tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737315211370606062024-02-06T23:51:59.406-06:00The Human Resources Field GuideErikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055198588873817320noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-81099985847355241942017-11-17T09:05:00.000-06:002017-11-17T09:06:40.791-06:00"The Who Behind Your Why"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2017/11/the-who-behind-your-why.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DoE1gNwFPewX5YhKw1eUTYOjkMoVdEigfunODaxjdyi3Rz_hCEsb8ADirLIP4qHwIFuHV7BEhItBbCHowi1x8WLjc2Ke9zGTpfgzX8YcUJfmdPzGKdhnoREz8MU_x2bQ-vOQnx_xAgo/s1600/hrfg_post_TC_9-15.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">I'm excited to share that I have a new article up over at </span><i style="color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.talentculture.com/" style="color: #2483a6; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">TalentCulture</a> </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">titled, <a href="https://talentculture.com/the-value-of-value-propositions/" target="_blank">"The Value of Value Propositions."</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">For a sneak peek of my latest, read on:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">
Industry, products and services, customer base – these are all things that differ in terms and context dependent on <i>who</i> an organization is and what it does, but whether the discussion is centered on a multi-national corporation or a mom-and-pop-shop or a university they are all factors that the leaders within those organizations strive to define and manage to and benchmark against. They are the tangibles that make up the what and how of a business, their why typically takes shape in the guise of a mission or vision or call to action, but the factor that often gets ignored to the detriment of an organization’s best efforts to be the best version of itself, and an important component of any organizational equation is <i>who</i>.
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">To read the rest, please check out </span><a href="https://talentculture.com/the-value-of-value-propositions/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2483a6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">"The Value of Value Propositions" </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">at </span></a><i style="color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://talentculture.com/the-value-of-value-propositions/" target="_blank">TalentCulture</a>.</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Header Photo Credit: </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24364103@N04/2575036709/" style="color: #2483a6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">mpclemens</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> via </span><a href="http://compfight.com/" style="color: #2483a6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">Compfight</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" style="color: #2483a6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-37496741406062058832017-11-14T07:00:00.000-06:002017-11-14T07:38:53.070-06:00"The Magic Eight Ball of Recruiting"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2017/11/the-magic-eight-ball-of-recruiting.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PS_4Fvyyfc0alEr2zye8uZYvjaMFRswwt7lS0oGI5F4uazaCr7o4Yn7uHSIsoMAhAl1UzMxhPR3Zfu7uuiJdhUEEjhXeshES1WjBsOYt_LhQD7ae1FseDb4cXQAvmTd0kFnEWbBl4mE/s640/hrfg_post_12-18-12.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>In what is the first of two articles I have going up this week, my new piece on the idea of predicting the talent fit pre-hire, titled "<a href="https://www.ere.net/the-future-of-hiring-is-quality-of-hire/" target="_blank">The Future of Hiring is Quality of Hire</a>," is now live at <i><a href="https://www.ere.net/" target="_blank">ERE</a></i>. For a sneak peek, read on:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The function responsible for identifying, engaging, and bringing talent into an organization has
lived under a variety of names over the decades, ranging from staffing to recruitment to talent
acquisition to search operations to future state buzz-heavy names like talent fulfillment and
career engineering. The processes and designs behind these functions exist anywhere along a
spectrum of how and what and why wherein some organizations still rely on paper applications
(I, too, shudder to think about it) to workplaces that have moved the candidate experience to
places built on VR and gamification. While the names and the way the functions get their work
done may vary, one commonality for any and all of these functions is the overarching desire to...</blockquote>
To read the rest, please check out <a href="https://www.ere.net/the-future-of-hiring-is-quality-of-hire/" target="_blank">"The Future of Hiring is Quality of Hire" at <i>ERE</i></a>.Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-63603866292666373482017-11-09T06:51:00.000-06:002017-11-09T06:51:06.653-06:00"Everything You've Ever Wanted. . ."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2017/11/everything-youve-ever-wanted.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJmwH_Lli09dDncj2rnyWlmtIDssH5ZZ0qyNrrisIwV_4y-oly69_drGl5FZ-dIzO2voCa6sRaRZ4pJGaH59s0FfI8KffVxkSwjGr2-Fwr8SmxIfeWCjuf0uHY0ZlTSO3ngU28NW8suw/s640/IMG_8497.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-79434198555558824572017-11-01T10:23:00.000-05:002017-11-13T11:27:13.051-06:00"Season of Change"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2017/08/season-of-change.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmA0qOYsVrHlZf00i-Dra65aA03PC9LwLzRBUHISTSnCgaCYKK1SiJF1A5Kq7KzKGJJ5Kf_nFHlN6PZNX6-GXZXkYI-ee8DBLcdV5bOFn6gyitJh0PdDsu1zgvboB6upVhWriEuQ5XnM/s1600/hrfg_8_16_17.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>It's been a bit crazy this past year, as anyone that bothers to read posts around these parts probably surmised. Over the course of these last 15 months, I presented at the CUPA-HR National Conference (2016), got a new boss, saw my role grow and expand in cool ways, had a proposal accepted for the CUPA-HR National Conference (2017), was asked to be a part of the CUPA-HR Emerging Association Leaders Program (and the National Research Advisory Committee), was invited to speak at the CUPA-HR Higher Education Symposium (2018) with the awesome Jackie Bischel (Head of Research at CUPA-HR), lost said new boss, and made the decision to pursue new opportunities outside the University of Missouri.<br />
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That last one's a bit of a mic drop... while I made the decision to actively pursue a new role around the beginning of the fiscal year after 12 months of learning experiences, nose deep work in HR transformation efforts, and amazing mentorship and advice from current and former leaders I've had the pleasure of working for, I started the search for the next stop on my career journey after 11 years and 7 promotions and the very best performance review of my career (and I've had some good ones) at the University of Missouri, I officially left at the end of September.<br />
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This was made easier by the fact that I was fortunate to immediately begin doing some consulting work as an "organizational sherpa" for an R-1 AAU institution and the fact that my 90 mile twice a day commute from home to office vanished overnight. I'm splitting my time being on the road and working from home, I'm more present in all things and while the idea of a work/life balance may not be wholly possible for anyone I'm a lot closer to it now than I've been in over five years and it's great and just the thing I needed as I actively pursue my next career challenge with a world-class higher education institution, one where I can bring my decades of knowledge to the table as well as learn and grow and positively affect the good work their HR team is already doing - building strategic HR value for today, tomorrow, and beyond (just a lot closer to "home," whether that's where we are now or post-relocation). 2017 has been a year of change for me professionally and personally (guess what, I went fully vegan) and I'm looking forward to what else it has in store and what 2018 brings!Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-46686904996128932632016-03-07T06:00:00.000-06:002016-03-07T06:00:10.076-06:00"Love Changes Everything. . ."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEINHxpegF_GdLrESUtGmRLLLPnUKPDTuIKi167RFuhwfLXT_eIuUx4RPsQQ-QYFWOr_AMaG84da37pq2xZT9W9IAV6JErPfNleHvaIGMKH62fI-M3Xv88fef-UKu_iKZV9NozFH3csM0/s1600/mmw_3-9-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEINHxpegF_GdLrESUtGmRLLLPnUKPDTuIKi167RFuhwfLXT_eIuUx4RPsQQ-QYFWOr_AMaG84da37pq2xZT9W9IAV6JErPfNleHvaIGMKH62fI-M3Xv88fef-UKu_iKZV9NozFH3csM0/s640/mmw_3-9-16.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/55419757@N04/24238316129/">jpberba</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-32362469285260848582016-03-04T06:00:00.000-06:002016-03-04T06:00:20.543-06:00"Talent Is A Wonderful Thing. . ."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8MwGPsVZCKrFtqEu1bFrk450UTtrs9dAO6E-Flw56C409u43VWcy4IH_sOACRQt74Q2tSwrKRhopzN0QR8n9E7h06zgs8xr9a7MJFX6_vHfkQMEIGLbnX9sXNYokCCZGdcM7PFyVu5Q/s1600/MMW_2-22-16b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8MwGPsVZCKrFtqEu1bFrk450UTtrs9dAO6E-Flw56C409u43VWcy4IH_sOACRQt74Q2tSwrKRhopzN0QR8n9E7h06zgs8xr9a7MJFX6_vHfkQMEIGLbnX9sXNYokCCZGdcM7PFyVu5Q/s640/MMW_2-22-16b.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/66606673@N00/5937006976/">cobalt123</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-73853326636002349742016-03-02T06:00:00.000-06:002016-03-02T06:00:02.850-06:00"Your Body Language Shapes Who Your Are"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2016/02/your-body-language-shapes-who-your-are.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgptaJJqNRPWSdBDVqsqLEZ9zYrXcxxTF-E9Vz0uz6bPzFYiLu1kspdD_BIHOlTWKT409-t-ZL_Z7w6DUr4zPd2O3vOHVseTIJ9IeYWHEqZFPCS2O4TvwzFb6wBti4-FM9Nm4nEE-0zc/s1600/hrfg_post_3-2-16.png" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a>I recently had the pleasure of reading <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=491042" target="_blank">Amy Cuddy</a>'s game changing book <i>Presence, </i>it's had me rethinking how I hold myself, how I present information, how I tackle challenges, how I meet with new and familiar colleagues, how I conquer the things that scare me. I've spent time talking to my daughters teaching them how to strike a victory pose and Wonder Woman stance. I'm ordering copies for my staff. Below, Cuddy - a Social Psychologist - touches on the topics she covers so thoroughly in her book, it's the talk that's inspired hundreds and thousands of people strive to be the best version of themselves they can be with newfound personal strengths... it's absolutely worth the click.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/14852861@N02/15918250720/">Brickolaje</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-81292681198399657112016-02-24T06:00:00.000-06:002016-02-24T06:00:22.221-06:00"Color Blind or Color Brave"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2016/02/color-blind-or-color-brave.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGUzbmYlyJsRZ88mHqvAlelUfzASgJtqwQr6mxt69kXjN1pb23AY8vQE9STqgUVytmTzpBAjRugLN83TJXGM8ihRv1svydlyt5dlwgM6-UsfvV__JFIDFASngLFKYXDutnLMC9xi3gpc/s1600/hrfg_post_2-24-16.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>As a society we have challenges, in human resources we often face those challenges in a myriad of ways in our work, in my industry - higher education - diversity, equity, and inclusion have and continue to be critically important<i> </i>topics and at my employer it's something everyone is tirelessly working to improve as a facet of our campus cultures for the better. Below, Mellody Hobson speaks about speaking up and openly discussing race, diversity in hiring, and more... it's powerful and well worth the click:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></center>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/72959997@N00/18263113926/">Lynn Friedman</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-49704564171634364072016-02-22T06:00:00.000-06:002016-02-22T06:00:02.087-06:00"When We Are No Longer Able To Change. . ."