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Monthly Archives: February 2014

Spotlight Friday: An Interview with Career Strategist & Small Business Coach Dawn Lennon

28 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Spotlight Friday

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Dawn Lennon, hr, human resources

027lennonDawn Lennon, founder and owner of Big Picture Consulting, is a career strategist, consultant and coach for individuals, businesses, and solo practitioners. For over twenty years, Dawn held senior manager positions at a Fortune 500 company in customer service, management development and training, and consumer programs. Dawn has also been a commercial race horse breeder and equine art dealer. She is the author of Business Fitness: The Power to Succeed—Your Way.

You can follow her at her Business Fitness blog, on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and G+.

1. Most job postings cite “X” years of relevant work experience and specific education criteria as requirements to be considered for the position. With this in mind, what prior work experiences and degrees/certifications/training helped prepare you for your current role?

After spending years running through many rings of fire, I eventually came to accept that I had amassed the right blend of business experience, perspectives, and readiness to become a solopreneneur, serving clients as a career strategist and/or performance coach/consultant.

Briefly, my career path includes a decade teaching high school, a short stint in social work administration, over twenty years as a senior manager at a Fortune 500 utility in consumer education, human resources, and customer service. Concurrent with employment, I did independent practice management consulting for veterinarians, became a commercial horse breeder for the race track and show ring, and owned an equine art gallery. That gave me career experiences in education, social work, business, agriculture, retail, and consulting.

All of this led to my current role as principal for Big Picture Consulting where I work with individuals and small businesses to help them achieve their goals. I have a masters degree in English from Lehigh University which, I suppose, gives me the license to write and read to my hearts content!

1B. What (if any) additional knowledge or skills that you don’t currently have would make you even better at your job?

Although I work hard trying to keep up with technology and social media, I need to continue to learn to use the tools my clients depend on and I could use more knowledge of html.

2. Some jobs require the incumbent to be very analytical. Others require one to be a strong communicator, and others still require traits like patience, the ability to multitask, self-directedness, comfort with ambiguity, and exceptional attention to detail. Are there any behaviors and/or attributes that you would say are essential to performing the work that you do?

Reflective listening and effective questioning are essential for me since my job is to deconstruct issues, find the root cause of problems, and understand the leadership style, concerns, and capabilities of clients. The ultimate quest is to get to clarity around the factors contributing to problems and then to identify strategies and tactics that will successfully address them. 

3. Jobs guru Lou Adler says there are only 4 job types of jobs in the world (producers, improvers, builders, and thinkers). Which type of job are you in?

Because I’m a thinker, I am able to give a leg up to the producers, improvers, and builders who are feeling stuck. That said, I have to be able to make a personal connection to each job type so I can identify with its needs. My personal career mix put me in all those job types before I came to this one. 

4. Does your job involve either directly or indirectly supervising or managing people? If so, how many direct (or indirect) reports do you have?

It’s nice that I only have to supervise myself these days. (I take my own direction quite well!) In the past, I supervised small groups and multi-layered ones of over 300. That experience helps me help clients with their own supervisory challenges.  

5. How does what you do impact the business? Think complexity (different types of impacts) and scale (degree of impact). Put another way: Who and what would be impacted if your job wasn’t being done well, and why would it matter that they were impacted?

If I weren’t doing my job well, I’d be out of business. There’s no better measure of effectiveness than that. These days, I am very selective about the number and kinds of clients I take on, since I’ve rededicated myself to writing. It’s that prodigal English major in me, I suspect.

6. Is your job safe? Rate its safety on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being “seated all day in an air conditioned vault” and 10 being “I’m an astronaut going into space”. If your job isn’t safe, what working conditions (specifically) make it hazardous?

My home office is a safe place, but safety is a commitment that we make personally. My years working for an electric utility taught me that. Accidents can happen anytime and anywhere.  We always need to be vigilant.

7. Is there anything I missed that people should know about your job? Is there anything else you want to say about what you do?

I would encourage anyone seeking a coach or consultant to engage in serious due diligence, to be clear about expectations, and expect value. It’s about having a thought partner who knows how the business world works and truly wants to help you.

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best,

Rory

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Infographic Thursday: How People Use Facebook in Their Job Searches

27 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Infographic Thursday

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Tags

hr, human resources

…So it would seem people don’t have much affinity for using Facebook in the job search process. Check out the below infographic from Link Humans (follow them on Twitter here) to learn more:

Job-search-Facebook

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Best,

Rory

Let’s Talk About Effective Leadership Styles

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in General Management

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

hr, human resources

Image Credit: <wildlandfireleadership.blogspot.com

Image Credit: <wildlandfireleadership.blogspot.com>

Throughout early adulthood I never really liked the idea of being a manager. I loathe ordering people to do things, and chafe under similar direction myself. And since (for various reasons) that was what I thought managers did when I was younger, I decided I never wanted to be one. Yet over the course of my life I’ve often found myself in people and project manager roles. Occasionally they’ve been formal positions, but most of the time they aren’t. Usually something important needs to get done, no one else is doing it, and so I seem to end up in the authority figure role by default.

