Managers and employees have an interesting relationship. Despite the time they spend together and the need for solid communication, it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. It takes work to make communication happen, and I like to use four questions to jump start the process.
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(Click here to see my video review of Be Bodacious: Put Life in Your Leadership on YouTube)
I’ve been reading a copy of Be Bodacious: Put Life in Your Leadership recently, and it’s been one of the better business books I’ve read this year. I’ve realized that a good mix of “story” and “lesson” is what I enjoy in a book. While there are a lot of good picks out there, a good book needs something to tie it all together and make it stick.
-Thorough, blatant, umistakable
-Remarkable, outstanding
-Audacious; bold or brazen
I bookmark all of my books. I have a fear of dog-earing them that comes from(damaging) enjoying a lot of library books in my early years. When I look back at a book later, I always start with what I bookmarked on the first trip through. The first thing I bookmarked this time was a section about being a chicken eater vs. being a chicken catcher. I won’t go into too much detail, but here’s the piece I want to share:
Do you have a “chicken catching” job?
Maybe you have a “chicken catching” job you have stuck with far too long. The job that you dread going to every day, where at the end of the day you feel like a chicken catcher lifting your catch over your head for the poop to rain down on you. Your day ends leaving you feeling underpaid, underappreciated, and covered with the poop of frustration. (p. 42)
Who couldn’t love a book with metaphors like that?
One of my passions, if you’ve never had the opportunity to hear it directly from my lips, is helping others to find work they love. When someone has a job that is meaningful to them, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. They can take something as simple as customer service and make it their own. I want to work with people who have passion for what they do.
By the way, I’m rocking my new favorite T-shirt from HRevolution in this short video. Thanks, Rypple! Continue Reading »
So. How’s your culture? Are you paying attention to it? What’s it like? Do people love it? Hate it? Want to burn it to the ground, bulldoze the ashes, and nuke the whole mess?
I jest, but it’s a serious question. Have you ever taken the time to just sit and think about the culture and values your organization embodies? I’d hope that it would be a pleasant experience, but there’s really no way for me to answer that for you. What do you think? Are you proud to talk about what your organization does and values, or does it make you a little queasy? Check the video below for a few ideas I have regarding culture and values and let me know what your thoughts are.
I just realized the audio and video tracks are off. Get ready for a funny video that looks like an old Japanese horror film. 
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There are a lot of people out there who talk about using social media. I sometimes try to stay away from the topic, because I don’t want to overload anyone, but then I talk with people like Mike VanDervort who are true champions for the social tools out there. Mike is a well-known HR blogger, and I had the pleasure of leading a blogging session with him at HRevolution. Mary Ellen Slayter interviewed him at SHRM10, and I think this is worth watching for anyone who is looking for reasons for the everyday HR pro (of which Mike is a great example) to use social media.
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I had the opportunity to sit down with Eric Winegardner from Monster during the Monster/Smartbrief on Workforce video series. If you’ve never met me in real life, let me just say this: I’m shy. I’m quiet. I don’t really talk a heck of a lot.
That might surprise you, but it’s true. It takes some people a while to realize it, but I really do know and understand that you learn more by listening than by talking. So I was more than a little nervous to sit down with this brilliant guy and talk on camera. Maybe I’ll get better with practice (I certainly hope so!), but here’s all you have to go with for now…
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By the way, I counted. I talked for one minute and twenty seconds out of a four minute video. I’m so glad Eric is chatty and saved me from mass goofiness.
Eric mentioned redefining the value of a SHRM membership. I’m definitely on that. We talked about my passion being something that attracts others. I have more than enough to share. Eric touched on music selections at SHRM conferences (which should be a universally acceptable topic!), and my brilliant response was what? “I don’t listen to music.” It’s true, but I should have winged it with something ultra-cool. I usually just ride in silence and record notes and ideas that roll through my head. I wrote a few more thoughts about what I thought of the annual SHRM conference over on the RocketHR blog for my local SHRM chapter. Check it out!
Find the rest of my SHRM10 coverage here
I had a chance to sit in on the SHRM10 social media panel featuring Curtis Midkiff, Mike Vandervort, Bryan Wempen, and Laurie Ruettimann. It was interesting that they stuck it in an early morning time slot in a private area instead of keeping it more public for people to participate and learn from the panel.
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