When Glory Beckons

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”
- Booker T. Washington

Success
It's an interesting mental exercise one faces when they've achieved a certain level of success. How each of us defines success is different, but once we start believing we are successful, something happens to our outlook. We feel different. Hopefully that feeling doesn't translate into behavior that is considered arrogant or self-righteous. The trap of suddenly feeling entitled to one's success is a dangerous one indeed.

If we struggle to believe that birthright makes for a good leader in royal circles, how in the world can we believe that something as simple as a new job title brings with it some sort of instant all-knowing power? I don't buy it.

But I used to.

Obstacles

I used to be very good at convincing myself that I worked hard...I took risks...I was the one that made things happen. Not true. Sure, leadership requires someone to have a vision, and move towards achieving that vision. But the last time I checked, there has never been a successful leader who accomplished great things without a team of people.

Over the years the "success" I've been able to pull together has been largely due to the effort of the people around me.

Whether they were colleagues or those that reported to me, it truly is about the group of people I've worked with that removed the obstacles in my path. My pride however, often told me differently.

I now work hard to check my pride at the door.

How About You
When the glory of success beckons do you stand up triumphantly and soak in the praise? Or, is that a moment to look around you at the team that is holding you up with so much strength?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Complacent or Competitive

My HR practice has changed dramatically over the last few years. In 2008 I thought I was hitting my stride. In a great job, felt like I knew my stuff, and was introducing strategies that were changing the culture of my organization. I was in the zone.

For a very short period of time.

Complacency Kills
For some reason I've been blessed, at least I would consider it a blessing, to be ultra-competitive. This tendency spills over to my work constantly. As the pressure began to mount on finding talent, very specific talent, I realized I was no longer competing at the level necessary to be successful.

Something had to change...and that something was me.

I was no longer pushing myself to learn new tools, or to try innovative recruitment strategies, or to embrace the "one brand" philosophy for the entire organization including recruitment advertising. (Sorry HR, you're not the advertising pros you think you are.)

New Territory

Not long after this somewhat humbling realization is when I began my social media journey. The signs were all around me that if I was going to be an effective human resources leader I needed to not only understand the tools, but I needed to use them. Are you with me? I had to use the tools myself.

Today my world is very different. My team now pushes me to deploy new tools as much as I push them. Our HR strategies are completely aligned with our Web and Marketing departments. But I'm still competitive as ever and am pushing myself to learn more.

How About You
What part of your career have you neglected? Have you convinced yourself that you're just too busy right now to try anything new? It's time to drop that excuse. There's so much happening and you're going to miss it if you keep chasing the same old routine.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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The Social Cliff - #HealthcareHR

With so much chatter about the fiscal cliff dominating the conversation lately it started me thinking about healthcare leaders and the social cliff. Quite frankly, why have so few healthcare leaders, particularly those in human resources leadership roles, failed to add their voice to the social conversation? Here's the reality folks, there is no such thing as a social cliff, even if your gut instinct tells you so.

New Series
Today marks the first of an occasional series of posts on #HealthcareHR. I feel compelled to write on this subject for several reasons. First, I've been a healthcare leader in human resources for many years. Second, our industry is changing at such an unbelievable rate that we need to share our experiences, challenges, and successes. Third, as I mentioned in the opening, I can not find many HR executive voices in the healthcare industry that have taken the proverbial leap and are actively engaged in social media. This needs to change.

Our World is Different

Unless you've been living under a rock, the world of healthcare, and along with it effective human resources management, has changed dramatically in the last few years. The combination of healthcare reform and social media have revolutionized how human resources leaders must do their work. No longer can we rely on past practices or our dreaded comfort zones to get through the work day. So much change has created tremendous opportunities, yet for some reason HR has again stayed quiet. Why?

Inherent in the Role
I'm beginning to believe that the very nature of human resources work (maintain relationships, address compliance, promulgate policies, etc...) does not naturally lend itself to being a leader. That may sound harsh, but how many times does HR whine about not being respected? Too many.

In an era where 77,000,000 people are going to retire and need healthcare services, the industry as a whole is positioned extremely well. Imagine a built in customer base of that many people, and yet HR remains silent.

How About You
There isn't any magic to going social. The tools are simple, the risks are extremely low, and the network of people on the interwebs who are willing to help is endless. By the way, the end result can look something like this or this or this. Maybe it's time you finally got started.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Regrets, Not Doubts

I learned a lot of important rules about family, faith, and my country growing up. All three categories seemed to blend together into a core set of beliefs that made perfect sense back then, and still do today:

- be thankful for your freedom
- no one is better than anyone else
- work hard at school and later in your job
- help others in need when you can
- violence is never a first option
- treat everyone with respect
- learn from history

I don't think most people would disagree with these rules. However, I do not believe that the items on this list are embraced in the way they should be in a modern, educated world, let alone in the workplace.

