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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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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Social Risk?

In the health care industry we talk about risk a lot. Whether it has to do with patient safety, managing potential problems, or dealing with information technology threats, risk is a part of life. We don't have a corner on the term though, every business large or small has to deal with it.

But is going social a risk?

Nothing New

Much is written about the need for social media policies, guidelines, controls, and messaging in the corporate world. I think these are good ideas. Leaders and front line employees both need to understand the rules so they can do their work productively and appropriately. But is going social truly a new risk; or, is it simply the same risk we've always had in a more sleek package?

Know Your Stuff
One of the ongoing challenges when going social in any organization is the senior leadership's complete and total unwillingness to use and understand social tools. Far too often the nervous laughter and jokes accompany a question and raised eyebrow when social tools are being put to use in the workplace. What is also missed in that moment is that the social tools being used are building the brand...not tearing it down.

"If you don't use the tools you won't understand. How in the world can anyone lead when they don't know what they're talking about?"

Expectations
Perhaps I've set my expectations too high? Maybe I fell in to the trap of believing that because one billion people use facebook and other social tools that it might be a good idea to use them myself? Or it could just be that I have have a classic case of optimism bias? Regardless of the answer, I'm not convinced that going social presents anything so scary that organziations should consider not moving ahead.

How About You
Where do you fall on the social-is-a-risk continuum? Are you scurrying around your office trying to make sure you control every single tweet and post? Or, are you looking around your organization seeing hundreds and hundreds of potential brand ambassadors?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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Let's Connect...Here At Work

I've spent the last several years reaping the benefits of an expanding social network. Through channels like twitter, facebook, Linkedin and foursquare I've met (both in real life and via these tools) many amazing people. My view of the world has changed, I have new colleagues and friends I can reach out to at anytime, and I continue to learn everyday. It is obvious to me that investing the time in my network has paid off over and over again.

But what about the people I see everyday? What about the new leaders in my organization? What about the projects that are just getting off the ground inside my organization? Have I reached out internally as much as I have externally?

Change Isn't Good...It's Awesome
My organization is moving at a fast pace. We're growing, both in the number of new jobs we continue to create, but also in the programs and initiatives we are launching. It seems as if there is a constant buzz of enthusiasm everywhere you turn. That's a good thing.

Having tunnel vision and missing all of this activity is not.

One of the roles of a human resources leader (or any leader for that matter) is to stay on top of these changes. I don't mean to be aware of the changes. That just involves listening at a meeting every once in a while.

I'm talking about actively seeking out your colleagues and getting yourself a regular appointment on their calendar. This way information can be shared, challenges can be discussed,  and you will automatically start building the internal connections necessary to understand and support their work.

"Human Resources must understand the business operations first, and then do good work to support those operations second. All too often HR pros believe their transactional forms and requirements are the core business...they couldn't be more wrong."

How About You
What have you done to reach out to your colleagues? Are you up to speed with their work...the work of your company? Or, are you too busy checking the latest regulation that will require a new policy and a great new triplicate form?

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

Social Media Attack

Is it just me, or do you sometimes feel like you're under attack from social media? It seems every day brings a new product, module, app, or strategy that I should be building into my social media plan? What usually follows is a series of blog posts that not only explain the new tools, but also help me appreciate how incredibly far behind everyone else I am.

Followers, Likers, Connections, Oh My!
What to do with all of this external reaching out, connecting, and following? I initially committed to following back, accepting connections and friending just about everyone. What has happened over time however, is that my various channels and social tools got really crowded with "people" who are interested more in selling or spamming versus connecting.

That's a bad thing.

Retreat! Retreat!

Once in a while it makes sense to evaluate your approach...take a close look at your network...and clean things up a bit. It not only helps get the fluff out of your stream, it also forces you to evaluate who and why you're connecting. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big believer in social media, but making sure you don't waste your time and energy is an important part of being a productive member of the SoMe community.

How About You
What steps have you taken to make sure the SoMe hordes don't over run your life? It's a learning process for me, and I'm always interested in learning more!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



pic courtesy of timothywest

Social Recruitment in a Sunday Paper World

My perspective on recruitment has changed dramatically over the last few years.  For those paying attention...ahem, that excludes many leaders I know...they've radically changed not only their thinking about recruitment, but their spending as well.  