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttJyH6I0iexfj-UxRHwrMIpgw_87QeHg9KX7idsZ3NXwxNXVy7wAA-3NIM-JXN6cfz7LN_0Xob3I-p_wSupS0Pi965jWUVWQ9OkQuwFh37aFNkRhnOudjLPYPm-LP353GoHkuRKMuYPQ/s1600/MMW_2-22-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttJyH6I0iexfj-UxRHwrMIpgw_87QeHg9KX7idsZ3NXwxNXVy7wAA-3NIM-JXN6cfz7LN_0Xob3I-p_wSupS0Pi965jWUVWQ9OkQuwFh37aFNkRhnOudjLPYPm-LP353GoHkuRKMuYPQ/s640/MMW_2-22-16.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/25494789@N02/24080002764/">sergecos</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-80722511645030450102016-02-17T06:00:00.000-06:002016-02-17T06:00:17.901-06:00"The Puzzle of Motivation"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2016/02/the-puzzle-of-motivation.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAUcoSeWSOx6wS5DEnRwACmp6xag3_8ips9PalfYQlgNXndkM5lKWjhyAjEbMHSiO50iFS-4LqNoy5WzFksrPy7xjn3aXLfs9UR8B6yIunR0pwSmmDUBBkPO8ots0qCaZcXyOlEni9uU/s1600/hrfg_post_2-17-16.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://www.danpink.com/" target="_blank">Daniel Pink</a> and his books hold a fair share of shelf space in my professional library, his insights on what motivates us are fascinating and I can't recommend his books <i>Drive </i>and <i>To Sell is Human </i>enough, seeing him drop knowledge bombs at this past year's CUPA-HR National Conference was awesome to say the least... but I digress; for more on Pink's thoughts on being better, check out the clip below from a TEDTalk he gave in 2009 (it's a few years old, but the lessons are as fresh as ever):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></center>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/113026679@N03/23934608711/">davidmulder61</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-81626775273717012782016-02-15T08:00:00.000-06:002016-02-15T08:32:18.057-06:00"Don't Fake It. . ."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C5-dc1ef1HVw68lw1wWsJYwFdFEcLewtvZT60JvF8B3vBke4WGp2wRtNI7cE54XT-hsePswxJEtfOJmfPZE2kk4uEy1jF7FlE5vmOyIk8m1KXZRdPUKgFHuS0NwAqf-RY4W2_iDoHcE/s1600/MMW_2-15-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C5-dc1ef1HVw68lw1wWsJYwFdFEcLewtvZT60JvF8B3vBke4WGp2wRtNI7cE54XT-hsePswxJEtfOJmfPZE2kk4uEy1jF7FlE5vmOyIk8m1KXZRdPUKgFHuS0NwAqf-RY4W2_iDoHcE/s640/MMW_2-15-16.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/14292055@N00/24565235132/">mrtopp</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a></span>
Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-80816523811932380572016-02-11T14:44:00.002-06:002016-02-11T14:44:13.299-06:00It Felt Good To Get Out of the Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2016/02/it-felt-good-to-get-out-of-rain.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBBzKaVjcsJeSm9O19gCKk5TQ09m3A-ZsgV43K_HmNHqVYsNmiqRLvmgnhjGxOb4X3zeEz9kLFZV40RWw-AV_ZC_7OIuKPO7-AeSC1omt7iOlmnSRrTNO16vn6mjvb5Va4fHoSeb6nhk/s1600/hrfg_post_2-11-16.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>When I think about Arizona, I can't help but start humming "A Horse With No Name," there's no good reason other than it's lines about wandering through a desert. My experiences with the home to one of the coolest Scotch libraries in the country, Camelback Mountain, more amazing golf courses than I can imagine has been exclusively via conferences. The first time I set foot in The Copper State I didn't leave the airport, rather I was rushing from one end of Phoenix International to the other hoping not to miss my connecting flight home after a surreal few days working the floor at an industry conference in my corporate days. After several long days and late nights, I was a bit shell-shocked and starting to reconsider what kind of organization I wanted to continue my career in (note: I shortly thereafter moved to the non-profit sector before landing in higher education).<br />
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A couple of years later, the non-profit I was working for at the time hosted their annual leadership conference in Phoenix. It was a wholly different experience where I spent several days networking, learning, and leading colleagues from across the country about how we as an organization could be better, serve our constituents in new and greater ways, and better connect to our mission. It was an awesome week that felt like a second tipping point for my career as I better realized what kind of organization and culture I wanted to work in and what kind of work and impact I wanted my career to have.<br />
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Many years later I found myself in Scottsdale attending and presenting at a vendor hosted conference focused on HR service delivery and technology; I left the meetings with a renewed professional vigor and a head full of ideas that have led to an evolved HR Service Delivery function at my university and the development of our People Data and Analytics team. It was here that I was introduced to the insights of <a href="http://www.howtofascinate.com/" target="_blank">Sally Hogshead</a> and a year later in an equally sunny locale the amazing knowledge bombs of <a href="http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/" target="_blank">Michael Bungay Stanier</a>.<br />
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And in a few short weeks I find myself headed back to Arizona for the <a href="http://conferences.cupahr.org/symposium2016/" target="_blank">CUPA-HR Higher Education Symposium</a> where I have the fortunate opportunity to sit on a keynote panel with the likes of <a href="https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/1307/" target="_blank">Peter Cappelli</a>, <a href="http://provost.arizona.edu/node/56" target="_blank">Allison Vaillancourt</a>, and <a href="http://hr.oregonstate.edu/about-us/assistant-vice-president-and-chief-hr-officer" target="_blank">David Blake</a> following Dr. Cappelli's Symposium opening keynote presentation and then co-presenting with colleagues from the University of Missouri System as the final workshop/presentation on "Isolation is no longer an option: Why HR must work across functions to be the strategic business partner it needs to be."<br />
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I hope to see some of you there, I hope to walk away having learned as much as I have shared, and I suspect I'll come back with new ideas, notions, and perspectives that will change me, my teams, and how we do the work we do.
