I'm not packing Lucy.
I’m spending a few days down in Florida. I know, I know. It’s the end of August. I’m nuts.
What’s crazier is that I will be surrounded by HR peeps in various stages of their careers — and most of these peeps actually like their jobs. Some will be new to Human Resources. Some will seasoned and cynical. Most will be HR practitioners who have never (and will never) run a business, manage a P&L, or sit in executive meetings where strategic decisions are made.
And I’m okay with that.
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Most employees are not strategic leaders, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t do great work. Just because you administer policies & procedures doesn’t mean that you can’t step up your game and learn a new thing or two. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned during the past three years, it’s that you can criticize Human Resources until you’re blue in the face, but until you administer to the profession and coach the people who do the work, you’re just an amateur.
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I’m no Mother Teresa, but I’m going down to Florida to speak with the people in my industry who show up for work everyday and try to do things a little better. I’ll share what I know about HR trends, I’ll talk a little bit about social media, and I will try to demonstrate that you can be both a pundit and a bridge to something better.
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And I will sneak away from the conference and have a big fruity drink during the day.
You’ve been warned.
13 comments ...wanna add one?
I wish I could join you – have a big fruity drink for me! Best regards!
Thx, Lisa!
Are you speaking at HRSouthwest or are you networking with your fellow HR peeps?
I’m not speaking in a formal capacity but I’ll be there.
A pundit and a bridge ….. I like that – alot.
I think that’s such a perfect way to describe what we do, right?
Hmm. I have always found that when I speak to HR peeps I prefer to have several big fruity drinks before I speak. Maybe that’s what I am doing wrong…
You are right, we can “reinvent” the profession. If you look at where we are at societally from a disssatisfaction standpoint there is nothing but upside for HR folks who are willing to take some risks
Love the hat….
Thanks! Target — $12.99 and totally worth it for the laughs.
Puhleeze, can’t we still criticize HR without ever having done the real work? If not, what will I do with myself?
1. You can fly a kite.
2. You can go fug yourself.
Hahahhahahahaha, okay, I could go on like this all day.
You look like Doris Day in that picture! The hat, the glasses, the smile, the hair and, of course, the cat. That’s a compliment! We all know what an animal lover Doris is!
Oh yeah, me & doris. Twins!
As COO of my company, I believe it’s the role of the execs in a company to set the role of HR in their organizations. A few months ago I hired a new director of HR. In the job description, there were words like “progressive” and “strategic”. Yes, I got a lot of traditional, well-qualified HR folks, but I knew that to make my company more competitive in the marketplace, more attractive to candidates, to retain my best people, to develop my leadership team, that I needed a progressive HR professional. I am very pleased I found one, but the point is that it started with how I, along with our President and CEO, envisioned the role of HR within our company.