HR Carnival

Welcome to the First Anniversary Edition of the HR Carnival.

It would not be fitting to start this Carnival off with anyone other than the founder of this gathering of sorts. So, first out of the chute is the Evil HR Lady with her thoughts on business planning. What if we worked to anticipate problems? What if HR did it's job and analyzed how people were working and what things were really necessary? 

The organization is on many blogger minds. Many organizational cultures have great opportunities for growth and improvement. Consider the long term view, visit the Maximize Possibility Blog to be sure you don't throw the baby out with the bath water! Is pay for performance as simple and easy as saying "bad dog" for jumping on the sofa and "good dog" for heeling?  Not necessarily says Trusted Advisor  as he posts on how just paying people for "performance" often doesn't work out very well. Looking for a way to keep employee engagement on the front burner for supervisors? Interested in measuring basic needs, confidence, belonging, growth and retention? Uncle Joe's Leadership blog has a way.

Leaders learn to lead by leading. They don't learn to lead in a classroom. They don't learn to lead from a book. Great leadership development programs provide tools and support to help developing leaders learn faster and more effectively. Got your interest? Three Star Leadership has much more on this topic! Looking to reduce the time that it takes a new leader and his or her new work team to begin to communicate more openly and freely, and build trust, inclusion, and collaboration? Check out the new leader integration process at Great Leadership.

Calling all ISTJs out there. Enjoy the comfort of e-mail recruiting? Reluctant to make that call? Hesitant to break the ice and call that applicant directly? You can do it. Really. The HR Capitalist did! Hmmmm. Would this make The HR Capitalist a planner or an impromptu? Pop over to Execupundit.com to join the discussion about two types of performers in the organization: planners and impromptus.  Knowing which camp is yours can be very helpful.

Whoa, there's more to wet your whistle. Read about penny-wise, pound-foolish employment practices at the Ohio Employment Law Blog, congratulate Nurse Ratched on her new job, and the results are in - polka dots can be a contributing factor to painful headaches! Check out the HR Wench to see why one Swedish school went monochromatic. Typos got you down? Visit Fortify Your Oasis and join the rant. Better yet, join the push to raise the bar on "truly horrible sentences."

Is differentiation really important in people management? What types of differentiation are relevant? What are the implications of differentiation? Is it worth the trouble and effort?  Simplicity at the other side of complexity takes this one on. Don't stop thinking yet! Just in, the MIT Club of Northern California and SmartSilvers sponsored an event on The Emerging Brain Fitness Software Market: Building Better Brains to explore the realities and myths of this growing field. Want to know more? Check out Sharp Brains - Your Brain Fitness Center. Hmmmm. Wonder if they can help me with sudoku puzzle #57. . .

Finding out you didn't get a job is always disheartening news. But if you are committed that you don't want a job unless it is a good match on both sides, you'll be able to move on with grace and calm. This post at the Career Encouragement Blog is a definitely a keeper. 

Do you seek balance and insanity? Click on over to 8 hours & a lunch to see what one amazing person, committed to living in this world doing something that inspires, uplifts, and invigorates her, is up to. 

This edition of the carnival ends with a blast from the not-so-distant past. This is where it all began.

Where Does The Wisdom Lie?

People have problems. The vast majority of my day is spent responding to many of those problems. To respond adequately, I must discuss. Sometimes I am ready to discuss problems with just about anyone who will listen, but really my discussions are with employees, supervisors, service line directors, my staff, and when appropriate, the union.

We work through emotions and initial reactions. We look at the information we have and attempt to differentiate facts from conclusions. We consider past precedents.  We go to the attorneys for what ever black and white guidelines we can find. We debate the merits, the pros and the cons. We consider second thoughts, second opinions and second-guessing. We consider mitigating circumstances.  Then, we consider what is right. Sometimes I bring us to this point, sometimes I am brought to this point, and sometimes we get to this point without knowing how we got there but the bottom line is, we are there.

I have had a number of discussions recently and at times, I find myself saying, "Yes, when you consider that, it does make a difference."  I've also said, "If this were me, I would expect the same consideration,"  or, "I didn't have that distinction before, I can see your point." I've also been known to day, "I don't agree but I can support that direction."

The discussions always go a little differently. I had a conversation recently with a colleague. As we worked through a problem, all of the issues were brought to the table. Opinions, concerns and emotions were aired, and in the end we came to an understanding. The outcome was quite different from my initial recommendation, but I can still support it.

The problem itself, the issues raised and the discussion participant is not important at all. What is important, for me, was something I did not say. As the discussion was coming to a close, I had a thought.

I thought about wisdom. I wondered how this discussion and my responses and reactions to this particular problem would have been different if I had the information, insight, and understanding I have now. Where does the wisdom lie? Is it about being all knowing? Is it about being able to surmise another's motivation, perception, preferred course of action?

Or, is it simply about being willing to engage in the conversation?