The End of the Good Ol' Boys Club

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!"
- an excerpt from Aesop's Fable: The Boy Who Cried Wolf

A recent incident of harassment within an NFL organization has brought about consideration of age-old traditions in the workplace. There are those who consider certain rituals a right of passage and others who see no value in maintaining the way things have always been.

The world is changing. People are no longer comfortable with authority for the sake of authority and what has always been is being challenged. Tradition is giving way to innovation. This does not mean loyalty is dead, it means content is king. Information is now so readily available that it can no longer be protected. The silos are burning.

Rule #5 of the New Rules of Engagement: Be Boldly Transparent!

In this day-and-age of social media, privacy is at a premium. Why not act accordingly?

I sat in church last week while the Priest confronted the men in the audience. He posed questions to us to analyze our character. I was able to look him in the eye with great certainty. I'm far from perfect but I'm not hiding anything.

At least 2 NFL players have had a criminal past exposed this season. People have lost their jobs for protecting the entitled behavior of outstanding performers. To allow people special treatment because they possess a divine skill is no longer an option. Performance reviews in organizations are in equal part considering corporate citizenship alongside core skill metrics. Organizations are valuing collaboration over competition. Arrogance is being trumped by humility.

In 2013, I have been part of a speaking series called "HR as a Business Partner". We have discussed strategic organizational initiatives and HR's critical participation in change management. I want to believe that designing strategic programs, innovation strategy, culture building, and social citizenship are key HR directives; but I might be wrong.

Half of the workforce may now be viewed as irrelevant. Will they expose themselves by clinging to tradition? Will the explanation of its always been this way become an excuse for lack of inventive thinking?

While we strive to be a strategic business partner, HR may be spending a great deal of the next decade pondering the legalities of off-boarding workforce veterans. There may be an abundance of organizational psychology needed from Human Resources to battle the swift tide of this workforce succession.

If you are afraid to collaborate, you've never had a good idea!
Have you ever heard the saying, "its not what you know, it's who you know". I hate that saying! We cannot dismiss people's lack of ability simply because we love them.

I had to re-evaluate my professional life when I realized that I could not climb the corporate ladder. The people who were deemed "leaders" looked down upon this because they had backed their way into their titles by doing the safe thing. I lost faith in everything I always wanted......

Stop Protecting Mediocrity!
It does not matter when you were born, what cost center you fall under, or the distinction of your title.

There is 1 simple rule:
Let Your Awesomeness Shine!

There is no intricate performance management system necessary. It is not about who you know. If you are great at what you do you should have greater influence. If your content has no merit you can pretend for the sake of preservation but is that really how you want to represent yourself?

Success is a collective action. There are no winners when spite is the motivator.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave