In times of chaos and despair, we turn to any number of sources for advice, guidance, support and comfort.  What’s sought is not necessarily “the answer”, but instead a construct through which we can cope and rationalize the often irrational challenges of our daily lives.  We want someone to listen, to nod their head in understanding and offer a quiet and sympathetic ear above the sometimes deafening noise of reality.

As employers we are no different.  We see a tumultuous market and cling to the edges of our organizational boat, life preserver in hand as wave after wave of news breaks, wishing for dry land but soaked and cold in the understanding that at any moment we could capsize and pay the ultimate price.  We berate ourselves for not having seen this coming, for not being prepared enough to weather the storm, and make promises that if we can just get through this, all will be different.  

But we are also employees, people with lives, homes, families, obligations and dreams.  We were on a path and now it has been washed away by uncertainty.  Darwinian instincts prevail and work becomes survival, a game of outlasting those around you because you can’t imagine how you’re going to pay your bills next month if this job goes away.  And yet away they go, one by one the cubes are emptied and offices go dark.  Or worse, you are among millions washed up on unemployment’s shore.

These are the real concerns.  I hear them in airports, coffee shops, board rooms, restrooms and on the street.  An almost breathless whisper that many are afraid to verbalize for fear that just saying the words will make them so.  And yet most of the recently unemployed I encounter wish that someone would have talked with them.  These are rational, well educated professionals who understand that these are difficult times.  They are also human beings who would have preferred a direct and honest approach over a newspaper article announcing their demise.  

If people are truly your most important asset, start treating them like adults and communicate.  They don’t seek the answer to all their woes - they simply seek respectful treatment and pragmatic disclosure.  The Golden Rule still applies, and when things recover (which they always do), you will benefit from having recognized the importance of a sympathetic and empathetic ear.  Let’s keep the conversation going.

I’ve been on the road quite a bit lately so my wife and I decided to treat ourselves and go see Kathy Griffin live at DAR’s Constitution Hall here in Washington, DC.  If you’re not familiar with Kathy, she is renowned for taking her real-life encounters and incorporating them into her comedy act using sarcasm, mockery and outright degradation.  Her material can be a cringer to some, but if you go in with the attitude that she’s making fun of everyone (including herself), she is absolutely hilarious.

Whether Kathy is your cup of tea or not, something she said in her show last night got me thinking.  Because her material is sourced from interactions with celebrities, they often ask her for a side deal to exclude their encounters from her act.  In other words, they seek reassurance that the conversation was private, privileged and wouldn’t come back to haunt them.  Of course, doing so would hurt Kathy’s “business”, so exclusions are obviously not in her interest.  Often times this has unexpected consequences and can makes A-listers want to avoid her at all costs, including some suing her for her statements.  Thus, our title question stands - is your HR department like Kathy Griffin?

I pose this comparison because I have witnessed a shift in HR’s brand perception over the years.  There was a time when HR was believed to represent the best interests of employees within the context of the employer.  This former persona ensured confidentiality, safe harbor and a highly privileged set of interactions.  Although this is a gross generalization and oversimplification, most employees today view HR as the enforcer of rules and regs, a literal mouth-piece of the executive committee.  So, like Kathy Griffin, many employees fear that anything they share with HR will not only get back to their manager, but negatively impact their prospects for future growth in the organization.  

This may be an unfair comparison as many HR professionals entered this vocation to truly help people. However, I have unfortunately been in the presence of hundreds of “HR Kathy Griffins” who cannot wait to share the juiciest bit of gossip and innermost secrets of the employees they support.  But unlike Kathy’s first amendment lawyer, your company may not protect you from litigation resulting from such indiscretions.  I have witnessed HR personnel fired on the spot for this behavior, but more often it is the employee who pays the ultimate price.  

Let’s face it - HR is a tough job and sometimes you want to let out a little steam.  Or perhaps you feel you are duty bound to go directly to an employee’s manager the moment a conversation is over.  My only request is to recognize that any action will have both intended and unintended consequences for you, management and the employee.  Be thoughtful and put yourself in their shoes.  Either that or quit your job, dye your hair red and start working the clubs.  

Let’s keep the conversation going. 

The good folks at Great Leadership by Dan have posted their third installment of the Leadership Development Carnival.  And the theme?  

“This month’s edition takes a political flavor. Recently, a new vice-president candidate has emerged out of nowhere, Sarah Palin, from “the great state of Alaska”. She’s taken a lot of media criticism for her lack of leadership experience, so I thought I’d dedicate this carnival to her, as a way to help get her ramped up for her new potential leadership role.”