That’s fine. As long as the work gets done.

The first few times I was thrust into such roles, however, I had to deal with the uncomfortable fact that people were looking to me to direct them. And I found the prospect of ordering them do things (and them hopping to it) to be unsettling.

…So I didn’t. Instead I asked, and then always thanked them for their specific efforts after. In fact, to date, I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a direct or indirect report to do anything. I communicate expectations, request people help where they’re needed, and tell them I appreciate them after.

1. Post for another day?I’ve said before that I’m a functional manager rather than a great one 1, but my proclivity to influence rather than exert pressure in situations where I can do so is not one of the things holding me back from greatness. Rather, when I’ve been effective at leading teams I think one of the biggest variables working in my favor is that the people I was managing knew I was invested in the outcome of the project, not my authority and credit.

I’m not trying to toot my own horn here. Again, I’ve got plenty of weaknesses. But as I continue my journey to get a more holistic picture of the HR function, one thing I’m noticing is that everyone has different ideas on what the most effective style of leadership is. So I guess I’m sharing the pros of my leadership style today in the hope that others will tell me where they disagree/what they do differently so that I can better understand divergent points of view.

…So what’s your approach to leadership. Why does it work? Why doesn’t it? And what’s wrong with mine?

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best,

Rory

The Definitive (?) List of HR Associations and Research Organizations

25 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in General HR, Personal Development

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

hr, human resources

Image Credit: <www.lcfresearch.org

Image Credit: <www.lcfresearch.org>

…So I’ve spent the past couple of days (off and on) trying to identify all of the major HR organizations (national or greater scope). My aim is to gain a better understanding of who exactly is doing innovative research/having important conversations within the functional space so that I might optimally direct my learning and development HR efforts in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the field. To the point, the list that I’ve put together can 1. I’m not focusing on publications, blogs, or regional organizations (unless they’re really large/influential) right now. I also (for various reasons) didn’t include firms specializing in human capital consulting (although I’m sure a few of those made it onto this list). Those sources are all important, but for now I want to focus on cataloging the major associations and research organizations, understanding what they’re working on, and then using that information to hone my focus/direct my thoughts. If the tide doesn’t rise, the rest will come in due time. ^_^be found at the end of this post.

I know I can’t possibly have them all yet... I started my process here by doing Boolean web searches for various lists and orgs of this kind, then worked through the websites of major human resources degree graduate programs. I also skimmed the websites of the major human capital firms (PwC, Mercer, Aon, Towers etc.) for some direction here, and then finally tapped some subject matter experts in my network. But I have a feeling that I’m not thinking broadly enough here. For instance, if an association is branding itself using a less conventional HR bucket (using something like “Organizational Effectiveness”, “People Management” or has some behavioral psychology focus) then I’m probably completely missing them on the present lists.

…I’m also looking to break this list out into major HR research organizations catering specifically to CHROS and/or Fortune 500 Companies with a global focus. Some examples in the U.S. would be the Center for Advanced Human Resources (CAHRS) and the Center for Effective Organizations (CEO).

Please share any I missed here in the comments section (with an emphasis on global HR organizations catering to CHROs/Industry Leaders), and/or reach out to me on any of my social channels (column to the left).

Best,

Rory

The List:

Academy of Human Resource Development
American Arbitration Association
Council for Global Immigration
American Payroll Association
American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration
American Society for Training & Development
Asociación Mexicana en Dirección de Recursos Humanos
Association of Executive Search Consultants
ASTD
Australian Human Resources Institute
Cable and Telecommunications Human Resources Association
Center for Effective Organizations (CEO)
Center for Human Resource Management Studies
Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies
Center for Human Resources Research (CHRR)
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
College and University Professional Association for Human Resources
Cornell Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies
Council on Employee Benefits
Employee Benefit Research Institute
Employers Council on Flexible Compensation
Employers Resource Association
Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management
HR Policy Association
HRO Service and Technology Association
Human Resource Planning Society
Human Resource Research Center
Human Resources Benchmarking Association
Human Resources Independent Consultants
Human Resources Professionals Association
Human Resources Research Organization
i4cp
Independent Energy Human Resources Association
Institute of Human Resource Management of Serbia
Institute of Recruiters
International Association for Human Resource Information Management
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
International Public Management Association for Human Resources
International Society for Performance Improvement
International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists
Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA)
National Academy of Human Resources
National Association of African Americans in Human Resources
National Association of Human Resource Consultants
National Association of Personnel Services
National Human Resources Association (NHRA)
National Institute of Personnel Management
North American Human Resource Management Association
Recognition Professionals International
Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
World at Work

