Inspiration

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Don’t Sleep

August 13, 2012 in HR Advice, hr fundamentals, HR principles, Leadership, Performance, SHRM, Uncategorized by newresource | Permalink

Last week was epic…for me anyway. I went to a human resources professional conference.  It’s well documented here on CostofWork. Coming off that exposure and praise elevates your conscious a bit so you have to somehow remain focused and grounded. You have to put that all in perspective and use that momentum going forward. When I got back to the lab (home base). I got motivated. I got grounded. Just another reason why it’s important to set personal goals and create your own mission and vision statements.

The grind doesn’t stop for me and it should not stop for you either. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone. I could talk about mergers and acquisitions, falling stock prices and IPO’s or the latest in social networks and HR software. Come to think of it, I probably will because there are some really important things happening in those areas. But we have enough reporters out here giving you the breaking news in what’s new and what’s innovative, however that’s not what makes CostofWork great. And it is great.

There are many things packaged under the Human Resources umbrella; traditionally employee relations and administrative duties have been assigned to us. We have to keep a pulse on world and the way it’s changing. That means we have to pay attention to demographics, industry trends, generational and cultural differences, compliance, technology, communications, compensation and even politics.

After my big week, my mind started to race. What should I talk about? How do I evolve CostofWork and the content? How do you engage your current audience and gain a new audience?  How do you be authentic and relevant?

The answer is…”keep it real” like the young kids say.

Like Mike VanDerVort and his Human Race Horses website or Mike Haberman with OmegaSolutions.  I love both those guys’ websites because they talk about the NLRB rules, practical application of new laws and DOL guidelines; the nuts and bolts of HR.  And I’m applying that same, keep it real, concept to my specialties; employee relations, leadership, social media, training and development, inspirational and motivational narratives.

HR can get heady and techy but I love to bring you back to the basic of human resources or as I like to refer to them as #hrfundamentals. Now is not the time to rest of on your laurels. Now is not the time to be satisfied with where you are. Yes be grateful, be thankful but keep pushing it forward. Don’t sleep.

Welcome new readers and thank you to my old readers. I will proceed to give you what you need.

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You Is Important, too {SIC}

May 28, 2012 in HR Advice by newresource | Permalink

Okay you got me; I definitely stole that from the hit movie and book, ‘The Help.’ Watching that movie the other night really inspired me to write this blog post because I sometimes find myself mired in disappointment at the HR profession. One of the reason I go hard on HR basic principles or what I like to call “HR fundamentals” is because many of the problems we see and read about comes down to HR fundamentals; basic-in-the-trenches human resources principles.

The HR professional is in a tough position. We are part lawyer, counselor, teacher, mentor, ombudsman, judge and executioner (it happens). All day you’re working on stuff that you’d rather not have to worry about. You’re putting out fires and counseling people on their personal issues while neglecting your own. You’re trying to show your worth, and by ‘your worth’ I mean HR’s value to the organization.

It’s a thankless job.

I stopped by today to remind you that your work is important, you ARE making a difference. Think about this, you have the ability right now to pick up your phone and make someone’s day, hell you can make someone’s year. All you have to do is call them and offer them a job. A job is a powerful thing. And the job you do is a very powerful thing. So listen up, burnt out HR professionals, YOU MATTER. You is smart, You is kind and You is Important. Now go out there represent HR to the best of your ability AND THANK YOU!

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Redemption Part 2: Ego

December 14, 2011 in Redemption, Sustainability by newresource | 6 comments

Here is part 2 of the Redemption; a cautionary tale of humility.

So I’m in my career, I’m working hard and making connections; I’m moving up. Like many others in the HR community, it fell into my lap. After positioning myself as a knowledgeable employee, I was approached to work in the Training & Develop department.  Without any formal training, I was thrown in the mix; redesigning processes, writing training programs, evaluating talent, and making hiring and firing decisions. I was on a roll.

One of my big responsibilities was to train General Managers and Supervisors who flew in from all over the country. It was during this time that I suffered my greatest lesson of humility and professionalism. I was hitting homeruns out of the park.  I was like King Midas; everything I touched turned to gold. Like many men throughout history, after some level of success they do some dumb things. I was no different.

One day I was training a group of Managers & GMs and I was writing on the dry erase board and I hear someone ask me “Should I be writing this down?” and my ego took over and said “Anything I write on this board you should right down.”  (o_O) What? Still pains me to this day to think about how ridiculous I was. Who was I to tell these folks something like? I was so clueless at the time; I didn’t even think that I’d said anything wrong.

