Tag Archives: Random

Excitement Should Come With a Warning Label

My excitement is greater than my mental capacity. -Will Brannon

Have you had one of these experiences lately? You know what I’m talking about–you make a sudden connection or realization, and for a brief moment your passion overwhelms your mind with potential possibilities.

In that instant, anything is possible. Anything can happen. “What if’s” and a hundred different scenarios play through your mind faster than you can possibly process them.

Sure, you’ll later rule out some of those ideas because they aren’t “feasible,” “traditional,” or “cost effective,” but for a few seconds that level of excitement made you invincible.

Haven’t had one of those moments in recent weeks? Anything I can do to facilitate one?

Psst-Your Greatness is Showing

I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on another company that we are competing with. Within five minutes of Google searching, it quickly became obvious that their website is woefully inadequate. Their site is 2-3 static pages of fluff (the majority of which is focused on their CEO’s history and accomplishments). They don’t mention what jobs they have, what their culture is like, or what kind of benefits they offer.

In short, it’s pretty darn crappy for anyone showing up there looking for information, including job searchers.

Let’s compare that with another company I ran across in my research. They aren’t a competitor, but I’m glad, because they look like an amazing company who people would be tripping over themselves to work for. In the screenshot below (click to make the image larger), you can learn some of their cultural norms, their mission, and there’s even a compelling call to action for job seekers at the end.

competitive culture

Here’s the text if you can’t read it:

Our Mission Statement

We play to win; Love to live; Create leaders; Give back; Become legendary

Want to make it your mission? Contact us.

Some of the differences in between these companies are obvious, and others are not, but job seekers are going to have a much better candidate experience at the second company than they would at the first! Step back, think like a job seeker, and take a look at what your website looks like. Is your greatness showing? 

Assume the best

Yesterday I had an interesting incident occur that reminded me just how our worldviews can skew our actions. This has a tie to the business world, so hang with me.

Once upon a time

As is often the case, I was walking out of the grocery store with a ginormous box of diapers (Pampers Baby Dry, if you must know), and a random guy walks up to me, commenting on the size of the box. I let it slip that I have twin girls, and he started a long, well-rehearsed story about how he was a long way from home and trying to get back to his own kids. I could quickly see where the conversation was going, so I told him I didn’t have any cash on me. He responded that he didn’t need cash, just some gas in his vehicle to get home. I told him to meet me across the parking lot at the gas station and I would fill up my gas can for him.

When we got over there I took the can out of my trunk and filled it for him. I walked over to where he was parked and said, “Here, keep the can, too. I hope that helps you get home.” His response will forever be embedded in my brain. He said, “If I had known that all I would get out of talking with you was $3 in gas, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

Now, up until that point I assumed the best about this guy. I assumed he was telling the truth. I assumed he really needed help. I assumed he would accept whatever help I could offer.

At that point I knew that pretty much everything he’d told me so far was probably a lie. He wanted me to fill his tank for him, and I wasn’t willing to do that. Instead of being thankful for what I had offered, he sneered at it.

The business lesson

Some people automatically assume the worst. If I was one of those people, I’d have shut the guy out long before offering to help. However, there was a chance that he really needed some assistance. By assuming the best and offering what I could, I took a chance at helping someone who might have needed it. And the next time I run across someone who needs help, I won’t let this instance change my reaction in the slightest.

Assume the best. Give what you can. If the other person accepts it, great! If the other person does not, walk away (as I did) knowing that you did everything you could to do the right thing.

What about you? Ever worked with someone who was perpetually looking for the worst in people? What was it like?

A Few Updates for the Curious

Sometimes I wish I could be everywhere at once. Alas, that isn’t going to be happening any time soon, but it seems like things are staying at least that busy! Here’s what is on my mind at the moment.

  • SHRM12 in Atlanta-I’m going. Are you? If you’d like to meet in person (warning: I’m much more quiet/reserved in person than you would imagine reading this blog), I would love the opportunity to talk with you. I plan to be in town June 24th through the 27th. Shoot me an email and we can connect. I’m also looking at getting a little group together for some fun/easy running and chatting. No speed or pressure! Click here for more on that.
  • HRevolution in Chicago-This isn’t until October, but I’m already getting very excited about the event. Click here to learn more and register. You’ll get to talk with some of the smartest HR/recruiting pros around. Highly recommended.
  • After my recent employee financial wellness post, I realized I had a few more ideas to share and plan to write a sequel soon. Semi-off topic: I recently signed up for PerkStreet’s debit card. I don’t like debt and credit cards, so naturally I was thrilled to find out that there’s a cash back (1-2%) debit card out there. Very cool. More info here.
  • I use MailChimp to get email updates to subscribers every time there’s a new post. I just found out they are in Atlanta and I am hoping I can stop by their office while I’m at the SHRM conference and beg for one of their amazing t-shirts. I’ll probably bring bananas as a bribe. Love the company and their culture!
  • I’ve pulled back on my volunteer work with NASHRM as of late. I’m the Social Media Director and have been running their blog, RocketHR, for almost 3 years now and realized that I won’t be continuing that (at least in 2013, if not sooner). I’m starting the process of succession planning and it’s all kinds of headaches. Lessons learned.
  • Work is keeping me busy. From recent posts you’ve seen that we’re doing some “human resource management planning” and trying to figure out what the department is going to look like in the coming months. That’s fun but exhausting. I’m working on everything from recruiting and employee relations to benefits and performance management. We’re looking closely at moving away from a paper-based performance system to one of those newfangled online thingies. :-)
  • The kids are amazing. That’s the first thing everyone wants to know. The challenges of potty training, self-feeding, and keeping them from drinking the water at the bottom of the shower are keeping me and Melanie busy, but it’s so worth it to have them just walk over and kiss you for no reason at at all.

