HR, Thought Leaders and Me

I am not an HR thought leader. 

I have thoughts and I have ideas. Some are even pretty good. But are they original? Nah. They are regenerated, repeated or repurposed with my own perspective, insights and experiences. Or, could they be inceptions?

I am not always "in the know" but I know. 

I know HR. I know leadership. I chew on issues like credibility and influence past the point of interest to others. I enjoy spirited debates and getting lost in "what if?" if only for a while. I have my feet firmly planted on the ground - most of the time.

My uneasiness? It's not you, it's me. Really, who can live up to a billing like that? 

I write much better than I speak and miss the mark when I present. I stumble, I stutter, I ramble and I repeat. I manage when I should be leading, I lead when no one is following and I really do hate when that happens. 

I get my geek on in the chasm between the solid fact-based aspects of an issue and the unstable emotion-based ones. I give facts human meaning. I build relationships and I bring out potential in others. I am energized when I hear or read a perspective so unlike my own that it stops me mid-thought or mid-sentence. 

That's it. That's me. No glitz, no glamour, no flashing bulbs.

Do you still love me now that you know?

Don't Should on Me: Peace, Love and Social Media

"As an HR Professional, you are called to provide leadership to your organization.

Whether you are developing an employer branding campaign or evaluating recruitment sources, you are going to bump up against (or into) social media. What is it, what is right for your organization, and how do you know?

There are far too many experts out there with their opinions of what’s best for you and your organization. Don’t take their word for it. You owe it to yourself, and your organization, to know what you are talking about.

Learn all you can about social media so you are able to make informed choices about what is right for you and your organization."

And with that (or something close to it), I kicked off a presentation to CMSHRM as part of our quarterly Caffeinated Learning series this morning. And, as a good friend said to me recently, "We're planting seeds. Just planting seeds."

Bottom line: you will never know social media until you do social media and until you know social media, you cannot effectively advise or lead others.

So because I am a tech savvy pro-blogger (!), I was able to schedule this post to go live after the presentation so no one would be tempted to read ahead. Here's hoping I served the chapter, our HR professionals and the social media community well.

Peace Out.