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Common Sense - Uncommon Practice
By Dea Bridge
The May member program featured former QVC Vice President, Nan Russell, sharing nuggets from her hard lessons learned from the past 20 years in the field of Human Resources. Admittedly, “These ideas are common sense, just not often practiced,” stated Nan. Five key ways that can help to increase the effectiveness in your HR role are quite simple; so simple in fact, we often overlook the power they generate.
Take Your Own Words Seriously: Set expectations for the results you expect, rather than relying on others to drive that for you, resulting in you being disappointed. Don’t hide behind organizational buzz words, but speak the truth (when you can) and don’t be afraid to say, “I can’t tell you that right now, but when I can I will.” Ensure that you follow through on that promise to further your credibility.
Tell the Right Stories: Be assured that anything you say will be projected through the office in some form or another. Think about the story you are getting ready to repeat. What is your intention in telling this story? What kind of impact will it have on the environment you wish to create?
See the Whole Elephant: Too often HR professionals think they know the whole organization, when really their view is just through “HR Eyes”. We need to grow bigger eyes and really see how the decisions we make will affect our employees. Cultivate your own thoughts rather than parroting those you have picked up at meetings, from how-to magazine articles, etc. How can your viewpoint be helpful to the larger picture? Transform Win to Winning: Rather than racing to the finish line all by yourself, how can you support others so that everyone wins?
Bring Yourself to Work: You may find yourself trying to be someone else based on a false sense of what defines success, or the perceptions of others. This can cause others to view you as less than genuine, may create a mistrustful environment, or undermine your credibility, especially among the post-recession workforce. Work to be authentic in all that you do. Be yourself!
As you settle in behind your desk today, start wading through messages, and see how many fire extinguishers you will need for the day, think about how you can do your work life differently. Evaluate your current practices against the challenges of tomorrow. Find a new way to put yourself and your company on the track to greatness. |
