Real Recognition Radio Show Guests

This week Roy & I had the privilege of interviewing Sonia Di Maulo and Tanveer Naseer on Real Recognition Radio.

While the effort to create a better work environment may seem like common sense, the value in the conversation comes from actually doing something about it. I encourage you to take a look at your own workplace to consider the following:

• What is the language like?
• Do people build each other up or spend more time protecting themselves?
• Are managers so concerned with their own ego that they are unable to genuinely celebrate their team member's success?
• Can you trust the people around you?
• Do people hoard information and hoard the credit for work others do?
• Is the culture one that supports an abundance mentality where many people can contribute and succeed?

I encourage you to take the time to listen to the show and read the blogs from Sonia & Tanveer summarizing the conversation.

A Sign of Being Human

The need for appreciation isn't a sign of weakness, but rather it is a sign of being human.

How can you better validate and appreciate the people in your life? I challenged my audience at Duke University to consider this question, and then I took it one step further saying, "Identify someone that you don't think would actually want the recognition and tell them specifically (and sincerely) what you appreciate about them." One month later, I followed-up with the audience members to find out what they had done.

An executive raised her hand to tell me that she had reluctantly recognized a long-time employee. "He was always doing great work, and yet I had never said anything in the past because I didn't think he would want to hear it," she said. "However, after your challenge I decided to take a chance," pausing for a moment, she then said, "After recognizing him for his amazing work over so many years he came into my office and said that in NINETEEN years of working for the organization he had never had anyone acknowledge his work." She humbly concluded saying, "He told me thank you for noticing and then he walked out . . . I had no idea."

The simplicity, the influence, and the power of genuine appreciation should not be taken for granted. Please consider the benefits of communicating in a positive way that builds trust, creates hope, and inspires confidence. How can you better validate and appreciate the people in your life?

The need for appreciation is not a sign of weakness . . . it is a sign of being human.

Perfection Not Required

"Things don't have to be perfect to be wonderful." Veanne Elg

Sometimes, our fear of imperfection is so great that we are unable to do anything. Seth Godin recently said something to this effect: "When I'm feeling scared about something then I know I should keep pursuing it." He went on to say that the times in his life that haven't gone well were the times when he listened to the voice of fear and did nothing. Likewise, his highest moments have been when he has decided to push through the fear and live life.

Why are we so gripped by fear? What is the worst that can happen? Why must we believe that anything but perfection dooms us to a life of unhappiness? Ironically, it is often the fear itself that inhibits us from finding happiness.

I invite you to consider what your life could be like without the fear of failure. What if it was okay to be imperfect? What if you could still enjoy things despite the flaws and shortcomings? I'm not suggesting that we accept failure or never try to improve, but I do believe that we would all live happier lives if we didn't focus on our weaknesses so much.

Remember: "Things don't have to be perfect to be wonderful."

HR’s Opportunity to Create Meaning, Live Values, & Humanize Work

Allan Collins, President & CEO of SuccessInHR.com, recently asked this question on LinkedIn: “What is the single biggest opportunity HR professionals need to prepare for in the next 1-2 years?”

My response comes in THREE overlapping parts and I’ll explain why I think these are all so important:

1) To create meaning:

HR has the biggest opportunity to create MEANING in the workplace. People want to be part of a cause and science proves engagement increases when we are doing things we’re passionate about. Understanding the business objectives is not enough! HR needs to be part of the team that FORMS the business objectives to ensure alignment and to create meaningful work.

2) To live the values:

The BOOMERS made the $$$. They are the last generation to know what a pension is, and they have saved some cash (okay, I know there are a few endangered company pensions out there, but ultimately, they will only exist in government jobs and history books). This younger generation has to figure out how to survive on a 401K, increasing premiums, and no insurance after retirement. Why do they want more now? Why not? They don’t see a lot of hope for making it to retirement if they aren’t aggressive.

Companies have proven over and over again that shareholders are more important than employees (with the exception of a few executives that make hundreds of millions of dollars). The younger generation has witnessed all of the corporate GREED . . . so why are we surprised that they don’t feel loyal in return? The CEO of GE just recently talked about the sins of his generation of leaders . . . it is sad and true.

The challenge for HR: Demonstrating ethics, proving that the values are lived not just printed, and engaging this workforce in purposeful work.

3) Humanize the workplace:

HR needs to seize the opportunity to demonstrate how the company of tomorrow will quickly replace old styles of abusing employees. The best places to work will demonstrate a passion for HUMANIZING the work experience again. They will be faster and more flexible then the competition, and ultimately, they will reap the rewards. HR must DRIVE this conversation rather than just going with the flow.

Should we still call it Human “Resources”?

Should we still call it Human Resources? Or is there a better way to describe what HR professionals do? If people are to be viewed as more than assets, then maybe we need to change the title of Human “Resources” to reflect the changes as well. To be credible, we should get beyond administration of paperwork to consider what we could be doing: humanizing the workplace.

In my opinion, the HR professionals of the future have an opportunity to change the workplace so dramatically that they will no longer like the term “resources” as it no longer describes what they really do (I’ll explain when you see my answer to the next question).

Allan Collins, President & CEO of SuccessInHR.com, recently asked this question on LinkedIn: “What is the single biggest opportunity HR professionals need to prepare for in the next 1-2 years?”

My response is this: To create meaning, live the values, and HUMANIZE the workplace for employees. I’ll lay out my case for this in my next post.

How would you answer Allan’s question? What do you think is the single biggest opportunity for HR professionals? Assuming they should even still be called human “resource” professionals . . . what do you think?