Several years ago, I started a NING called HR Bloggers because I wanted to find a bunch of like-minded HR dorks who were interested in social media.
I found one. Lance Haun. And we collaborated on HRM Today, a bigger social network for HR dorks.
We sold the properties when the broader HR community caught wind of social media and started to get a little excited (& scared). It was a good time for us to move forward. Lance moved on to ERE Media and TLNT. I continued to blog and started a whole bunch of little companies that made some money.
Lance and I developed new careers and a new understanding of Human Resources through our interactions on the internet. But what do you do if you’re a Human Resources professional who is interested in social media — and you understand that business is conducted in a new (social) currency — but can’t get your team excited about the opportunities?
You do what everyone else with good ideas does. You get promoted and you take over.
Lance and I tried to explain this at last year’s HREvolution conference (2010) and it fell a little flat. Ben Eubanks, Crystal Peterson, Trish McFarlane and Steve Boese are great conference organizers and they went out of their way to include a diversity of ideas. Lance and I definitely had a minority opinion. I’m thankful they gave us the opportunity to have it considered.
In a nutshell, I believed that everyone in that room should be pushing to take over. I advised the group to read new authors, study something outside of Human Resources, and get promoted. Earn $250,000/year (chump change for HR leaders, actually), consult with your board of directors, and run a serious HR team committed to implementing change in the workforce.
Most people just heard ‘earn $250,000/year’ and freaked out.
It’s not about money, Laurie. It’s about ideas.
And I agree — sorta.
The business professionals in the room came up to me, afterward, and said that our message was the pitch-perfect message for a Human Resources crowd that is insecure about what it can accomplish. I was told, “These men & women came together through social media because they were outcasts in the organization. They think differently and need to be encouraged to be courageous and bold. You can’t hide behind a blog forever. Social media is step #1 in a long-term personal development plan.”
Yes.
But then the HR professionals in the room told me, “Laure, you don’t understand influence. It’s about changing the organization in subtle and strategic ways.”
Right. Okay. Agree with that, too.
So this year, China Gorman and Paul Smith discussed ways in which attendees of the 2011 HREvolution conference could take their experiences and create change within the organization. It was a great session and people seemed to enjoy sitting in a circle of trust (they called it that — I’m not making fun of it) and sharing their ideas.
But I still maintain that the single biggest way you affect change is to own the change management cycle. The single biggest way to make an impact in the world of Human Resources is to pry the old model of HR out of the cold, dead hands of the HR Bitches. And you do that by getting promoted.
Ownership is not a dirty word. In fact, ownership and accountability are awesome.
Listen, I know that not everyone can be a SVP or CHRO; however, there isn’t a single person at HREvolution who couldn’t run a Human Resources department. Each attendee has the capability and the talent to do it. No one in that room lacks the drive or determination to succeed.
I said what I said in 2010 as a call to action. Get your shit together. Take over. Be the freakin’ change you want to see in your company.
As we advise our employees, there is no single path to a promotion. But there are things you can do to make yourself more marketable. I believe that my advice from 2010 still applies in 2011 and beyond.
- If you don’t have a bachelors degree, go back to school.
- Don’t brag about your SPHR. Go get your MBA.
- If you are not reading business journals and staying current with financial news, start now.
- Immerse yourselves in politics and become experts in political issues (bond issues, public works projects, public policy debates) that intersect with your organization’s goals.
- Learn how to read a balance sheet.
- Don’t talk about strategic HR goals. Work to align compensation, benefits, development, recruiting, branding, etc., around company goals and objectives.
- Have a healthy relationship with IT and Marketing and Finance.
- Stop talking about social media. Talk about the business. Bring in social solutions as appropriate.
I believe in you guys. It’s time to believe in yourselves and take it to the next level.
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“Stop talking about social media. Talk about the business” Uhuh…..
Although I don’t agree with you on the MBA bit….
Says the man at Harvard.
I meant that it’s not cool to brag about your SPHR (for eff’s sake — I have one). If you’re interested in education, go get a real education.
