Why HR must take risks – How we will get out of this mess

“We decided to innovate our way through this downturn, so that we would be further ahead of our competitors when things turn up.”

Think it’s good advice?  Want to have your CEO following this?  Go read an old interview with Steve Jobs that I found.

He said this six years ago.  SIX YEARS!   He had announced the iPod launch at the low point of the dot-com crash (compared to our recent near-total global meltdown, speed bump was more like it)

First you, then your CEO, should read the whole interview here.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-chambers/apples-lesson—-innovati_b_290831.html

Then, realize that big innovations have come from risk taking during down turns.  Miracle Whip (1931)  The Sensor Razor (1981)  The iPod (see interview)  All were released at a time where conventional knowledge said to keep a low profile and fight a defensive battle.

Time to go on the offensive.

Ready?

Who knew? Miracle Whip is a product of risk taking from the Great Depression...

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Is it just me, or is this stupid?

I know that marketing makes the difference.  This was over a bin of DVDs in the Omaha airport.

Isn't this just a sale?

It’s not what you say, it’s how you package and present it.  Instead of a $6 dvd bargain bin, you get to rent them and not return them.  Wow.

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Proof that simplifying can be better – and add creativity. LEAN works!

One of the key precepts of all this LEAN stuff is that eliminating waste and wasted activity can open doors to creativity.  Here is a great example.

I’m not musical.  Love music, but I can’t play it.

Then I found an amazing, simple program…Click here.

Try it - this is ToneMatrix, a great example of simple creativity

It’s called ToneMatrix.  Just click on the link above the image, click on a couple of boxes and you’ll figure it out.

What does this have to do with LEAN theory?  Plenty.  It’s a great example of simplicity offering a canvas for new artistry.  remember this as you try to make your organization simpler and better…

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Oh. My. Learning why CFOs do not trust HR – we speak different languages.

One Million words in English.  That is, One Million words avaialble to those who speak English.  The most of any language.

This week as I spoke at the Nebraska State SHRM conference, this was hammered home.  I was there to help explain the gap between CFOs and HR.  The overflow crowd came to hear some strategies for getting things done.  I started by defining the world of the CFO, and we outlined the reasons that CFOs don’t trust us.

They don’t like HR’s metrics.

They don’t understand our terms of engagement

They don’t value our contribution.  More exactly, they don’t feel that we can add value in any particular 90 day period.

We worked on a few key terms.  Accountability.  EBITDA.

You see?  Another language.

Using the new ideas, we then worked on developing a more robust turnover cost calculator.  We also agreed that we needed better language.

Question – anyone care to share te language they use to get on the same page as their CFOs?

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Things don’t have to be as they appear…

As I work on employment branding, I hear gripes.  HR people gripe that everything is more difficult because prospective employees are getting more savvy and social networking is pointless.  Not so.

I mean that social networking has a point.  The problem is that most HR departments are comfortable with talking and sending messages out to employees and applicants.  Pushing the message out.  And they are comfortable listening to lawyers and experts on regulatory compliance and such.  Gathering data in.

Social networking isn’t like that.  It requires both talking and listening to happen at the same time – you probably would call it a conversation – all based on marketing ideas.  And in marketing, things do not have to be.  They just have to appear to be.

Case in point – NFL coach headsets.  You know the ones.  They are prominently featured in every NFL broadcast, and have a big “Motorola” label on every legible surface.  They have branded themselves as the technology behind communication, right?  It works – they are consistent, they have a product that high credibility people wear, and they get a lot of media time.

The fun part is that Motorola does not make the headsets.  A company names Telex does.  Motorola just knows marketing, and is willing to pay the NFL a big pile of money to put their name on someone else’s stuff.

Again, things do not have to be.  They just have to appear to be.  As you brand your culture, figure out the message that is needed to reach your target audience, then work to find ways to make it true…

Now, back to watching the Chicago Bears lose to the Packers.  Hey, at least the Colts won…

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Marshall Goldsmith on the podium

Wow, what a resume.  Lots of books, lots of awards.  Check him out here.  He has Indiana ties – first degree from Rose Hulman.  Wife from Kokomo.  He is buddhist – gives everything away.

He will be talking about feed forward and how to get leaders to stop. He is nicely professional and high energy.  This should be good.

He is normal looking – here is a photo from yesterday as he walked the trade show floor.

Just some guy...

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Dates for next year – Aug 16 – 18

Yup, it’s earlier.  Just started the housekeeping announcements at the start of the luncheon speaker…

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A Great session on Social Networking

Dan Griffith did a FABulous session on social networking – and he promises that his stuff will be posted on the Indiana SHRM website in a day or so.  Go check out http://www.indianashrm/speakers and look for his session by the end of the week.

He gave great examples of the explosion of social networking, and specifics on how to use it in recruiting.

It took 9 months for Facebook to get 100 million subscribers.  It took 4 years for the Internet to hit 50 million.  It took 13 years for TV ot get 50 million.  It took 38 years for radio.

He also recommended that small organizations do not need a web page – they need a blog.

Chris takes notes

Here is a shot of Chris Schrader taking notes as he does everything else – very quickly…

A full house

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You live by a cell phone, you die by the cell phone.

A hallway scene – HR on the phone.  It was not going well.

The joy of working in HR

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A quick look at Hud Pfeiffer’s conference session from Wednesday

Did a quick tour of the sessions –

Standing room only for Hud Pfeiffer.  The case he was working with the crowd was a layoff scenario, reminding people that they should start with a workforce plan for the “new” company before the cuts were designed, and that any decisions should be examined for adverse impact early in the process.  His handout is here – excellent stuff.  http://indianashrm.org/speakers/State SHRM–2009–PPT HPfeiffer.ppt

Hud makes a point. Or two.

You can always spot his room by the people in the hall…

Standing room only

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