The Spirit Of Transforming (TLNT Transform HR Conference)

During Ron Thomas's opening statements at TLNT Transform, he remarked that by virtue of attending this conference (in person or via online), we had become transformers. Because it was an HR conference, there was a further call for all of HR to transform. Though, this is easier than done.

The good people at TLNT, over the course of a two-day conference in Austin, Texas this week, attempted to transform the world of HR into a better industry. Despite the immediate moniker of transformer, I think transformation takes time. But one has to start somewhere. TLNT Transform with the best intent started off on the right foot in that direction.

Over the course of two days, Transform delivered a diverse cast of presenters and topics. On paper, this seemed quite ordinary. But presented in the quick pace of back-to-back sessions, created an environment of urgency, a call to immediate action, a compendium of several moving parts that needed to forge together to form the mythical Transformer of toy and movie fame. From there, it needed to save our world from the cross hairs we had stumbled into.

Despite the urgency, we still need to return to our organizations where the real transformation needs to occur. Here the efforts will be challenged. Here is where the transformation will require more diligence on our part to see it through. Here we are not machines. Here we are humans.

As I reflect on the highlights of the show for me, I think of several things I want to change. Some of the desired changes are of myself, my organization, the industry, and for future Transform conferences.

First The Highlights

Libby Sartain – “The New Consumer of Work”
Much like the tagline of this blog, Libby’s theme was it’s about the work; it’s no longer about the job. More people in the workforce are thinking less about who their next employer is, and more about what kind of work will they be doing. It’s because jobs are not as interesting as work.
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With that in mind, HR must transform into a different function. When searching for talent in this new work model, HR needs to focus on creating work experience instead of promoting jobs, differentiate between core work functions and jobs that can be done by non-employees instead of hiring all employees, focus on shorter time span of completing work instead of lifetime careers, focus on immediate engagement and productivity instead of engendering loyalty.

Tim Sackett – “What Your CEO Wished HR Would Do”
As a reader of Tim’s blog and writing with Fistful Of Talent, I first decided to not attend his session. I thought I had heard it all from Tim. But, because of other circumstances, I caught Tim’s session half-way into it. I’m pleased that I did.

I caught Tim presenting his “twelve step program in five steps”. I won’t explain each step. You can find more on that here. But all of the steps are easy to implement and essential. As an HR Director or CPO, your role is to direct your own department. Your organization and CEO’s role is to achieve business results. These steps will create the link between the two.

Billy Beane – “The Moneyball Approach to Talent Management”
Much has been written about the need for analytics and on how to communicate this effectively. Much as been written about Billy Beane and his enormous success in trusting numbers to win baseball games. There’s also a movie where he’s played by Brad Pitt. Even though, Mr. Beane doesn’t resemble a movie star, his story is nonetheless compelling.

The book and movie are called Moneyball. Even though it’s set around the work environment of professional baseball, the story could easily translate to any line of business. Creating hope that regression analysis is worthy and that it works requires patience and great communication skills.

I wondered though what the HR industry would be like if faced with the same type of scrutiny facing professional sports employees. Imagine every day the press reporting on your previous work day, and proclaim your genius when you succeed and your idiocy when you fail. Yuk.

Margaret Morford – “HR Fiddles While Organizations Burn”
Despite I heard this was not a new presentation, I was not familiar with Ms. Morford. After her presentation, I proclaimed on Twitter she was my new HR hero. Fast talking, blunt and unwavering her message was a strong proclamation for HR to carve out a role for themselves.

By being different in your thinking, ignoring fads (at least fully evaluate before fully adopting), get brave, develop talent & skills of creativity and inquisitiveness, get out of HR for awhile, and separate yourself from the pack, HR professionals increase their vitality and necessity.

My favorite takeaway was the question of how can we consider ourselves change agents, if only 31% of organizational leaders consider HR agile. It’s a clear sign our profession must change.