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/130140661@N08/24724690381/">brandon_rothe</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-24447138292625926382016-02-02T23:11:00.000-06:002016-02-02T23:22:42.216-06:00The Coaching Habit. . . A Non-Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2016/02/the-coaching-habit-non-review.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKBBfnOFV1YHPSPl7lNHIWeids5WcmWE4rmrrqJe4INq-fStIQCI_0auXxeCaNczDGd-CWnKI34UC3l9iXVmJO9CKSeE4J0Pj1ZnH6aR4yw2KPm2Yt1A_m7OxM-mU7_d-AIPamfTk6oM/s1600/hrfg_post_2-2-16.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>For the last several years I was fortunate to have attended the now defunct <i>HR Service Delivery and Technology Forum</i> hosted by <i>Willis Towers Watson</i>; the event was chock full of outstanding networking opportunities both in my "industry" of higher education and with HR leaders from the private sector. There were informative education sessions, amazing events and activities, and some of the best keynotes I've been witness to in all my years in HR. It was at the 2015 Forum that I was introduced to the wit and wisdom of <a href="http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/" target="_blank">Michael Bungay Stanier</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUGlTaq9lAmFnAhTCWQPCn0gCz94Vaz7BybjpJDjKZj3mKjWlJEu3MruS_QPODUyGKqsfMyh7onk7FUhu8NDT-h_pLKSWCddGYEzIbqB-2IxTXSsQ_wBpE5P-HgmqJJXW_R95eX28LzY/s1600/27286963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUGlTaq9lAmFnAhTCWQPCn0gCz94Vaz7BybjpJDjKZj3mKjWlJEu3MruS_QPODUyGKqsfMyh7onk7FUhu8NDT-h_pLKSWCddGYEzIbqB-2IxTXSsQ_wBpE5P-HgmqJJXW_R95eX28LzY/s320/27286963.jpg" width="220" /></a>He enthralled the audience, got us working together, had us laughing and thinking, and when all was said and done he left us with new ideas to take home.<br />
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In the nearly year since, he has become one of my favorite knowledge bombers; to that end, I've read Michael's wonderful <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6366374-do-more-great-work" target="_blank">Do More Great Work</a></i> (and some of his other titles) and provided copies to everyone on my management team; it (and Michael's array of resources and <a href="https://twitter.com/boxofcrayons" target="_blank">insights available on his blog and elsewhere</a>) have become an ongoing part of my team's leadership dialogue and I'd like to think made us all better managers and leaders.<br />
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That said, I've found myself fortunate to receive and read an advance copy of Michael's latest book <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27286963-the-coaching-habit?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">The Coaching Habit</a> </i>- and it is a game changer; the simple yet profound message of the text being that coaching is critical to great work and the best coaching is that which feels natural and is a regular part of your management routine. To quote the publisher, and a notion I wholeheartedly agree with after reading <i>The Coaching Habit</i>:<br />
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In Michael Bungay Stanier’s <i>The Coaching Habit</i>, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact.</blockquote>
And needless to say, I'll be picking up a handful of copies for my team when <i>The Coaching Habit </i>hits shelves officially later this month (and you should too).Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-74819476989580601232015-11-02T06:00:00.000-06:002016-02-02T22:36:40.480-06:00"The Single Biggest Problem. . ."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLcFaJ8ykC3iJDOAl2c0iKylQVZQxuseOPHj_F69g_Bjg1lB8ZQ4zg71a-Kh9PFuMqjofuYyH-zjS55zmElWWiBok-UgHIVZqDLffI4y6VpjmJGZETbzfn3TlOluAvEbwGurL_McI9sc/s640/mmw_11-02-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLcFaJ8ykC3iJDOAl2c0iKylQVZQxuseOPHj_F69g_Bjg1lB8ZQ4zg71a-Kh9PFuMqjofuYyH-zjS55zmElWWiBok-UgHIVZqDLffI4y6VpjmJGZETbzfn3TlOluAvEbwGurL_McI9sc/s640/mmw_11-02-15.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Graphic Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/19767257@N00/318007210/">RubioBuitrago</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-89317493944636200242015-10-31T10:31:00.000-05:002015-11-02T10:47:28.047-06:00Spooky: Ninjas, Workhorses & Zombies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2015/10/halloween-throwback-ninja-workhorses.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9qPFGYYCTrDkXQJy37Ju0Y3CK96sOgJVdNceA1wMh65efp0UgyAxoXlwwU3Mnq89lrZAq16ISMF0hdOPCSSyuLbVGIjWXIVbPEqdSKO1ywVkFwWIANci8ATwsPAwtaERgt0b8IjaNXU/s1600/hrfg_post_10-31-15.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>A couple of years back I fulfilled a professional dream to write (and get published) an article that makes gratuitous use of the words <i>zombie </i>and <i>ninja - </i>and as one might expect with such subject matter it's a bit spooky (or at least makes one question how we can better manage talent in the workplace). Here's a snippet:<br />
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It begins with looking at your current roster of talent, assessing both your needs and wants, and then developing a strategy that builds on your organization’s strengths and attacks its weaknesses. Now, there are organizations that have been preparing for this change in demographics in degrees varying from proactive talent reviews to approaches mirroring crazed survivalists gathering their supplies and building shelters to withstand nuclear fallout. If your place of work fits anywhere in that spectrum, the following may not be a surprise.</blockquote>
For more on this pseudo-halloween related topic, please check out "<a href="http://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/getting-ready-to-weather-the-coming-workforce-shift/" target="_blank">Getting Ready to Weather the Coming Workforce Shift</a>" at <i>TLNT</i>... and happy halloween!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8489692@N03/6277818452/">katerha</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-47775013288880125122015-10-21T13:06:00.000-05:002016-02-02T22:38:12.681-06:00"The Problem With Stereotypes. . ."
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Graphic Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/85853333@N00/8514999552/">Jeremy Brooks</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-81623977103458634962015-10-05T06:00:00.000-05:002015-10-05T09:18:27.484-05:00Nine Questions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2015/10/nine-questions.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-QZ5Hey4ovt0QgzzroVhhRSlVbhJo48jPK91BxuwPSXldQGLQwK4X8NPu9oj5nuV1sjJfveNhGU6SyTxYpfYzlLS1Zry7ANpVz1xoRzU1bPqRAALVCaO8byOBh7uKOkJwRT_EQpmYWs/s1600/hrfg_post_10-21-14.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">The next participant in </span><i style="color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">The Field Guide</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">'s interview series - "Nine Questions" - with HR thought leaders is <a href="http://kylemjones.com/" target="_blank">Kyle Jones</a> - a favorite of the many HR bloggers I read on a regular basis (and a fellow Whovian to boot)</span><i style="color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">. </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181b20; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Below, Kyle gives us his thoughts on everything from why HR is awesome, the move toward the cloud, embracing professional regret, leadership (and what it means), and much more...</span></span><br />
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<b>Tell me why what you do is rewarding, challenging, and I suspect in your opinion (and mine) quite awesome?</b><br />
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I have an opportunity each day to make a difference. Isn’t that simple fact something quite awesome? The functions of HR constantly regenerate as we adapt to changes in laws, business needs, etc. This is an exciting time to be in our industry. </blockquote>
<b>Do you believe in the notion of professional regret? Why or why not? If so, what's been your biggest professional regret? </b><br />
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Yes, I believe in professional regret, but I do not think we should dwell on those regrets. When I look back over the years, are there things I regret? Sure. Can I change them? No.
The past is much clearer when viewed from the future. Does clarity bring about regret? The potential is there, of course. We look back and see missed opportunities and paths not taken. We make assumptions of what might have been. So, yes, I believe in the notion of professional regret; however, maybe we should focus on what might be yet to come.