The next day,my manager said that she had received several complaints. I had virtually offended the entire class with my arrogance, ignorance and attitude.  And just like an athlete that screws up a play, I was benched.  I was forced to ride the pine while another trainer was brought in to save the day. I was so embarrassed. But I had to take ownership, it was my error. I couldn’t blame anyone else.  I had messed up, and messed up big time.

I began researching training courses on how to be a better trainer. I convinced my manager that I need to be trained on how to train. I attended 2 courses; “How to Train Effectively” and “Train the Trainer”. I learned so much. I learned that training isn’t all about knowledge. I learned about nonverbal communication, and that body language and movements speak loudly. I was given tips on how to engage the class and make them more excited about training. I learned about Kinesthetic and Tactic learning styles, not everyone needs to “write things down.”

Well after that, I split time with a training partner and we tried out our newly learned techniques on a couple of new employee classes. Then it happened. I was called in by my manager, she told me a new class of Managers was coming in and she wants me to train them, alone. Here was my chance to show I had a good combination of knowledge and training skills.

I was nervous but ready to strut my new stuff. Everything was going well and then it happened; I was at the dry erase board and De’ja Vu. As I was writing, someone said “Should we be writing this down?” My stomach dropped, my heart raced; it was the same question that I had failed so miserably. I turned around, hands cold and clammy and said “It’s totally up to you, I’ll be happy to repeat anything I say or write, plus you all will have my information and can contact me anytime.”

Once that class was over, I couldn’t wait to read the evaluations. I got very high marks and the only thing we got low marks on were things out of my control, like equipment, lighting and setting. The facilitator portion was just about perfect. I had restored my manager’s faith in me. I controlled my ego it didn’t control me, and I was redeemed.

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Redemption: Effort

December 12, 2011 in Redemption, Sustainability by newresource | 2 comments

By all indications, I should have never made it out of the 12th grade. Of my 3 siblings, I was not the smartest of the bunch. I was average at best. I attended an optional school, not because I was smart but because my brother was/is a freakin’ genius. My brother is a very intelligent man and as a kid he was well sought after in the high school circles. Since we are only 17 months apart, when it was time for him to go to high school, my mom told the principal we were a package deal. If you want Mike, you have to take Chris. The principal was not happy about that but he went along with it.

By senior year, I was in danger of failing English which would cause me to fail the entire grade. I worked hard on my English assignments but I was getting D’s and F’s mostly D’s. It came down to the final exam and a term paper. I worked hard on the paper and studied but really I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I remember I passed by the slimmest of margins, I never spoke with the teacher about it but I like to think she knew I was trying.

After high school, I got accepted into college at a small university in Davenport, IA. Because of my grades in high school, I was placed on academic probation. Which meant a few of things; I could only take 12 credit hours during the first two semesters. Which meant had if I passed the first year; I would be down 6 credit hours and considered a 2nd year freshman.

That 1st semester, I took a History of Western Civilizations course, the Tues/Thurs evening after the meal period class. I’d come in the room with a sugary carbonated beverage and sit in the back and sip and observe the professor. The class was boring and the Professor didn’t spruce it up either. I failed it.

The next semester, I took an English class. My Professor was a dynamic lady, she was passionate about English and she took a liking to me as a student. After class one day she pulled me to the side and told me “This paper is all wrong.” She went on to say that she was not going to let me out of her class until I knew how to write a paper.

She coached me, gave me insight and was available to tutor me. I remember I had to revise a paper that she graded a D, so I corrected it and she gave me another D. I went to her and told her, this is not a D paper. I explained to her all the work that I had poured into it, she said “If I gave you C+ would you rewrite it?” I said “No” and she replied “That’s why you got a D.” Eventually, I earned a B on that paper and a B+ in the class.

My academic probation period was extended, that’s 9 credit hours behind if you are keeping count. By the third semester, I earned a 3.5 which brought my cumulative up to a 3.1. They had to let me off academic review.

As for that History course; I took it again, same professor as before. This time, I took it at 9am. I sat in the front of the class. I brought books and supplies only, no food. By the end of that semester, the professor who was indifferent toward me 18 months earlier had tracked me down to my work study job. He wanted to tell me he’d submitted the grades for the semester.

He said he saw a difference in me and that he was proud of me. He said he noticed that I sat up front and paid attention. He saw that I was more prepared and although I didn’t ace any of the tests, my grades were drastically improved. He wanted to tell me in person that I had a C+, and they he tried his best to get me to a B, but the numbers didn’t work-out. He told me not to be discouraged and he just wanted to deliver that message to me in person.  That was as good as an A in my book. On by the way, I made up those 9 credit hours.

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