Very early in my career I was working on a team project that had fairly broad implications for my firm. There were seven of us in total and we typically convened via phone two to three times a week. We began with a quick roll call, and without fail you would hear this long, drawn-out, exhausted sigh from Wendy.
Most of us cannot wait to wash our hands of 2008 - It was a tumultuous, emotional, surprising and bitter year for so many. But scrub as we might, it’s going to be difficult to remove the stains of fear, uncertainty and doubt from our collective conscious. So perhaps it’s foolhardy to continue with the Inflexion Point tradition of predicting the major HR trends for the coming year. But come on, what fool doesn’t love the idea of doing the same thing again and again while hoping for different results? 
I’ll try and make this short and sweet so you can get back to your last minute shopping, final projects, emails, 2009 strategic plans and holiday travel.
2008 has been a very good year and I simply wanted to say “Thanks!” It is you, our wonderful clients, readers, friends and industry colleagues who have made this blog and our little consulting company a success.
As we prepare to blow out the candles for 2008, I find this is always a good time for reflection. What would I have done differently? How did I perform relative to my own standards or those of my peers/friends/family/employer? Did I learn from both my mistakes and my successes, vowing never to repeat the former while always improving the latter?
Last December I was bold enough to gaze into my foggy crystal ball and prognosticate on the future of our HR industry. Well it’s time to assess my performance and take my lumps where appropriate. I don’t consider myself dim, but this bulb did not shine as brightly as I would have hoped.
In our noisy little industry it’s sometimes difficult to assess the good from the God-awful. Here are a few fun, insightful (or incite full) items that will fill up your sad and empty HR stockings:
- Toby’s Support Group - Head on over to The Office and share some of your HR nightmares with Toby. If they’re good, he may break confidentiality and post them on the NBC website.
- Out of Office Advice - Resident punk Laurie Ruettimann tells her readers that out of office messages are for one thing only (namely to convey who can help in your absence). Enjoy the rebel yell.
- “Regulators!” - Research warns that many “highly regulated industries report no code of conduct”. I can think of one governor and one former Nasdaq chairman that might agree.
- Blue Blood, Red Face - The venerable Harvard allows the “Top 10 Ways Obama Can Change American Culture” to get online. The most offensive? It’s difficult to choose, but maybe, “#8, Kansas will go cosmopolitan and develop children like Obama’s mother, with curiosity about other countries.”
- Sick of Sick Time - HR Wench takes the temperature on PTO in her post “Thank you for not being sick.” Jenn responds to a reader’s email with her typical no-BS style.
- Still Can’t Get No Respect - With apologies to Rodney Dangerfield, a recent study shows that HR executives still don’t get C-suite respect. What? You’re shocked? C’mon. Really?
Revel in these goodies while I continue to fight the head cold from hell. Be sure to post your own stocking stuffers for others to enjoy and let’s keep the (congested) conversation going.
Chances are good that you know someone who has been fired recently. Chances are even better that you know someone who hasn’t (hopefully you can check the mirror on this one). But reality is that those who still stand are deathly afraid that the hammer will fall. The good news is this - the un-fired still outnumber the fired! So how do you rally the troops when bad news is all around?
My answer? A really good YouTube clip. The creative folks at Overthinking It put together a two minute video which contains 40 of the big screen’s most inspirational movie speeches. Said Matthew Belinkie about the video:
“So way back in April, I first had the idea of editing together inspirational speeches. Since then, the Dow has dropped 3,000 points and one million jobs have been lost. The people of the United States are now a ragtag bunch of scruffy underdogs, down by three touchdowns at halftime, with a whole horde of orcs waiting for us right outside those locker room doors. Inspiration has become something we need.”
Way to go dude! So get frickin’ fired up here people and enjoy the show. When your heart is racing and you’re ready to go to battle, apply that crusher attitude to something you care about. Only after you’ve stopped foaming at the mouth will we try to keep the conversation going.
As he last recalled driving to work that fateful day, the Dow was trading at ~13,500, gas was about $3.00/gallon and rising, Clinton was leading Obama and Guiliani had a “virtual lock” on the Republican ticket. He was turning up the volume on NPR’s Morning Edition when tires squealed, the airbag deployed and then ….stillness.