Like most things political, morbid curiosity will cause you to click through.  Don’t be shy…but before you leave I have some homework for you.  Come up with an HR related comparison that ends in the punch-line ”Lipstick!”.  Here are a few to get you warmed up:

• What’s the difference between a qualified corporate climber and a cross-dressing high performer?
• If your HR strategy plan were a pig, what would it be missing?

Let’s keep the conversation going and hockey mom anger under control.

I’ve had fourteen days respite from the cacophony of noise which swirls about the heads of our glorious HR market.  I haven’t picked up a trade magazine, attended a conference or drawn obvious human resources correlations using metaphorical hurricanes, presidential candidates or Michael Phelps.  No press interviews.  No white papers.  No self-important statements predicting the rise and fall of Vendor X or Strategy Y.  No table and no seat.  

Like a windsurfer who can’t turn, I drifted further from the shores of the obsessive, multi-media, real-time update world of industry analysis.  It wasn’t a conscious choice, but the wind kept blowing and the horizon seemed endless.  This wasn’t the product of a vacation or a woodsy retreat with only pocket knife and compass.  It was purely accidental.  I was busy dealing with the complexities of life, work and everything that comes with it.

I share this because it was during this time of contemplation that I remembered something important.  We are in the people business.  Not some fluffy, eye-roll inducing, feel-good/do-good version of HR, but the true business of people.  And whether we like to admit it or not, lives are impacted by the daily decisions we make as human resource professionals.  Often in the throws of impersonal analysis and macro strategies, we forget the champagne of a job well done and the tears of a career suddenly ended.  

I’ve heard a lot in the past few weeks by simply listening.  In coffee shops, the airport, the grocery store and the conference room.  Often, the sound is that of living life around work… sometimes, in spite of work.  A quiet desperation where “Keep your head down” and “Stay off the radar” rue the day.  This troubles me and makes me wonder whether we’re actually hearing what employees are saying, what keeps them up at night, what impacts their ability and willingness to do more than the minimum amount to get by day after day.

Don’t worry though, my natural tendency toward sarcasm will return.  I’ll get back on the horse and ride around with big consultant speak and peer again into the crystal ball.  But to survive in such a challenging industry as ours, it sometimes helps to pause, take stock of our collective purpose and recharge the batteries.  We’re a constant dichotomy between cynicism and hope, but our collective success will require fresh eyes and a clean lens.  If not for the temptation of actually making a difference, why would we torture ourselves by working in HR?  Let’s keep the conversation going. 

It’s an inevitable and sometimes uncomfortable situation.  You’re in a meeting or on a conference call and not everyone has arrived, requiring you to banter with the client/boss/partner mano y mano.  How do you engage in small talk and build rapport?  If you get nervous and start to stammer, what do you do?  Do people even care about small talk in today’s fast-paced business world?

Whether we like it or not, small talk is a necessary skill for corporate survival.  But there is a distinct difference between thoughtful engagement and outright BS (believe me, I’ve done both).  There are endless sources available on this topic but here are my four tips for leaving a positive impression:

1. Do Your Homework.  If you arrive empty handed to the situation, you are likely to stumble.  Gather nominal information on the person’s location, interests, family situation, etc.  The goal is to find something relevant to discuss.  Did they just take a vacation or are they planning one?  Did some major news/weather event just occur in their geography?  Are they an aficionado of writing?…sports?…movies?…dogs?  A little legwork can go a long way.
2. Make It About Them.  The temptation to bring the conversation back to you is often irresistible.  The goal here is not to demonstrate your Renaissance-like expertise but instead to show genuine interest in the other party.  This is done through a series of open ended questions (i.e., not ”yes”/”no”) that get them engaged in a topic they are experts in - themselves and their lives.  
3. Be Genuine.  This is the easiest for me to write and often the most difficult to execute.  Just remember that people can be absolutely fascinating, so pay attention, maintain eye contact (if in person), provide verbal reinforcement and repeat a portion of what they conveyed as you segue into the next question.  Pretend you had to write an essay about this person’s life and you really want to figure out what makes them tick.
4. Know When to Put the Shovel Down.  If you are digging a hole and things go south, stop the small talk immediately.  As desperation and anxiety build, the smell of BS tends to get stronger.  Immediately cut to something related to the meeting or, if necessary, excuse yourself for a moment to grab a cup of coffee or ask where the restrooms are located.  They will appreciate your level of situational awareness and you will want a small window to regroup.

My colleagues who read this blog all have an example of where I’ve failed miserably in this area.  In fact, most have seen me crash and burn with seemingly endless stories and outright humiliating behavior.  If the strongest lessons in life come from failure, I am an expert on small talk.  

