Continuing the theme of my last post, I’d like to talk about the fact that there’s an art and a science to racing in the rain; just like business, just like entrepreneurship, and just like HR in today’s climate. It’s about the hard stuff and the soft stuff. And more than that, it’s about “hardwiring” the “soft stuff.” And from now on, when I use the expression “Racing in the Rain” I mean operating in today’s shifting markets and competitive landscape as an entrepreneur, business or HR leader.
The art of racing in the rain is getting the driver and the car to perform as if it isn’t raining! When you can drive like the track isn’t wet, when everyone else is driving like it is … you’ll win. It’s as simple as that… or as complex.
You see, most drivers are afraid of the rain. Rain amplifies mistakes and water on the track makes things unpredictable. Here are a few more final lessons from the book “The Art of Racing in the Rain” I’d like to share: Read the rest of this entry »
“The Art of Racing in the Rain” is a fable couched in the storylines of a young family, a dog who is seemingly part human, and the thrill of racing. While it’s a piece of nonfiction, it offers many lessons for life and business. When you “read” this book, you’ll laugh, cry, sigh, and reflect. You’ll contemplate our limitations, our great capacity, our dreams and the days that make up this remarkable journey.
This book isn’t just about racing, but about the added challenge of racing in the rain. And that’s like being an entrepreneurial company racing to achieve a growth agenda, while operating in the environment we’ve confronted during the past 18 months! It’s also a bit like trying to succeed as an HR Leader, while working in an organization with shifting fortunes, priorities, markets and competitors. Read the rest of this entry »
Another set of predictions are coming your way… my guess is that there are tens of thousands of pages of them for you to choose from, so here’s my take on 2010. The first is that it IS NOT just a “new year” – it is the beginning of a “new decade,” and I believe we need to think in short, medium and long term ways both to “kickstart” 2010 and to invest in our visions for 2020.
There’s been a huge downsizing in HR and talent acquisition, and we will not see employment levels come back to the way they were. Employer engagement levels are at an all time low. Almost 60% of individuals polled claim they will look for a new opportunity as soon as the economy turns around. We are confronting a looming crisis in organizational capability – and thus in HR – when the recovery takes hold. And this can be a GOOD thing if you prepare for it and take advantage of it. Read the rest of this entry »
A couple of weeks ago we had the privilege of hosting a group of clients and other HR professionals for an exclusive preview of Nilofer Merchant’s upcoming book “The New How.” Attendees enjoyed great dialogue, intriguing thoughts and the chance to rise above the day to day details and take a bigger picture view of what looms on the business horizon.
The New How by Nilofer Merchant
What struck me in Nilofer’s visionary presentation is the hypothesis that yesterday is gone; normal is anything but; and tomorrow will bring a “new normal” that many of us aren’t expecting. Over the next couple of posts, I’ll outline more of the key takeaways, but here are two I’d like to touch on now: Read the rest of this entry »
A couple of days ago I asked all my HR friends on Twitter: “What’s the simplest definition of brand you have heard” and the best response I got was, “What people think when they think of you.”
Underscoring the importance of branding is the recent news from Europe that Publicis won the RBS recruitment advertising account in a hotly contested RFP. The business will be handled by Publicis “Engage”, a brand new recruitment and employment branding entity. This is the second time in a month that a well-known brand opted for a non-traditional firm to handle its recruitment (McDonalds/VCCP). This might signal a trend, which I, for one, am in favor of, that employers reviewing their future employment strategies and branding are taking a “consumer” approach! It’s a great time to be focusing on branding and engagement challenges and opportunities.
We are more than halfway through 2009 now, and as I reflect back, it’s been about a year since the economy started to really slip. It’s been a privilege to work alongside all of our clients — some of whom have experienced “downs,” and some, “ups” — during this trying time. We have seen a number of new clients join us in the past six months, and we are starting to see glimmers of greater activity as we settle into Q3.