Twelve months passed. Darkness and quiet. Then a flickering of light. Miracle of miracles, he began to stir. Groggy, confused, disoriented ….awake. ”What do you mean it’s been a year??”, he asked in disbelief. His voice was scratchy and head was pulsing. He realized it’s time to catch up with the rest of the world.
A lot can happen in a year. He was told the market has been sliding and we’re in a recession. Gas skyrocketed and now is under $2.00 a gallon. And the presidential race? That’s right, Barack Obama is moving into 1600 Penn. People are panicky, corporations are doing massive layoffs and the ratio of tears to smiles is at least 50:1.
As he began to rekindle relationships, most were awed by his easy smile and relaxed demeanor. To be truthful, it made them a bit uncomfortable. A good friend finally mustered the courage to convey that his sense of calm was “making the rest of us feel a bit uneasy. We’re going through rough times man.” ’Uneasy’? This confuses him, because what his friends don’t realize is that he’s simply grateful to:
- Be alive.
- Have food, shelter and clean water.
- Have friends and family.
- Be part of a community.
- Live in the United States.
- Cheer, laugh and smile!
This isn’t some BS story I wrote as a parable for how we should act and feel. This is a true story of a man I met yesterday afternoon during a delayed flight home.
He woke up about a month ago and is now on his way to Paris as part of a round-the-world trip he was taking, “even if it costs every last cent I have.” While other passengers were rushing about and grumpily muttering about the mechanical delay, he had his hands behind his head, his seat leaned back and a grin on his face. We started chatting and spent the better part of an hour with one another. It’s not an exaggeration to say I’m a changed person because of it.
Looking at the world through his eyes was enlightening. He told me that his priorities became “crystal clear” as a result of this experience. Prior to the accident, he was an assembly manager for a well known food manufacturer. He said he wasn’t especially well liked, and that included his wife (who, incidentally, left him for another man while he was in the coma). He had struggled to keep it all together. And now his outlook was completely different:
“For all the negative crap that dominates our daily existence, it’s helpful to step back and simply be grateful for some of the things we still have. It doesn’t have to be big to have meaning. So just find it, hold it precious and breathe.” (His smile glowed as he said this.)
I can’t help but think about this man and his new lease on life. It’s difficult at times, but I’m going to try and heed his advice. So let’s all take a deep breath, exhale, smile, and keep the conversation going.
Angel Echevarria is nineteen years old. Unlike his peers, Angel doesn’t listen to rap music or hip-hop but instead prefers contemporary salsa and Latin jazz. But like most kids, he looks uncomfortable in a suit and tie and generally comes across as shy and soft spoken in public. This is, of course, until he sits down in front of a piano.
It hasn’t quite been “all the live-long day”, but lately I’ve been riding Amtrak up and down the East Coast as an alternative to flying. In general I find it comfortable, relaxing and a very pleasing way to travel. You can plug in your cellphone or laptop, stroll to the cafe car for a coffee and pasty, and generally work/play/sleep as you see fit. However, there is one thing about riding the rails that I’ve found quite surprising - passengers engage in ridiculously loud and highly confidential cell phone conversations for all to hear!
Let me offer just a few examples:
- “Jack” coos sweet nothings to a woman in NYC for ten minutes, reassuring her that they’ll be together again soon. Another call comes in, he curses, quickly wraps up with his lady friend and then flashes over to talk to his wife about their severely ill child. ”Tell him Daddy’s on his way home and will be at the hospital soon.” How about telling him Daddy has been having an affair in New York while he’s struggling with his respirator.
- “Nancy” sits with a colleague and reviews the terms and conditions of a hostile takeover of an extremely large publicly traded company (I’ll keep the name private here but she managed to scream it out ~100 times). She then dials into a conference call with the board of the takeover target and begins to verbally discuss issue after issue that this firm is struggling with. It’s a public beating. I’m sure Nancy’s non-disclosure agreement didn’t control for a trainload of strangers, some of whom just might know how to place on online stock trade.
- “Henry” is an Army Lieutenant on his way to a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. According to his call, Henry has a boyfriend. This is not a problem in my book. What is a problem is discussing your past missions, where you’re headed, what you’re doing, who you’re meeting with and where you’ll be deployed next for a “highly covert operation”. Covert Henry? The seven-year-old next me even rolled her eyes in disappointment at that one.
