Archive for May, 2010

Here is the channel for the live #HireFriday broadcast – stay tuned here. Due to the HREvolution show tomorrow in Chicago, HRMargo will be busy, however Josh Letourneau will be manning the starship controls tomorrow, perhaps with a surprise guest or two that might pop in.

Ladies and Gentleman, Chickens, Goats, and all Farm Animals alike, we invite you to the #HireFriday Video Show.  If you’re looking for some more of that feel-good-fluff and advice that focuses on ‘job-market economic philosophy’ than taking concrete action, the #HireFriday show might not be for you.  It might just be too ‘real’ for the faint of heart.  However, if you’re looking to get off the bench and start playing some aggressive offense, then get your butt on over to the show and let’s get to shaking some trees and making some real progress with your career search. [- Josh Letourneau]

We’ll also be monitoring our famous #HireFriday on Twitter, so please feel free to send your Job Seeker questions, thoughts, musings, and rants.  Josh says no question is off-limits, but please keep it clean. You can tweet live to that hashtag (#HireFriday), or better, send in your questions to that hashtag before we go live – this way, there’s a much greater chance we can address it!

Right about Noon EST tomorrow, the broadcast color will shift from yellow (“On Deck”) to green (“Live”). All you have to do is click the button to go to the live channel.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and our hope is to help move as many Job Seekers forward as we can in their searches. In short, we get it – it’s tough out there . . . but knowing how to ‘play the game’ means a world of difference.

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Group think is dangerous! This video reveals the pitfalls that can happen as a result of group think. Consider viewing this video as you read this post. Group consensus can be railroaded. Of course, at HRevolution, we will not be making major decisions. In the meta-communications sphere, we ought to bear in mind the power of group think, and how it can be the death of dialogue.

As HRevolutionists, falling victim to “group think,” is not something we may consider. Have you attended a break-out session at a (un) conference where the group process was usurped by a charismatic personality? Can you recall a time when you were in a meeting where everyone in the group adopted an opinion that was pushed through by an influential person?

In an effort to feel a part of the group, attendees may want to offer tacit approval of an opinion, even if it is not their own. Sometimes a facilitator is overwhelmed by a few powerful participants.. Before we get the cart before the horse, let’s define group think.

As attendees of HRevolution, we can prevent group think by:

1. Questioning Authority, and thinking for ourselves.

2. Politely sway the conversation away from the “bull in the china shop.”

3. Involve those who aren’t speaking into the dialogue.

4. Diplomatically presenting opposing viewpoints-interrupting the “group think” flow.

5. Take a break, a few deep breaths, and divert the participants in a different topic, then gently guide the group back. Invite diverse view points, engage, acknowledge, and appreciate thought diversity.

These are 5 simple points- relate directly to the points made in the video. We have to consider the illusion of invulnerability, watch how powerful personalities apply direct pressure; observe and interrupt the illusion of unanimity, observe self-censorship, and diffuse that by interpreting the non-verbal cues of the people in the session. Self censorship by the pressure of a charismatic few can inhibit important meeting feedback, and deter the ability for the team to make a healthy consensus.

Why do I bring this up before HRevolution? We will be surrounded by thought leaders in our field. It’s important to remember that your view point is every bit as important as theirs. Mark Stelzner wrote a wonderful post ““5 Tips For Great Facilitation” – http://bit.ly/dcKmbq .” This is an excellent post. In addition, I recommend Jason Seiden’s post “11 Things to Know Before Heading to HRevolution — Jason Seiden http://bit.ly/aGhR3I ”

I appreciate your thoughts, what do you think? Please comment.

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Are you hungry? Have you ever starved? Probably not, but millions of American’s do. Good men, women and children in your surrounding neighborhoods are hungry. Tyson Brands is doing something about this. This is why I’m so excited to have Ed Nichols, from Tyson Foods as my guest on Compassionate HR May 10, 2010 at 7:30 eastern time 4:30 pacific time on blogtalkradio. Please watch the video above. I selected this video because of the connections with “Da Bears.” Since 2008, Tyson feeds the hungry daily. Ed Nichols was presenting at the “Blog Well” conference when I met him. After hearing him speak, I knew I had to bring him to my readers.