Joe Gerstandt and Jason Lauritsen (Talent Anarchy) – “On New Terrain: Social Gravity and the Future of HR”
I have had the pleasure of seeing Joe and Jason present in the past. Like great stage performers and stand-up comics, I never see Jason and Joe do the same performance twice. Plus, they never disappoint.

This time they were promoting their new book (Social Gravity) and their concept of the six laws of social gravity. Drawing on a great deal of sources for a comprehensive view on making connections and leveraging them for your social benefits, they present a compelling case for placing more value on “who you know.”

Gerry Ledford – “How Employee Engagement Can Pay Off, and Why It Often Doesn’t”
Following the energetic presentations of Margaret Morford and Talent Anarchy are hard acts to follow. But with the right amount of vim and vinegar, Mr. Ledford kept the transformative ball rolling as he set to dismantle what we think we know about employee engagement.

Being a big student of this topic, I found the presentation captivating from minute one. Thorough, comprehensive and convincing, I have more to say about this presentation in a future post.

Fran Melmed – “The Second-Generation Workplace Wellness Program”
and
Jennifer Benz – “3 Steps to Success: How Benefits Can Help Drive Your Strategic HR Transformation”
No. They did not present together. But presented consecutively their sessions closed out the conference. I am fortunate to have Fran as a friend. As much as I refuse to drink the wellness kool-aid, I look to Fran as the expert on how to make this work in organizations. I never do what she says. But after seeing her present for the first time, I have some distinct takeaways for my office. And Jennifer Benz drove all of Fran’s points home and pushed me into action mode.

My List Of Action Items, Final Thoughts and Suggestions.

• I hate using the word "rock star" to describe high performers. If you think about what rock stars actually do and how poorly some of them behave, it is not flattery.
• I don’t understand the notion of employees associating with a company brand. It makes employees sound like livestock. Personal branding on the other hand makes sense.
• I’m planning on doing more traveling this year for various conferences. I have to start taking better care of myself in terms of eating and exercise. I need personal wellness.
• I’ve reached the point where I’m learning less at conferences. I’m validating more about what I think are leading HR practices.
• Moderators should make it clear to panelists that it’s OK to disagree. The lack of dissent and different opinions is a let-down to the audience.
• If you’re an HR Director or CPO, tell your CEO you think he or she is doing a good job. If you think the staff think that also, tell the CEO that as well.
• At work, I have a couple of plans that I’m not asking permission to do. It’s my movie and I want it to win an Oscar.

Conclusion

That’s it for TLNT Transform. Next year, it will be in Fort Worth, Texas on April 3-4, 2013. If you have the means and the time, I highly recommend it. If it’s anything like this year, you’re guaranteed a high quality HR conference.

Personal thanks to John Hollon, Lance Haun and the TLNT crew for their work and hospitality. Special thanks to all the vendors for the food and the great conversations.

Drugs At Work

After weeks of dismissing the non-healing sores on my toes, I met with my doctor last week. Upon examination and evaluation, we are guessing the sores are ulcers caused by Raynaud's Disease. Raynaud's is a vasospastic disorder in which the capillaries in my hands and feet shut off blood flow. (Click the Wikipedia link here for pictures and more description.)

I've had the disease since the late 90's and it flares up generally when I'm cold. Oddly, it occurs more frequently in spring and autumn than it does in the winter. By winter, my body has adjusted and I have fewer attacks. Unfortunately the Northwest United States winter temperatures never went low enough for me. Thus, I had more attacks this year. Because of shoes I can't see the effect on my feet, and because lack of blood and oxygen cause skin damage, I developed sores and had to see my doctor.

This is not a sad story about my condition though. What is sad is that to lessen the frequency of attacks, I agreed to take a prescription drug. I prefer not to take medicine for anything because I always suffer from the side effects. The drug is Nifedipine and it's used to treat high blood pressure. It also has a huge number of side effects. In the first three days of taking it, I experienced achiness, light-headedness, tiredness, flushing of my skin on my face, hands, and toes, and as a result, difficulty in concentrating.

