Why HR Should Be Leading the Way in Social Leadership

I had a big "ah-ha" recently that compels me to write this post. I'll start with the light bulb thought.

HR professionals have substantial opportunities to generate enhanced value, that can significantly impact their careers and companies in ways they may not be aware.

Ok, that may not sound very profound and some reading may say, "Yeah, yeah we already know that." But it became an important "ah-ha" after experiencing a series of recent events that punched up this point. (By the way this is an example of the process and result of creative thinking).

Event #1: Earlier this year, I was interviewed by Ben Slater of Beamery on the topic of recruiting as marketing - Recruitment Marketing: Important or Illusion? The Complete Expert Review. Seeing some human resource activities as marketing activities is a useful and evolving trend. Approaching it that way, I believe is very helpful in achieving better results.

Key thought: HR professionals are marketers

Event #2: I was asked to conduct a series of webinars underwritten by the fabulous card company MOO regarding employee advocacy, which I referenced in a previous post - Need A Fresh Approach to Employee Engagement?  Conducted for SHRM, that webinar was created through the lens of enhancing the role of HR and titled, The New Face of HR: Are You Ready for Employee Advocacy?.

The 2nd webinar on employee advocacy, delivered for HR.com, was from the point of view employee engagement.

If you're not familiar with employee advocacy, it is employees championing their company's product or service with their authentic voice through social media.

Key thought: HR professionals can impact marketing and elements of marketing such as branding though employee advocacy.

Event #3: I participate in a weekly Tweetchat conducted by the great guys from Switch & Shift, Shawn Murphy and Mark Babitt called Social Leader (#SocialLeader). Last night we were talking about how to get key leaders in an organization to become more social and see the advantages of doing so. This is where I chimed in, "This is where HR can play a meaningful role!"

...and that's the moment when all the dots connected and this surge of conviction welled up in me...

Key thought: HR professionals need to be leading the way in being Social Leaders. We need to be skilled and expert at knowing its value and use.

For all the reasons presented in the webinars and interview, it's a logical, important conclusion. 

One final connecting piece. I am part of the IBM Influencer-Futurist program representing talent management in the New Way to Work category (#Newwaytowork). We look at and for trends that impact workplaces now and into the future, all of which directly impacts human resources.  Social media is definitely one and yet many are still resistant to. It is the key thread through all the themes referenced above.

HR professionals as social leaders really is a "new way to work."  

Tweet: HR professionals as social leaders really is a "new way to work." http://ctt.ec/504XW+

As a fellow colleague, I encourage you to give thoughtful consideration to what this means for you. I recommend the following action items as well as taking the time to answer the questions.
> Check out the replays of the webinars.
> Study up on the themes presented.
> What does your LinkedIn account look like--appropriately representative of you and your company?
> Are you sharing your expertise?
> What does your digital footprint look like?
> What does it say about you as a social leader?
> What are the collective advantages of being, becoming one?
> In fact, do you need and want to become one?

My answer -- it is to your professional advantage to say, "Yes!"
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Learn More About How We Can Help You Improve Your: Leadership, Management, Operations, Profits

> Read our case studies in detail,  I recommend 2 of our latest executive briefings: 

> Show Me The Money! Solving the Mystery of ROI to Unlock Profits & Increase Company Value - click here to access This is one of the best, easy to read discussions on how to connect human behavior to profits (a critical knowledge point for all leaders).

> I've Been Around the Block a Few Times: Let me Save You a Few Trips and Some Money Along the Way (my 20th anniversary briefing of insights and advice, which includes my top 6 business building tips through the lens of leveraging the human element) - click here for a complimentary digital copy.

Both are full of unique business building strategies and concepts that have proven to impact any company's P/L. Want to improve your people management? Want to generate operational improvement? You'll want to get both!

 Schedule a complimentary advisory call and receive a copy of our latest executive briefing.

// The Human Sphere™ is a holistic business growth consultancy that partners with forward-thinking senior leaders to bridge the knowledge gap in connecting people, performance, and profits. We focus on better business building by helping leaders understand and leverage human behavior. This knowledge gap is the most significant reason for operational problems.

// email: joann@thehumansphere.com // Ph: 888.388.0565 //

 Schedule a complimentary advisory call and receive a copy of our latest executive briefing.

Is It Time For A Professional Reboot?

In just about a week, I will be conducting a mega-sesssion at SHRM 2015, Las Vegas. I'm so honored and excited to be speaking before such a large group of peers because I have a very important message to share and it begins with the question, "Is it time for a professional reboot?"

We all need one now and then. Companies need them and professional associations need them. In my professional arena, both ASTD (now ATD - Association for Talent Development vs. American Society for Training & Development) and NSA (National Speakers Association) either have done so or are in the process of doing so.  SHRM decided to retool their certification process.  Each felt compelled to assess where they've come from, where they are now and how that fits with current needs and challenges within their industry and those they serve.  Change seems to be everywhere.

