Change: A Day in the Life Sunday

Change is good. It's not always easy and it's not always welcome but, one way or another, the need for change will present itself in ways that you cannot avoid, ignore or explain away.

iStockphoto

Embrace it, it's here and it's long overdue.

So, what's this all about? I promise you it's not as grandiose as you may think. I am adding leadership staff to my HR department. I am turning over the reins. Not all the reins and not all at once - it's simply not in my nature - but it will be done.

The facility has expanded dramatically in size and complexity and the HR staff of seven I started with over nine years ago has blossomed to over 16. Supervisors, managers and senior leaders support me to no end. My staff is a-m-a-z-i-n-g and they do whatever it takes to deliver quality HR services every day - even when I am there but not available to them.

They deserve more and I expect more from myself.

I know the kind of leader I want to be and I haven't been delivering. Not even close. We've expanded past the point that I can lead staff, manage delivery of HR services, facilitate change and respond to the myriad needs of our supervisor, managers and leaders well on my own.

Despite encouragement to add leadership staff, I struggled to get past the idea that "I can do it with the resources I have." Once I faced reality that I was not delivering, the rest was easy. I set out to find skilled professionals I could trust with my vision and my people. I found them.

My new Lead Labor Relations guy joins my new Assistant Chief tomorrow. Health care system supervisors, managers and HR staff will have ready access to two more HR leaders, I will share my workload (it's all about me, remember?) and we will build on new ideas, expertise and perspective to take the department to new heights.

I get giddy (yes, I just said giddy) when I think about the possibilities.