So here’s the deal people. If you have a very important call to take or are dealing with sensitive information of any kind, please do the world a favor and find a quiet and secure place to chat. I know this issue isn’t limited to trains, but if I were in the blackmailing business I would ride the Acela from Boston to DC once a week to fill my quota. Take this one piece of advice or please keep thy information spewing pie hole closed. The rest of us thank you in advance for your cooperation. Let’s keep the (quiet) conversation going.
Good for you… you’ve gotten past the title and decided to read on. And yes, it has been one of those Mondays. Let’s take a peek behind the curtain to see how today’s story has been playing out:
- SCENE BEGINS IN THE OFFICE OF INFLEXION ADVISORS, WASHINGTON, DC. IT’S THE FIRST MONDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY AND MARK IS DRINKING RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF COFFEE.
- *phone rings*
I’m one of those guys who is a very big fan of Thanksgiving dinner. I like to help with the menu, the shopping, the preparation and the presentation. I enjoy the noise of a football game in the background and sneak peeks at the TV for a quick cheer and scream. And once the table is set, the wine is poured, toasts are made and the plates start to pass, I relax in the knowledge that an avalanche of near-death caloric intake is about to be unleashed.
Over the course of this week I had the opportunity to visit with a wide variety of executives. They ranged from leaders of multi-billion dollar enterprises to emerging entrepreneurs. What struck me most was the polarization of attitudes across two distinct camps, namely the “sea monkeys” versus the “seahorses”.
Monkey Sea, Monkey Do
On Saturday I discovered that I was “it”. You know, “it”, as in the game of tag from when we were children. Apparently there is a rousing game of HR blog tag going round and Jessica Lee of Fistful of Talent fame got me. Nice work Jessica.
And what does being “it” mean exactly? Among other things, it means that I need to tell my readers seven things they don’t already know about me. So strap yourselves in as I open the top secret dossier:
Sure, it’s the HR Carnival, but maybe you’re not in the mood for cotton candy and a giant stuffed prize. Check out this month’s Carnival - hosted by Ask A Manager - for some sound advice from 26 top HR bloggers, including:
“Wall Bock at Three Star Leadership asks what kind of working environment you create, and says that individual worker engagement is important, but engagement and productivity can change dramatically when a person is placed in a different environment.
Totally Consumed asks whether your employees trust the HR department and gives three principles to help get an HR department on track.
Prasad Kurian at Simplicity at the Other Side of Complexity says that when we are faced with situations that are radically different from the norm, we might need responses that look very different too.”
Enjoy the sugar rush and let’s keep the conversation going.
My day has consisted of endless conversations with those who are at a crossroads. For some it was an unexpected pink slip upon return from a long weekend. For others it’s the heart wrenching decision to lay off staff in order to keep their business alive. And for others it’s a question of whether they raid the college fund in order to pay their mortgage and grocery bills.
When I first became a manager I made countless mistakes. These often bordered on cataclysmic disasters with possibly devastating results for myself, my team and my employer. Fortunately I was able to dodge a few bullets and live to tell the tale. But in looking back, I wish that someone - ANYONE - would have taken the time to teach me how to be a better manager.
Sure, you pride yourself on separating paper from plastic while dragging blue canisters to the curb on Tuesdays. Or perhaps you once attended a Green Festival with your environmentally conscious niece and walked away with a bag you can reuse for groceries (but always forget in the car). Or maybe, just maybe, you convinced your company to put recycling bins in the break room so that all the empty water bottles could be reincarnated as an apron, carpet or bicycle rack.
I’m not sure about you, but I’m exhausted and elated. Over two years of campaigning, fundraising, commercials, robo-calls, debates, discussions, predictions and outright hatred have come to a close… or have they? Regardless of how you voted, most agree that the real work lies ahead.
So as leaders, what lessons can we take away from the election? Here are five to consider:
As you’ve already heard from every pundit, 24-hour news network, morning show, publication and podcast, the next two days are going to make history. And as you’ve likely surmised, citizens of our great nation are extremely anxious about the outcome, no matter which candidate you support. So as organizations and employers, it is our duty and responsibility to encourage employees to participate in our democratic process and exercise their right to vote. Which begs the question - Are you encouraging employees to vote?