Yeah….ok….now I agree with you.
I hate that…..
Oh my goodness. People are arguing that you SHOULDN’T take over and then fix stuff?
This is not HR. This is…I don’t know what. Sister wives in a well-armed compound, maybe?
Take over. Be in charge. Then fix stuff. Duh.
And “it’s not about money…” Okay. Yeah. Good luck with that.
Every time I think maybe I should bite the bullet and go back, I read something like this.
I think they are discussing style and approach. How do you take this momentum and do something with it?
I say — take over.
Others say — that’s not realistic. We need to influence from within.
I say — it’s not an either/or proposition. Do both.
They say — I can’t take over. There’s one VP of HR and she’s not going anywhere soon.
I say — she didn’t pay for you to come to HRevolution. She doesn’t care about social. She has her eyes on the prize — her long-term compensation package. Go take over.
Laurie,
I follow your blog regularly, but this is one of your best! I really wish I could have been at HREvolution. Following the Twitter posts and other blogs have been very enlightening and keeps the flame burning.
I am definitely forwarding this post, highlighting your key eight bullet points, to several other people who should hear it. It’s time for HR to hear the call to action and do something other than sit around the campfire singing kumbaya. HR as a profession is diluted by hangers-on who add no value to the business.
Thanks, Tom. The conference was awesome. You should think about going to the next one.
Great message Laurie. I have said that to my classes many times. Maybe if enough of us are doing it the message will get through. I was in that session with Paul and China. One thing the was clear was that most people were OK with the idea of HR evolution. I want HR REVOLUTION. Evolution is generally a slow process of incremental change. A revolution occurs more rapidly. If we can get everyone to take over departments we will get the revolution I want to see.
Thanks for the message.
I feel badly that my session was so resoundingly hated by the HR professionals in 2010.
If you’re not taking over, you’re missing out.
I’m part of your revolution, buddy. I didn’t go back into Human Resources because I’ve topped out at a certain level for HR acumen (director-level) and don’t have the business experience for VP. This is reason #290 why I took a job at a marketing/advertising agency. This equips me for my next role in HR where I can, indeed, take over.
Looking forward to where it leads you. Blazing the path as always.
100% agree with the sentiment of the post. You have a better chance of change moving if you have the platform, management over sight, ownership of your company and ability to influence the business direction. Resources, influence, being tied directly to the results of the business – that is how change happens – for Marketing, IT, Innovation or HR. Sorry missed you and the others at HRevolution – I’m doing my part here at 22 and SHRM ATL to contribute in some way to the change you discuss. Thanks
You are doing your part.
One day. We’ll meet.
So, while sitting in the circle of trust, I mentioned the vapor that so many HR blogs put out. Just whining and bitching about not being in charge, not having a voice, not understanding business, whatever. We all do it from time to time. And I thought we should be better at pointing out when others do it, and hold each other to a higher standard. (Unless they just WANT to write vapor. That’s OK too.)
This, though, is what people should be looking for. Not complaints, not theory. Here is the target, and here are the things you need to be doing RIGHT NOW if you want to hit it. Actionable, realistic, relevant.
Thanks for writing it.
Hey, whining & bitching is core/critical to a blog. And sometimes it’s boring to read all of the answers. I try to offer a mix of bullshit and solutions.
So great to see you in ATL, buddy!
Laurie,
Your message is not just for HR, it is for the other functional areas too. Back in my dark ages I would listen to the complaints of the folks that would rather get pushed than push. They did not want to be pushy, but resented getting pushed. If you don’t like getting pushed, push back.
If you want to communicate with real business people, learn more than the balance sheet. There are three dials on the instrument panel of a business, and the Balance Sheet is just one of them. While people will yammer about P&L responsibility – all they really have is an illusion of Expense Sheet control. The Income Statement has two parts, The Profit side and the Expense Side. Most people either have responsibility for one side or the other.
And most real business operators know that. We see the “P&L responsibility” on the resume or in the interview and know we are in the presence of an amateur. Pros know that Profit is an Opinion, that Cash is a fact.