The current economic turbulence has been as much an opportunity for redefinition as it has been a challenge. I really believe that the winning equation is one that maximizes the power of collaboration and adaptation. We’ve been able to adopt new models for partnership to weather variances in economic conditions, and that’s part of what the value proposition of outsourcing is about. RPO empowers moving fixed costs to variable costs; flexibility and agility in HR service delivery models and costs; and acceleration of change. Read the rest of this entry »
Alright, back to my topic of HRpreneuring. Gifford Pinchot called entrepreneurial behaviors within an organization “intrapreneuring”, and Jack Welch said “It’s flourishing” at SHRM ’09.
HR needs it. Organizations need it. Today more than ever before we are relying on the entrepreneurial spirit to get our economy back on track.
In his keynote at SHRM just a few days ago, Jack Welch said, “Have the ‘right stuff’ and the guts to make sure you’re important in the organization.”
Easy to say, but much harder to do. Why? Because big ideas change things. Big ideas change you. They come with a heavy burden, which is why so few are executed. How many companies really embrace what I heard Laszlo Bock, VP of People Operations at Google, say: “Collaboration is like ‘open sourcing’, and we like that here at Google. More interaction equals more innovation because those little connections we make, make a difference.” LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman echoed that thought when he said, “They accumulate to create trust and trust allows business to take place at a faster rate.”
In addition to Jack, Laszlo and Reid, my inspiration for this post is Hugh MacLeod’s new book “Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity”. I’ve become a fan and supporter of Hugh first through Twitter (@gapingvoid), then his blog, GapingVoid, then his art at GapingVoidGallery, and finally his book. Sort of an “edgy” Dilbert, yet so much more… humor and lessons for life and for work.
Early in the book, Hugh asserts that “Great ideas alter the power balance in relationships. That’s why great ideas are initially resisted.” What’s your big idea? How have you been an entrepreneur or intrapreneur? How have you “ignored everybody” or at least ignored conventional wisdom? Share your story with me in the comments section of this post and I’ll share Hugh’s book with you!
I’ve got 39 signed copies waiting for distribution. Come get one!
In keeping with my vow to get back to weekly blogging, but to be shorter and more informal, I’d like to reflect on the exciting time I had a couple weeks ago out in the Bay Area for the Social Recruiting Summit. More than 200 HR and recruiting pros swarmed to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA for the daylong Social Recruiting Summit. First let me say it wasn’t simply a “Summit”; I’d like to call it a mash-up. Now I know most of you know what a “mash up” up is, but for the few that don’t, it’s a combination of apps and data pulled together, usually through API’s, to create a new solution. For example, MapMyEvent is an example of a mashup made using Google Maps, Upcoming, Eventful, Zvents and Yelp APIs. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the span of two decades, in every role she has played throughout her career--CEO, operator, strategist, leader--Sue Marks has embodied a focus on the future and remained an industry visionary and thought leader.
Continuing the theme of my last post, I’d like to talk about the fact that there’s an art and a science to racing in the rain; just like business, just like entrepreneurship, and just like HR in today’s climate. It’s about the hard stuff and the soft stuff. And more than that, it’s about “hardwiring” the “soft stuff.” And from now on, when I use the expression “Racing in the Rain” I mean operating in today’s shifting markets and competitive landscape as an entrepreneur, business or HR leader.
The current economic turbulence has been as much an opportunity for redefinition as it has been a challenge. I really believe that the winning equation is one that maximizes the power of collaboration and adaptation. We’ve been able to adopt new models for partnership to weather variances in economic conditions, and that’s part of what the value proposition of outsourcing is about. RPO empowers moving fixed costs to variable costs; flexibility and agility in HR service delivery models and costs; and acceleration of change. 
Early in the book, Hugh asserts that “Great ideas alter the power balance in relationships. That’s why great ideas are initially resisted.” What’s your big idea? How have you been an entrepreneur or intrapreneur? How have you “ignored everybody” or at least ignored conventional wisdom? Share your story with me in the comments section of this post and I’ll share Hugh’s book with you!