I can’t name a biggest professional regret. All the choices made have brought me to where I am today. </blockquote>
<b>What do you think has been the most significant game changer in your specialty area of human resources over the last 5 years? Over the course of your career? </b><br />
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This answer comes from the point of view of my SHRM volunteer roles as Social Media Director. The spread of social media - and technology in general - transformed our culture. We live in a world where terrorist organizations use social media for negative propaganda while celebrities and world leaders use it to bring awareness. We see hashtags attached to everything from TV shows to sporting events. Yes, our culture differs from that of 2010. And, I am sure that it will be different in 2017, too.
Let’s face it - social media will continue to evolve but businesses must evolve our chosen means of communication. While we must ensure data is secure and policies are in place, HR leaders can help usher this change. ROI is more important today than it was in 2010 so I suggest embracing technology as a means to enhance employee communication. The result of this could possibly be an increase in productivity - something that everyone wants.
This applies to both 5 years and over the course of my career. </blockquote>
<b>Where do you see your area of specialty heading in the next 5 years? Do you think that’s a good or bad thing? </b><br />
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I would anticipate further cloud integration. Good or bad? It depends upon the view. One could argue that a server could crash and data could be lost - and that might happen. But, guess what? It could happen just the same to a company uses a floppy disc to backup data. </blockquote>
<b>In your opinion what’s the most important part of the talent management puzzle: attracting talent, acquiring talent, developing talent, or retaining talent – or something else entirely? Why? </b><br />
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You described this particular HR function as “the talent management puzzle” and I’ve given thought to each individual piece in an attempt to choose the most important. So, let’s assume that I chose developing talent and I write several paragraphs describing why I think it is important. Would I not neglect the other aspects of the talent cycle if I gave more importance to one?
The talent cycle is a tricky beast and all aspects from attracting to retaining are important. A company may have a great onboarding experience with a low turnover rate but fails to attract new employees. Imagine the benefits received on the ROI of human capital for those who focus equally on all. </blockquote>
<b>What do you think is the biggest failure of most organizations when it comes to their talent strategy? Is there an easy fix, a difficult one, or can it be fixed? </b><br />
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The biggest failure for most organizations is not having a talent strategy.
How would an organization without a talent strategy fix the problem? Will it be difficult to fix? I think this depends upon the willingness to ask the right questions and the backbone to accept the potential brutality of the answers. An organization that asks the questions but only accepts certain answers might be better off to simply save the time and not ask the questions.
Yes, it can be fixed. </blockquote>
<b>In your own words, define what it means to be a leader? Do you think anyone can become a leader? Why or why not?</b><br />
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A leader is not a title as anyone can have a title. I can give myself the title of Omnipotent Executive Leader, but does it make me a leader? Does that title automatically make others follow my lead? No, it does not.
I define a leader as someone who inspires others to follow. A leader’s reputation is built on the successes of the team. A leader is someone who will turn the spotlight on the team instead of illuminating his or her own accomplishments. A leader, who places him/herself above the needs of the team, in my opinion, is not a leader.
Anyone can learn leadership characteristics and I believe some who are not normally leadership material can master leadership skills. The key is the person’s motive. Is leadership wanted solely for your power and personal gain? If so, a leader you are not. </blockquote>
<b>In your opinion, what’s the biggest challenge facing human resources related professions and professionals today? </b><br />
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Considering that we are heading into an election season, the navigation of the ever-changing political landscape and the impact it has on HR might be the biggest challenge. I acknowledge this has always been the case but our country seems to have reached a level of polarization not seen in many years. It matters not the side of the aisle. What should matter is the welfare of the American People. Who are the American People? They are the bankers, the lawyers, the builders, the maids, the assistants, the doctors, the teachers, and – believe it or not – the politicians.
All of them - they are the people who HR can and do influence daily. </blockquote>
<b>What words of advice would you give to a college student considering a career in your field? To someone looking to transition careers? To someone in your field that is feeling burned out or turned off?</b><br />
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My advice, while simple, carries impact if heeded. You must attempt to choose a career that personifies your strengths. Our chosen careers will occupy our working hours for years and, if lucky, decades. I don’t believe it to be coincidence that the most successful people work in a “job” where the work is equal to their passions. In short, do what you love and do it well.
For someone looking to change careers, know this: It is never too late. Take a leap of faith and believe in yourself. Be the voice of confidence and reach for the unknown.
For someone feeling burned out or turned off, know this: Don’t make decisions based upon emotion. Take a moment and breathe. Find the reason for the burnout. Find the cause behind feeling turned off. Be brutally honest and ask the hard questions. Seek outside counsel – family & friends, religious, professional – if needed.
We may not like the answers and we may need to make changes; however, the spark isn’t smothered. We just need to find the fuel to reignite our drive but we must first remove, resolve, and restore any issues preventing us from burning brightly.</blockquote>
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<b>Kyle Jones</b> <i>has over 20 years of experience in a variety of roles including human resources, recruitment, customer service, and social media. He’s the current </i>Social Media Director of the Mississippi State Council of SHRM<i>, having served in volunteer roles on both the local and state level since 2007. </i>Kyle<i> was recipient of the </i>2012 Mississippi Spirit of Human Resources Award.<i>
He has written articles for company, HR and social media blogs as well as being a contributor to </i><a href="http://www.performanceicreate.com/" target="_blank">Performance I Create</a><i>, a multi-contributor HR blog. and shares his passion for HR and Social Media on his blog, </i><a href="http://kylemjones.com/" target="_blank">HR to WHO</a><i>. Kyle is currently co-hosts two podcasts, </i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/performanceicreate" target="_blank">The PIC Podcast</a><i> and </i><a href="http://gallifreyanembassy.org/vortex/" target="_blank">Doctor Who Podshock</a><i>.
Connect with Kyle on Twitter </i><b><a href="https://twitter.com/kylemj6977" target="_blank">@kylemj6977</a></b><i><a href="https://twitter.com/kylemj6977" target="_blank"> </a>or on </i><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylemjones73" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><i>.
