#Leadership

By Kimberly March 6, 2013 Leadership

Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.  Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It’s inevitable, if you’re honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity: you’ll avoid the tough decisions, you’ll avoid confronting the people who need to be confronted, and you’ll avoid offering differential rewards based on differential performance because some people might get upset. Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally “nicely” regardless of their contributions, you’ll simply ensure that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.

- Colin Powell

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What does #TrenchHR look like?

By Kimberly January 23, 2013 Engagement

Paul-HebertFour years ago I discovered an entirely new HR community on Twitter.  It was such a relief to “meet” and interact with HR folks who were actually funny, not to mention original and smart.  I always say that Twitter rejuvenated my faith in the HR profession.

A lot of these people are in the trenches everyday living real HR challenges and writing about them in their blogs.  Of course some blogs gain more notoriety than others because they appear on fancy lists — lists that have more to do with mouse clicks over someone’s real-life background and knowledge — which is why I’m writing this post.

I respect and seek out people with real-life experiences because it’s relatable to my world.  These folks are the #TrenchHR professionals – the ones who are rolling up their sleeves, walking the halls of Corporate America and working with leaders and employees every day.

One of these guys is Paul Hebert.  I met Paul at HRevolution in 2011 but I was already digging into his brain through my Google Reader long before then.  Paul’s gig is about employee engagement and the various paths companies can take for positive engagement through recognition — although that’s applying a very broad stroke to his work.

The difference between someone suggesting that organizations hand out “atta boy” pre-paid gift cards and Paul’s thinking is that he has the ability to wear the shoes of every single person in an organization and can ask questions to a company’s leadership that raise eyebrows.  Questions they probably never considered.

That’s not the best part.  One of my favorite things about Paul’s style is that he disconnects the human from the machine.  We’re living in a professional world where everyone is trying to attach a software program to a human — like applicant tracking systems, performance management systems and talent assessment programs.

I love technology, especially when it makes our lives easier.  But I hate when people believe they can provide human solutions to an organization by implementing a software system.  It’s not possible and I don’t care what software you’re selling.

I have a passion for employee engagement and one of the things we have to believe to make it work is that engagement is a verb, not a noun.   Recognition and engagement are not initiatives that are rolled out quarterly or monthly and then go back up on the shelf.  It’s an ongoing company “lifestyle” that’s infused into the organization’s people and culture.

I probably won’t have a chance to meet Paul again because the conference circuit is not my gig.  But I’m still in his brain through his blog and am thankful for how he makes me think!

 

3 parts engagement, 1 part possibility

By Kimberly October 9, 2012 Engagement

While the term “Employee Engagement” has a formal definition, it can be broken down into 3 fundamental areas.

#1 – Engaged with Work
Engagement is defined as an employee who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests relative to their own productivity.  Employees who are happy with the work they’re doing and understand how their work ties in with the organization will usually give it their all and stick around.  Happy employees + retention =  :-) .

#2 – Engaged with Each Other
The workday is always more fulfilling when we like our coworkers and appreciate working alongside of them.  Folks who take pleasure in their work and are treated as valued contributors will make teamwork and collaboration effortless for one another.

One relationship that trumps the above is when employees and their managers complement each other by sharing mutual respect and open and honest communication.  I’d go so far to say that the employee-manager relationship is the most critical area of engagement.  Because we all know that employees don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers.  #Fact.

#3 – Engaged with Customers
What about employees being engaged with customers?  After all, the customers are paying the bills and all organizations want their customers to be happy.

I was thinking back to one of the umpteen exit interviews I had with a gal who was resigning due to her manager’s controlling style (story for another day).  She spoke about how she would miss the interaction she had with her customers as well as the connection they developed over the years.  I remember thinking to myself, “Well that’s a bummer.  Here’s someone who loves her work and takes pride in her accomplishments yet feels she has no choice but to leave because of her manager’s leadership style.” 

What if someone loves the work they do but isn’t crazy about their co-workers?  What if an employee and manager have a great relationship but the work isn’t challenging?

There are no flawless work environments.  There is no nirvana — that’s why it’s called work.  So I’d like to ask:

Is it a realistic possibility for employees to be satisfied and content in all 3 areas of engagement?  Or am I just living in the clouds?

I’d love your thoughts.

Being CEO for a day

By Kimberly September 12, 2012 Career

If I had the opportunity to be the CEO for a day, I’d tell the entire organization to forget everything they know, have experienced or have been told about Human Resources. We’re going to focus on one thing — making work better! Making the employment experience what it’s supposed to be: mutually beneficial.

We spend more time at work than we do anywhere else. I have to believe that all organizations aspire to have people who want to come to work and to have their leadership embrace the effort it takes to make that happen. Yes, it’s a huge undertaking that would be time consuming, frustrating and require baby steps that focus on a consistent message which is simply, to make work better. I believe it’s possible and after all, this is my story!

So what does it mean to make work better?

It means we’d start by focusing on relationships — starting with one of the most important ones: managers and their teams. Managers who are not effective communicators or who may be uncomfortable confronting tough issues or being transparent will learn how to communicate effectively and productively. Since building good relationships obviously requires multiple people to work well together, employees will also learn how to be comfortable handling feedback and exchanging ideas with their managers and colleagues. All of this will be done face to face or via video chat. How many times have you heard someone say, “I didn’t like the tone of that email.” How many times have you had to run interference between a manager and a team member because of a preventable miscommunication that spiraled out of control?