Quote of the Week: “Inaction breeds doubt and fear…

24 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Quote of the Week

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

hr, human resources

…Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie

Image Credit: <www.selectorweb.com/public_speaking.html

Image Credit: <www.selectorweb.com>

For this quote we can thank American writer and lecturer Dale Carnegie. I stumbled upon this one last night, and couldn’t help but think to myself that this advice came right on time:

To the point, a senior leader recently asked me to work with him on a project. It’s theoretically work I should be pretty good at, but I’m juggling more big balls in the air than at any other point in my life right now: Between planning a major life event, embarking on a new web partnership, learning R, fulfilling several copy commitments, and escalating day-to-day responsibilities at work, the prospect of also completing this new project has just felt daunting.

As such, the past couple of weeks I’ve retreated to the familiar, tackling all of the easy items on my two-do list while making mere cursory efforts towards tackling bigger challenges.  In many ways this has been out of character for me – I normally relish the sense of urgency that comes with being so busy one’s head is spinning. In this case, however, juggling the expectations of so many different stakeholders at once began to weigh on me mentally: Eventually the enormity of everything got the better of me, and subconsciously I began pulling away from the challenges at hand instead of digging in and going to work. I understand now that this is because for the first time in a while I feel truly overextended, and the prospect of failure on one or more engagements is a real possibility.

With that said, pushing things off to another day has done nothing to alleviate the anxiety I’ve been feeling. And in a long moment of quiet reflection last night, I realized that the only way to ease the pressure slowly building around me is to stand up under it and soldier on.

…And so I worked very late into the night and got some things done: Not even close to everything, but I made a small dent. It felt good to make progress, and I got some of my confidence back. I realize now that I actually can pull everything off.

I say that to say that as we get started this week don’t be afraid. And don’t focus on the bigness of the tasks in front of you. Instead, just start where you are and do what you can.

You’re probably closer to success than you think.

Happy Monday,

Rory

Sunday Reading: February 23, 2014 – Compensating High Potentials, Consulting, and the Disadvantages Hard Work

23 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Sunday Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

hr, human resources

Image Credit: <mason.gmu.edu

Image Credit: <mason.gmu.edu>

Sunday reading for February 23, 2014:

1. Ann Bares, Compensation Café Founder and Managing Partner of Altura Consulting Group LLC has a great post up here that highlights a problem many of us encounter when implementing pay programs for our high potentials – their value to the organization (and across the larger market) outpaces the internal merit increases and salary adjustments they receive. In such cases retention can become an issue. This is a highly recommended read for comp folks and HRMs.

2. Human Workplace CEO and Founder Liz Ryan has a great post up on Linkedin talking about how she got started in consulting. It turns out that it isn’t all that difficult! Read how Liz entered the space (and you can too) here.

3. The American work ethic is in many ways the stuff of legend. According to Brigid Schulte at the Washington Post, however, our belief in working harder than everyone else may also be making us (among other things) more stressed, sick, stupid, and disengaged. She postulates that instead of working more hours, the key to a more happy, productive life for the average American might be found by spending less hours at the office and more on the golf course. This is a good read, and I recommend checking it out here.

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Best,

Rory

Video Saturday: Laszlo Bock on How Google’s Hiring Process Works

22 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Recruiting, Talent Management, Video Saturday

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Tags

google, hiring best practices, hr, human resources, Laszlo Bock, talent management

Image Credit: <resources.rpoassociation.org

Image Credit: <resources.rpoassociation.org>

As a brief aside, a year ago today I wrote my first post for rorytrotter.com. Since that date, I have shared content or written about the function every day. I really love what we do in HR, and hope that a year from now I’m thinking more deeply about the space than ever before. My sincerest thanks to everyone that has been reading since the beginning, and to new readers I will do my best to continue to keep you engaged.In 2013 Laszlo Bock, Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google discussed the company’s hiring process at The Economist’s Ideas Economy: Innovation Forum. I’ve been researching best hiring practices pretty extensively lately, and Google is a company that comes up regularly as an organization known for making great strides in the space. You can read more about how Google hires on its company page here, and I would also encourage you to check out Bock’s comments on the topic in the Youtube video below:

Best,

Rory

Spotlight Friday: An Interview with HR Consultant Sharlyn Lauby

21 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Spotlight Friday

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

hr, human resources, Sharlyn Lauby

Sharlyn Lauby

Sharlyn Lauby is president of ITM Group Inc., a consulting firm which focuses on developing training solutions that engage and retain talent in the workplace. The company has been named one of the Top Small Businesses in South Florida.

