YES

Many years ago a young man walked into an art exhibit. Curious of his environment and the motives of the attendees he looked around with eyebrow raised. He came upon a ladder that lead to the portal of sorts. He wondered what might be at the other end of the portal. Before taking action he weighted the potential of putting effort into the climb if only to witness something unfulfilling. Sure of frustration, he climbed the ladder. A microscope hung from the ceiling, he grabbed it, and discovered one perfect word:
YES

He found himself caught up in emotion. Validated and empowered by what he saw. Ashamed that he nearly allowed his judgement to deny him the experience. The young man's name was John Lennon. The power of the artistic exercise the means for introduction to his future wife. He could have considered the reward unworthy of his effort before experiencing it and walked away.

We may have missed our other in this world simply because our intuition told us our time was better spent. Then walked off to spend time doing something far less productive. This is an unfortunate aside to our existence. We want proof before we act. Our faith has been replaced by the need for factual assessment. By these measures many of us never try new things and remain unfulfilled.

Everyone wants to be great! We want a job promotion, we want to experience lands far away, we want to ask the girl to dance...but we avoid taking the chance for fear of rejection, embarrassment, or the potential frustration of time wasted. We allow NO to regulate us instead of saying YES and taking control of our immeasurable power.

It's time to take the power back. Turn that corner to see what's on the other side. If nothing else, we could try a little optimism.

When you open the door to tomorrow, think of what's possible...don't allow your fear of the worst to restrict your actions. Seek opportunity. Meet new people, volunteer, apply for a promotion.

Climb the Ladder....because you can!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

The Weight

Not much is certain in this day and age but one thing that has revealed itself as undeniably true.... If You Think Today Will Suck....It Will!

I have made many personal transitions in life that have helped me avoid a less than optimistic viewpoint. Shamefully, I still revert to old behaviors from time to time. The sunset then met with disappointment of a day wasted. I see this discontent in others: the unnecessary attention to detail, the disappointment of life's current stage and way too much Fox News! I see recent graduates frustrated with the job market and their grandparents upset with their 401K's. Last week the S & P down-graded the US economy, jobs are scarce, homes are underwater.......and all of this puts strain on our personal relationships.

The easy thing to do is cringe when the alarm clock opens the day's door. It is much more difficult to seize the day.

"Can't is the cancer of happening" - Charlie Sheen

We all witnessed the demise of the man quoted above. But in the midst of a meteoric fall from grace, Charlie Sheen's sense purpose was laser focused. As his life crumbled around him, Sheen maintained an almost Tony Robbins like life purpose. There were those who shook their head at Charlie Sheen's squandering of his fortune. There are far more who took delight is seeing a member of the elite fall from grace.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be" - Puck via William Shakespeare

You called your old friend when you lost your job simply to receive validation that they were wrong. When your stock flipping scheme disabled your ability to refinance...you blamed President Obama.

We all fall short of our ability to empower our full potential. Anything left is the opportunity of a new day.

We hate the word accountability because it makes us uneasy. But we live in a place where you can carry 100 rocks up a hill or you can carry 10 rocks up a hill. While, you got used to doing enough, enough became far too little.

Empower your possibility instead of questioning your limitations. Doubt is only a difference of perspective.

Be strong and carry the weight.

We Can Do This!

Don't Forget to Remember!

- Dave  

Personal Public Persona

Earlier this week I authored a piece about social media in potential hire profiling. The responses have been varied but one point has become certain:

Without your boss sitting on your lap at all times, the choices you make are your own!


This sentiment is not specific to social media but it may be the area in which it is most prevalent. Tony Bruno was suspended this week for his choices and many others have suffered an even worse fate. As Erica Albright stated, "the Internet is written in ink". So unavoidably true. Your company cannot police your every thought, your opinions may fall into the wrong inbox, and interpreting the mood of the written word is very difficult. We are not governed by the platform or the organization with which we are affiliated. We can only monitor ourselves. This is a massive responsibility!

I don't believe that Tony Bruno is a racist, he just got caught up in the moment. This week I saw that a person trying to help another revealed confidential mental health information about that person. The intention was good but the after effect served to further limit the person she was trying to help. I saw another post asking sorority women to disable their facebook pages during their recruitment period..? That's a super secret society.

