For The Stab Wounds In Our Backs

Corporate culture is a funny thing. Most executives get excited talking about how their culture is so special...unique...even one of a kind! Wow! That's a pretty bold statement don't you think?

As an HR executive I've not only said those words, I've heard many leaders over the years try to explain why their particular culture is different. It's kind of sad, really. The bombastic proclamations about being world-class often fall short when the data is revealed.

Questions

One of the most effective ways to understand if an organization's leadership culture is special is to ask a series of fundamental questions. The answers shed light on whether or not the rhetoric matches the truth.

A word of caution here...you may feel uncomfortable as you answer these questions in your head. If so, your culture is not even close to what you've been trying to sell to your leaders, employees, customers...and yourself.

1. Do leaders leave your organization because you've developed them into world-class talent and they have amazing new opportunities?

2. Do you commit to an approach that treats women and under represented people equally with respect to pay, titles, and other leadership incentives?

3. If you reviewed the data on how senior leaders transition out of your organization would it reveal a pattern of termination after termination?

4. When challenging issues arise does the leadership team rush to meet together because they rely on each other for support; or, is it a save-yourself-culture that focuses on attacking one another?

How do you feel now?

Reality Check

I would submit that only the most elite leaders have the courage to answer honestly, and then take the bold steps necessary to correct the areas that need to be addressed. 

Most executives simply will not make bold decisions...they will not take dramatic steps to move their organizations forward...and sadly, will punish those that step up and actually lead.

Why is it that so many talented leaders are unwilling to lead once they are in the most influential roles of their professional lives?

How About You

For those of us that actually want to believe in world class corporate cultures, the double-talk and weak leadership we experience feels like a stab in the back. I'm far from perfect, but the only leaders I will ever work for again are the ones that are unafraid to make bold decisions and stand up for what is right.

They are the leaders that matter.

That is the reason I work where I do.

That is why I will never stop writing about making leaders better.

Leaders make all the difference. Look in the mirror. Are you a real leader?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Piece By Piece

The world of recruitment marketing is flooded with good ideas and little execution, particularly in the healthcare industry. I don't know of any hospital that claims to be anything less than "world class, providing high quality care, with a great team of dedicated and skilled staff."

Really? How original. I'm sure that has the talent they need flocking to their static and never updated career site.

Talking about your employer brand (as if talking equated with executing a strategy) and actually building your employer brand are two radically different subjects. One of the things I absolutely love about my job is that we help companies move from a place where they have little or no expertise, to launching incredibly robust talent acquisition strategies that transform their organizations.

Yes, I said it. We do that, and most places don't.

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

One of the misconceptions about employer brand is that it is something that you decide to have, and then - poof!- you have one!

Um, not exactly.

Hospitals are famous for this approach. Their institutional pride is often so strong, that senior leaders are baffled that applicants are not racing to the human resources office simply because their hospital exists.

"If you build it" has nothing to do with "anyone coming" to work there.

Strong talent communities are based on employer brands that are invested in, thoughtfully developed, and consistently nurtured over a period of time. There are no quick decisions that suddenly make you special. Hard work and effective execution make you special.

See the difference?

One Piece At A Time

Building a content rich strategy that dives deep into the organization, highlights real members of the team, and consistently pushes fresh content across multiple social channels is the key to success.

Don't believe me? Take a break and check out your hospital careers page right now. I'll wait. You don't have much to look at so I'll see you in 5 seconds.

Do you think you're too important, or busy, or experienced to embrace a content rich strategy? I hope not, because every single person you or I will ever hire again is on some sort of social channel, and social is all about content.

So tell me again why you don't think committing to a comprehensive employer brand strategy is worthwhile?

How About You

It's time to move from talking to action. You know your hospital is loaded with amazing stories. You just need help getting them out to the world so the talent problem you have today, will be your strength tomorrow.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Death Squad

Personal and professional transformation are phrases that often sound inspiring, yet are rarely achieved. Why is that? In a world that has changed so rapidly in the last five years, it astounds me that more leaders have not taken a long hard look in the mirror and recognized that something had to change.

