Author Archives: Ben

Why You Need HRevolution

Check out the quotes below. All of them have come from conversations I’ve had recently with HR professionals in my local area.

  • I’d love to learn more about social media and technology, but I’m just too swamped at work.
  • We’ve wanted to start a blog for some time now, but we just weren’t sure how to get started.
  • There is so much communication lacking in our organization. Nobody knows what the heck is going on.

Technology is changing our lives. It can make you more productive, effective, and intelligent–if you are willing and able to use it.

Want to learn how? Sign up to attend the HRevolution event now!

Having trouble communicating across a far-flung organization? There’s something for that. Difficulties with people sending mass emails to those who really don’t even need to see them? There’s something for that. Want to get out of your little box and actually interact with the employees under you? Yes, there’s something for that, too. But if you spend all of your time just trying to stay afloat in the paperwork and policy manuals, you’ll never be able to break the cycle. I guess you’re just stuck, right?

Not really. That’s why you (and so many others in your exact same situation) need HRevolution. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a learning experience. It’s going to be a networking event on steroids.

You need an HRevolution.

You need an HRevolution.

Squeeze the Network

When I have a tough question that can’t be answered by someone nearby, I turn to my network, and it’s come through for me so many times. Technology increases the size of that network tenfold.

Thrive on Challenge

If you start delving into technology and social media, the rest of your HR department might think you’re a bit crazy. Don’t try to convert them all at once. Pick one person who is most favorable to technology use and help him/her with a problem by using technology or social media. Focus on turning that one person into a champion for your cause, and they will go out and promote the idea for you!

In that vein, I’ve been working closely with a coworker on a few projects. When he learned of the pending HRevolution, he was ecstatic. Want the input of someone from outside the organizing committee? Here’s what he had to say:

I am looking forward to attending the HRevolution conference. There is great benefit to exploring social media, blogging and the value it can add to our organizations. I believe that HRevolution will help bring focus to like-minded HR professionals that are looking to modernize their organizations and potentially revolutionize their HR departments.

Ditto.

Reignite that Spark

I talk to a lot of HR professionals. Many are burned out and tired of the “same old thing.” While not all have turned into curmudgeons yet, there are quite a few who need a spark of creativity. They need someone to push them to grow continually. Maybe it’s you? If so, there’s no better cure than learning new and exciting ways to accomplish your goals.

What if your company had a tool that let it communicate with its employees? And what if they got to communicate back? What if you want to get your own voice out there, but you don’t know how to start your own website or don’t have time to figure out how to set up a blog? Sound interesting? Want to know more?

Then take a stand. Let your voice be heard. Join the HRevolution.

HRevolution logo (and the flattering quote) courtesy of Allen Robinson (@logicwriter), as cool of an HR cat as they come.

My Parents Had it Right

I grew up working for my parents. Even when I was young, I was helping out around the office of their small business. I learned so much about how the world works firsthand, and I would never take anything for those experiences. I also learned things about management and leadership that I carry with me today.

My dad, wife, and brother at a triathlon

My wife, dad, brother, and I at a triathlon

Work Hard, Get Rewarded

I can\’t remember a week going by where they didn\’t have a rush job to get out the door. Screaming customers and scurrying workers made up the sights and sounds of those frantic days. But it wasn\’t always 110% hard-driving insanity. When the employees had to work late, I\’d often carry them a plate of homemade food from the house. When they had to get there before dawn, I would make a biscuit run to keep them going. And the pizza lunches? I can still remember them fondly. Working your tail off was expected, but you knew that they would still take care of you (especially food-wise!) during those times.

Dive Right In

Remember those frantic times I mentioned? Some people probably figured the boss would be sitting high above, shouting orders and waving frantically to the lowly employees on the floor. Actually, it would have been pretty tough to do that kind of thing while he was working side-by-side with them. I can remember someone telling me one time that it must have been nice to have the employees doing the work for him. I\’ve never laughed so hard in my life. My dad\’s been there at some time between six and seven in the morning every day since I can remember, and he was often that guy who stayed late to finish something and deliver it to a customer. And getting a call at 11:45pm to come pick up a job? He’d be out the door within minutes. People respect someone who can not only talk the talk but also walk the walk.

Being a manager is easier than being a leader.

I know others have talked before about their first jobs. Do you have a story that you\’d like to share?

Interns: Future Leaders or Coffee Carriers?

This person is probably an intern.

This person is probably an intern.

We all know how much fun it is to laugh at the TV versions of interns. They scurry to-and-fro, trying valiantly to rise above their lowly rank, but they end up with the short end of the stick all too often. I’m willing to bet that people wouldn’t laugh nearly as much if they looked at the interns not as “get me a cup of coffee” gophers, but as the future leaders of the company.

After all, are internships created so a company can get free labor? I should hope not. The intern experience should be a rich addition to a formal education plan. And while the company does get the benefit of inexpensive labor, they shouldn’t necessarily take advantage of the intern’s willingness to do anything for experience.

I was speaking recently with Nancy Woolever, the SHRM Director of Education. When I mentioned the topic of internships, she quickly brought up several points about how important it is to treat interns properly. We both agreed that internships are an excellent method to help college students transition into an entry level career after college, but many companies either don’t utilize interns in their own organizations or don’t treat their young staff as well as they should.

So… Now the ball’s in your court. Are your interns sitting around taking up space, or are they engaging in projects that will have a lasting impact on your business? That answer, my friends, is up to you. Have a comment?

