Screaming Soul

I yelled today.*

It was loud.

It was aggressive.

It was on point.

I'm not one to raise my voice very often. But there are times when it is necessary to break through the malaise of the world of work and cut to the heart of an issue. 

How many times have you watched something fail...knowing it would fail...but you stood by watching it fall apart anyway?

It's not easy to get that fired up and still (hopefully) have the respect of your colleagues. 

It's not easy knowing that the space you're venturing into with your words and energy is going to go beyond "disruption."

But leadership isn't about watching things fail and praising how wonderful the organization is because it is so skilled at failure. I hate that BS excuse.

Leadership is about going hard (and often solo) in order to avoid disaster.

How About You
The next time you see well intended actions headed for a major miss, and the warning signs are ignored, make sure you do something about it. Not only are you getting paid to do the right thing, but others are watching to see if you have the courage to stand tall when it matters most.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

pic

*Happened a long time ago

Diversity Is More Than A Talking Point

HR spends a lot of time (or at least should spend a lot of time) discussing diversity. This happens in part because we're supposed to, in part because it makes good business sense...but mostly HR should be talking about diversity because it is the right thing to do.

But sometimes doing the right thing is difficult.

Losing Friends
Many years ago friends would come over for an evening to visit. Our time together was usually fun...except when the husband would make a subtle racist comment here or there.

Damn. Why did he have to do that? It was an awkward position to find myself in because his wife was a long time friend of my wife; and, one of my absolute hottest hot buttons is racism. (I give my parents full credit for raising me in a way that finds racism absolutely reprehensible, and I thank them for it.)

 

Put Up or Shut Up

What came next was impossible to avoid. He opened his mouth, the racist comments came out, and I called him on it. It was obvious this was the beginning of the end of that "friendship." That's okay, because to be quite candid, people who are racist, harbor racist feelings, or choose to believe people are better or worse based on the color of their skin are not friends of mine. Nor will they ever be.

HR Needs to Call People Out
One of the privileges and joys of my work is that I can effectively use my authority to get rid of the blatantly racist people who work where I do. Yes, we are entitled to our opinions in this country; but once that "opinion" infringes on the rights of another employee it is HR's responsibility to do the right thing.

How About You
What do you do when confronted with racism in the workplace? Do you speak up and hold the bigots accountable? Or, is it easier to fall back into that nervous laughter that is so often heard when the narrow-minded souls among us believe they are being funny.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



photo credit

I Met Jim Wallis

I received an extra special gift at Christmas this year. It was an old picture of my father introducing me to Jim Wallis. The picture means a lot to me for several reasons:
- I met Jim Wallis!
- It's my Dad doing the introduction
- And it's forced me to evaluate how I'm going about my business in the world today

For those of you that don't know about Jim, he is a champion for what's right in the world. Period. As a young man starting my career, and being raised in a household that focused overwhelmingly on doing what's right, this was a huge moment.

I met Jim Wallis.

What About Now
So now I have this picture on my desk at work...and it speaks to me...it challenges me...it calls me out each day. "What are you doing that will make a difference in the world? A real difference." Some days I don't feel like I have a good answer. Other days I feel like I'm doing reasonably well and am contributing to my team, my organization, and my profession. But is it enough?

Life is About Choices

It's time for a new round of questions to be asked in my world. How much more can I do? Where should I invest my time and energy to make the biggest impact? How can I be more effective in my professional life, considering the privilege I have to work at such an amazing organization? How should I modify my leadership style to reflect a true "do the right thing" approach?

All of this from one picture.

How About You

What questions do you need to ask today? Take some time to reflect and honestly answer how you are going about your business. I bet if we stop worrying about mistakes and start focusing on action we'll all be happy with the road that lies ahead.

Thanks for the picture Mom.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

pic of Me, Dad, and Jim Wallis courtesy of Janet Kuhns