</i>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-79449130165151692842015-09-28T07:39:00.000-05:002015-09-28T07:39:19.564-05:00Assess, Measure, & Manage - Oh My!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I'm excited to share that I have a new article up over at <i><a href="http://www.talentculture.com/" target="_blank">TalentCulture</a> </i>titled, "Performance Management: Going Beyond the Appraisal." It is my hope that in addition to the sporadic pieces I write and manage to find homes for at places like <i>TLNT, ERE Media, </i>and others, that I'll be making a regular habit of sharing thoughts and ideas at <i>TalentCulture </i>going forward. For a sneak peek of my latest, read on:<br />
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Performance and performance management – it’s something every organization, be it a Fortune 500 or a non-profit or a public sector institution talks about. Odds are they talk about it a lot and despite all that talk it is still likely a topic that causes managers and leaders to want to pull out their hair and one that stirs feelings in employees ranging from dread to fear to mental eye-rolling. Some organizations tackle the challenging of reviewing and communicating performance via three-point scales or five-point or twenty-seven point; others embrace 360 degree reviews; some organizations have highly calibrated processes whereas others have “Oh, it’s that time of year again” approaches; then there are the organizations dropping the idea of formal performance appraisals in the goal of creating more dialogue and something <i>better</i>. The point: assessing, measuring and managing performance is complex and ever-evolving; but there are some core principles that regardless of where an organization falls on the spectrum of processes and approaches that hold true.</blockquote>
To read the rest, please check out <a href="http://www.talentculture.com/talent-management/performance-management-going-beyond-the-appraisal/">"Performance Management: Going Beyond the Appraisal" </a>at <i>TalentCulture.</i>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24364103@N04/2575036709/">mpclemens</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-81533664578340159222015-09-24T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-24T06:00:01.960-05:00Flying on a Jet Plane<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a>Next week is the <a href="http://www.cupahr.org/conference2015/" target="_blank"><i>CUPA-HR National Conference</i></a> in scenic Orlando - the university has four separate presentations and will be the recipient of the <a href="http://www.cupahr.org/events/awards-hre.aspx" target="_blank"><i>National HR Excellence Award</i></a>; of the four presentations we're fortunate to facilitate, I am leading two of them:<br />
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<li>Shaping Your People Strategy: Using Big Data to Understand Your Workforce </li>
<li>Leveraging Organizational Opportunities for the Development and Implementation of an HR Service Center</li>
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I had the opportunity to <a href="https://www.umsystem.edu/ums/hr/peopledata" target="_blank">share our people data story</a> at the <a href="http://www.cupahr.org/midwest2015/" target="_blank"><i>CUPA-HR Midwest Conference</i></a> and due to staffing shifts I am picking up the reigns to co-present about our <a href="https://www.umsystem.edu/ums/hr/hrservicecenter" target="_blank">HR Service Center and the journey we've embarked on</a> leading from disparate groups, functions, and teams to a collective group working to meet the HR needs of our faculty and staff.<br />
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If you've followed along with this site (or on <a href="https://twitter.com/thehrfieldguide" target="_blank">Twitter</a>), then it should come as no surprise that I'll be attempting to tweet all the cool, interesting, and conferencey things that go down in the Sunshine State. If you're headed to the conference, I'd love to meet you (or at least get a chance to share our stories with you) and if you're playing along from home, please keep an eye on Twitter (look for <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cupahr15" target="_blank">#cupahr15</a>).</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8063323@N08/5051816521/">RobertCiavarro</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-91869043103633144192015-09-22T11:34:00.002-05:002015-09-22T15:44:50.393-05:00KnowledgeBomb: The Box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a>Back in the early days of this site I'd occasionally ask "Big Questions," readers would sometimes respond via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, or LinkedIn and I'd post a bit of follow-up... like so many things, it was a great idea that fizzled in execution. That said, the notion of big questions is one that hasn't gone away (for me, my readers, or anyone interested in all this crazy HR/Business/Leadership stuff that I ramble on about)... with that in mind, I'm going to try something different.<br />
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Below is the first, in what I hope will eventually become a sporadically updated series, of <i>KnowledgeBomb </i>videos asking big questions and things of the like. If you have a second, please watch. If you like it, please share. Thanks!</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/27893398@N00/2445408064/">SiamEye</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Video Music Credit: Jason Shaw via <a href="http://audionautix.com/index.php" target="_blank">Audionautix</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-41167177240243016902015-09-20T22:48:00.002-05:002015-09-20T22:49:30.566-05:00Field Discovery: Guroo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2015/09/field-discovery-guroo.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDJEzQcTc2mLWoKNWVkRWFGCwofIo99L_XPswl4uN-Foo7zgBmP8nbH_dxCTqlpfSRRUQCLKLJB0LScgAQBJq8wBMevl6OTdL7dZZp7yuUvJWA4ryo3h_9qJG0Kct7RksAEzMiaPfs3M/s1600/hrfg_post_9-20-15.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>For the vast majority of my career in HR I've skirted around benefits and total rewards; I've been the onsite HR Generalist that got to play "expert" during annual enrollment, I've been the guy talking about insurance and explaining why "No, we don't offer orthodontia coverage" during new employee orientation, and I've been an end-user of this benefit and that, but it's only been in the last several years of being part of a total rewards function (heck, total rewards is even in my title) that I've really started to pay attention to both the big details and the small. One of those details that gets discussed a lot in my office and I'm venturing just as much in other benefits offices in organizations big and small are the topics of health care costs and transparency tools.<br />
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There are medical plan administrators that offer versions of these tools and there are major market players like <a href="http://www.castlighthealth.com/resources/healthcare-transparency/" target="_blank"><i>Castlight</i> </a>and <i><a href="https://healthcarebluebook.com/" target="_blank">Healthcare Bluebook</a></i> - both outstanding tools that I've had the opportunity to see demonstrated live - but either/or can be costly depending on your organization's need, demand, and budget. That's where <a href="http://www.guroo.com/#!" target="_blank"><i>Guroo</i></a> might be the right tool at the right time (or at least the tool to help an organization fill the critical gap related to understanding health care costs until it best understands its needs and how to meet them).<br />