That’s what is up in my world. I have about twenty different things I’d like to do with the site if I can just find the time. Everything from some great new books I’m ready to review to updating the HR Ninja course and more. Fingers crossed that someday soon I’ll learn the secret of no longer needing to sleep!

No More Mister Nice Guy

Recently I ran across an article that led with an interesting premise: if you want to be better than the competition, you need to be asking better interview questions. That made me stop and think. In the HR blogging space we are very friendly with each other and often provide advice that is informative and uplifting; however, that title takes the conversation in another direction.

  • If your competitors are better, they will win.
  • If the competitor has better HR people, they will have a significant advantage.

So what does that mean for you? It’s time to step up your game. Look at what some of your current processes are, and see how you can fix them to be more competitive. A few examples:

  • Look at your new hire orientation setup. Are you making the best use of time for you, the employee, and the manager? Does the process make the new employee feel welcomed? Where can you trim a little fat from the process without impacting the new hire experience negatively?
  • How about your employee relations practices? Are you assisting managers to ensure they take care of their employees, or do they try to push that off on you? Find ways to start moving the accountability back to the managers. Soon enough, you’ll have more time on your hands to focus on the bigger fish (like this list of 50 human resources challenges).
  • Is diversity and inclusion on your list of things to look into? Why or why not? It’s a real issue, and it shouldn’t be ignored.

We would love to think that it’s all lollipops and kittens, but truthfully it’s a tough world out there. If we’re going to beat the competition, we’re going to need to manage our (ahem!) human resources better. Who’s with me?

I Heart Cake Time

Like many companies, we have a once a month birthday recognition and sit down together to share one of my favorite food groups–cake. I am a fast eater, so I usually finish very quickly and then just sit and talk or listen to others tell about some personal events in their lives. And as much as I love cake, I really love the time that we all share together.

When I think about working where I do, I don’t immediately think about the building, the work, or the benefits. I think of the people. We like to work with people like us. That’s how fun things like our accidental wellness program got started. Now that’s not to say we don’t have diversity in our group. The personality differences just in our local office could fill a psychology textbook, but that’s just part of the fun!

I read a great post a while back by Jason Lauritsen that got me thinking about the people we work with. The tribes, if you will. It’s difficult when I’m recruiting someone to explain just what the “people” aspect of working here is like. I can recite the litany of benefits and perks, but I always lack the words to describe that.

Maybe I can just start saying, “We have cake time. It’s a chance for us to get together and share some fun stories and fight over corner pieces with extra frosting.” Eh, I still think it needs work, but the bottom line is when you are thinking about your workplace, do you think about the people? It’s much more fun to go to work when you have friends there.

Want to make friends? Offer them some cake. I’d take some.

The image above is one of my favorite web comics ever. Check it out here.

Am I The Only One?

I have been working all kinds of wacky projects this week (international labor law, anyone?), and it’s only magnified one of my huge (and I mean huge) deficiencies–a lack of organization.

My desk looks like a bomb went off. Ka-blooey.

(And I need your help.)

Sure, I can talk a good game, but sooner or later my subconscious clubs my conscious brain into submission and things just fall to pieces.  It’s a running joke when my wife comes up to the office to see me; she always writes a note on my whiteboard that mentions the state of complete disarray.

Sometimes I lose things (ouch). Sometimes I lose track of things. Sometimes I wonder if there’s a black hole leading to another dimension somewhere near the back corner of my work space that pulls in random papers whenever it pleases. (At least that answer sounds kind of cool when you say it out loud.)

Oooh, so close…

One of my almost-ironclad strategies includes putting Post-It notes with critical tasks on my computer monitor so I see it when I sit down at my desk. I say “almost,” because more than once I have leaned around and lifted up the edges of the Post-It notes on my screen to look at the screen instead of actually handling the task!

Any neatniks out there? I’m looking for some tips. Let’s hear ’em. I need to get this wreck of a desk in order, and I need to do it now.Â