Not Supposed To Happen

It's been a tough week. I know everyone goes through tough weeks too, and I'm certainly not special. In fact, I think I'm quite ordinary. But this week was very different in my routine, ordinary world.

One week ago today a sixteen year old boy died in a tragic car accident. But his death hit far closer to home than the ones we see on the evening news and so quickly dismiss. I knew this boy...and his parents...and his sisters...and his Aunt and Uncle and cousins. I knew his teammates and friends because he was a hockey player with my son. The hockey family is a very close, very tight, very loyal community.

This week was not ordinary or routine at all.

I went to the candlelight vigil the night after he passed away with so many others. I went to the calling hours with so many others as well. And I went to his funeral filled with hockey jerseys, hockey families, friends and relatives...and I watched my son give an amazing speech and then sit at the piano and play Hallelujah for his friend and teammate.

However difficult this has been for me, it pales in comparison to what his incredible family is going through. They are good people, who didn't deserve this terrible turn of events in their lives. There are no words to explain why...but rather there is only the opportunity for us to support one another and hold our faith close.

It's been a tough week. Take care Matt...keep skating hard buddy.

1984, Instant Replay and HR

In his classic book 1984 George Orwell imagined a world that monitored every facet of society. Nothing went unnoticed...and everything was fixed appropriately. I loved the book, but shudder at the thought of a real Big Brother staring down at my every move. Who would ever advocate for someone reviewing every one of my mistakes and making corrections? That doesn't seem natural.

Sports

In modern sports we have something called instant replay that helps ensure we notice every mistake and fix it appropriately. I'm a huge fan of instant replay because I want the officials to make sure the right decisions are made. Who would ever advocate for someone not to review mistakes and make corrections? That doesn't seem natural.

Documentation for HR
As an HR practitioner I have long valued good documentation. When bizarre behavior pops up in the workplace, it is the documentation that helps clarify the details of what actually happened versus the emotional responses and hidden agendas that can get in the way of the truth. It really would be much easier if we simply recorded everything that happened each day, so that when an issue popped up we could simply check the video.

Wait a minute...what did I just say?

How About You

What do you think? Instant replay in the workplace? Perhaps someone will develop a mobile app for that so I won't even need to come into the office anymore. But I'll still "be there."

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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#SHRM12 Bloggers!

The big week is finally here...so please check out all of the great bloggers who are in Atlanta covering this year's SHRM Conference.

Good luck and have a great week!

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What If I Say I'm Not Like The Others

Ahhh...behold the excitement around the arrival of a new leader. The department has been struggling, and now that Knight in Shining Bureaucratic Armor is on the horizon. Woo hoo! Everything will certainly be "fixed" once the new champion of all that is right about management walks through the front door. Seriously!

Is That You?

Have you ever taken a job where you knew there were some "issues" that needed to be addressed? What were the expectations, both the ones you put on yourself, and the ones the organization placed on you? Did you even realize the depth of the situation?

Maybe you told everyone that you were different because you picked up enough clues during the interview process that something wasn't quite right. I bet you had them eating out of the palm of your hand.

Well played...to start.

Time To Deliver
Once you started your new journey as Savior of the Corporation however, things began to change, didn't they? Suddenly the norms, unwritten rules, and impossible to decipher politics of your new corporate life got in the way of your promises of being "different" and "new" and "high energy."

That is the exact time you're supposed to start leading. 

How About You

When you step into a new role do you tell your team that you're not like the others and hope they believe you? Or, do you begin the lonely (read here => required!) journey and start making decisions that prove you're not afraid to take risks, or to change old and ineffective processes so your team and organization can thrive?

They're all watching and waiting for you...

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.





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Sometimes We Just Don't Realize

I get fired up about Human Resources work. Not because I'm supposed to...and not because it's my job...but because it matters. Doing HR well can actually make a difference. We all see the obvious examples: great changes to a benefits program, maintaining merit increases when competitors have stopped giving raises, and creating more and more opportunities for employees to participate in decision-making across the organization. These are some of my favorites, and yes, they are fairly easy to see.

But sometimes we don't notice our impact until someone brings it to our attention.

Completely Unexpected
A number of years ago I was working late and was the last member of the team hanging around. The environmental services employee who cleaned our offices was passing by and stopped to say something. He was an older gentleman who had emigrated to the United States and we had rarely interacted, other than me greeting him each time we saw each other.

What happened next really surprised me. As we chatted he said something that really struck a chord in me. He told me I "must be a man of God because of the way I treat people." 

Stunned. 

His words threw me off. As an HR guy, I obviously don't run around discussing religion in the workplace, so initially I was surprised that he chose that way to describe me. My next reaction was a much more personal one. You see, my Father was a United Methodist Minister and for this man to even begin to suggest that I might share some of the rarefied air that I placed my Father in was almost too much to fathom.

Why Share This Story
This moment has stayed with me for years, not because I am a "man of God" (or even close.) It has stayed with me because I never realized the full impact I was having on those around me, and certainly not to such a profound degree, until I had this exchange. For me, it's been a difficult story to live up to as life has moved along. But I believe there is value in keeping it close so that when I get caught up in how important I am...I can remember the kind words of this man and get my ego back down to earth.

How About You
When have you been surprised by the impact you've had in someone's life? Did you expect to have such influence; or, was there a moment that helped bring you to a new level of understanding that leadership means more than a job title.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Do You Fear the Data?

The following post is another in the #NoFearHR series between Mike VanDervort and me discussing human resources, social media, and professional life.

Hey Mike,

I loved your last #NoFearHR post about the critical role data plays in any social media strategy (or any meaningful strategy for that matter.) I'm back from a fantastic week away and realized that one of my downfalls about the use of data played out every day last week...I never thought about it! I think many of our colleagues take this same approach when they consider using data in their professional lives, particularly when it comes to something so new, and constantly evolving as social media. Tracking turnover is one thing, but being able to discuss the impact of your facebook metrics is an entirely different conversation around the Board Room table.

What Are We Afraid Of?

Here's what I think is really going on here Mike...if we dig into the numbers and are afraid they will prove our efforts are not living up to expectations then we'll look like a failure. The reality of course is that the metrics are like a compass, they help us stay on course, they are not judge and executioner. But when HR falls into the age old trap of playing it safe versus taking risks that will result in real progress, we end up fearing the data.

Where Are You HR?
What do you think Mike? Is HR simply too afraid to really push the data; or, have we found comfort in the traditional reporting that somehow seems to give us plenty of excuses to avoid accountability?

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Social Gravity - Read and Learn!

I was fortunate to take last week off for a vacation. Finally some family time (almost) disconnected from email and twitter (at least from an obligation standpoint), and really unwound from the pace that consumes us all in everyday life.

One of the perks of having so much downtime is the chance to read a book that you want to read, not one that you have to read. Social Gravity, by the dynamic team of Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt is one of those books.

Endorsements Aren't My Thing

Those who know me well appreciate my disdain for most things vendor and/or endorsement related. I guess I always feel taken advantage of, or that I'm being used for someone else's advantage.

Reading Social Gravity however requires me to not only endorse this great little book, but to challenge my colleagues to step up and read it for the sole purpose of some serious introspection. Not only is the book filled with practical strategies that can be implemented immediately; but it also turns the whole concept of networking, connections, and personal relationships completely around.

How About You
Are you ready for that; or is it safer to stay glued to your old (read here => tired) and trusted (read here => risk-averse) and reliable (read here => the world has passed you by) approaches?

I'm doing a whole bunch of rethinking right now. Buy the book today and get started learning how the world really works.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.




pic courtesy of Talent Anarchy