Our good friend Dan McCarthy has published his fourth edition of the Leadership Development Carnival.  This month’s theme is devoted to National Bosses Day (October 16th).  Although Dan isn’t sure if a gift would demonstrate gratitude or groveling, he’s assembled some fantastic posts to help you wrestle with the leaders in your life:

“We’ll start off with Amazing Things Are Happening Here! posted at Michael Lee Stallard. I’ve just exchanged blogroll links with Michael and really like what he has to say.

Next up is Steve Roesler, award winning leadership and talent management blogger, presenting How To Reduce Your Influence In A Few Easy Words posted at All Things Workplace.

Mary Jo Asmus makes it to the featured post list this month with Hit the Pause Button posted at Intentional Leadership.

Another newcomer, who I just started reading, is Prem Rao, with 7 Things Leadership Isn’t About posted at People at Work & Play.

Art Petty writes a nice piece on the fine line between leadership arrogance and confidence, with The Hubris of Leaders posted at Art Petty on Management.

I always enjoy reading what Nina Simosko has to say on the topic of leadership. Here she gives us Leadership Is About Skills Not Gender posted at NinaSimosko.com.”

So channel your inner Steve Carell and decide if you’d rather be Michael Scott (The Office) or Dan Burns (Dan in Real Office).  Let’s keep the conversation going.

Reflecting our government’s inability to progress toward 21st century human capital management practices, the Department of Homeland Security was forced to announce the untimely death of pay-for-performance Wednesday afternoon.  In his memo to employees, DHS Chief Human Capital Officer Thomas Cairns described the cause:

“The reason for this change is due to the Department’s appropriations act for fiscal year 2009, which prohibits spending funds to operate our new DHS human resources management system.” 

Tim Kaufman of the Federal Times offered a fuller explanation in his article yesterday:

“The final nail in the coffin came Tuesday, when President Bush signed into law a 2009 spending bill for federal agencies that prohibits the department from spending money on the new system. Homeland Security had sought $5 million in fiscal 2009 to fund its performance management system and had hoped to extend the system to 70,000 employees, virtually its entire nonbargaining work force, in the coming year.”

No one denies that competition for key talent and retention of high-performing personnel have been significant obstacles for Federal agencies over the past several years.  With the death of this initiative, the disparity between the antiquated system of Federal pay and modern commercial best practices will grow.  I predict that DHS will continue to lose the people they desperately need, keep the low performers they don’t, and further alienate those who could offer tremendous value to their government and country.  

It’s a simple question of motivation and market parity.  As a result of this action, the public/private divide continues.  In a time calling for increased personal and professional accountability, taking another step backward should not be an option.  Let’s see if the next administration can overhaul the system and keep the conversation going.

The unexpected passing of a senior executive or key contributor can rock the foundation of any organization.  Those who remain often struggle to communicate how they will extend the vision and persona of their fallen comrade while injecting confidence into the sustainability of the business. 

Nowhere was this effect more apparent then the false rumors of Steve Jobs’ recent demise.  On Wednesday, August 24th, Bloomberg News erroneously published Mr. Jobs’ obituary.  Jobs had battled pancreatic cancer four years prior and appeared gaunt and ill at recent events.  Like most news organizations, Bloomberg had pre-authored the obit to get the jump on the competition should his untimely death come to pass.  (More on how this occurred and other press obit practices can be found here.)  As the image above shows, Jobs is alive and more than happy to poke those who predicted his passing right in the eye.

This incident did trigger much conversation regarding the fate of Apple post-Jobs.  Even Bloomberg’s false obit included an “If the Stock Drops…” insert:

“The decline is no surprise to investors and analysts, many of whom considered Jobs irreplaceable. Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray & Co. in Minneapolis had said if Jobs left the company for any reason, Apple’s stock might plummet as much as 25 percent.  Jobs never named a successor, instead telling shareholders in March 2008 that the board would have a variety of executives to choose from were he to step down for any reason.”

Many feel that stockholders deserve to know who will step in should a leader fall.  Larry Ellison is another example, with ZDNet Australia authoring a piece in 2003 following Ellison’s near-death experience on his yacht.  Said the article:

“Oracle stakeholders are at the mercy of a nearing-60 CEO who indulges in high-risk behaviour and whose interest in his company are fitful.” 

Ellison and Jobs represent theoretical examples, but what happens in the real world?  On June 14th, Tim Russert, NBC’s Washington bureau chief and moderator of “Meet the Press”,  died of a sudden heart attack at the DC bureau.  At age 58 and at the height of his career, Russert’s death was completely unexpected and the network initially reeled in his absence.  Quickly taking stock, NBC moved to fill this unfortunate void with the credible and highly respected voice of retired anchor Tom Brokaw.  (Let me disclose that I am a huge fan of both Russert and Brokaw, having met Tom during a brief foray into broadcasting many years ago.)    