We’re going to eliminate the annual performance review process completely!

Don’t worry, we’ll have ways to manage performance. We’ll focus on goals and we’ll start Feedback Sessions that will be more frequent, yet brief. Managers and teams will compare notes on the status of their goals, brainstorm about tools that address their individual growth areas, set new goals and provide a clear understanding of how the team’s success fits into the progress of the company. Yes, we need to know what needs to be said for effective feedback but it’s even more important to know “how” things need to be said.

We’re going to step up to the plate and hit a line drive with the empathy bat!

Employees and managers will do deep dives into understanding each others jobs. Employees will recognize what it takes for their managers to be successful and vice versa. Doesn’t it make a difference to work on a project when you know why the project is important and what the direct relevance that your success has on the goals of the company? It makes the difference between wanting to come to work and not wanting to come to work.

We’re going to gut the employee manual and focus on simplicity and common sense!

We’ll keep the legal stuff in there but we’re going to remove some of the dumbest employment policies I’ve ever seen — the ones that border on being inhuman — like telling people how many bereavement days they get based on how the company defines particular family members. I’ll never forget — I once worked with a young man whose parents were killed when he was a baby and he was raised by his aunt. But because his aunt was not defined as an “immediate family member” in the handbook, this man had to take most of his vacation time so he could grieve and make the necessary burial arrangements. You get the point. I digress.

Last but definitely not least. Everyone will leave their egos at the door.

Yes, everyone. Teams can’t be built and folks can’t collaborate when someone is always vying for the spotlight. Those who can’t handle that can make a graceful exit. I’ve always said that people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers. And you can take that to the bank. Do you think someone who is unhappy at work is going to be helpful and friendly with coworkers and customers? That would be a resounding “no.”

When we improve our internal relationships, teach folks how to foster those relationships, treat people like adults and work in ways that are progressive and unconventional (think anti-Corporate America) everything else will fall into place — like client satisfaction and profitability. Wow, what a concept.

Happy to hear your thoughts.

Photo credit: UnconventionalHR

Also posted on Women of HR

 

Be credible or be quiet, please

By Kimberly September 1, 2012 Career

I came across an article on Salary.com called, 10 Things You Should Never Tell Your Boss.  The first page basically said something that I do believe in — we need to be aware that whether we like it or not, our actions can impact how we’re perceived and judged by others at work.

BUT, as I started scrolling through the article, I found some of the “things” listed in the article to be completely absurd and ridiculous!

While I agree there are certain parts of our lives that can be shared too much and leave ourselves open to unnecessary judgement, managers and employees are humans and life happens around us whether we like it or not.

There are life issues we can’t control such as illness, caring for our young and old, divorce, etc.  The last time I checked, there was no such thing as work-life balance and many progressive workplaces demonstrate and respect diversity and inclusion, empathy and are capable of being human with others.

Employees should not have to live under a veil of “shhh!” and fear being judged if they’re going through a serious personal issue.  At the end of the day, if an employee is adding value, most reasonable managers won’t judge someone’s personal life as indicated in this post.

That’s issue #1.

As I proceeded to check out the bio of the writer, I learned that she’s a self-employed freelance writer who writes about niche topics like weddings, gaming, pets, women’s issues, technology, home decor, travel and tourism, apartment living, and personal finance.  While that’s great, I’m trying to figure out how a freelance writer can be a credible source on how employees should, or should not behave in Corporate America.

That’s issue #2.

So before dropping her an email and asking about her experiences on this topic, I did something that Salary.com probably didn’t bother doing — a little due diligence.  I found the writer’s profile on LinkedIn and while it seems there is some work experience in an office environment (I’m speculating based on the name of the position) she’s been a freelance writer and student for the last 9 years.

As I shared the article and my objective opinion about both of these issues on Facebook, a colleague of mine read it left a comment that was so golden and heartfelt that I have to share it:

Sing it Kimberly!  This kind of insulting drivel might drive a little traffic to salary.com but anyone with two functional neurons can see how sick, misguided and backwards the advice is.  BRING YOURSELF TO WORK!

Gotta love that — bring YOURSELF to work!

Another colleague of mine got fired up and she reached out to the folks at Salary.com asking them to justify the qualification process for their writers.  This was the response she received:

We have dozens of contributors from different backgrounds. And they often disagree, because a lot of these issues are opinion-based. For instance, some of our writers advise people in job interviews to never bring up money first, while others say that can work to your advantage. Some of our resume experts advocate a 1-page resume, while others say that’s antiquated. I understand you don’t agree with a lot of the points made in this article, and that’s fine. You’re not alone. That’s why we have a comment section which often results in an illuminating and informative discussion that helps people even more.

Now that’s a generic response circumventing a direct question.  There is no process.

Doesn’t credibility matter when the writers you hire may not have relevant experience on the topic?  If it’s simply an opinion, say so.  I found it to be especially disappointing since Salary.com is a division of Kenexa — who has been around a long time and is a respectable staple in the HR tech world.

It’s impossible to know what the day-to-day management relationship is between Kenexa and Salary.com but from the outside looking in, Salary.com must be the  red-headed stepchild of Kenexa because I have no doubt that credibility matters to Kenexa.

Writers and subject matter experts are not synonymous.  It doesn’t even mean they have direct experience in what they’re writing about.  Do your own due diligence.

And if you’re a writer, please use credible sources; share your own experiences or state that you’re sharing your opinion.

It’s the right thing to do for readers.  My colleagues and I thank you in advance.  :)