The worst part is I had to experience this while I was at work. Meetings, counseling, and directing require a clear head. It was not impossible to work. But I had to work hard to ignore the physical issues of the side effects. The good part though is that the body adjusts to these side effects, and I am starting to adjust.

I wonder though how it would be if the drug had lasting side effects. What if my concentration levels dropped too low to work? I’d have to choose between continuing the drug or possible skin damage. Not much of a choice.

And what about the millions of other workers around the country? Writing scripts for medication increases every year which means more and more people are presented with a choice. Take the drug— suffer the side effects—take another drug to counter-act the side effects—suffer the side effects from that drug and the interaction between these two drugs or—suffer from the original condition.

On the first day of using the drug, I announced my condition before a meeting with a colleague. After the meeting, my colleague told me, she would have never known the difference. I am feeling the same way after writing this post. Was there a difference in the quality of the writing? If you’re a regular reader, you may or may not have noticed any difference. But writing it was different. It took longer to write because my head is still cloudy at times. Writing requires the writer to capture words as they float through the brain. The clouds make it harder to capture them as they go by.

The one thought I captured is, considering what this drug is doing to me, and what drugs do to thousands of people every day, how effective can the workforce be?. Moreover, is our increasing use of drugs a major cause behind poor performance, poor behavior, poor management, and overall lack of quality and questionable work ethics?

Depending on the source of the statistic, the answer is speculative. If you ask I/O experts, they may say yes. If you ask the drug companies, they may say no. Based on my experience, it’s difficult to believe there is no effect. 

Some of the most unusual side effects from prescription drugs that can affect work performance are amnesia, hallucinations, depression, and anxiety. I wouldn’t recommend enhancing any of these if you were seeking my advice on improving the workforce. But what do I know? My head is in the cloud and I can’t concentrate very well. All I know is after last week, I wish I could just say no.

Here’s to tomorrow …

My Office Is Full Of Squirrels

Last week, I spoke with a young woman about her transitioning to a career in HR. She told me about her background in finance and I.T. She told me she was unhappy in both fields because of bureaucracy and the lack of altruism. She said she doesn't like people, but claims to not be a misanthrope. Also, she is part of the LGBT community and is searching for a compatible profession.

In kind, this is the wisdom I imparted onto her:

• Your background in finance and I.T. are valuable skills for success in HR. When applying for entry level HR jobs, accentuate these skills.

• There can be bureaucracy and lack of altruism in HR. Ironically, working in HR can provide opportunities to recognize, understand and rectify both.

• The first rule of working in HR is you don't have to like people. The second rule of working in HR is you don't have to like people.* During our conversation, she said she wants to help people in the organization to do their work better. That is the third rule. I also told her that the first two rules are difficult for some non-HR people to understand. They expect us to like people.

• One of the best jobs for the LGBT community are jobs in HR. At birth, I believe there is an assumption by most parents that their child is straight. Growing up under those circumstances in a straight-couple home can be strange and uncomfortable. If sexual orientation is genetic, and the environment is not reflective or understanding, by the time one is their teens, they've experienced something unusual. Experiencing, and subsequently understanding and accepting unusual is to experience, understand and accept people. Everyone's life is unusual. Great HR professionals always remember this. Because the LGBT community has a propensity to have unusual experiences, it's always easier for us to remember this.

Later in the day, I thought of something else I should have said. After my HR colleague was quasi-scolding me for forgetting something, and looking at the messy pile of work spread across my desk, I made the excuse that I was distracted by another bright shiny object. Then I quickly said, "Squirrel!"**



Even though I'm on an HR Mission, I realize by my messy pile of work, my unanswered emails and phone calls, I'm easily distracted. I'm easily distracted by squirrels. Sometimes I pull my attention back to the matter at hand. Sometimes I chase after them. Sometimes, there are too many to chase so I ignore them. Sometimes, there are so many in my office at one time, they look like one giant squirrel.

So my last piece of advice for the upcoming HR professional is despite the advances of your mission and the certainty of your map, you can always count on squirrels. Get used to them now. Because on some days, your office is going to be full of them.


