Monthly Archives: April 2011

HRevolution 3 and other random thoughts

I am beat. Tired. Worn out. (Cansado, for my Spanish speaking brethren.)

But I feel great. Fun, huh? See, in less than 48 hours I’ll be in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be the first meeting of many during the HRevolution event. And while it’s not easy to put together (for me or the other planners), it’s always worth it.

People come away with amazing ideas, relationships, and motivation to change this little HR/recruiting world. And knowing I get to play some small part in that is satisfying on a level that is hard to describe.

If you know me at all, you can tell that I’m a doer. I like to make things happen. I book and double book myself until my calendar cries for mercy. I just want to be creating, engaging, and leading others at all times. It’s what I love. At times it causes me to be worn to the bone with responsibilities, because I have a very difficult time saying “no” to anyone.

I talked yesterday with Trish McFarlane, the other co-founder of HRevolution. We did a webinar for an ASTD (American Society of Training and Development) chapter in Los Angeles, California. We spent 60 minutes talking about unconferences in general, HRevolution, and what makes this event unique.

Today I will be on DriveThruHR with Bryan Wempen and William Tincup. I haven’t had a moment to sit and think about what I plan to talk about, so it will be an interesting half hour! You can catch the show or the replay afterward at this link.

I read a short article once that has stuck with me. Here’s the gist of it:

There is a college professor who is an expert on topic X. He has studied for years and has published papers and reports on the topic, but he does not believe that things like social media and blogging are worth his time.

On the other hand, another young gentleman is just getting started in the profession, and he is very interested in learning more about topic X. So he starts a blog, builds a community, and writes about what he knows and is learning about the topic.

A short while later, a reporter is looking for an expert on topic X to interview for a story, so he opens up Google and does a search. He doesn’t find the professor with numerous degrees and published articles. However, he does find the man who started blogging and writing about the topic and has since been recognized by his peers as an expert. Who do you think is going to be interviewed by the reporter?

When I read that anecdote, I realized that something similar happened to me. I am not an expert and I don’t have any special qualifications other than passion and the drive to help others. However, that’s been enough to radically change the path of my career from what it could have been otherwise.

Sorry for the rambling. Just wanted to clear my head for the day!

What is your favorite HR tip for managers?

The next free eBook coming out soon is going to be about HR tips for managers. I am looking for stories of how real HR pros in the trenches have seen it played out right or horribly wrong when they try to give advice/tips to their managers. Or maybe you have a special piece of information you would offer to managers who don’t have an HR person at their organization? How about telling about what you see almost all of your managers messing up on as a warning to others to be cautious about that area?Just a few ideas!

Your story can be as short as 2-3 sentences or as long as a page. I know we all have different experiences that it would help to share with our peers!

Click here to email me. Just shoot your story over along with your name (first name is fine if you want to be anonymous) and I will work to get you into the next eBook.

Deadline to submit is Wednesday, April 27th. Questions? Let me know!

SmartBrief on Workforce-Fast, Easy, and Powerful

I can still remember the first time someone asked me if I had ever read SmartBrief on Workforce. I remember thinking, “Why would anyone need that?” And then I started reading several dozen blogs a week and needed a way to cut through the clutter and focus in on the best information. Then I realized how useful of a tool it was.

I had the opportunity to hang out with Mary Ellen Slayter, the editor for the SmartBrief on Workforce publication, at the annual SHRM conference in 2010. It was a great opportunity to find out more about SmartBrief and the work they do.

How it works

Here’s a link to the homepage for SmartBrief on Workforce. As you can see, they aggregate stories, give you a short summary/clip to help you see if it is something you need to know, and link out to the original, larger story if you want to read more. You can get this information in a daily email format or read it on the web.

They cover dozens of topics in their daily newsletters, from leadership to small business and more. Check out all of their business coverage here.

  • The newsletter has great information.
  • It’s delivered right to your inbox so you don’t have to go search for it.
  • And it’s free.
  • What’s not to like?

Why I’m doing the shout out

Mary Ellen Slayter and Charlie Judy are doing a session at HRevolution (learn about the HR Slam here), and as prizes they are giving out gift cards that Mary Ellen was kind enough to provide for us. Thought it would be nice to illuminate the work she does in exchange for her generosity!

SHRM-Membership discounts and the value proposition

SHRM, you make me laugh. I see emails coming in from you on a weekly basis with offers for discounts, free totes, and more. The value of membership? It’s there. Let’s focus on that.

See, I’ve been a Society for Human Resources Management member since August 2010. Why did I join? Well, it wasn’t for a reason most people end up joining SHRM. I didn’t sign up for the white papers, the templates, the webcasts, or even the discounts on attending their events.

I signed up to volunteer.

Chuck Salvetti, the manager of the student and YP programs at SHRM, reached out to me last summer to see if I would be interested in being the chairman of the SHRM Young Professional Advisory Council. I leaped at the chance, but the caveat was that I had to be a member in order to volunteer on the committee. So, grudgingly, I signed up.

I’m so glad I did.

Since then, I’ve been more than confident that it was the right decision for me. Not only have I had the opportunity to participate in some great discussions that will shape the focus of the SHRM YP program, but I’ve also started using the tools that the organization provides. Last November, just a few short months after becoming a member, I took on a new HR role in a startup company. Suddenly I needed those webcasts, white papers, and templates to do my job on a daily basis.