Tuesday’s New York Times included a very interesting article on Brokaw and NBC’s succession plan, concluding that:

“Mr. Brokaw has been given an unexpected encore. Since taking over for his close friend Mr. Russert following his death, Mr. Brokaw has lent on-camera stability to “Meet the Press,” which continues to be the most watched of the network Sunday public-affairs programs.”

The article goes on to chronicle how Brokaw has crossed political divides and ensured NBC’s future via MSNBC anchor restructuring and moderation of the October 7th presidential debate.  As a result, Brokaw is helping to shape the ultimate succession plan and ensure that Russert’s legacy continues unabated. 

We all know the importance of succession planning.  However, the reality is that strong personalities such as Jobs and Ellison are unlikely to contemplate their passing and prematurely designate their successor.  Apple and Oracle are their babies and the thought of abandoning their children is not something we should reasonably expect them to address.  Nevertheless, it is reasonable to expect a bridge strategy such as that employed by NBC.

The lesson to be learned is this - in times of instability, it often helps to look to the past as a proxy to the future.  Organizations must have a ready made stable of highly credible executives who can lend their critical voice to a time of flux and ensure that intelligent decisions supersede the impetus to act impulsively.  These executives will serve as a bridge and buy time to perform appropriate due diligence on a properly vetted successor.  Let’s continue to be pragmatic and keep the conversation going.  

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 numbers keep adding up and the impact on the global workforce could be staggering.  A litany of venerable and long-standing institutions have fallen victim to the current state of our nation’s increasingly fragile economic reality.  Let’s look at today’s potential body count:

• Lehman Brothers - 26,000 global employees; files for bankruptcy.
• AIG - 116,000 global employees; seeking lifeline from the Federal Reserve.
• Merrill Lynch - 60,000 global employees; acquired by Bank of America.
• HP - 320,000 global employees; announced 24,600 job cuts from EDS acquisition.

Those who lose their jobs may be provided job placement services, counseling and the like, but in the heat of the moment, does that all really matter?  And what of the employees who remain, the hundreds of thousands who are paralyzed into waiting for the other shoe to drop?  No one is the victor in these situations, for everyone loses due to fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

Regardless of what industry you occupy, we all get to a point where you simply take employment for granted.  You plan your life based on current earnings (and perhaps an annual bonus) combined with some measure of continued increase in your base salary.  You don’t necessarily envision yourself in your current firm forever, but you also don’t plan for the unexpected termination of your position.  You expect to make job and life decisions on your terms.  

The kick to the stomach of sudden unemployment can take your breath away.  Whimsy is replaced with the ugly reality that the end is here.  You wrack your brain to network, franticly reaching out to everyone and anyone who may be able to use your skills.  Then you pause, embarrassed perhaps to admit that you were unprepared and hadn’t really thought through what to do in this situation.

My advice is this - plan as if your last day were tomorrow.  This is not to suggest that you sit with your hand over the panic button, but instead that you’ve thought through a wide variety of scenarios and outcomes and ensured that you are prepared for the worst.  For those of us who run small businesses, this is a part of our everyday existence.  But I didn’t always think this way…. it took the shock of a horrific reality to shake me from the foundation of stability that I used to take for granted.  

My other piece of advice is to ask for help.  I find that this is more difficult the more senior you are, for ego gets in the way of your necessity to press on and seek assistance.  Do not go dark and insist on traveling this road alone.  It will take longer than you expect and you will miss opportunities through your insistence on isolation.  Talk with people you trust and learn from people you don’t.  A sense of vulnerability doesn’t really matter when you a faced with a stack of bills you suddenly can’t pay.

Finally, learn from the experience.  It’s always easy to get upset and blame others for your situation.  Of course others are to blame, and of course you should be upset, but you are responsible for your own career and no one else can carry that burden but you.  In these times of turmoil and uncertainty, your mettle will be exposed and tested.  You don’t have to win every battle, but you do have to press on.  Let’s keep the conversation going.

Although many have come before you, there is a certain allure to knowing you are one of a select few who have successful ascended HR’s most challenging mountains.  Over the years, certain peaks seem to be more allusive, their summits cloudy and uncertain.  As of late, the world of talent management presents an Everest-like dichotomy of the ultimate HR achievement with the possibility of horrific failure.

Strap on your harness, grab an ice axe and join Inflexion Advisors at IQPC’s 11th Annual Talent Management Summit.  Scheduled for October 20th - 23rd in Las Vegas, world class climbers such as Avon, MetLife, CSX and Harrah’s will be sharing their secrets to conquering the talent management mountain.  And for those who like (climbing) shoes, stick around for the tour of Zappos and a behind-the-scenes look at this fascinating organizational culture.

Climbers should never summit alone, so Inflexion has secured a special 2-for-1 discount for our readers.  Simply visit www.iqpc.com/us/TalentManagementSummit or call 1-800-882-8684 and mention code IUS_IP_001 to receive your discount.  

I’ll look forward to seeing you there and keeping the conversation (and ascension) 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.