Category Archives: General

Don’t Let the Economy Impact Your Career

Slow and steady wins the race

I am going to speak frankly today. Some of you will hate it, and others will appreciate it. Ya can’t make everyone happy at once, so here we go. :-)

Recently I received a copy of a survey that indicates 43 percent of workers believe their careers have slowed down and it will be harder and will take more time to achieve career growth as a result of the economy.

My initial thought? Those 43% of people probably wouldn’t be successful even if the economy had been booming.

In case you didn’t know it, people all over are getting better jobs, earning more than they ever have before, and really winning in their careers every single day. And they don’t give a darn about any recession. Why? What’s the difference? Continue reading →

Benefits of Team Building

team building benefitsWhat are the benefits of team building? How can you use team building strategies to grow and develop a team that is agile, talented, and cohesive? Do you have to actively work to develop your team, or is hiring the right people enough?

Great Teams Don’t Just Happen

I reached out to my friend Stephanie (find her on Twitter @TheWitchingHR) to share a few ideas on how she develops strong bonds with, and among, her team. Here’s her story. Continue reading →

Barefoot Running and Convictions

I’m taking a moment for a non-HR post today. Enjoy!

In about a week I’m going to be running a local 5k race, and I’m hoping to get out there and have a great time. Oh, and I’m going to leave my shoes in the car. Why? Because barefoot running is something that I truly enjoy. I’ve learned the hard lessons already, and now it’s just a chance to feel free and happy while I’m getting in some miles.

What are the hard lessons, you ask? Well… Continue reading →

Responding to Criticism-How to Prove HR’s Value

So yesterday I posted on a comment from a reader on a previous post. The person was obviously disgruntled with the HR people in their company, and I wanted to take the opportunity to respond here. Obviously I think HR in general has value for the company, leadership, and employees, but how does that play out in the real world?

How HR Provides Value

  • Recruiting-Many managers don’t want to stop working to interview candidates, much less create strong job ads, prescreen candidates, hold multiple interviews, and select the best fit for both competency and culture. The HR/recruiting function uses those tools to help keep turnover costs down and productivity high, both of which can significantly impact profitability. Continue reading →

HR-Glorified Administration or Something More?

Recently I saw this comment on an HR blog post and couldn’t resist discussing it. Most of us would be quick to defend the work we do, but I’m looking for some strong, well thought out responses to the criticism. I’m going to post my own response tomorrow, so be sure to come back to see what I’m thinking.

HR is not relevant in any workplace. It is merely glorified administration that serves no real purpose other than to suck resources from the business the HR ‘professionals’ (I use that term somewhat ironically) Continue reading →

Thinking On Your Feet-The Hidden Leadership Skill

As I’ve been pulled into more meetings and face-to-face interactions with our leadership team, I’ve noticed two things.

  1. Some of our leaders are very, very good at thinking on their feet.
  2. Me? Not so much.

Okay, I get that perspective is a big part of this discussion, but it’s really been interesting to observe some people taking on tough questions without flinching. Is it competency? Seniority? Age? Job function? What’s the secret?

If I had to say, it’s probably a good mix of all those, plus a dozen other intricate details (personality, familiarity with the group, etc.). So what’s a person to do if they are not very good at it to start with?

Lessons from improv

I did a little research to get some ideas on how to respond more naturally to those types of questions, and the “Yes, and…” tool is one that I’ve started implementing already. Continue reading →

7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave (Book Review)

Recently I received a copy of 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave by Leigh Branham to review. It was great timing, because I’ve had the “big picture” retention ideas floating through my head in preparation for the HR portion of a leadership retreat at work. This truly was a fantastic book with many great insights, and I can’t list them all here. I’ll hit on some of the high points that really got my blood pumping as an “in the trenches” HR pro:

  • There is a major disconnect with regard to how managers understand retention. According to the research, 89% of managers believe employees leave/stay for money; however, surveys show 80-90% of employees leave for reasons not related to pay (job fit, manager, culture, work environment, etc.)
  • In many companies exit interviews are handled by HR. Surely we’re using that opportunity to learn where our weaknesses are and how to manage them, right? Wrong! 42% of HR departments admit their exit interview program isn’t effective. Continue reading →