Author Archives: Ben

Wisdom Meets Passion (Book Review)

wisdom meets passion dan millerWisdom Meets Passion by Dan Miller and Jared Angaza

I’ve been reading and listening to Dan Miller for over 5 years now. In short, this book is more greatness. I ended up taking very few notes for a few reasons. First, this book is full of things that I live every day, so I didn’t take great notes on those areas since I have a lot of experience with following passions, (trying to) learn from those with wisdom, etc. Secondly, it’s just engaging to read it. It’s not the typical business/career book with a lot of sound bytes. I’ve tried to pull a few together for your benefit below.

What I liked

  • 10 steps to education and getting rich (not what you think!)-I’ve omitted the details here (get the book!), but you can find this list on page 66. These seem so innocuous, but imagine doing even a small handful of these actions every single year. Every. Year. In 10 years that’s over 100 books, 30 training events, 10 new skills, etc. It’s exponential growth! Crazy to imagine doing it all at once, but very doable when you look at reading just one book per month…
    • Read 12 books this year
    • Attend 3-4 seminar/training events this year
    • Subscribe to 2 great magazines
    • Listen to 3-4 podcasts and read 3-4 blogs per week Continue reading →

The Orange Revolution (Book Review)

The Orange Revolution by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

I reviewed a book previously by these authors (All In), and I might start a fan club. They’re darn good at what they do. I purchased The Orange Revolution a few months ago because I had a grand vision. When I read the subtitle (how one great team can transform an entire organization), I instantly started thinking about the team I was working in. Our Operations team touched on all areas of the corporate infrastructure. The Director of Operations was known to say that she would put our team up against any other due to the strong commitment and varied talents of our team. My challenge was filtering that down from the Operations group to the rest of the organization. So in true geek form, I bought a book. the orange revolution book review gostick elton

What I liked

  • Breakthrough teams have members who: demonstrate personal competency, expand their competency with leadership traits of goal setting, communication, trust, accountability, and recognition, clearly visualize the cause, follow the rule of 3 (wow others, no surprises, and cheer for others) Continue reading →

A, B, or C Player? What Are You?

Talented Players-Part 2

The second half the title didn’t make it due to space, but it should read “A, B or C? What Are You? Do you, or should you, care?”

a player knocks out of parkQuoting from Part 1 of this series as a refresher:

Think about your own team or company. Can you stick a label on each person to identify them as an A, B, or C? More importantly, should you?

Do your people need to have a label of A, B, or C stuck on them from the moment they walk in the door? I could go either way with this, so I'm not saying you should or should not. I just want you to think about your own people and if it makes sense to do it for them…

But maybe it's not the best way to “box” your people in? Are you tacking on a label based on their current performance/situation when it will change over time? Continue reading →

Shirts and Other New Hire Goodies

shirts new hiresTime and time again I am surprised by what pleases our new hires. We do a lot of communicating with our new people before they start, but I still never really get around to telling them about the things like free breakfast Thursdays, free drinks in the fridge, etc. I figure it’s a nice thing to find out on their first day that solidifies their decision that we truly care about our people. But one thing that almost always gets a positive response is our gift card to get a shirt with our company logo.

It’s not just a shirt; it’s pride Continue reading →

A Players, B Players, and C Players

Talented Players-Part 1

a b c playersRecently a friend pointed me to an article discussing A players, B players, and C players. I had some differing thoughts when I read it, and I’m going to break it down and discuss a few different parts of the article that need addressing.

A players are star performers. They are employees who put their professional lives ahead of their families and personal lives because they are striving to accomplish more or move upward in the organization. A players are the risk-takers, the “high potentials,” and employers enjoy finding and hiring them. They are also the players most likely to leave the organization for opportunities elsewhere. Continue reading →

How to Pass the PHR Exam

how to pass the phr examLast week I talked about how to pass the PHR exam. In case you don’t remember or didn’t see it, the discussion was mainly around the motivation needed to stick with a long term study plan. In case you were wondering, the same principle applies for the SPHR and GPHR exams.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the topic of certification lately, because it’s the 4 year anniversary of me starting my own studies for the exam. In November 2008 I picked up a book, locked the office door, and started a 12 week study plan to pass the PHR exam. It’s crazy to think about how far back that was, but time flies when you’re having fun, eh?

An Announcement

I’ve been helping people learn how to pass the HR certification exams for almost 4 years now, and I always felt like something was missing. Yes, I created a study guide that has helped over a hundred people with their exam prep. Yes, I recommend HRCP‘s great tools because they are affordable and comprehensive. But despite all that I still saw a need for something to bridge the gap between those resources and the powerful motivation/accountability factor that is necessary for success.

So I developed a new tool to bridge that gap.

hr self study courseThe PHR/SPHR Self Study Course is an in-depth set of lessons that will help those who are interested in studying but aren’t sure how to set up their study plan, what schedule to follow, etc. Most importantly, it hits you every few days with a new lesson as a reminder to focus on your study efforts. A few details: Continue reading →

Process Improvement, Presenting Naked, and More (Guest Post Blitz)

I went on a blogging spree a few weeks back and wanted to give a heads up if you don’t read these other fabulous blogs. Check out the 5 posts I wrote and let me know if any of them are helpful, interesting, informative, etc.

Why process improvement matters

Omega HR Solutions-Here I talk about the importance of making time to work “on your area” instead of just “in your area.” It’s a problem small business owners face that we could all use a lesson on. Thanks to Mike Haberman for letting me share with his readers!

Hiring is everything

A Leading Solution-In this post I discuss an amazing software company that has a fanatical approach to hiring. They even take the approach that enough time spent hiring can virtually remove the need for managing staff. Neat ideas here. Thanks to Heather Kinzie for letting me share with his readers!

Presenting naked

HR Ringleader-Ever presented naked? It’s liberating and will change how you think about speaking/presenting. Yes, you know you want to click through to this one. Thanks to Trish McFarlane for letting me share with his readers!

Leveraging generations for organizational change

HR Official-In this post I discuss the important role different generations can play in organizational change initiatives. Hint: use those comfortable with change to champion your cause. Thanks to Dave Ryan for letting me share with his readers!

Social responsibility is crap

Tim Sackett Project-In this post I talk about the push for businesses to “give back” and be “socially responsible.” It’s a thought provoking piece where I encourage leaders to focus on the business first before other areas. After all, employing 50 people is better than providing meals for 50 people, right? Makes you think… Thanks to Tim Sackett for letting me share with his readers!

Fun fact: If you count all the articles I’ve written and include the guest posts like these, the running total is over 675! What the heck have I been rambling about all this time? :-)