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Take Criticism Seriously But Not Personally

By Laurie on June 18th in Human Resources

I was lucky enough to see Hillary Clinton speak on Sunday. She banned the press and didn’t take questions. No, she didn’t talk about Benghazi. She told some stories about being the Secretary of State and shared her personal insights about the job.

I am not a sycophantic Hillary fan, but I like her. One great thing she said? She has learned to take criticism seriously but not personally.

I liked that. It was a funny message for HR professionals because we offer the same advice to our clients and customers but we internalize feedback and criticism in such personal, emotional ways. I have myriad experiences where I’ve had to go back to colleagues and friends — at work, in the blogging community — and say things like, “Just because I disagree with you doesn’t mean I don’t like or respect you.”

In fact, I’ve had to say that about 50 times in the past 24 hours to students, professors and HR colleagues who thought that I was too negative and too cynical in my post to HR students.

Very simply, I don’t understand why HR isn’t wrapped up into a larger business degree. I don’t know why it’s okay to spend $48,000 to earn a degree in a field where the starting salary is $32,000. I would love for our next generation of leaders to think bigger and broader about talent, human capital and HR. And I would love for people to defend a point-of-view about Human Resources instead of whining about my blog posts.

But whatever. We had a great conference session on Saturday. I think the students left feeling inspired about a new model of Human Resources. And I’m glad Hillary Clinton said what she said about criticism. I hope everyone heard it because she is right. Don’t take it personally. Take it seriously.

When someone disagrees with you, be brave and bold. Think of the critique as an opportunity to validate your perspective. Think of it as a path towards greater truth. Take a different POV and understand that criticism is a way to “check in” with your values and my objectives.

When I am criticized, I ask: Am I right? Does the data confirm my beliefs? Is there kindness behind my truth?

Thinking about — and defending your beliefs — will beef up your critical thinking skills and inspire you to be a better person. That’s a pretty good challenge for HR students, don’t you think?

A Letter to the #shrmstudent Conference Attendees

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Worker Cooperatives

By Laurie on June 17th in Human Resources

I have a bunch of hippie friends who dream of a world where people participate in worker cooperatives.

From Wikipedia:

A worker cooperative is a cooperative self-managed by its workers. This control may be exercised in a number of ways. A cooperative enterprise may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which managers and administration is elected by every worker-owner, and finally it can refer to a situation in which managers are considered, and treated as, workers of the firm. In traditional forms of worker cooperative, all shares are held by the workforce with no outside or consumer owners, and each member has one voting share. In practice, control by worker-owners may be exercised through individual, collective or majority ownership by the workforce, or the retention of individual, collective or majority voting rights (exercised on a one-member one-vote basis). A worker cooperative, therefore, has the characteristic that the majority of its workforce own shares, and the majority of shares are owned by the workforce.

This is not a model that sits well with many American capitalists. Many of us value merit, independence and ownership. And many business professionals still have this Reaganistic notion that if you increase the value and profit margin within an organization, income trickles down to workers.

(We know that last part isn’t true. Wealth pools at the top.)

Not that Marxist economic theories will solve all of your problems, but worker cooperatives might catch on a little more as smaller and more disruptive technology companies start to emerge. And I think more HR professionals should stop saying that it’s “important to have a seat at the table” and “know the business” and learn more about the many divergent economic theories related to “work” such as worker democracy and labor-managed firms.

(Note: you won’t learn about this in a SHRM course.)

I always tell my friends in HR that you can only install so many ping-pong tables and hand out so many shares of worthless stock options before your employees get smart and realize that they are still the workers. Why give out crowd-sourced praise when you could give your employees a chance to create a legacy?

Real ownership, democracy and decision-making authority could change your workforce from good to great. It’s worth exploring.

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Happy Birthday @JenniferMcClure!

By Laurie on June 17th in Human Resources

SHRM Cupcakes 2013 The lady to the left? That’s my friend Jennifer McClure. You know her. She likes cupcakes.

(Or maybe you don’t know her. Doesn’t matter.)

Today is Jennifer’s birthday. She is speaking at a Human Resources conference at 7AM. She is surrounded by SHRM members. And she is living her dream.

I am glad she chose to spend her special day with a nerd like me (and many of you). So if you get a chance, go on Twitter and wish her a happy birthday!

The Week Ahead: June 16, 2013

By Laurie on June 16th in Human Resources

Happy Sunday. Some of you are at the SHRM conference. While you are enjoying your kickball and your parties, remember to thank Franny Oxford and China Gorman (who had recently started twittering) for organizing the first and most fun tweet-up in SHRM conference history.

In retrospect, that night was really great.

And here’s the dumbest thing I read on the internet, this week:

Want a job? Stop complaining and start solving someone else’s problems.

Nice. More white guys with answers. I wonder where I can send him a thank you note?

Be safe and have fun this week!

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A Letter to the #shrmstudent Conference Attendees

By Laurie on June 15th in Human Resources

Dear SHRM Student Conference Attendees,

I can’t wait to meet you on Saturday. This is my fourth invitation to speak at the conference. It is a fun event, but this is also the fourth time I am asking myself, “How the hell is being a HR student a thing?”

Really. Sallie Mae has you by the short-hairs. And I am sorry about that. Please know that I am on your side. HR is a solid career that pays the bills. Can you make a difference in HR? Sure. But you can make a difference everywhere in life by being kind, compassionate and empathetic.

So this year, I really hope you learn a valuable lesson at the conference. It’s simple.

Time is running out.

If you are a traditional HR student, you are in your early 20s. If you are a graduate student, you are in your mid 20s — or older. If you have dreams of any kind, now is your chance to follow them.

Get the hell away from Human Resources.

Your 20s are the decade for building a solid infrastructure. This is where you lock down some important relationships. This is when figure out your identity and set the stage for accomplishing big goals in your 30s and beyond. Human Resources does nothing more than lock you into a middle-class lifestyle of reliable and dependable employment. And maybe not even that.

The closing speaker at the student conference will talk about passion and purpose. Listen to him. He loves Human Resources and feels you can make a difference in the industry. I like his message but I disagree about your career choice. I have actually done the work you want to do — administrator, recruiter, generalist, business partner, manager, leader — and I know that HR isn’t a stepping-stone to greatness. For most of us, it is an administrative bridge to a mortgage, a car payment and a risk-adverse life.

I know that the ability to buy a home in the suburbs and make a car payment is a positive evolution in your life. But if you are under the age of 30 and you want to accomplish anything great or noteworthy in your life, get the hell away from Human Resources before it becomes too late.

Go be a musician. Go be an artist. Write. Sing. Dance. Start a career in roller derby.

You can always come back to HR if you fail. The barrier to re-entry is very low.

But Mr. Estis, the closing speaker, is right. You should pursue your dreams relentlessly. You can change the world. And the way you change the world is to dream bigger, identify your passion and get as far away from Human Resources as possible.

I know you are not listening to me. You should. Once you cross the Rubicon of Human Resources, it’s too late.

Love,
Laurie Ruettimann, SPHR

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