One quick example is the time a new executive was moving into his office and I examined a framed portrait on his desk.  ”Great picture of you and your brother Jim!”, I proclaimed with a smile.  ”That’s my wife.” said Jim morosely, snatching the picture from my hands.  I backed out of his office slowly.  For some reason Jim and I never got along from that point forward.

Let’s keep the conversation small talk going.   

A female friend of mine was having a conversation with her female colleague the other day and they were discussing the etiquette and courtesy associated with men holding doors for women.  The colleague saw clear and distinct geographical differences in the answer to this question, with Southern men trained as automatic door holders while Northern (particularly Northeastern) men seemed less inclined to notice or care.  Both agreed that this was a polite gesture, particularly if one’s hands were full, and were irritated with those men who did not have the slightest inclination to help.

Cut to a conversation with a male colleague who went to a university heralded for it’s human resources program.  The professor of one HR course went so far as to convey that it is sexist and inappropriate for a man to hold a door for a woman, and that in the workplace, one needs to be overtly aware of how such actions can cause offense.  The conclusion?  Avoid door-holding at all costs.

In her book The Etiquette Edge, Beverly Langford posed the following question to test your courtesy quotient.  Which answers would you choose?

When you reach the doorway at the same time as a person of the opposite sex, the following rules apply: (pg. 13)

(a) Whoever arrives first should open it and hold it for those who are following.
(b) Men should still open doors for women.
(c) Women should open doors for men to prove they are no longer oppressed.
(d) Always open and hold the door for someone of either sex if that person has his or her hands full.

According to Landford, the answer is both (a) and (d), and I tend to agree.  

That’s right - I say with pride that I am an unabashed door holder.  As for geography, I was mostly raised in the Midwest, went to school in the South, lived in the West and now live in the East.  I have never had anyone of either sex scoff at the idea of me holding the door.  (If anything, I tend to get a little pissy with people who don’t say thank you, but that’s for another post.)  For me, holding doors is just polite, regardless of ones sex.  And sometimes, in today’s busy and impersonal world, one simple gesture can go a long way.  Let’s keep the conversation (and door holding) going.

In watching coverage of the games last evening, my wife and I were discussing the overwhelming complexity involved in managing and deploying the Olympics.  With so many nations each carrying such unique agendas and goals, what overarching principles are applied to such a multifaceted assembly?  What procedures are in place to ensure proper philosophical governance of an event with such global implications?  

After a simple search, I came upon the site of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a place teeming with information and history.  What caught my eye was not the obvious data on site selection, symbolism or management, but instead the Olympic Charter.  The Charter is 104 pages in length and contains every conceivable rule and regulation associated with the Olympics.  

What stopped me in my tracks were The Fundamental Principles of Olympism (pg. 11).  I read these through and immediate wished that employers could convey such a simple set of ideals to their employees.  In replacing the word “sport” with “work”, I think you’ll see my point:

Since Monday’s post entitled, “Outsourcers - Let’s Get Ready to Rumble“, much has occurred in the great debate surrounding those who list and rank the best in the industry.  One particular development has caused me tremendous concern.  

As many of you are aware, Phil Fersht of AMR Research had posted a simple survey asking buyers, providers and influencers to “rate the raters”.  This morning, Phil announced that the findings of the survey were tainted by false respondents claiming to be Fortune 500 organizations.  Per Phil’s Horses for Sources blog:

“Unfortunately, I received a very large number of suspicious survey responses from a host of “FORTUNE 500 buyers”, whose IP addresses - for some reason - all seemed to emanate from the couple of locations. I received a very large number of these survey submissions clustered within a short time-frame, and they had no names or email addresses attached. They also all had selected one particular list-maker as “highly credible”, while simultaneously describing the same 2 others as having “poor credibility”.”

As someone who has been in this industry for some time now, I am terribly saddened and disappointed to see such a simple attempt at an open information capture to be fraudulently tainted.  Unfortunately, this type of behavior simply perpetuates an area of the industry wrought with increasing distrust.  It seems to me that once again things will have to get worse before they get better.  

Let’s keep the conversation going and our integrity intact.  

We’ve all been there at one time or another - the logical conversation that suddenly turns emotional.  The irrational leader’s flame consumes everything in its path, the spoken word oxygen that feeds the fire into a frenzied tempest of damage and destruction.  Dramatic enough for you?  You get the point.  And whether it involves negotiating a raise, a project, what you’re having for dinner, a movie choice or a business relationship, it helps to have a few pointers to help you get through those unexpectedly difficult times.

The Latz Negotiation Institute wrote a piece in December of 2000 entitled, Dealing With the Irrational, Real or Posed, Is Tough.  The article argues that one of the most critical (and difficult) pieces to assess is whether the other party is truly irrational or simply trying to appear irrational.  So how does one diagnose truth versus fiction?

