaining or enhancing self-esteem is easy to do when you like the other person, or when a team member has done something amazing. However, doesn't it seem more difficult to do when you are sick and tired of the other person: a poor performer, or you wish they didn't work for you, or you can't stand your boss...etc? I thought so. So what should we do about it?
Rise above, that's what. You're the leader, not a high school kid who's worrying about who is being seen with whom. Get over yourself. I know I need to sometimes.
How About You
How are you going to connect with people today? Particularly the ones that aren't on your holiday party invite list. Will you turn the other way as they approach; or, will they get an unexpected visit to pump them up. Are you going to rise above?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic courtesy of Self-Esteem Shop
Is there anyone left who doesn't have some sort of Human Resources Information System (HRIS)? Can't be, right? Whether it's a large system like Lawson or a flexible tool like People-Trak, many organizations have recognized the need to implement something. So what does one do if they don't like the tool that's been selected? Throw it away? Start over and attempt to rejustify the expense? I don't think so.
You Selected the System, Right?
Let me just clarify a few things:
- You researched your options
- You justified the investment
- You brought your team into the process
- You rolled out the new tool
- Now you hate it
Really? Why? Are we so caught up in how we want to do everything our way, that we can't adjust to what the system is designed to do? Won't making changes in our old processes to conform to the system's functionality allow it to do what it was originally designed to do in the first place? Ah...I said it - changes. We don't like changes, whether it's our processes or technology, or lives.
How About You
Whether you like your HRIS vendor or not, are you willing to make changes out of your routine to allow the system to do it's job? You purchased it for what it CAN do, not for what it CAN'T, right? Making changes in your life...well...that's an entirely different matter.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pics courtesy of Data-in-formation and Yah Nutrition
"Cowardice asks the question is it safe?
Expediency asks the question is it politic?
Vanity asks the question is it popular?
But conscience asks the question is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
How About You
When was the last time you didn't worry about being politically-correct? Over the last 30 days, when did you decide not to play it safe? When was the last time you actually took a risk? Isn't that what leaders are supposed to do?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic and quote from WUFYS
Success. Big title, big office, big responsibility. Leaders must be really important. I mean, just walking through the front door each day is an event, right? A busy calendar, lots of issues, big important bureaucratic list of stuff to accomplish.
Yeah, right.
When was the last time you walked down the hall and the employees acknowledged you by name. I don't mean the hallway that your office is located. When was the last time you rounded on the employees for an hour and everywhere you went someone greeted you with a smile and said your name?
Rounding on employees is not a power-walk-drive-by moment. That's called cowardice. Stop and talk, ask what's going on in their world, offer to support them. It's called leadership.
How About You
Are you going to spend some time out of your office today with the people that make your organization go? Or, are you going to find a lame excuse to hide behind your desk -- again. The employees deserve your time, and you'll learn something you didn't know when you started your day.
Oh, and remember to introduce yourself. They might not recognize who you are the first time.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic courtesy of NBF
I hate saying no. As an HR professional and leader it just never makes sense for me to refuse anyone. After all, they're reaching out to me for support. I'm supposed to be there for them, right?
Getting Played
One of the major pitfalls of having "can't-say-no syndrome" is that some people will take advantage; and, despite doing this type of work for years, I sometimes don't recognize it when it's happening. Shame on me. I've learned that I have to stay focused so I can be the "player", and not be the one getting played. I hate it when I learn the hard way.
And I sure don't like getting played.
Lots To Do
I also don't like falling behind with my workload. Sure, I'm busy just like everyone else but I find that if I never set any boundaries, I'm the one that ends up being too far behind. In effect, I learn the hard way - again.
I really don't like learning the hard way.
Trust and Verify
Am I contradicting myself? Should HR professionals start saying no to those in need? No way. I'm advocating that we trust everyone who comes to us for support, and then verify the facts as quickly as possible. We have to deliver world-class service...and we also have to make sure we hold others accountable. This is hard for me to do.
How About You
Do you struggle with how much of yourself to give to others? Do you find yourself falling behind because you haven't managed your boundaries effectively? How did you solve this dilemma?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic courtesy of East Side FM