I don't know about you but I'm not willing to give up that easily. I strongly believe that every company should be aligned with their core values (from CEO to Intern). The most prominent core value of any company is: TRUST! If you want a productive and empowered workforce...trust is essential. Everyone appreciates being given the club with the power to swing it as they wish. No one likes rules, restrictions and/or regulations (necessary as they may be).

This social media thing is not going away. In fact, more people communicate through facebook than email these days. We have an opportunity to use the power of our personal influence for good...why ignore it or attempt to regulate it. Like anything else, we learn from our mistakes in social media. We stop putting down others in blog chats, we stop voicing our opinions after 4 beers, and we refrain from jokes that may be conceived as bullying.

For the first time in my professional lifetime the villagers have more influence than the king. The voice of the people has never been stronger. Twitter is the voice of the NFL players union, blogs speak louder than the New York Times and Facebook has more citizens than most countries. We must understand that with great power comes great responsibility. We need to be aware that our words have consequences and that they cannot be erased. Accept the privilege and proceed with riotous intent!

It is certain that social media will improve our communication. We will learn what to say and when to say it. We will stop protecting our words and share them. We will grow, in honesty, together!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Social Profiling

Do you use social media to profile your job candidates? Is it even legal to do that? (these are not leading questions, I am actually curious).

It seems Social Media is here to stay. These multiple interactive platforms are an extension of one's personality that cannot be conveyed through a resume or interview. Unfortunately, people can also misrepresent themselves in these forums. People are still getting fired for saying things on Twitter or posting pictures on Facebook. There might be fringe subject matter that can be held against you in the workplace. If people know your political affiliations these things may be frowned upon at the water cooler (without you knowing it).

Do we still need resumes if we have LinkedIn?
Do we still need personality screening if we have Facebook?

Could social media participation actually benefit your job prospects? Maybe you have made meaningful professional introductions or have created a forum to share relevant industry information via social media. It  might be hard to imagine but your blog might actually give you a leg up in the hiring process?

Still many professionals are completing ruling out Social Media in their career development. There are still people who tip a few beers with the I-phone in hand and "tell us what they really think".

Is not a professional organization a collective of personalities? Do we not differentiate our company by the people who work for us. Can we not get to a point where we celebrate personalities and trust our employees to promote our brand?

Will we ever get to the point where it will be completely OK to be a person in the workplace? If you didn't always have to police yourself and those around you would you be a more productive professional?

I have a dream today....that every person in every company can wear what they want, to understand (or disagree with) one another, share their personality, kiss a co-worker and even shed a tear if they need to. Is that so hard to imagine?

Don't Forget to Remember!

~ Dave    

We Shall Overcome

No one can ignore that times are tough. The economy is struggling, the job market is dry, and many companies are in survival mode. I was recently asked by an undergrad what differentiates great professionals from general contributors....

My answer: The Ability to Overcome Adversity!

The morning news is full of doom and gloom and our bar stool buddies don't always speak with optimism. Those who have endured our economic decline have something in common: they have figured out how to take what is coming and make it work. There is no schooling or certification that will help you understand the best way to handle adversity. It comes down to challenging yourself to see the forest through the trees.

Here are 3 ways to endure troubled times:
Pick Your Battles
Find the Silver Lining
Don't Ignore The Elephant 

...the forest through the trees
We are a prideful herd. We want to win. We put a lot of effort into things and when our work is challenged, it offends us. I once spent 30 minutes on the phone with a person who took that time to explain to me that she did not have 30 minutes to complete her portion of a project. Our pride often overwhelms our ability to get things done. We often do not wish to participate if we feel there is not a gold star in it for us. We want our work and our ideas validated and rewarded. We want to follow an intent that matches our personal desire.

Simple fix: with everything you do, understand what it means to your personal purpose. Sometimes you just have to take action to cross an item off the list. Standing your ground is essential to your personal integrity but don't waste your personal stand on report processing. Choose your battles wisely.