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Where as sites like <i>Castlight</i>, <i>Healthcare Bluebook</i>, or administrator sites are great resources in terms of information, they're also for profit organizations that aren't always scalable to every kind of organization; <i>Guroo</i> on the other hand is an offshoot of <i><a href="http://www.healthcostinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Health Care Cost Institute</a></i> (a non-profit), <i>Guroo</i> puts their goal as this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Guroo.com<i> was created by the </i>Health Care Cost Institute<i> </i>(HCCI)<i>, an independent, nonprofit research organization. </i>Guroo<i> is powered by claims data contributed by some of the nation's key health insurance providers. We have one simple goal: to give you insight into health care costs and quality so you can be informed and get the most out of every dollar you spend.</i></blockquote>
Not only is <i>Guroo </i>a free resource, but it is an easy to use one - think <i>Google </i>for medical procedures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mFxXxLMGDLftxIGRvtty3RRIJEH4MsfNapmGkHASqAZXWMdM7-TMD1-724PAZ4zXNU9XRDtW6L7DV9cUh9WmOmcOzsyeVyfcatJYVoHXc4Y_iyt6PfqUhBzZVKQ_zjuZx_oO0KFCsnY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-20+at+10.30.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mFxXxLMGDLftxIGRvtty3RRIJEH4MsfNapmGkHASqAZXWMdM7-TMD1-724PAZ4zXNU9XRDtW6L7DV9cUh9WmOmcOzsyeVyfcatJYVoHXc4Y_iyt6PfqUhBzZVKQ_zjuZx_oO0KFCsnY/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-09-20+at+10.30.33+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Whether you are a consumer trying to manage your medical costs wisely, a growing (or new) organization that is struggling to find a way to assist your employees understand how to be effective stewards of their own health and wellness, or a larger/more established organization working to find the right set of tools to meet the ever growing challenges (and costs) of health care, <i>Guroo </i>might be the right tool at the right time to help you take a step in the right direction.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/46621701@N00/49025728/">badcrc</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-85545242758864290152015-09-14T05:30:00.000-05:002015-09-14T09:19:15.893-05:00An Industry of Givers & a Thank You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a>I recently finished reading/listening to Adam Grant's book <i><a href="http://www.giveandtake.com/" target="_blank">Give and Take</a></i>; it's a great read and I'd encourage anyone interested in workplace styles and leadership to give it a look, but I digress. One of the primary foci of the book is the notion that people fall roughly into one of three categories - categories that in some cases come naturally and others that we consciously work to fall into:<br />
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<li><i>Givers</i></li>
<li><i>Takers</i></li>
<li><i>Matchers</i></li>
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<i>Givers </i>are the sort who collaborate and assist without any return or reward in mind. A great example profiled in the book is <a href="http://www.ifindkarma.com/" target="_blank">Adam Rifkin</a> - <i>LinkedIn</i>'s Best Networked Person, with real world relationship's with a who's who of tech industry titans; a group of people that Rifkin has helped out, advised, or exchanged philosophical tete-a-tetes with over the definition of punk rock. Rifkin has helped more careers start and bloom in Silicon Valley than arguably any other person in the industry and he does it all out for the pure intrinsic value of helping others as so many have helped him. <i>Givers </i>are the type of person who uses the collective we and means it.<br />
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<i>Takers</i> are best exampled in the book by the rise and fall of Ken Lay (former head of <i>Enron</i>); someone who calculated the value of relationships and their payoffs on the way to the top (and ultimately the bottom) of the corporate ladder. <i>Takers </i>are the type of person who is focused on their status and contribution, even if their contribution was really someone else's.<br />
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<i>Matchers</i> are the group of people - most people in fact - who look to match their output or give with their input or take. They constantly look to balance the scales and keep things status quo.<br />
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I point all of this out because I've had the fortunate opportunity to work in higher education for the better part of the last decade after several years working in corporate America; the two industries couldn't be more different. While both have their share of <i>givers, takers, </i>and <i>matchers - </i>the balance (or at least has been my experience) has felt flip-flopped and the longer I work within my own organization and more frequently sharing knowledge and collaborating with rockstar colleagues at other institutions I am convinced that higher education is comprised of a whole lot of <i>givers. </i><br />
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More and more I find myself reminded of a leadership training session I facilitated several years back to a group of campus leaders where the focus of the conversation veered toward why someone would come work at our university. We discussed things like culture and collaboration and sense of something bigger. In essence, we started a dialogue about what our employment value proposition was; we - about 20 of us - ended the conversation as one of the group insinuated that we can't compete for top talent because our pay didn't stack up to Fortune 100's in the metropolitan area. My response - a time where the words escaped my mouth before I could contain them - was that if someone was only looking at pay as their primary driver when joining the university (or entering higher education in general) then maybe, this wasn't the right place for them...<br />
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I froze and waited a beat and then around the room heads started to nod and others began to chime in on a topic I'd felt strongly about for some time and we started down the road of talking about all the great reasons to work at the university - fair pay being one of them - that includes and goes beyond the basic compensation package. There was a lot of talk about working together - one of my last projects before leaving campus HR for the university system offices was a collaboration with Alumni Relations, Student Success, and the Student Union that netted a significant amount of strategic funding to kick off the program (funding that has been renewed each of the last several years); a project that several of us had no real vested interest in other than wanting to help a good idea being managed by some good people that would create some good for our students to succeed.<br />
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And now, as I look over the last 24 months, I consider the many times I have had the opportunity to "talk shop" on an array of topics both inside and outside my institution - in some cases, my organization being in a position to share and in others where we were looking for help in building a road map to get better at something - and time after time, each experience has felt like a rewarding one. And while, I've said it to so many people from coast to coast, via phone or email or in person at conferences near and far... let me say it again, thank you! And for those of you as equally fortunate to work in higher education AND happen to be headed to Orlando at the end of the month for the <a href="http://www.cupahr.org/conference2015/">CUPA-HR National Conference</a>, I'd sincerely enjoy catching up with past acquaintances and new ones to swap stories and lessons learned - I'll be the guy live tweeting everything while drinking a seemingly endless supply of Diet Mountain Dew (or Coke Zero depending on the resort's stance on caffeinated deliciousness).