Just so you know...my look in the mirror was long...and very, very humbling.

Safe Is Death
I've spent the last twenty years in an industry that prides itself on not taking risks. Slow and steady avoids bad PR and other external forces with nefarious intent. So how does one "raised" in that environment decide to reinvent himself?

The answer for me was quite simple actually...the modern world of work demanded that I change.

Sure, I could try to play it safe for the next few years...and as my friend Ted Coine
likes to say I could "get comfortable with obsolescence."

Quite simply following a risk-averse hide in your comfort zone leadership style means professional death. No one will believe you are current. No one will believe you understand how the world works. And by the way, all of those millennials that will dominate your workforce in the next few years will never trust you to lead them in any way.

"The modern world of work demands that you get current. It doesn't matter if you don't like it. It's no longer up to you."


It Won't Kill You
As it turns out, transformation does not end your career. It creates new opportunities. Transformation does not hurt your credibility. It takes it to a place you didn't think you could get to. 

Transformation does not put you at risk in your "play-it-safe-until-I'm-useless" world. It changes you into a leader that others wish they could be.

Isn't it time you pushed yourself beyond processing paperwork and answering emails faster and faster and counting that as progress?

How About You
Staying with your status quo crowd is the real threat. The death squad you're so afraid of is the one you already belong to. It's time to break free and jump into the modern world of work. Remember, real leaders recognize they no longer have a choice. 

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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The (Brand, Marketing, Digital, HR) Beast Inside of Me

I get fired up about work. Specifically, my work. I've had the privilege of being a human resources leader for many years; and the longer I work in that space the more opportunities I see outside HR that can dramatically improve how I get my work done.

More Than HR
In the early part of my leadership journey I couldn't get enough of good "HR" content. I was like a sponge soaking up every legal tidbit, compliance-related issue, or best-practice I could find. I was on a one man HR scavenger hunt. 

Sad, when I think about it now; but at the time it seemed like I was focused, driven and learning my craft. That may be true, but for the contemporary HR leader of today, the nuts and bolts of HR represent only a piece of what is important.

Brand
The energy around the term brand crosses many disciplines in the world of work, and HR is one of those that should embrace a brand strategy. Going far beyond a consistent logo on recruitment ads, a brand strategy that integrates organizational strategy with HR outreach (both personally and professionally) is essential. 

For those HR teams that still believe they should come up with their own strategies outside of what the corporate plan is are woefully ill-prepared to compete in the modern world. Gone are the days of separate "HR" and "PR" campaigns. The contemporary HR leader leverages the work done on the organizational-side and uses that to multiply the effectiveness of their brand strategy.

Marketing
The breadth of terrific content marketing resources available today feels like finding buried treasure. That is, if you realize these resources are treasure! The strategies, tools, and opportunities to partner with your Marketing colleagues are more important than ever before. Scarce resources, and the ability to leverage similar content across multiple channels makes for wise leadership. But only for the savvy leader. 

Convincing yourself that "you can do it better alone" is not only a waste of time...it's wrong too.

Digital
Every effective HR leader should now be comfortable in the digital world. Notice I didn't say "a" digital world...I see "the" digital world. Social media, web strategies, sharing content, building and supporting personal and professional brands, and adding value to the profession all happen in the digital space we live in.

There is no point to try and "get by" or "avoid technology" any longer. If you're not on board, you're living in the 1970s. Open a twitter account and get on with it. The time to move forward is now!

How About You
Has your approach to effective HR changed over the years; or, is the idea that "all this new fangled thinking" is just too much for you? It's never too late to get started. Expand how you think about contemporary HR, start making a difference in your organization and career, and let the beast inside of you break free.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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The Dog Ate My Homework...and My Personal Brand

"I don't have time for that...work is very busy right now."


