Well, it’s been a little while since I dumped off a load of guest posts on you in an attempt to look too busy to post here. I know you’ve been dying to see what else I’ve been up to, so I’ll share them today. I love doing guest posts for my friends. It gives them a day off, and it gives me a chance to connect with a new audience. I try to do them in batches, because it makes things easier for me. It also gives me the opportunity to do a guest post blitz! Okay, maybe it’s not really as super cool as it sounds. I just link to ’em. But hey, you get to visit a friend or two of mine in the process, so it could be worse, right? Let’s get the guest posts rolling! Continue reading
Category Archives: General
Introducing the 168 Hours Series
Today we\’re kicking off the 168 Hours Series (cleverly named because there are 168 total hours in a week). After seeing others struggle with their own time and focus, I thought it would be helpful to put a few posts together with some tips and strategies for managing time. And if the term “managing time†bothers you, then replace it with something more palatable. It\’s a misnomer, really, because unless you\’re Hiro Nakamura, you are most certainly not the master of time and space. But you can still do some pretty amazing things with some focused effort.
Everyone has 168 hours in a week. Make yours count.
That\’s not to say that you have to be doing something every one of those 168 hours. It just means that you should be purposeful with your time. You have a finite amount and an infinite number of activities to choose from. Be purposeful with how you spend your time, and I guarantee you\’ll have more satisfaction than if you wander aimlessly, hoping you\’ll be able to accomplish your goals in some general time frame.
Of all of your resources, time is the one that you just can\’t get more of.
What will be covered?
- Golden Hours, Batching Tasks, and Cutting Distractions
- The (dreaded but effective) Time Log
- Goals, Time, Focus, and Snowballs
- And more…
More topics may be added as time goes on, but those are a few that I definitely want to include. Interested? Make sure you subscribe for free updates. And if you know someone who could use a little bit of help on the time management side of things, please pass them the link to this post. You just might not want to tell them why you’re letting them know. :-)
Simply Amazing
Human resources professionals have the opportunity to do some wonderful things. And in the past few weeks, I was able to be a part of something that is simply amazing. What is it, you ask?
Do Amazing Things
This was a group eBook project organized by Chris Ferdinandi of Renegade HR. To learn more about this project, click here for his post. If you want to skip everything else and leap directly to the free eBook, it can be found at this link. The cool thing about the free guide is that it’s licensed via Creative Commons, so you can share it with anyone you wish. And with the all-star cast that Chris put together, I’m willing to bet that you’ll want to!
The Cast
- China Miner Gorman from SHRM
- Michael VanDervort from Human Race Horses
- Lance Haun from Rehaul
- Karla Porter from the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber in PA
- Paul Hebert from I2I
- Jim D\’Amico, recruiter extraordinaire
- Victorio Milian of Creative Chaos Consultant
- (Me!)
- Steve Boese from Knowledge Infusion
- Nathaniel Rottenberg from Rypple
- Trish McFarlane from HR Ringleader
- Jessica Lee from APCO Worldwide
If you like it, please let Chris know. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.
Something Else Pretty Cool
It’s tough to digest all of the great ideas that are found in an eBook like this one. Pretty soon, I’m going to develop a free training course based on the guide and open it up to the public. Make sure you’re subscribed here so that you don’t miss the announcement!
Download the free “Do Amazing Things” eBook
A Place at the Table
Way back in the day when I was an Assistant Personnel Manager (yeah, that far back) we in Human Resources didn\’t wring our hands about Being Invited to The Table. It wasn\’t called that yet. But the concept had (and still has) validity. Influential HR bloggers Mark Stelzner and Sharlyn Lauby have weighed in on HR\’s role in an organization.
Here\’s the thing about getting that elusive invitation to The Table: you can do everything right and you still may not get The Invite. Why? Because getting a seat at the table requires lots of things to happen within the company\’s walls….many of which the individual HR person has absolutely no control over. Factors like company culture, lack of executive support and market conditions all conspire to make it difficult for you to get your Seat.
So, what\’s a talented HR person to do? Focus Continue reading
SHRM 2010 in San Diego, California
SHRM 2010… It’s coming up in just a few short months in San Diego, California. Are you going? Back when SHRM 2009 was going on, I was salivating to attend, and I was really looking forward to SHRM 2010. When I found out it was going to be across the US, my excitement waned. I can’t make that trip.
People often ask if I will be attending this event or that function. Remember, people, I’m an entry level HR pro (in terms of years worked, anyway). I do not have the means to support multiple conferences each year. And my employer being a nonprofit doesn’t really help, either. I’d love to be able to meet some friends (like my pals at HRCP), be a social media evangelist, and generally raise some havoc. But as of this moment, it’s not going to happen.
What I will be doing Continue reading
And we’re live!
Check out the best PHR study guide (I may be a bit biased) :-). I even got up the nerve to shoot a video for you guys. :-) A big shout out to Allen Robinson for the design work. I really appreciate his hard work. Have a design project in mind? Contact him.
Hey guys, it’s Ben. I just wanted to throw up a quick video to answer some questions and let everyone know a little about the Rock the PHR guide.
This thing isn’t like the other study sources out there. In an effort to meet the needs of a lot of test takers, I have created a batch of resources that fall under the RTPHR umbrella. Let me say that this is not a full-blown study guide. This is a supplemental resource to fill in the gaps that even the really high priced options have.
Back to what I was saying-RTPHR is the guide, but it comes with some special resources that can help you study smarter and more efficiently. One new and exciting piece of the relaunch is a private forum/chatroom where customers can meet and support each other. Many of you, like me, probably didn’t have a study group nearby. The private community slows you to interact with others from the comfort of home. Pretty cool, right?
On a lighter note: someone asked me the other day why I was selling this so hard. I laughed and said, “If you developed a resource that could drastically improve someone’s chance of success, would you hide it or share it with the world?”
If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Thanks!
Are you ready?
The new version of the Rock the PHR guide is going live today at 6:00 p.m. Central. I’ve been pushing it hard in the past few weeks, but that’s only because I think it’s really going to help people with their own exams. I’ve bumped the price since the initial release, but some people have told me that it’s still cheap (especially now that it comes with a private forum/chat room, a 50-question practice exam, and more).
For the first 10 buyers, I’m going to throw in a special bonus report that will not be available to the public. You won’t want to miss it.
If you’re already certified, or if you think that it’s not for you, it wouldn’t hurt to pass it along to someone who could benefit. Thanks for playing along. Look for another “regular” post on Wednesday.
Here’s the link to the Rock the PHR page (I’ll turn off the redirect around 6:00 p.m. Central or a maybe a bit before then).
The guide received two reviews in its first revision. Feel free to check them out here and here.