Let's be real for a minute, if you're talking about the changes that have come about because of social media but you're still buying ad space in the Sunday paper, waiting for the monthly niche journal to publish, or believe your brand is so strong applicants should be grateful to work for you, then you're missing the boat. Many leaders acknowledge that social media is growing, but haven't even explored how to use the tools themselves.  How is that possible?  

Social Media Recruiting
As I continue to learn s l o w l y about the power of social media in my professional practice, I'm putting my company's money where my mouth is => we're shifting our focus, our energy and our spend to where the world is going, not where it's been. Here's a brief summary of the key components of our evolving strategy:

• facebook page for HR: Includes links to our jobs, benefits, recruiters, our RN Residency program, has posts that provide tools for job seekers, information about housing (did someone say the beach?), information on restaurants, theatres, museums, and where to go for happy hour
• twitter: branded account for the HR team but each recruiter has an active account as well, consistently use the same hashtag (#achjobs) for job related posts and all traffic is driven to the HR facebook page, not the company website
• foursquare: all locations have been claimed across the organization and instead of a "special" we're using tips to drive traffic back to the HR facebook page
• Linkedin: beyond just a free company page, we're developing our careers page that will soon have additional video testimonials from employees in addition to several highlighted job postings and company video updates
• Talent Communities: this is our next BIG endeavor that will reverse the way we recruit from the centuries old approach of posting a job and hoping someone qualified applies, to a more proactive system of building relationships with potential candidates and then selecting from that community when positions become available...much more to follow on this...
• Oh yes, and we have the obligatory company job page as part of our company website (If this is the only place you're on the web as part of your recruitment strategy it's time to turn the lights off and call it a day)

Metrics Matter
Making sure this strategy adds value, or any strategy for that matter, is a cornerstone of our approach. Tracking specifically the ads we run, and the follow through at the candidate level all the way to the end of the recruitment cycle is essential. In future posts I'll share our successes, particularly as our Talent Community initiatives get traction this winter.


How About You
Are you an HR leader that is still hiding under your desk scared to death of social media? Now that I think about it, you probably should be.  You see, the world is moving fast, trying new approaches, and sharing more than ever. We're learning every day to try and keep up, but it isn't easy. That level of transparency is foreign to old-school HR folks, and will probably be the reason they don't get the respect they deserve.  Give social a try...I'll help!

I'd love to hear from you.


No Excuses.






pics courtesy of living-authentically and glowimages

Social Media - A Double-Edged Sword?

It's funny how things evolve.  Until recently I often used google to search for information, now I simply reach out to my own network on twitter or linkedin. Professionally I have a growing, and very important group of people who I can rely on to get feedback, kick ideas around, and candidly tell me if I'm completely off-base.  It's an unexpected and wonderful change in my life.


I've also embraced facebook in my personal life.  I have reconnected with old friends from years ago as many others have done.  However, it's also become a great way for my family to connect and joke with each other.  Additionally, as a youth hockey coach, I am now connected with many great parents and players who have been involved with the teams I've coached for years.  


Now these two worlds are on a collision course.


Crossing the Line
I have been committed to keeping my "professional life" and "personal life" separate for a long time.  That was my way of maintaining some sense of control despite the fact that I've tried to be as transparent as possible in my evolving leadership style.  Keeping secrets and hoarding information just doesn't make sense.  But now the relationships I've built professionally have become more than just "a network."  Those distant avatars and blog addresses are becoming friends (cue the HRevolution theme music.)  That means my commitment to transparency and personal privacy is fading...fast.  



Not a Sword, But a Gift
Apparently I'm on a quest to constantly be reminded of how much I still need to learn.  Now that I've been wrestling with this issue for several months it has become clear to me that if I'm going to be a friend in return, I need to prove it.  Connecting with my network/friends beyond the safety of twitter and linkedin is a tangible way to push myself, again, out of my comfort zone.  Just for the record, I love my comfort zone.


How About You
How do you balance your social media worlds?  Are you still committed to living a double-life; or, is it time to take the next step and embrace new connections as friends?  How much more might you get out of your network if it was more than just a bunch of "professional contacts?"


I'd love to hear from you.


No Excuses.




pic courtesy of Brian Solis