Regrets
Regret can be a powerful emotion. Usually it refers to the feeling that we should have acted in a certain way, but we chose not to do so. It doesn't mean we accidentally didn't act, it means we chose not to act and we feel badly about it later.

Let's refer to the list again and ask ourselves a few questions:

- Are we thankful for the many freedoms we enjoy, including the freedom to write about our differences without fear of reprisal or censorship?

- Have we judged ourselves to be better than someone else? Perhaps they are not the same color, or have a different sexual orientation, or practice a different religion? Do they still receive the same respect our white christian friends receive?

Regret is a powerful tool to help us improve as people. It also allows for a bright light to shine on the bigots and make their true feelings known as we examine our own choices, and the choices of those around us. You see, the narrow-minded and judgemental folks who claim to know "what's right" are usually the ones fanning the flames of exclusion, and inadvertently, hate.

That is wrong.

Doubts

Doubt refers to a sense of uncertainty, and is associated with a delay in taking action due to concerns about whether or not something is the right thing to do at a particular moment in time. While regret teaches us about making the appropriate choices in life, doubt can be an enemy that blocks our courage to follow the rules from the list above.

While we all have regrets about not speaking up at various times in our lives to support the rights and freedoms of all people; there should never be any doubt about what must be done. It is incumbent on us as leaders both inside and outside our organizations to stand up for the freedoms of all people.

How About You
Do the people in your life know what you stand for? Do the employees in your organization know that you respect everyone in society? Simply put, it is impossible to be a bigot in your personal life and then talk about how every employee should be treated fairly at work. You're lying to your team, and to your self...and that is wrong.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Thanks...For Nothing

I'm writing over at Performance I Create today. Check out my post on being thankful...or maybe not so thankful...in today's workplace.

Let me know what you think about shared responsibility, entitlement, and being miserable on the job.

I'd love to hear form you.

No Excuses.

Leadership Failures...Not Me, Right?

19,500,000.

That's how many results Google provided when I searched for the phrase "leadership failures." Wow, we must suck.

I'm Not Buying It

With all due respect, I have not given up on the notion of good leadership. Yes, we struggle. I'm at the head of that line. But I for one believe it's worth it to keep trying, not because I have to, but because I actually believe leadership is a noble role.

Now before your eyes roll into the back of your head, consider this: How many times have you complained about a decision a leader made in your company, or social club, or sports team? How many times have you felt that you could do a better job than someone else in a leadership role? Have you seen leaders lose their way because the pressure of the job was too much for them?

Leadership isn't easy. There is often so much criticism directed at these people that we miss what the impact is on them as human beings.

Leadership ages people. Don't believe me? Take a look at the before and after pictures of American Presidents. Sure, that's an extreme example, but the reality is leadership can wear people out.

Nowhere To Go But Up

If then, the pit is so deep, it seems to me we only have one option: start climbing. With all of the chatter about failing and whether or not it is in vogue to openly discuss it, I say who cares. People are going to fail, and that includes leaders. That includes me.

But the true champions will keep pushing forward and try to improve. Even if it means they have to check their ego at the door. I hate it when I have to do that...but I've gotten pretty good at it.

How About You

So why in the world do we stay in these positions? What could possibly be the draw that brings us back over and over again? Easy, we have the privilege to help others do incredible things in their work every day. Now that is something to be thankful for.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



photo credit #1  photo credit #2 

Head On Collision HR

Much is written about "good" leaders and "bad" leaders with myriad examples of both behaviors. I believe there continues to be a need for this discussion because there is far too little of the former, and sadly an excess of the latter.

I'm No Expert
One of the unique perspectives that human resources professionals have in their organizations is that we see 100% of the problems. (Or at least the ones that become big enough to have to deal with.) That doesn't mean we are experts in leadership; it does however give us an insider's view of woefully ineffective leadership styles. Over time we learn what works with employees and what doesn't.

"The challenge for HR leaders is how to coach and support other leaders in the organization when those leaders are convinced their approach is on target, when in fact they are failing in the eyes of their employees and they don't even know it."

But HR Knows A Lot
In the end I'm convinced any HR leader worth a damn is going to step up and have the hard conversations with other leaders in their organization. Not only is it the right thing to do, it's absolutely essential particularly when you have a strong connection with the other person. Work, and leadership, is driven by relationships not tasks. Tasks change all the time, but the strength of a good working relationship can power through any bumps along the road of work.

How About You

What action do you take when you see a leader struggling? Do you take a deep breath and dive in with both feet? Or, do you run scared and hope that a policy needs to be updated just at that very moment?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.




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