*sly allusion to the book and movie, "Fight Club." **alluding to the movie scene in "Up"

It's A Public Affair

This is a difficult story to tell. It's difficult because it's about a mistake that I made and I'm too embarrassed to reveal all of the details. Therefore, I'm going to be intentionally vague.

The mistake occurred at work. It was not scandalous or bad enough to warrant a reprimand. But it angered several employees, who in turn expressed their anger verbally and in writing.

While discussing the circumstances with another employee who had a similar incident recently, it was supposed that I was viewed as cold and heartless, and perhaps focusing only on the organization and not the individual.

OK. Wait a minute. What? One of my actions garnered disapproval which begat judgement that I was callous? Seriously? I'm one of the most empathetic people I have ever met.

But actions speak louder than words. As I looked back over the past couple of weeks, I replayed in my head several damning conversations I'd had. Similar to a movie scene when the protagonist has a series of quick flashbacks, and he or she realizes they're the werewolf killing the town folk, I too had my moment of clarity.

This clarity led me down the hall to our Public Affairs Director. Fortunately she understood my dilemma. Unfortunately, she had thought my action was a problem and did not intercede. Frankly she explained that because I was new in the position she was unsure if I would be respondent.

Never one to invite bad publicity or wish to have my department seen in a bad light, I instantly made a pact. If she believes I'm headed down the path of creating a bad image, she will take a proactive stance. If I recognize my circumstances require better communication skills, I will seek her counsel.

I apologize if this post has been too vague for your liking. But just as some things require more explanation, some things are better left unsaid. Deciding which choice to make is not always clear. That's when you call in the professionals. That's when you call in Public Affairs.

If you haven't already, create a pact with Public Affairs. As Plato said, "the price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." Even if you're not evil, without Public Affairs, people will think you are.

TLNT Transforms This Land Of Confusion

How many of you folks have never heard of TLNT?

If you haven't, TLNT is, in their own words, "an HR blog about the business of HR, with news, insight, and topical information from experts and thought leaders in HR, talent management, and all areas related to HR and managing a workforce."

If you have heard of them, you know they produce five to six articles a day of timely, thought-provoking HR-related content.

Also, if you have heard of them, you know they are taking their blistering efforts to change the HR landscape on the road, and putting together a full-fledged conference. Their conference is called Transform and will be in Austin, Texas February 26-28.


There are many great things to be said about Transform. The first four have already been mentioned by my blogging brother-in-arms, Matt Stollack, on his blog, TrueFaithHR:

"1.  Billy Beane is the keynote speaker.  As any pop culture HR aficionado knows, Billy Beane was the inspiration for Michael Lewis' book, "Moneyball." Not only did it inspire a thousand HR blog posts (see here and here, for example) about how to value talent, but the book was turned into a mutli-Oscar-nominated movie.  You will be able to hear about talent directly from the source.  Billy Beane will be must-see viewing.
2.  The agenda is fantastic.  Not a hole in the schedule that will draw you away to visit the sites in Austin.  The speaker list is strong and varied, including such talent luminaries as Tim Sackett, Libby Sartain, Dawn Hrdlica-Burke, Kimberly Roden, Laurie Ruettimann, and the men behind Talent Anarchy (Joe Gerstandt and Jason Lauritsen).
3.  Did I mention it was in Austin?  Living in the Midwest, Austin will provide a welcome respite from the cold February weather and bring some good BBQ and HR conversation.
4.  You can earn recertification credits with the HRCI."

But not one to completely co-op, I have a few points of my own:

5. One of the most respected names in the health wellness field, Fran Melmed, is presenting. Make no mistake, even if you're a die-hard wellness cynic like me, Fran will leave you with new ideas to your approach to wellness.

6. Laurie Bassi, co-author of Good Company: Business Success in the Worthiness Era. I saw Laurie co-present with the father of HR Metrics, Jac Fritz-enz at last year's HR Technology Conference. Laurie makes a compelling case for how doing the right thing in business supports the bottom line.