That suggests that the needs of the marketplace have changed and is therefore requiring something different from us. When that happens new skills, capabilities and competencies must develop.  I can say this is true in any profession.  

I believe and can see as a talent management specialist, what's required of us professionally is definitely evolving. To stay professionally relevant, we need to keep up!  This message is for everyone. However, I'd like to particularly direct it to my fellow HR professionals. I am seeing that in some cases we are not keeping up the needs of the marketplace. In fact how we see and handle our role might be a bit dated. 

One of the steps in rebooting is examining how we see ourselves. This is an essential step because how we see ourselves is how we will behave or perform. I feel it's imperative in staying professionally relevant that we, from this point forward, see ourselves differently -- in fact, update our view of ourselves.

In my view, we in this profession have an overarching role as talent management leaders and under that umbrella have more specific responsibilities depending our company's needs. If we don't see ourselves from that broader perspective, we will be stuck ten or twenty years back as administrators of personnel vs. leaders of talent management -- see the difference?

We and our companies need so much more than administration skill! Yes, your companies need it also. Truth be told many leaders of organizations don't know how you should see yourself -- what you should call yourself. All they know is what they need from you. They don't know who you should be. Don't leave that to them, that's for you to determine in service to them and to your career management.

For your professional growth and the growth of your company, I invite you to consider a professional reboot! My session at SHRM, Las Vegas will give you a jumpstart! 

Session Title: The Ripple Effect - The Power of Your Personal Brand in HR - Monday 4:00 pm.

If you're not attending SHRM, I recommend my recently released book 15 Shifts - The Essential Guide to Transform Your Talent Management. It's a book you can share with other key decision-makers no matter their title.

So, in answer to the question, "Is it time for a professional reboot?", the answer is a resounding yes! And it can simply begin with evaluating these elements: 

1). Where have I come from?

2). Where am I now?

3). How does that fit with current needs and challenges within my industry and those I serve, through the lens of talent management?

4). Do I see myself as a manager of talent - why or why not?

In considering your reboot, you may want to view the video of ATD's President explaining ASTD's rebranding. Go here

Also consider ongoing support by subscribing to my monthly leadership/ executive e-brief Talent Talk for those committed to being effective talent management practitioners - Click here to learn more

Wishing you great success!

JoAnn

Is It Time To Shut Down Your Job Postings? -- Zappos Did!

https://twitter.com/Rockne808

Learn more about it - listen to my podchat with Zappos recruiter, Rockne Henriques. 

Listen here:

If you are a HR professional of any kind, you may have heard the recent news that Zappos is continuing to set the pace in demonstrating creative practices in cultivating a "human" centric culture (and for some of us set the pace means stretching our sensibilities in creating and running a company). This time it's in the area of recruiting.

According to the Wall Street Journal, they have "zapped" their job board and launched a new way of seeking out and attracting talent with a social recruiting strategy.  Here is the link to the full article: 

Zappos Zaps Its Job Postings

Online Shoe Retailer Creates Social-Media Network to Evaluate Potential Hires

It just so happened that I'd already had in my interview pipeline for my Thought Leader 3.0 Podchat series one of Zappos' recruiters and was so excited about the timing of the article and the opportunity to talk with a "Zappos Insider" (that's what they call potential candidates who join the social community to learn more about the Zappos way).  The interview was a fascinating insight into Zappos' practices surrounding: 

• job descriptions
• performance management
• using pre-hire assessments (funny reaction to that question)
• raises
• culture
• and the new (what I call) social hiring initiative and strategy

Rockne was great to interview and even during our interview there were tours and noise in the background -- all real time and authentic. You can hear his passion for the Zappos' way and his story is a testament to the culture and business philosophy of long time CEO, Tony Hsieh. (By the way, if you've not read Tony's book Delivering Happiness - it's a must read. It's the inspiring story of Zappos and his personal journey as a business owner and leader).

Thanks Rocknee for a really fun time! Feel free to show Rocknee some love - @Rockne808  | This podchat is also available on iTunes

Also learn more detail from Michael Bailin, Sr. HR Mgr.: http://www.ere.net/2014/05/22/what-no-job-postings/

Promoting Happiness For Holistic Talent Management

I absolutely love my company brand - The Human Sphere. It reflects the scope of who I am and what I want to offer to clients.  Also, I believe due to this approach, it will help them increase their profits and retain their best. To sum it up -- it's all about holistic talent management.

To me, helping a company make money is helping employees be willing to do all that they can and be their best human selves. My business mantra is, "When we are at our best human selves, we will create our best businesses." 

Part of that outcome begins with any leader of a company, which of course includes my fellow HR colleagues. So on a personal note, I'd like to suggest that each leader take a look at who they are and their relationship to themselves and in that my hope is that you are happy with what you see.  In essence, I hope you're happy.

I have determined that my happiness and my ability to mange it impacts the people around me.  And as a leader, I know that translates in what I do and my interaction with others. In my desire to impact our world for the good, I know that my happiness plays a part in that.