To Nod without Agreeing
People will get upset and will wish to be herd. Sometimes if you listen and let them get it off their chest it helps them move on with their day. You don't have to agree with people to hear them out. Nor do you need to oppose people's viewpoint...they seek empathy to help overcome their personal strife.

It is much easier to be negative than positive. It is much easier to sit on the sidelines than to be in the game. This is why certain people complain at happy hour but dare not voice a concern in a team meeting. It's work, there are a lot of stupid tasks that confront us....complaining about the 'to do' list only makes it longer.

Cutting Corners Around in Circles
Integrity is a core value of every organization. We roll our eyes and say - "yea right"! But every person is faced with decision making. These decisions are critical to our lasting impression on this earth. Sometimes you have to acknowledge oversights and short comings. Sometimes you have to admit you are wrong.

Great leaders make hard decisions and deliver bad news. Challenges only get more difficult if you choose to ignore them.

I'm sure the aforementioned advice seems almost infantile. But, we cannot allow the mundane to distract our mission.

Frustration is a choice made in reaction to a challenge. Always seek a solution instead of finding a way to pass blame. We can meet each day with a smile or a furrowed brow. If you allow others to determine your goals you will always be miserable. Get out in front of it and determine your own destiny.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave       

The Pursuit of Sadness

My favorite music source, NPR's All Songs Considered, recently opened their channel to a collection of people. The request: "what song makes you cry?". I loved the idea of the invited discussion. As we grow older our intuition to cry tends to fade away. We become more aware of our ability to control our emotions and we compartmentalize accordingly. I found it surprising, however, that people who shared stories with Bob Boilen and the crew talked mostly of love lost.

I have loved and lost but it helped me find my wife....so I don't have to cry about that any more. The tears always revisit me through great music....mostly because I am so happy to be alive in this god forsaken place. When the aforementioned love of my life and I sat at my birthday dinner a few years back, I told her that I was saddened that the ride may be half way over. Sadness hits me when I realize that this life is fleeting - and then I Go Live It!

For the record, a few from my "songs that make you cry" list would be:
A Letter to Elise by The Cure
Never Went to Church by The Streets
Keep Me in Your Heart By Warren Zevon
Troubled Times by Fountains of Wayne
...these among thousands

As a dude in his late 30's with a wife and kids, the tears these days are those of joy. I cried about a lot of stupid shit in my 20's.

Lady Gaga turned the world's most apathetic haters into fans with her in-studio performance on The Howard Stern show. One could not help but love the assumed over-hyped diva because she showed up, played the piano well and shared unadulterated emotion through her art.

It is a shame we have become so sanitized in our human delivery that a little genuine humanity makes us cry. But, that's life. We get so caught up in day to day detail that we forget to LIVE. We worry about the insignificant and forget the people who genuinely matter as they frown in the background of our tortured lives.

When it comes to Love, sometimes you lose that battle. I have news for you my little 25 year old heart broken hearted angel: It Doesn't Matter! I promise, you will find the one you are looking for and those tears will show up again for the right reasons. A reminder that life is fragile and it cannot be wasted in fussing over trifles. Celebrate your every moment for at some point they will be tears on anothers pillow: irreplaceable, delicate, the premise of survival.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Easy is Nothing

I have been reading Start With Why by Simon Sinek and have enjoyed the book immensely. Among other great concepts, Simon introduces the difference between Manipulation and Inspiration.
It seems to be common place in the working world that we believe the way to motivate people is through manipulation (carrot and stick). There has been an onslaught of criticism of Generation Y and their unwillingness to conform, yet we keep the carrots and stick at hand. In essence, we know that manipulation is an inelegant approach but we continue the practice. I interviewed Dan Pink a few weeks back and asked why he thought defacto training was replacing education in the workplace. He noted that it was easier and we tend toward the simpler solution.

So there we have it: trade the practice of changing lives in the workplace for a safe and uninventive process. 

Purpose driven companies are acutely aware of their differentiators and use them as their Primary Organizational Mission.

Unfortunately, purpose driven companies are few and far between. At some point, inspiring people in the workplace became too risky. You have to monitor what you say, ask only of your employees what seems reasonable, measure performance by job description...do the safe thing, leave well enough alone and wallow in mediocrity. It's easier that way.