Here’s Ed’s brief biographical sketch:

Ed began working at Tyson Foods 1995.

Currently Director of Corporate Community and Public Relations—he directs community relations efforts in the 120 communities in which the Tyson Foods has operations. In addition, he manages other public relations activities such as brand building, reputation management, and marketing communications. He is responsible for managing philanthropic relationships, specifically with Tyson’s primary philanthropic area of focus, hunger relief.

Previously—Director of Media and Community Relations–Primary company media spokesperson. Directed community relations efforts. Managed company giving programs.

He’s worked in advertising business for 15 years before coming to Tyson. Nichols founded and operated The Works, a business that serves the advertising industry in Little Rock, for the previous 10 years before Tyson. He’s a family man:

Wife: Ginger
Children: Will, 22; Thomas and Julia, 18.

It’s people like Ed that make Tyson Foods the great company it is. Tune in Monday, and listen how the people inside Tyson are feeding the hungry, and mobilizing volunteers to do the same.

Each and everyday people around the globe are quietly volunteering to feed the hungry, clothe the poor. It’s time their stories are told. Great companies like Tyson are doing their part to feed Americans. My hat is off to them.

HR Margo-Compassionate HR http://blogtalkradio.com/comphr

To read more about Tyson Food’s core values click here.

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HR Margo-Compassionate HR http://blogtalkradio.com/comphr

Tonight, Rayanne Thorn will appear on Compassionate HR.  Deep in my heart, I believe in the milk of human kindness.  Please welcome her to my show this evening with your questions and comments.  A few days back, I wrote a post about her, and the organizations she supports.  I won’t be redundant, but I ask that you check out the links I posted, and open your minds.  The point of this show is not just to inspire your curiosity about what our colleagues are doing in their communities, rather it is to motivate you to get involved in yours.  Anyone can write a check, but it takes a very special individual to give of their time.  Please take a moment to review you schedule, and see if you could find a few moments to get involved in the charity of your choice.  Better yet, get your company to get involved with you.  Corporate responsibility isn’t just good PR, it’s the right thing to do.  It encourages talent attraction, acquisition, and retention.

Your twitter pal,

@HRMargo

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Compassionate Firing

Zen and the Art of HR. I love that title. It was coined by Mark Stelzner in 2008.  It reminds me that suffering and happiness can co-exist. The question is can we cultivate equanimity in our hearts and minds? Putting the “Human” back into Human Resources is a part of my path.

Compassion, and the phrase: “You’re Fired,” are typically not used in the same sentence. This year HRMargo started “HireFriday.” Today, I was thinking, what about the dreaded “Fire Friday?” What happens when an HR Executive knows that firing someone s/he likes is a foregone conclusion?

It’s one thing to terminate the employment of someone you don’t care about, it’s quite another to let someone go that you truly admire. The recession of 2009 displaced workers, good employees, men and women with families and young children, and mortgages to pay. It was a devastating period in our Nation’s history. Successful people had to close the doors to their businesses , and pull the plug on their dreams.

I learned in my first management position, never hire someone you cannot fire. This is what my Director told me when I was promoted into my first position of management. She taught me the tenants of human resources. We are human. We are fallible. We are hired, and sometimes we get fired.

During that period I had to fire people. It was a part of my job. I had strict legal guidelines that I followed.

That is not what this post is about. This post is not about legal policies or compliance. The purpose of this post is to engage in inquiry and reflection.

How do we fire someone, and still feel good about ourselves when we lay our head down on the pillow at night before we go to sleep? What do we think about on the way to work when we know we have to let someone go? How do we fire compassionately?

There’s a wide range of opinions of the topic. I’m interested in yours.

What is compassion? Compassion defined: “Compassion is a human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism. In ethical terms, the various expressions down the ages of the so-called Golden Rule embody by implication the principle of compassion: Do to others what you would have them do to you. [1]” (source: wikipedia.org).

Now, I pose the question: how do you keep compassion in your heart when you know that it is necessary to let someone go?

A penny for your thoughts.

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