In the spirit of "holistic talent management" I believe our sense of well being plays a part in all we do including our professional capabilities and success. And that, ripples out to those around us.

So I offer to you a post from my colleague and dear friend Alan Allard along with a resource for exploring and working with the subject of happiness - particularly through the lens of being a leader and HR professional. In my view -- happiness is a human resource.

Here is Alan's Post and a link to the interview podchat I did with him -- totally worth your time to listen to!

Podchat: http://joanncorleyspeaks.blogspot.com/2013/09/happiness-human-resource.html

Do you wake up in the morning excited about the day ahead? What about when you look into the future a year from now (or beyond)--can you say your vision is like a powerful magnet drawing you towards it? 

The fact is, while most of us "like" our work and overall life, few of us are really living from a clear vision, purpose and a sense of deep happiness. If we just look at work, I would say most of us are "okay" with what we do for a living--but how many of us are really loving it?

In my book Seven Secrets to Enlightened Happiness! Living the Life You Were Meant to Live, I take a look at seven factors that we can tap into to increase our happiness in every area of life: 

• Your Perspective Creates Your Reality
• Your Vision Is Your Blueprint For Your Future
• Master Your Self-talk, Master Your Life
• Self-confidence Rocks
• There Is No Substitute For Self-love
• Gratitude Is the Great Happiness Multiplier
• Action Fuels Your Happiness

Last week I talked to four people who liked their jobs but who clearly weren't excited about them. Each one was doing well at work in terms of salary and position -- and each one rated their happiness at work at a seven. Not terrible of course -- but certainly nothing to jump up and down about.

And that's why all four felt "stuck" in their jobs--they weren't unhappy enough to seriously consider leaving--but they certainly weren't excited about their careers. We could look at other areas of their lives, but if this was the only area we looked at, this is tragic. We spend an incredible amount of our lives at work; time we can never get back.

What keeps us in a "job," relationship, financial situation or health situation where we are "okay" with it but far from passionate about it? We don't need to look any further than the seven "secrets" listed above. However, the first one is what stops most of us from dramatically changing our lives--our perspective--what we believe to be true about any given situation and what we believe to be true about ourselves and what we are really capable of.

Often our perspective is what we can be called an excuse. It's something we tell ourselves to avoid the pain we would feel if we didn't believe it. The problem with our excuses is that we end up believing them and then they become the borders of what is possible--until we come up with a more useful belief.

Happiness, well-being, fulfillment and success have to be designed and created on purpose. It never happens by accident. We have to fully own our lives and believe in self--and yes, we need to take action. A compelling life vision doesn't create itself, self-love and self-confidence don't grow on their own, our self-talk won't change until we change it and our gratitude will erode without consistent nurturing.

Just like no one can go to the gym for you or me, no one can implement the seven "secrets" for us. And that's why I call them "secrets"-- it's not that we don't know them -- it's that too few of us pay enough attention to them.

If you want to pay more attention to these life changing and life enhancing principles, you can put them up on your bathroom mirror and remind yourself of them every day. If you want to know more about them and learn some simple exercises to put them into practice, you can get the kindle version of my book at here.

Recently I had an eighty two year old reader call me and tell me that she was doing the exercises in the book and she felt like she had a renewed lease on her life. Imagine that, still learning and growing at eighty two. That made my day!

Learn more about Alan | +Alan Allard  | @alanallard

SPECIAL NOTE: If you're struggling as a leader or have a leadership team that is not as effective as you like. Consider our fresh approach to leadership developing. World renown Executive Coach, Marshall Goldsmith calls it stakeholder coaching. We call it The Leadership Development Roundtable - learn more here.

(By the way, this ended up being a solution for many of my clients who were tire of wasting money on traditional approaches to leadership and management training.)
==========================================================================================

[ Learn More About How We Can Help You Improve Your: Leadership, Management, Operations, Profits ] 

> Read our case studies in detail,  I recommend 2 of our latest executive briefings: 

> Show Me The Money! Solving the Mystery of ROI to Unlock Profits & Increase Company Value - click here to access This is one of the best, easy to read discussions on how to connect human behavior to profits (a critical knowledge point for all leaders).

> I've Been Around the Block a Few Times: Let me Save You a Few Trips and Some Money Along the Way (my 20th anniversary briefing of insights and advice, which includes my top 6 business building tips through the lens of leveraging the human element) - click here for a complimentary digital copy.

Both are full of unique business building strategies and concepts that have proven to impact any company's P/L. Want to improve your people management? Want to generate operational improvement? You'll want to get both!

 Schedule a complimentary advisory call and receive a copy of our latest executive briefing.

// The Human Sphere™ is a holistic business growth consultancy that partners with forward-thinking senior leaders to bridge the knowledge gap in connecting people, performance, and profits. We focus on better business building by helping leaders understand and leverage human behavior. This knowledge gap is the most significant reason for operational problems.

// email: joann@thehumansphere.com // Ph: 888.388.0565 //

 Schedule a complimentary advisory call and receive a copy of our latest executive briefing.