Zappos have created a model for company culture. People are now saying, "we have embraced the Zappos model".....No, you haven't! We are so hung up on manipulation that we are in denial of our inability to inspire. Zappos makes a daily practice of doing the hard thing. This is why their culture is great. They empower employees, put themselves on the social media edge, use 'above and beyond' customer service as their SOP, allow the personal aspects of their team to drive their company brand, and always think a step ahead. Unless you have enough balls to practice the aforementioned engagement mission, don't pretend you have embraced the Zappos model.

By starting with why, Simon Sinek has helped companies rediscover their genuine organizational purpose. They need not concern themselves with appeasing Generation Y or trying to be like Zappos. They simply need to know that people buy not what they do but why they do it.

Remove the dust from over the Core Values on your lobby wall. Remember what made your company great and continue to be great. There are no easy answers or defacto training...every day will be an inventive challenge. If you want to be a great company these are the things that you need to consider. Doesn't that sound easy?

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave    

Social Awareness

As a Human Resources Strategist, there are 2 requests that are consistently reiterated to me:
1. How can my company be more like Zappos?
2. How do I write an iron-clad Social Media Policy?

The enquiries of competing ideologies are a microcosm of the double life delegated to HR Pros.

The Great Tony Hsieh recently address the question of social media policy at Zappos. I will paraphrase his feedback:
Our social media policy is pretty simple, we hire people for reasons that would validate that we are comfortable with them using social media under the Zappos brand.

Zappos is a great organization because they understand that people come first. Zappos is a company driven:
1. Individual Personalities
2. Core Values
3. Great Customer Service
....you will note that policy and/or organizational process are not listed in their drivers to success.

So, I can't "make your company like Zappos" if your position description is driven by words like: governance, regulation, policy, performance reviews, exit interviews, etc....

HR has been commoditized to corporate police. Do you think HR at Zappos faces liability.....you bet they do...they are HQ-ed in Vegas and have a bunch of 20 somethings working for them!!!! However, Tony Hsieh, his senior leaders and his legal team would don't heap said liability on said 20 somethings when they enter the office on any given day. Zappos remains an exemplary corporate culture because they keep their policy in the ivory tower and let the natives play. They celebrate what's great about their talent and leave the "legal implications of one's behavior" to the lawyers.

Too often in HR we focus on protecting our brand instead of sharing it. We regulate behavior instead of rewarding it. We write policy instead of educating of core values. We focus on performance reviews instead of service celebration.

Tony Hsieh also commented that you don't need to be a start up with a young workforce to be like Zappos...all you need to do is to align your people with your core values. Question: do you know your company's core values? Can you recite them? Do you live by them? Core Values are the only thing, in any company, that promote uniform purpose to all people regardless of title. Unfortunately, they have been reduced to words on a wall covered by dust in most places.

I know HR Pros want to focus on hiring not firing. I know HR Pros want to spread culture not regulate behavior. We just can't seem to shake the commodity we have allowed ourselves to be reduced to.

Want to be like Zappos? Trust your talent and align them with your uniform organizational purpose.....is that so hard to do?

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

How To Get To Heaven

With the insane amount of work I do on a daily basis, I occasionally get immersed in detail. At the point my sanity begins to wane...I make an effort to pull myself back into reality. Through a long walk with my I-pod my reflection keeps me grounded. My latest development:
No One Ever Got Into Heaven for Doing Their Job Well

(I am not an overly-religious person but you get the almighty metaphor)


Simon Sinek's book "Start With Why" has been a pillar in our organization. The premise:
The WHAT (detail of job requirement) is insignificant. One must be driven by the WHY (genuine personal purpose).

Mr. Sinek validates the point of my recent stress reduction walk in the woods. We will never be remembered for submitting a report on time, hitting our quota, or for ordering office supplies efficiently. The mundane detail comes and goes. We get task obsessed, expect a great deal from one another and question our professional relevance. My guess is that the last time you walk out the office door people will remember you not for what you did but why you did it:
Were you a decent person to be around?