“First, take a deep breath. This is not your garden-variety negotiation and it will require you to dig deeper than usual into your negotiation toolbox…. Then closely observe and evaluate the sincerity of your counter-party’s allegedly irrational actions. Listen carefully to what that person is telling you - verbally and nonverbally.  Are their actions consistently irrational, or is their irrational behavior limited to certain instances or episodic in nature? The more limited and inconsistent the irrational behavior, the more likely it’s a ploy.”

 And if they are faking their irrationality?

“Our natural response? Give him whatever he wants. He’s crazy, and he’s got his finger on the nuclear trigger. We can’t take the chance that he’ll push it, so we better concede. [Instead] find an opportunity to openly point out our knowledge of their acting talents. Then treat them like any other rational but tricky negotiation opponent.”

But what if they are truly irrational?

“Explore the reasons underlying their irrational behavior. Find out why they’re so consumed with anger that they can’t listen to reason. Perhaps it’s a personality conflict. Or perhaps an unrelated event has put them into this temporary state of mind… If it’s an emotional outburst or related to a recent traumatic event, take a break. Given sufficient time, individuals often will become more reasoned and reasonable.

And if none of this works, re-evaluate your leverage and your alternative to this agreement. How much do you really need or want an agreement with an irrational individual? After all, terminating the negotiation may be your only rational course of action.”

All excellent guidance.  Beyond Latz’ advice, look to organizations such as Vantage Partners to help with your most complex, global negotiations.  Keep your cool, and let’s keep the conversation going.

The challenge to many HR executives is formidable - place an increased emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) while ensuring a connection to business results.  This is simple enough to state, but reasonable questions are often raised when preparing to execute a holistic CSR strategy.  Should HR lead by example or policy?  Is CSR participation optional or mandatory?  Does “good” CSR positively impact recruiting, retention and referrals, and if so, how?  What are the hard and soft benefits of a properly aligned CSR strategy?

As you can likely surmise, this is a broad topic with numerous implications.  In an attempt to narrow the conversation, I’ve captured three distinct perspectives for your consideration.

1) Linking CSR to MBA Recruiting: 

The Stanford Graduate School of Business reported on a recent study which found that, “the future business leaders rank corporate social responsibility high on their list of values, and they are willing to sacrifice a significant part of their salaries to find an employer whose thinking is in synch with their own”.  When asked to quantify their commitment to CSR, respondents said, “they would sacrifice an average of $14,902 a year, or 14.4 percent of their expected salary” for those organizations which embody caring for employees, caring for stakeholders, environmental sustainability, and ethical business conduct.   

2) Sourcing CSR via Incentives and Employee Engagement:

Elizabeth Seeger, Project Manager with the Corporate Partnerships Program of the Environmental Defense Fund, finds innovative organizations sourcing concepts from employees and linking compensation to CSR performance:

“In my conversations with companies, a lot of them are finding that their best CSR ideas and most of the motivation for CSR related activities are coming from their employees.  Many companies have set up hotlines or some way to get ideas from employees to management.

Also from the HR perspective, companies are starting to tie environmental (and perhaps) social performance to compensation.  I met with a company doing this the other day and they’ve been able to drive significant performance improvements and reduce costs through better efficiency.  This will become increasingly common, I think, as we enter a carbon-constrained world and start dealing with water scarcity and waste issues” 

3) CSR’s Impact on Brand and Brand Equity:

For those of you just getting started, consider purchasing Kellie A. McElhaney’s Just Good Business: The Strategic Guide to Aligning Corporate Responsibility and Brand.  As Executive Director and Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Center for Responsible Business at Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley, McElhaney emphasizes seven principles for building CSR into your brand, with two HR-centric examples below:  

“Get a Good Fit: It’s tough to select just one social or environmental cause to champion when every one is worthy, needed and critical. Your job is simple: Pick a social or environmental challenge for which you own part of the solution (or helped to cause it). For example, tackling homelessness and partnering with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that builds houses, is a perfect fit for appliance-maker Whirlpool. It behooves Whirlpool to have as many homes as possible buying their home appliances. 

Work from the Inside Out: To employees who are educated about it, CSR is like a drug: Give them a little, and they’ll want a whole lot more. Start by educating your employees about your CSR strategy. Your employees are not only your biggest (and most efficient) brand ambassadors; eventually, they may come to you with better CSR ideas and strategies.”

Regardless of your current level of CSR competency, current and future employees will place increasing demands upon HR for answers.  Prepare yourself, study the literature, seek assistance from your peers and open up communication channels from within.  If done well, CSR can prove to be one of the most rewarding endeavors of your human resources career. 

Let’s keep the conversation (and CSR) going.