For some reason, I have been up later and later. Not being able to get to sleep. Not for the wrong reasons. Not for worries or issues with the day. Not problems with work, contracts or developing ideas. I have been up late lately simply because my mind has been filled with ideas. A few of those ideas are about HR (I know, I am a dork). Been spending a lot of time thinking of solutions to issues that we create ourselves and differentiating them from what the environmental barriers are presented for us to face and conquer.

The topic on my mind now is “Why can HR not be considered as important as Marketing, Sales and/or Operations?” These are areas that have been traditionally looked at as revenue generators for the business. While HR helps in, what I call, the 3 D’s – Direction, Delivery and Development of talent and business strategies; the business does not give the function as much weight as the others. Why even ask the question. This is a big question. It is a question that should be asked and followed with steps and actions put in place to address, improve and change the typical business perception.

I ask because we should care and we want to have an effect. As professionals within the field, we should care in order to have a true impact on connecting the HR practices and strategies to the overall business strategies. Like a marriage, these principles may be happy and dysfunctional, but it is the hope that the marriage will last.

The History of HR did not start with the mindset of Henry Ford, wondering why people so often brought their heads and hearts, when all he needed was their hands and feet. In my opinion, and based on history, the true aspects of HR started with the idea out of concern for the worker and the business. That basic personnel management functions – employee selection, training and compensation needed to be addressed.

Whether I am right or wrong, I believe we do not sit down enough with the RIGHT leadership. We do not encourage the WRONG leadership enough. Proving to both with evidence of how HR can be right for the organization. Some of you may not have the positional power to demand or drive this strategy. Whether other parts of leadership use HR in a transactional way agree with our expertise or not, HR should be in the vehicle to drive discussions and even make arguments to help increase the effectiveness of the all people, processes and strategies involved. I mean we help direct, deliver and develop the people right. Ultimately driving the impact of the business. So I simply ask, what actions will you take to help your position make an impact and change the perception? Change the perception. Become legendary!

Are you the jerk boss in the office?

You may be a boss or even senior to many employees. However this does not mean that you own anyone.

It also doesn’t give you license to be an A#$H@(*. You are a manager for a reason. That reason does not include:

• being intimidating
• the right to be power hungry
• being a micro-manager to everyone
• taking credit for other peoples success
• making people do more work then is needed
• playing favorites
• telling innapropriate jokes
• creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation
• hiring people you like versus those that are better suited to perform at the job
• being a jerk

You set an example

I know it happens but that doesn’t give you the right to be that bad boss.

Being a manager, supervisor or someone who is senior to to employees means you are being given the trust to help guide employees in the right direction. Helping them to understanding their roles within a department, and help to improve and increase their level of performance.

Remember: Management is not your job, it is only another tool that you hold within your job to get things done.

Stop being a jerk and start by adjusting your attitude!

Have you been one of “those” manager’s that has needed your own attitude adjusted? Have you had a manager that needed to check the way they deal with their people? Tell me your story!

Same pants… for the rest of your life!

Scenerio:

Hiring Manager: “So what do you want to do”

Candidate: “I’d like to do XYZ but I would also be interested in working later on in ABC!”

Hiring Manager: “Well I think you could really do well doing GHI so you’re hired! Congrats… Hear is your uniform, this is what you will wear for the rest of your career!”

Candidate: “The rest of my career?”

Hiring Manager: “Yes, the rest of your career”

Candidate: **sad and dissapointed look on face**

Is this what you want when you choose a job, a company or an industry? Is this how you treat the people you hire or source for a position?

We would never truly want to force anyone to wear the same shirt, pair of pants, britches day after day. Besides being icky it would also be depressingly constricting. So why would we expect a person, over their working life, to do the exact same career, specialty or job title?

Now largely this is not what we as individuals wish for ourselves, but many times as managers or supervisors this is what we often do to the people who work for us. Especially when they are really good at that one job regardless of the level.

So what do you think? Is this what too many companies and hiring managers do? Is it easy in this economy for organizations to place these career restrictions on people?

Imagine if everyone made a few people smile a day. How much of a better world it might be!

It’s as simple as that.