7. Eric Meyer. Don't get me wrong, I love my attorneys from Saul Ewing. But if I was ever without them, my first phone call would be to Eric. Eric does the impossible. He writes a blog, The Employer Handbook, on employment law that is fun to read, and is dead-on informative, and that is the type of HR attorney I want in my corner.  Eric is leading the panel on Social Media in the WorkPlace.

8. There is no half-stepping with this conference. TLNT has been gaining more and more attention as a blog with integrity and the gumption they can change the world. That is why when they asked me to blog for their conference, I said yes immediately. If you're a regular reader here, you know I lack patience for bad HR practices, unchecked management, and destructive workplaces.

You also know it doesn't have to be this way. We can choose a better workplace. We can create businesses that are steadfast and true. We can sort through this land of confusion. We can come together, listen, talk, and go back to our respective businesses and take action. Transform is the first conference of the season. So take advantage and make the first steps toward this in Austin.

"This is the world we live in. These are the hands we're given. Use them and let's start trying to make it a place worth living in." Register here.

You Give HR A Bad Name

It starts with a minor liberty. On the surface, it seems innocent enough. Perhaps no one will notice the indiscretion. There is no guarantee though. What if you're wrong? What if someone does notice?

There is no accounting for what people will think or feel regarding your action. But why take the chance? Is the indiscretion worth the possible damage to your reputation? Is it worth the possible damage to the HR field?

And this is what it all boils down to ...

I've been writing this blog for over two years. I have covered many HR/business-related topics and occasionally I wonder why I still do it. But then I read an article about another HR screw-up that could have been prevented. Or I talk to someone who tells me another story about a friend or relative that's getting screwed over by their HR department. Then I remember why.

The latest story I heard was from an acquaintance whose wife was discouraged from taking FMLA leave. Her company fills all the requirements for offering FMLA and the policy is in the Employee Manual. However, the Human Resource department—behind closed doors— discourages all employees from taking more than two weeks for any reason. Apparently, employees are told taking more than two weeks will be "bad for their career."

When I hear bullshit like this, I want to don some tights and a cape, paint an S and an H and R on my chest, fly into that business, and bring these evil doers to justice. But the only super-power I have is the metaphorical paper and pen. It is my only means to demonstrate my HR activism.

It also appears that my work will never be done. There have been enough bad HR practices and enough people who have experienced it. Add the fact that people don't stay in the same job forever and therefore experience bad HR practices in several work places. This equals an overall distrust in HR and creates the inability for employees to recognize good HR.

I know in HR there are many balls in the air to juggle at any one point in time. You have that hard-to-fill job vacancy—those ever-increasing health insurance costs—the manager who needs an edit button when speaking­—the employee who's mad about not getting a raise, telling everyone on Facebook that you eat poop­—the notion that every employee needs training for everything—the possibility that you have to release a new hire because they cannot provide documents for their I-9—and the employee that keeps giving you a new phone number every couple of weeks because someone keeps stealing their cell phone.

Couple this with understanding the nuances of operations, budget and IT, and you have a full plate. Add the desert of your responsibility to maintain confidentiality, and you have full course meal that you have to eat alone and clean up afterwards.

I understand these difficulties and their value. I also understand HR cannot take these responsibilities for granted. Even though it may be more enjoyable to only look at big picture issues and pontificate in strategy meetings, it truly is the small stuff you should sweat. If HR wants to maintain credibility and maintain a good image, HR must act with the utmost integrity. HR has to give itself a good name.

Because sometimes we learn more when we focus on what should not be done, here is a short list of how one gives HR a bad name...

1. Spreading gossip or protected health information about employees.
2. When the only reason you can give is, "Because I said so."
3. Create inequity by giving your work friends preferable treatment.
4. Break policies that you've enforced on others.
5. Having limited knowledge of employment law.
6. Lie to save your ass.

It's all of our responsibilities to push for integrity in our field, to act as activists, and to create better workplaces. Add to the list on how one gives HR a bad name and let's put an end to bad HR.

While you're thinking and writing, kick it with some Bon Jovi.
And good luck out there.