I regret to inform you, dear readers, that I have lost sight of my children's moments in the sun because I was side tracked by my blackberry. I have insulted people I care about and have missed countless hours of sleep over things that are out of my control.

As foolish as it seems...I just care (a lot). I wish I wasn't as intense as I tend to be. I sometimes wish I didn't care so much.

Here's what I know:
~ I go to the same coffee shop every day. Not because I like their coffee, I like the people who work there.
~ I drink the same beer all the time because of the dedication the brewer puts into each and every pint.
~ There are certain musicians whose words hug my heart (the accompanying instrumentation not the song's primary attraction).

In starting with WHY:
*People make up for faulty products
* Business Mission trumps inefficency
* People who have walked in our shoes remind us how to run


This life is fleeting. We cannot let the job description distract us from that which is genuinely important to us.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

5 Questions for Dan Pink

I became aware of Dan Pink when a colleague of mine introduced me to his book, "A Whole New Mind". Having an appetite for business journalism, I was constantly seeking new professional motivation via the printed page. Mr. Pink's book provided a shocking reassurance. His description:
Lawyers, Accountants, Computer programmers. That's what our parents encouraged us to become when we grew up. But Mom and Dad were wrong. The future belongs to a very different type of person with a very different kind of mind.

He goes on to describe how right brain thinkers (me) will rule the world. He was right. Mom and Dad were wrong....that's all I needed to hear.

A lawyer by degree, Dan Pink has a knack for enticing healthy debate. This trait served him perfectly in his break through presentation at TED. In this presentation, Mr Pink introduced the concept of his latest book, Drive. Where "A Whole New Mind" challenged the relevance of formal education to one's professional motivation, "Drive" promotes education in the workplace. In debunking the carrot and stick process of motivation, Dan Pink frustrated the less inventive thinkers in the incentive industry and opened the door for a new breed of motivators...focused on the process of education as the greater goal to long term development.

Dan Pink afforded me a few minutes on the 4th of July 2011. He is an all-American guy who is willing to take time away from the parade for his admiring public.

1. I loved the concept of Symphony in "A Whole New Mind". Do you have a formula for bringing consistency to seemingly unrelated events?

No. I think it's less of a formula and more of a general attitude. Are you open to new ideas -- no matter where they come from? Are you reading in areas outside your own professional expertise? Are you talking to a wide range of people? When you put together a team, do you make sure there are diverse viewpoints? People who make this sort of behavior habitual generally do pretty well on Symphony.

2. In “Drive” you challenge the carrot and stick formula of prize for performance. How has this message been received by HR professionals?

So far, the response has been great. But I think HR professionals are more astute on these matters than many others in organizations -- because the very best among them spend their time and energy working on talent. They know that money does matter to talent -- but that it's not ultimately what gets them up in the morning. HR professionals can be hugely important ambassadors in bringing the science of motivation inside of organizations.

3. How important is Empathy in leadership?

It's hugely important. It's very hard to lead without being able to see the world through the eyes of those your leading. That's especially true for creative teams. And it's doubly true for the growing ranks of people who are leaders but who don't have much formal authority -- and therefore must rely on influence rather than command. There's also some recent research, led by Adam Galinsky at Northwestern University, that shows that as people accumulate power, they're less likely to see the world from another's perspective, which can often hamper their abilities to get others to go along with them. Leadership turns out to be a very delicate balance between action-orientation and perspective-taking. Too much of one rarely works.

4. Why have some companies simplified the process of education in the workplace down to product knowledge?

It's easier -- and they know how to do it. Plain and simple.

5. You are one of the most recognized business authors of our time yet you always make time to respond to your readers. How do you balance this?

Hmmm. I'll resist my lawyerly instinct to disagree with your premise and instead thank you for the overly generous assessment. On the matter of responding to readers, it's not all that complex. First, I like it. I learn a heckuva lot from readers and I always appreciate hearing from them. Second, it's the right thing to do. If someone spends 10 or 15 dollars and several hours of their time reading one of my books, the least I can do is spend zero dollars and five minutes of my time responding to their question. To me, what's weird is that everybody doesn't do this.

To find out more on all things Pink visit: http://www.danpink.com/

Don't Forget to Remember!

- Dave