According to John Phillips, blogger/lawyer from The Word on Employment Law:
“Most states require employers to provide time for employees to vote on election day. While these laws vary in each state, they generally require employers to give employees time off to vote if the polls aren’t open two or three hours outside of the employee’s regular shift. Some of these states require that employers pay employees for time off while they are voting. Some states require employees to request time off from their employers in advance.”
Many employers were hoping that early and absentee voting might prevent a major disruption to business on November 4th. Despite these concerns, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that organizations such as Coca-Cola, Home Depot and Atlanta Gas Light Company are encouraging employees to vote and use their best judgment for time and place.
The most innovative initiative I’ve found is The Vote Hour Project, an idea born from one person’s email to Google CEO Eric Schmidt asking him to record a message encouraging employees to get out and vote. 40+ other CEOs followed in kind, ranging from Tim Flynn of KPMG to Donald Trump. Check out their website if you need examples to work from.
So why is this so important? The US Census Bureau found that in the 2004 Presidential Election, the number one reason cited for not voting was that people were “too busy” and had conflicting work schedules. Your encouragement can make all the difference, so whether it’s via an internal email, a video or simply word of mouth, let’s do everything in our power to enable employees to exercise their rights as citizens and vote in tomorrow’s election. It’s our duty to keep the conversation (and encouragement) going.
Most of us have been there at one time or another. You’re driving to work in a ridiculous get-up that somehow seemed cool or innovative at home. A little voice screams “Turn around fool!” as the woman in the car next to you shakes her head in dismay. What if no one else dresses up? What was I thinking? Maybe I should call in sick…..ugh.
Employees either truly love or absolutely despise Halloween. I remember so many years of company-endorsed Halloween skits, events and costume contests (all excuses to drink on site, I might add) that my synapses struggle to fire without candy corn shooting out of my mouth. We usually had fun, were hugely inappropriate, inevitably offended others and wrote it all off under the clause of “good clean fun”.
After all this time, I’ve found that nearly all employees fall into one of five types on All Hallows Eve:
- Themed Groups: They spent six weeks of planning in hushed rooms. Hysterical laughter rings through the halls and they are convinced that their idea is “unbelievably cool” and everyone will be “blown away” upon the great unveiling. Tendencies include a desire to have a musical entrance, skit or dance routine. There are usually too many inside jokes and the audience is left disappointed. What a tremendous waste of time.
- The Closet Creative: Although Jan works in accounts payable, this is the one time of year when she can show off the results of her 12-week paper mache and painting course. Her excruciating attention to detail allows that smirk of pride to emerge from her partially masked face with a “Look at me, I know more than Excel!” sort of way. Enjoy it Jan, because on Monday it’s back to the salt mines.
- The Anti-Costume: Not fully dismissive, these employees choose mockery and sarcasm, often dressing as their coworkers, themselves, or difficult (yet memorable) clients. Their day flows by with quasi-indifference and smug responses such as, “What, don’t you get it?” or “The store didn’t have an idiot mask or I would have dressed as you.” Their anger keeps them warm yet they still eat cake with the rest of ‘em.
- The Overzealous Executive: Channeling Michael Scott, these mid-level crazies overspend on a costume and then spend the next eight hours running around like hyper-hypos trying to “rally the troops” and get everyone “in the spirit”. Puns, forced laughter and the inevitable digital camera are their weapons of choice. They can be found rocking in the corner of the Halloween party with chocolate on their face and a bed of empty candy wrappers.
- I Refuse to Participate: More and more are falling into this category and the reasoning is quite logical. This includes - a) “You can’t force me to dress up!”; b) “I have an allergy to flame-retardant fibers.”; c) “We are running a business not a fun house.”; and my all-time favorite, “You look like an idiot. Take that ridiculous thing off and get back to work!” They also turn off their front porch light and unplug their doorbell. Trick or treat, you ask? Fools….
I’m sure I’ve forgotten so many others so please tell me, which type of Halloween employee are you? Best of luck surviving the day and let’s keep the conversation going.
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