She is also the author of the blog HR Bartender, a friendly place to talk about workplace issues. The blog has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Business Blogs Worth Reading by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and SparkHire’s Top 25 Must-Read Blogs for Employers.

She currently serves on the Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility expertise panel for SHRM. And her personal goal in life is to find the best cheeseburger on the planet.

You can follow Sharlyn on Twitter here, Facebook here, and Youtube here.

1. Most job postings cite “X” years of relevant work experience and specific education criteria as requirements to be considered for the position. With this in mind, what prior work experiences and degrees/certifications/training helped prepare you for your current role?

I feel very fortunate to have spent the majority of my human resources career in companies with some sort of change effort taking place. It might have been that the department needed better employee engagement, or the division was growing and expanding at a rapid pace, or that the location was an acquisition target. I’ve always enjoyed having a full plate and staying busy. Admittedly, I don’t handle relaxing very well. It’s prepared me for my consulting life.

1B. What (if any) additional knowledge or skills that you don’t currently have would make you even better at your job?

I really enjoy learning. Here’s one thing on my learning list for this year: With today’s focus on visual learning, I’m trying to merge my artsy side and my business in the form of photography. My first job was as a commercial artist. I produced limited edition serigraphs, etchings and paper sculpture. Since I carry an iPhone with me all the time, I’m trying to learn how to take better images and the nuances of editing apps.

2. Some jobs require the incumbent to be very analytical. Others require one to be a strong communicator, and others still require traits like patience, the ability to multitask, self-directedness, comfort with ambiguity, and exceptional attention to detail. Are there any behaviors and/or attributes that you would say are essential to performing the work that you do?

I’d say being self-aware is critical. It’s important for me to understand those things I excel at and the areas where I need help. Being a consultant is about time. I need to know those tasks that are the best use of my time. There are many things I can do, but what I should be doing relative to my skills and time is key.

3. Jobs guru Lou Adler says there are only 4 job types of jobs in the world (producers, improvers, builders, and thinkers). Which type of job are you in?

I agree with Lou that each of us has a little bit of each type. For example, a client might ask me to create a training program for them (Builder) or revise a program I wrote for them years ago (Improver). One could say that with writing HR Bartender, I’m a Producer. And when I get asked to speak at a conference on the future of the HR profession, I’m a Thinker.

4. Does your job involve either directly or indirectly supervising or managing people? If so, how many direct (or indirect) reports do you have?

While I’ve managed people and departments in the past, right now I’m only managing myself. 

5. How does what you do impact the business? Think complexity (different types of impacts) and scale (degree of impact). Put another way: Who and what would be impacted if your job wasn’t being done well, and why would it matter that they were impacted?

Let me answer this with a story. Years ago, one of my clients was recognized as a best place to work. When I found out, I sent over my congratulations. The company president responded by saying that I was part of the reason they became a best place to work. That’s how I impact the business.

6. Is your job safe? Rate its safety on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being “seated all day in an air conditioned vault” and 10 being “I’m an astronaut going into space”. If your job isn’t safe, what working conditions (specifically) make it hazardous?

I work from home so I’d say my job is pretty safe (10). And I’d add that wellness has become a big focus for me. I have a treadmill desk so I can get some additional exercise in daily. 

7. Is there anything I missed that people should know about your job? Is there anything else you want to say about what you do?

When I became a consultant, I was given several pieces of advice. The first is “There’s plenty of room in the sandbox.” meaning that consultants don’t need to tear other consultants down. One minute we might be competing against each other for a project and the next working together on a big engagement. The second was “Support the people who support you.” It reminds me to remember where I came from. Those people and companies helped me get to where I am today. 

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best,

Rory

Infographic Thursday: Best Majors for Making Money

20 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Compensation, Infographic Thursday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

employee engagement, employment law, hr, human resources, social media

May today’s infographic help the young and financially ambitious viewing it to make informed choices in life: We can thank the wonderful folks at Payscale (follow them on Twitter here) for this snapshot into which majors offer budding scholars the greatest return on their time investment:

Best Majors for Making Money

Best,

Rory

When is it Too Late to Reengage Talent?

19 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Employee Engagement

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

hr, human resources

Image Credit: <www.i4cp.com

Image Credit: <www.i4cp.com>

…So I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately:

People leave their companies for lots of reasons. Money, lack of clearly defined opportunities, uncertainty about the future…

…But it’s a gradual process in most cases, right? Apathy, resentment, and disillusionment are cultivated over time. Which means there is a tipping point between that initial frustration and the moment an employee mentally leaves their organization.

As HR professionals, when we see the signs that an employee is not engaged how do we know if it’s too late to bring them back into the fold or not?

Does it even matter? Isn’t it always our job to try?

Or maybe… it’s sometimes in the best interests of all parties involved to move on.

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best,

Rory

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