Turning Employees into Brand Champions

From VentureRepublic:

Brand champions are internal and external story tellers who spread the brand vision, brand values and cultivate the brand in an organisation. Every organisation needs committed and passionate brand champions. The more employees the organisation can turn into brand champions, the better will it be equipped to build and maintain strong brand equity. Singapore Airlines, L’Oreal, Harley Davidson, Nike, Google and LEGO are well-known examples of companies which benefit tremendously from their employees being strong and dedicated brand champions.

My company has more employees than it has customers. These employees leave work every day and have conversations and interactions with complete strangers in homes, bars, stores, restaurants, etc. Some of those people know our company exists, and some are getting their first glimpse of us.

employee brand championAre they saying good things? Are they telling the world how amazing it is to work for this company? Are they enhancing our reputation?

I hope so.

Some people recommend hiring great people and inspiring them to do amazing things. Sounds like a plan to me. Find a way to make brand champions out of your employees. You won\’t regret it.

Photo by pinksherbet

If Batman was in HR

 

Batman tat. Coolness.
Batman tat. Coolness.

I’m a Batman fan. Yes, my geekery is showing, but you know it’s fun to watch! What if Batman was in HR? What would happen? Well, here are a few of my thoughts, but I’d love to hear yours, too!

  1. Strategic plans would always begin with the phrase: “hop into the Batmobile.”
  2. Theft of office supplies would drop drastically.
  3. Capes and masks would be required in the new dress code.
  4. Senior management would be known as “villains.”
  5. He could give a drug screen, interview an applicant, and terminate an employee using gadgets in his utility belt.
  6. He’d teach the receptionist seven forms of martial arts to use on annoying sales people.
  7. Office hours would be 8pm-4am.
  8. Admins would be called “sidekicks.”
  9. Christmas bonuses would be $1M per employee from an “anonymous donor.”
  10. Employees would be too terrified to perform poorly.
  11. Job titles like “bat-accountant” and “bat-IT manager” would be commonplace.

I’m sure that’s not all, but I need some help! What would be different if Batman was in your HR department?

How I Took Control of My Career Development

Interestingly enough, this post was written about a week before this news on HR leadership development came out from i4cp.

Time to get tough.
Time to get tough.

I don\’t know how many of you know it, but I\’m an HR assistant. Yes, I occupy that prestigious rung of the HR career ladder just above weasels and interns. I jest, of course, but not overly so. It\’s often been said that Gen Y thinks they deserve immediately what it took others years to attain. I usually scoff at that sort of generalization; however, my HR assistant job is one of those times in my life that I actually bear a resemblance to my generational cohort. No, I don\’t think I should be groomed for the CEO position just yet, but I do want to move up in my responsibilities as an HR professional.

I want to step up to important things, but a recent interaction showed me just how unprepared I was for the “big leagues.” Two of my senior HR coworkers were discussing a thorny issue, and I listened intently, gathering as much information as I could. As if by some unspoken agreement, they then both turned and asked me (the HR assistant, mind you) how I would handle the situation if I were in charge.

Wow. My heart fluttered a bit. And I may or may not have broken out into a sweat. (Hey, it is summertime in Alabama, so cut me some slack!)

I eventually gave my verdict, but as I said before, it showed me just how unprepared I am to move up just yet. However, I have found an interesting way to learn and grow in my position. And I discovered it by accident.

My Realization

I had to go over to our storage area to toss our oldest employee files and make room for some new ones. As I was going through the old ones, I came across more than a dozen thick, monstrous files full of interesting documentation. I realized then that instead of waiting for another learning situation to pop up, I could do some research on issues that had already occurred and discuss those with my peers. I got the okay from my supervisor, and starting this week, I\’m going to peruse one of these employee files every week, look for clues and information, and form conclusions based on the available data. Then I’ll discuss those ideas with one of my senior peers to get some feedback. It’s like a scrimmage before the real game, and I think I’m going to learn a lot!

You, too?

I know that professionals from all steps in the grand scheme of things read this blog, so I\’d like to ask those of you who hold a supervisory role to see if you can do something similar to develop your own HR assistants (or whatever you call the supporting staff in your HR department). If you\’re one of the new HR professionals, then try to speak with your supervisor and get plugged into the events around you. If you don\’t take charge of your career, then don\’t expect someone else to!

While school can teach you how to memorize a bunch of stuff, it certainly can\’t give you much practice in employee relations and other real-life issues that don\’t have a single, clear answer. How did the rest of you get started? Were you mentored steadily? Thrown to the wolves? Still learning? I’d love to hear more ideas.

Review: The Pursuit of Something Better

I recently received a copy of “The Pursuit of Something Better” to review. I have a fairly large queue of books to review, so this one sat on my shelf for about a month. Now I’m kicking myself for waiting. The company that the story’s centered around, U.S. Cellular, reminds me of my own organization in several ways. And seeing that company take the problems they faced and turn them around helped me to have hope.

A little bit of background: U.S. Cellular is a relatively small cell service provider. In 2000, the company was going down the tubes. In some parts of the company, the job abandonment/walk off rate was as high as 20%! It was then that a new leader took the helm. Jack Rooney held some beliefs that he knew could save this company if given the opportunity. Those beliefs include, but are not limited to, the following sections.

Employees treat customers like their leaders treat them. Continue reading →