"I don't see the value...what does it do again?"


"I think my recruiters are using it...plus, that's really for the Marketing department, right?"


Excuses 
I read a terrific blog post this weekend from James Ellis about the evolution of social media use in companies today. It was insightful, concise and direct. My disappoint with the piece was not the content, but rather my industry. I recently had the privilege to present at a conference of recruitment professionals. How many of these front line pros do you think were using social tools?

I counted less than twenty at a conference of over three-hundred. How is that possible? How is it that the healthcare industry, and the more specifically #HealthcareHR professionals are not paying attention to how the world has changed?

It used to be okay to say "my company won't let me have an official twitter account for work." That excuse doesn't cut it anymore. Does that same company stop employees from having a private twitter account?

Uh...no, they don't. 


No Brand, No Options
Using social tools to build your personal brand is not a "nice to do" strategy in the modern world. Candidly, it is a "must do." At an event for professionals in transition recently I was discussing the role social media can play not only in building your personal brand, but more importantly how that brand can differentiate you from the competition.


The room was engaged, enthusiastic, and excited to start doing just that!


Using the old and lame excuses at the opening of this post are what I've heard repeatedly from my colleagues in the industry. Yet, these same people lament the fact that it is difficult to find talent, that it's hard to stay current, and that it is so difficult to work with their Marketing colleagues to build a cohesive strategy.


Let me share some insight...if you don't lead the way you will not make any progress. I'll say it again...if YOU do not lead the way you will not make progress.


How About You
Do you want more out of your career? Do you want to be a contemporary leader? Do you want to differentiate yourself and your organization from all the rest? If so, you actually need to do something about it. I think today is a good day to get started...and I would love to help you get there!

I'd love to hear from you.


No Excuses.






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The Obsession That Is Killing HR

I have a big idea. If it gets a little traction it might change how human resources work is done in the future. It's not a new concept, but I believe the time is right for someone, particularly in Healthcare HR to speak to this opportunity.

Ideas are meant to solve problems, and my friends I see significant problems in the Healthcare HR space. I see it in my own career path, and I see an abundance of time and energy being wasted everyday on this problem.

There are two parts of my idea and each one must be executed well in order for it to work. Let's briefly walk through each component of my plan.

The Problem
One of the most significant problems I see in human resources today is our obsession with transactional work. While there is a non-stop stream of "we need to be strategic" talk in just about every HR meeting I attend, I rarely see this put into action. Why is that? Further, is Healthcare HR somehow behind the curve on the transition to actually being strategic?

Yes, there are progressive human resources teams in healthcare, yet the struggle for us all (inside and outside of healthcare) to break away from focusing on task after task continues. How do we move past this hurdle?

First
In my organization we've made huge progress separating out transactional work, and making it more streamlined and efficient than ever. What was the secret to our success? We had the front line HR team map out where we were failing, and what we should do to make improvements. 

Genius, right? Well, no. Fortunately our team is very engaged and did a terrific job of evolving not only our HR processes, but our culture too.

Second
The second strategy is the most challenging of all for HR leaders to implement. This requires the discussion about transactional work and routine processes never to enter into conversations about strategic work. 

Time and time again the HR strategy meetings I've been involved with end up falling back on the routine topics of transactional work that "somehow" continues to get in the way. Why do we do that? Is it comfort in discussing old routine items? Maybe. We've been talking about them for decades, so it is probably easy to fall back into old (read here --> bad) habits.

Guess what...if you don't bring up transactional work, it doesn't get in the way. Stop talking about it and you'll find yourself with plenty of time to talk strategy.

How About You
Have you tried to push transactional work away from the strategic meeting agenda? Did it work? If so, please share your approach, as there are so many (including me) who could benefit from your success story. 

If not, take a hard look at the words you're saying in your meetings, and decide if you're adding value or simply adding noise.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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