Another great post.
DK — Thanks for writing this — especially about the P&L. Profit is an option and cash is a fact? LOL. That’s a rap lyric, right?
xo
Profit is an Opinion – Cash is a fact. Or Profit is Theory and Cash is Reality.
It is a lyric I use with my clients – the ones that own the company and the ones that actually run the company.
Remember a Houston based company called Enron? Huge profits, but shrinking cash. Now that was “cookin’ the books”, but there are so many people that do not speak the language of business. Sad – I see them every day. But it makes me happy, for there is plenty of work for me to do.
Hugs back at cha!
DK, you’re speaking my language. Love it, and just subscribed to your blog. That makes you the zillionth awesome person I’ve discovered through comments on Laurie’s blog (I’m looking at you, Kerry/Cluewagon!)
Laurie, I personally heard what you were saying in your call to action last year as “step up, bitches!” That’s an idea I can always get behind.
Hey back to Teresa!
Thanks for the “love” and the blog subscription. Now I know I must deliver you some value!
A shameless plug here – we are starting a series of educational posts on “The Language of Business” starting , well, it has already started. Monday’s and Thursday’s are the special posts on the topic.
Have you wondered about what Retained Earnings really are? How about the difference between operating cash flow and total cash flow? What is working capital – and why you should care. All topics that we cover. There will be over 60 posts on the subject this year on Monday’s and Thursday’s at http://wearethepractitioners.com/
Set Shameless Plug OFF
The best way to get the top spot in HR is to gain the trust of the business leaders. Not necessarily the CEO (but that can’t hurt), but the EVP’s who head up the business units. If they trust that you will deliver the kind of HR that will make them successful, you can take the helm.
Laurie – your list is great and I would only add on more thing. Take a job in the business as a rotational role. Tell the business leader you support that you want to gain the hands on experience that will enable you to better serve them. I bet they will come up with something – I definitely would.
That’s a great recommendation!
Here is a very timely article written by Alan Weiss in HRExecutive http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533337124
thx!
i think i like it…i hope to be more involved in this HR community. thanks for this post, enlighting!
thank u!
Great post. I just wish my HR colleagues after 25 years of frankly reading many of the same ideas, could just stop whining and start doing. Less strategy more action. More owning less consulting. Business skills not just OD skills. Our own firm, LivePerson, takes the notion of ownership (one of our two core values) to a level that most firms would see as risky: real owners put things at risk (like bonus), understand what accountability truly means, do what it takes (in a collaborative manner) to get things done. As org mastermind (head of hr), i have full ownership in seeing this happen. But it took going to a firm of 600 people to make this happen.
I thought it was a great conversation. Just to be clear, Paul arranged the chairs in a circle so that participants could see each other when they were participating in the conversation. Someone in the conversation tweeted that it was a circle of trust…and there you go! We were determined, in true unconference style, to let the conversation go where it wanted to go and allowed several moments of silence so that the group really would jump in. And, of course, they did. There was a lot of passion and energy in the discussion and, frankly, I think the group would have benefited from having you in the “circle of trust” rather than back in the corner. Nonetheless, having 25 HR pros debate the meaning of influence in HR and talk about starting a community of revolotionaries was pretty cool.
Sorry we didn’t really get to talk while we were there. See you soon!
Hi, China. Thanks for the note.
Laurie, I do have a question about one point (and this is coming from someone seriously considering shifting into HR) and the question is about the bachelor’s degree. Should that be in Human Resource Development, or would another business degree more appropriately be applied toward the direction HR is taking?
I just ask because I already have an A.S. in Business Administration, and am trying to decide which school to apply to, and which program would be best. You would not (okay, so maybe you would) believe some of the different messages out there. As discussed in other posts, seems like anyone with an internet connection and a blog is an “expert.”
Don’t get a bachelor’s degree in HR. I talk to kids (literally) and adults on this pathway and the degree in HR provides no advantage in the hiring process. Do focus on business, take HR classes, and try to get a job in HR while you’re going back to school. In the interim, grab as many HR responsibilities as you can in your current role.
