How to become the “go to” person

The other day I got my wife to watch an old movie with me called “City Slickers.” It’s about a group of businessmen who do a short stint as cowboys driving a herd of cattle in the Midwest. The trail boss (aka the guy running the show when they’re not on the ranch) describes the meaning of life as “just one thing.” That’s what inspired this post today.

I’ve been writing a series about young HR professionals, SHRM, and how to get more credibility. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my short career, it’s that you need to be good at a lot of things, but you need to be really great at doing at least one thing.

Check out the short (2:21) video below for some of my thoughts on how to become indispensable by specializing in something that nobody else wants to do or knows how to do. Sure, you can (and should!) be good at multiple things, and as your career progresses, that number should increase. But when you’re starting out or trying to move up the career ladder, here’s my advice: be really great at one thing. I mention a friend in the video, Steve Boese, who is a pillar of the HR technology community. He’s really great at tech, and people follow him for that specific reason. Just one example of thousands of professionals out there.

(Subscribers may need to click here to view the video.)

Critical thinking for the day: What’s your “one thing?” Let me know by clicking here.

Be Bodacious: Put Life in Your Leadership (Book Review)

I’ve been reading a copy of Be Bodacious: Put Life in Your Leadership recently, and it’s been one of the better business books I’ve read this year. I’ve realized that a good mix of “story” and “lesson” is what I enjoy in a book. While there are a lot of good picks out there, a good book needs something to tie it all together and make it stick.

bo·da·cious-adjective

-Thorough, blatant, umistakable
-Remarkable, outstanding
-Audacious; bold or brazen Continue reading →

HRYP Series: What You Need To Know

What the heck is an HRYP?

HRYP stands for “human resources young professional.” Yeah, sounds like a mouthful, so HRYP is the easiest way to say it, ‘kay? :-) HRYP is an initiative kicked off by SHRM’s go-to guy for everything on the “young professional” end of the spectrum–Chuck Salvetti.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck at SHRM10, and since then I’ve learned more about what they are doing for young professionals in the HR space. I have to say… I love it. My goal from the very beginning was to serve as a resource for those just getting started in human resources, and this initiative is something that closely aligns with my goals for this blog.

With that in mind, I have built a series that links together the strengths and knowledge of some of my trusted resources in the HR arena and the questions/needs of the HRYP community. I am an active participant in the HRYP group on LinkedIn, and I encourage other young HR pros to join (I’m also a fan of the HRYP Facebook group, but I don’t participate there as much). I have had some interesting discussions with the people there, and I am excited to share some helpful information with non-HRYPs related to those conversations.

Top 3 HRYP Concerns Continue reading →

Download a Free Career Book

A few months ago I had the opportunity to participate in a group eBook project run by my good friend Chris Ferdinandi. It was a really great experience and I love sharing the eBook with others. Anyway, I was asked by my buddy Rich from Corn on the Job to participate in another guide with a career focus, and I leaped at the opportunity. I did it not only because Rich asked, but because I also love talking about career concepts. My first writing gig was with a career site, after all!

Click here to get the free eBook.

Contributors Continue reading →

Work with meaning and purpose

One of my passions, if you’ve never had the opportunity to hear it directly from my lips, is helping others to find work they love. When someone has a job that is meaningful to them, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. They can take something as simple as customer service and make it their own. I want to work with people who have passion for what they do.

Check out the video below and let me know what you think. Subscribers may have to click through to view.

By the way, I’m rocking my new favorite T-shirt from HRevolution in this short video. Thanks, Rypple! Continue reading →

Carnival of HR: What it is and why you need it

Carnival of HR Every two weeks there is a meeting of the minds. There is an event that occurs that, while relatively unknown, has long-term implications for the profession that I love. It affects the HR community, and it often draws a crowd of participants and spectators from around the globe. It’s the HR Carnival.

What it is

Your brain

The Carnival of HR is a free collection of stories and articles by some of the brightest minds in HR thought leadership. Every two weeks you can find it at a different website. All you have to do is stop in, read anything that interests you, and share it with someone else who might enjoy it.

The most recent edition focused on the SHRM conference and what attendees did or didn’t learn (see the Post-SHRM Breakdown article here). The whole process is powered solely by volunteers who want to help others to learn and grow. I wrote a post months ago about the HR blog carnival and how to make a difference. It’s a great addendum to this post.

My first ever Carnival of HR was last year, and the title was a fun idea I had to get a little attention. Check out 25 Pieces of HR Awesomeness if you’d like to see an example of a Carnival.

Why you need it

Your brain on HR

Most people (including those in the esteemed profession of human resources) stop learning and growing once they get into a job they are comfortable with. That’s not a jab or a complaint, it’s just a fact.

A big goal of mine is helping people love what they do. When you are constantly learning and growing, you enjoy what you do so much more. So give the Carnival of HR a shot. Anything that has a name that festive has to be pretty great, right? :-)

Bonus challenge

Okay, I might have convinced you to check out the carnival by now. If so, that’s fantastic! If not, I’ll ask you this-do you like helping people, sharing neat stuff, and/or building your own credibility? I’m betting that everyone wants to say, “Yes” to that question.

Doing things as small as sharing resources can help others to see you as a credible expert. I’ve shared interesting articles with my own boss that eventually filtered through to other VP’s in the company; those VP’s then stopped by to chat about some of the debatable points in those articles. In the future, if a problem comes up relating to the topic of those conversations we had, then I’m going to be remembered as a solid resource. All that just from sharing a few articles a handful of times.

Going even further

If you ever get wild and crazy and would like to not only read and share the items in the Carnival of HR, but maybe even write something to be added to the Carnival, feel free to contact me about it. I’d love to help.

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