I still tell people to join local SHRM chapters for the community/connections and the national SHRM for the content. However, after seeing the work they are doing with SHRM Connect, I could be recommending national membership for building connections if they can get the tool cleaned up and re-released.

Bottom line: SHRM is doing some great things in both traditional HR spaces and in social media. If you are not a member, I highly encourage you to give it a hard look. If you are where I was a year ago and membership doesn’t make sense for you, then pay your local dues and help them rock their chapter. There’s a role out there for everyone. It’s up to you to find yours and fill it.

Thank you to SHRM for sponsoring HRevolution!

I’ll have to get back to you…

Recently I posted a video on effective communication as an HR competency. I mentioned the importance of using “I’ll get back to you on that” as a daily phrase to help you communicate effectively. One of the comments on the post was fantastic, and I wanted to republish it here so everyone could benefit from this piece of wisdom.

Comment by Mike Brisciana (@mbrisciana_hr on Twitter)

Great point about using “Can I get back to you on that” when you’re scattered, you don’t know the answer, and it’s too important to guess or deflect.

I did this poorly at the beginning of my career (I would feel pressured by more senior people to respond on issues I wasn’t fully familiar with), until a mentor suggested the “can I get back to you shortly” approach. No expects you to have a perfect answer on the spot every time. They do expect you to take them seriously and give their issue your full attention.

“Can I get back to you” communicates, “I know this is important; I want to give you my full attention and my best response, and if I can have a little time to think about this and develop an effective response, it will serve your needs well.” There are times when someone needs an on-the-spot answer, but these are few and far between. In most cases, a slightly later but more substantive answer will be much more effective — and, in the end, much more appreciated.

Love it! Anyone else have something to add?

2 years, 350+ posts, and just warming up

Sunday is my two year anniversary.

It’s been twenty four months since I sat down, said, “Hmmm. upstartHR sounds kinda cool,” and started on a journey that has been exciting and unpredictable.

Just… Wow.

What advice do I have for others?

  • Start when you’re at 90%. If you wait until you are 100% ready then you’ll never get going. It will be a bit unpolished. That’s normal. Just go!
  • Write like you speak. Looking back now, my writing style hasn’t changed much in two years except to incorporate more of the knowledge I’ve learned in day-to-day Trench HR.
  • Quantity of posts is less important than quality, to a point. If you only post once every two months nobody will read what you’re saying. If you post once a week with a really thoughtful, interesting idea or two, people will take notice. Here’s a great blogging example of that by my buddy Michael Brisciana. He posts once a week or so but it’s worthwhile to keep up with! And once a week is 50 posts a year, which isn’t too shabby. That’s how I got RocketHR off the ground while keeping upstartHR going simultaneously.
  • It will make you better in so many ways, some visible and some not. I think I’m a better husband and dad because I am conscious of my time and work to make it worthwhile when I spend it with my family. I think I’m a better employee because I constantly am researching and building my knowledge base. Can’t tell you how many times something comes up at work and I’m able to say, “Well, I just read the other day that you can <insert brilliant solution here>.”

What would I do differently if I started over?

  • Write more. Yes, I write a good bit, but I wish I shared more content by guest blogging. I wish I had more time and energy to write all the ideas I have in my head. See the screenshot on the right? I have 300+ drafts if I just had time to write them all!
  • Take more time for mechanics/fundamentals. I take care of the essentials, but I wish I spent more time on things to help more people find the content that could help them be better at what they do. SEO, partnerships, etc. Room for improvement, eh? :-)
  • More shout outs! I would spend more time working on promoting others and helping them to be successful. I try to do that now but when it comes to shoving an idea out of my head and onto the screen, that has to win or I end up going crazy.

Looking ahead

  • Ongoing projects: HRevolution, Project:Social, eBooks, etc. I’m going to keep participating in these things and offering support wherever possible. My life is steadily getting more complex and I’m not sure of the time I can dedicate to additional programs, but I’m willing to offer advice at any time.
  • More products. I have ideas for a handful of targeted, valuable tools to help HR pros in the trenches.
  • Mentoring other bloggers. Want to do it? Hit me up. I’ll be glad to help with the entire set up from the technical to the writing to the networking.
  • Speaking and consulting. I’m looking for ways to get out and talk with more people. I have spoken at local events, I’m looking at working with one of the state SHRM leadership conferences to do something with the Rock Your Chapter stuff, and I am going to be doing more this year.

If I had to list everyone I appreciate for helping me get to where I am, you would leave and never come back. I’ll shorten it to say that I am so appreciative of everyone who makes this experience possible for me. In the daily life, there’s Melanie (everlasting patience and letting me bounce ideas off her), the babies (learning a lot about managing people!), and my manager when I say “Ooh, that’s going in a post.” Outside of that, I have the opportunity to work with so many amazing people. Trish McFarlane, Daniel Crosby, Chris Ferdinandi, Cori Curtis, Dave Ryan, Victorio Milian, Curtis Midkiff, Anne-Margaret Olsson, Chuck Salvetti, Stephanie Walsh, Crystal Peterson, Bryan Wempen, Krista Francis, Stephen Harrison, and many, many more.

Here’s to yet another great year of blogging!