PS — A human resources assistant job pays around $35-40K with or without a bachelor’s degree — and I had that job right out of college with a degree in English.
Thank you!
I really appreciate the fact that you can give BS-free advice. And now I know I was on the right path looking for an HR assistant position. Hopefully the administrative support experience will help with that while I work on the degree.
I was pissed off after your session alst year. I wanted a more better answer than you gave me. One year later, whilst undergoing a radical career transformation, and having been through another #HRevolution…
I have to say that you (and Lance) were right. It took me a couple of weeks to see that. So…thanks for pushing us. It is what makes you an “influencer” whatever that is.
I met you in your NING phase, and have enjoyed the freindship, complete with ups and downs ever since. Kepp up the great work, Laurie!
OMG Mike I forgot you were pissed. LOL, that’s why we are friends — and I always learn from you.
xo
In the immortal words of Cracker: “If you wanna change the world
Shut yer mouth and start to spin it” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbbYp7dcYFo
Yes.
I’ve actually grown to really like the session we put on even though it was probably the least popular of the day. And in the last year, as I’ve had more conversations with CEOs and VPs of HR, I am more entrenched than ever in that view.
The message of this post is still important. No organization that I know of is completely egalitarian. That means that when decisions need to ultimately be made, you need to be the one with the final say.
I believe that road to be the most difficult one to take but it isn’t the only way you can make an impact. It is just the only way to be assured of your impact.
I thought your presentation last year was fine. I bought what ever you all were saying.
I’m a militant about how much I loved our message. I’m just glad no one threw anything at us.
The single biggest way to make an impact in the world of Human Resources is to pry the old model of HR out of the cold, dead hands of the HR Bitches.
I would posit that the single biggest way to make an impact in the world of any discipline is to pry the old model out of the cold, dead hands of the Bitches.
Applies to all areas of life. Get your shit together. Take over. Be the freakin’ change you want to see is the best advice I have heard in a long time.
That’s why I love your blog, Laurie. I have no interest in the discipline of HR and don’t really give a crap about all these HR conferences that you talk about, EXCEPT for the fact that you guys are talking about stuff that gets to the heart of everybody at those conferences. Everyone, with few exceptions, has to work in the modern world, and you thought leaders in HR affect every single one of us.
So get your shit together and change the world for the rest of us already. While you do that, I will be off doing the same with the crazy, insane world of art.
I think I need to “fix” my coffee mug to read “be the freakin’ change” – that was all kinds of awesome.
Uhm, imma sit here on my couch and hang out on twitter for a little while. Is that okay? I’m tired.
You also have to know when you’re at the end of the road in an organization. Sometimes you have to change companies in order to take over. I think that’s the really scary part for a lot of HR people. Deep-down you know when a brick wall in your organization is actually an impenetrable fortress. I don’t think there’s enough talk about how truly difficult it is to leave and strike out on a new HR revolution for a brand new organization and a new crop of executives to decipher.
I’m certainly not advocating the slink-back-into-wall approach, but just to say that I do understand how TIRED a whole lot of people are, especially the HR Outcasts (I love that!) who’ve been trying to push deeply-entrenched leaders in directions they refuse to go. I’ve been there (still there some days!), and it’s exhausting and absolutely discouraging.
It’s a pity there isn’t some sort of match.com for HR Outcasts and companies who really want that type of person in their HR group.
This is why I quit my last job. Took a package. Left. You can’t argue with crazy. You can’t fix stupid. And you can’t be the only one participating in a revolution.
Amy:
Well you have just offered an excellent idea for some entreprenurial recruiter out there. Let’s see if someone runs with it.
I loved this post. Loved it! I think like this – and then I try to rally the troops (other HR Managers) and realize that there is quite a bit of education to be done because they’ve all restricted the internet at work and consequently don’t see many social media opportunities.
It will eventually catch on, and quite a bit faster if the visionaries are the ones getting promoted.
Thanks again for a great post.
48 comments ...wanna add one?