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/36859501@N04/6175046643/">thesaltr</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-8894003124929464172015-09-08T21:24:00.000-05:002015-09-08T21:35:24.608-05:00Fantastic Gifts and Prizes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2015/09/fantastic-gifts-and-prizes.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51B-_T63hp4jOwfYmv8Tk-sr9aft_fR0cYZUZegUjlQb9_sg82TpeRD05gj-yEOeJePUbWUZxgH7CHNuFbwuFGGwz_A9sayS5M9nf8ybDEQZ-BwFlnm6vHun-pw2Re0hWkdxV8Tp-jWU/s1600/hrfg_post_9-8-15.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>I'm pleased to post that <i>The HR Field Guide </i>has been selected as a "<a href="http://blog.promotionsnow.com/best-hr-blogs-2015/" target="_blank">2015 Top Human Resources Blog</a>" by <i>PromotionsNow</i> and their readers; other awesome top blogs selected (many of which are already on my regular reading list while some others are about to get added) include:<br />
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<li><a href="https://adjusteddevelopment.wordpress.com/">Adjusted Development</a></li>
<li><a href="http://attheintersectionblog.com/">At The Intersection</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.avidcareerist.com/">AvidCareerist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bullseyerecruiting.net/">Bulls Eye Recruiting</a></li>
<li><a href="http://campus-to-career.com/">Campus To Career</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.cornonthejob.com/">Corn on the Job</a></li>
<li><a href="http://davidjacksonhr.com/">David Jackson HR</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hrexaminer.com/">HR Examiner</a></li>
<li><a href="http://hrnasty.com/">HR Nasty</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hrsuccessguide.com/">HR Success Guide</a></li>
<li><a href="http://letsgrowleaders.com/blog/">Let's Grow Leaders</a></li>
<li><a href="http://managementblog.org/">Management Skills Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mattcharney.com/">Snark Attack</a></li>
<li><a href="http://rorytrotter.com/">Something Different HR</a></li>
<li><a href="http://takeitpersonelly.com/">Take it Personel-ly</a></li>
<li><a href="http://relentless.taketheinterview.com/blog/">Take The Interview</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hrcapitalist.com/">The HR Capitalist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://leadchangegroup.com/blog/">The Lead Change Group</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.timsackett.com/">The Tim Sacket Project</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/">The Undercover Recruiter</a></li>
</ul>
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Thanks to <i>PromotionsNow</i>, the voting public (whomever that might be), and to you (my readers) - now get to clicking on some of the sites listed above and get your knowledge absorption on. On a related note, well, maybe not directly related, I will be co-presenting later this month during two different sessions at the <a href="http://www.cupahr.org/conference2015/" target="_blank">CUPA-HR National Conference in Orlando</a> on the development of an HR Service Center function and the strategic integration of people data into HR/organizational decision making - I'd love to meet/chat with anyone who's making the trip and would be delighted to see you in one of my discussions.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/tome213-49933" target="_blank">Elvis Santana</a> via FreeImages</span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-80486337475798372192015-04-17T21:47:00.000-05:002015-04-17T21:47:09.864-05:00To Quote Nappy Roots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a>"We're gonna have a good day..." And today was one of those days, one in a string over the last couple of months for my team(s) - as I mentioned in my last post, our HR Communications & Education team won an Excellence Award from the IABC, this followed their submission (and acceptance) of their presentation on change management to the midwest and southern regional conferences of CUPA-HR. Two more of my teams (People Data and our HR Service Center) had presentation acceptances for the midwest regional CUPA-HR conference as well... then today happened, we got word that all THREE groups are headed to Orlando this fall to present at the CUPA-HR National Conference.<br />
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Needless to say, I'm super proud of the great team of managers I get the opportunity to lead on a daily basis - they're all doing amazing things, work that's cutting edge, projects that are reshaping our organization. They make me a better leader, I learn as much from them if not more than I'm able to share with them, they're rockstars each and everyone! But I digress... Instead of me rambling on about the awesome stuff they're all doing, here are some videos highlighting the work we're getting recognized for in venues large and small.<br />
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If you're working in HR in the Higher Ed space and have the opportunity to head to Detroit for either the CUPA Midwest Conference later this month or to Orlando this fall for the national conference, I hope the clips above serve as an hors d'oeuvres to whet your intellectual appetite that we have the opportunity to share what we're doing with you in person.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/39526605@N00/11773279726/">Jim Davies</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073731521137060606.post-68041178092841237322015-04-10T22:45:00.000-05:002015-04-10T22:45:04.165-05:00I Get to Work With Smart People Who Win Prizes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehrfieldguide.com/2015/04/i-get-to-work-with-smart-people-who-win.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIEhgesq0-ZcYHciOGJywqiqLkvfy1GWGCGB2DPx67mvDZQLfRtt3agYDq1P_-A0OgFZ8ty2BB8NvIhxsgSmSBd_s6TIE6NOckw2Jch0fKnUDBNUQi7sbEFQ1kWsBzmUEOkUpBLM1ueI/s1600/hrfg_post_4-10-15.png" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>I am fortunate to work with several great teams in my current role - one of those groups that I've had the great opportunity to lead over the last 18 months is our HR Communications team (they'll soon be transitioning to a new director in an expanded internal communications role, largely in part because of their display of great work during the last year highlighting our larger needs and opportunities). It's one of those functions where I mostly try to stay out of their way because they're awesome at what they do, and that awesomeness was recognized this week by the <a href="http://gq.iabc.com/winners/">International Association of Business Communicators</a> (IABC).<br />
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The IABC has awarded our HR Communications staff with a <i><a href="http://gq.iabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/GQ15-winners-list.pdf">2015 Gold Quill Excellence Award</a></i> in the Human Resources and Benefits Communication category for their work centered around our 2015 Annual Enrollment Campaign which included face time with more than 20,000 benefit eligible employees and various other outreach and employee touches resulting in 99.9% of those employees logging into our benefits portal and making an active selection this past fall!<br />
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Congratulations to Kelli Holland and Tracey Westfield for showcasing our great institution and getting such high recognition for it! And for those interested in the great work Kelli and Tracey designed, developed, and deployed <a href="https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/2015_annual_enrollment">check out our AE 2015 landing page</a> and the materials there (including the stellar Performance Report put together by this same team).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Header Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/33069874@N06/4415542719/">ALEXAH!</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com/">Compfight</a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/help/general/#147">cc</a></span>Erik Smetanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01916931675201193155noreply@blogger.com0