Monthly Archives: March 2011

Safe At Home

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This post is part of a series in the March 30th Carnival of HR that is being hosted by Dwane Lay over at his Lean HR blog.  I highly encourage you to check out the other posts from some great bloggers.  Dwane provided a single title for this series of posts, and challenged all takers to put their own spin on what it means to them.  My head hurt for several days as I tried to come up with a post, but then I finally threw reason out and went with heart.

The healthcare HR guy in me considered this post an opportunity to discuss employee and resident safety in nursing homes; the ex-cop thought about domestic violence and abuse prevention (another passion of mine from my law enforcement days); and, the husband asked his wife for her ideas.  Her response was a laundry list of potential safety hazards in our home that are coincidentally connected to the unfinished remodeling projects I’ve started, and the To-Do List items I’ve allegedly neglected.

I ended up doing what any lover of literature would do.  I searched for a nugget of literary insight to provide an experiential context to the title.  Thorton Wilder wrote,

“It’s when you’re safe at home that you wish you were having an adventure.  When you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.”

Conflict

Conflict is inherent to the human condition.  What we think we want, and what we have in the moment are infrequently the same.  We are influenced to believe that things can and should always be better.  This often comes at the expense of appreciating what we have.  If I only had another boss, my work would be so much more enjoyable.  If I could only lose those extra 25 pounds, I would feel so much better about myself.  According to a Manpower Study cited by CNN, 84% of employees plan to look for a new job in 2011.

Unemployment

Sadly, there are many talented people right now who are experiencing a long and unplanned adventure.  They are meandering through the tumult of unemployment and uncertainty, and dream of getting back to the safety of steady work.

I graduated from college at another time when the economy was less than impressive, and jobs were scarce.  Despite the love and support of family and friends, it was discouraging.  The poet in me wrote,

The Angler

Life for life, and troll with ambitious whole

In the word, mark whatever you shall see.

Promising cast lashes flesh till it bleeds,

Lures my future on the passions extolled.

Forwarned all anglers presented false fate

Dancing the nymph of the translucent goal

For the fish has learned, taken what it stole,

Await no more a strike on lying bait.

Shallow pools synthesized so clear and pure,

The waters will run for eternity

Flowing, flowing out to the farthest seas;

I won’t bite; damn all those dreams you procure.

The floating fly on the surface appears

With no strikes, no hits, and no wasted tears.

Make It Safe

For those who are fortunate to be Safe At Home, pause long enough to be truly thankful for what you have.  When you have achieved a state of gratitude, reach out and support those who are on an adventure.  Become a coach and mentor to college students looking for their first jobs; take the time to actually talk with job applicants who are struggling, and be honest with them; get involved in the collaborative efforts of others to help the unemployed.  Here are just a couple of examples (please add to this list by leaving a comment):

Job Angels

Hire Friday

Gratitude doesn’t mean that we cannot dream of making our future better, but it must mean that we are also looking out for others.  If you are Safe At Home, support those who are on an adventure.  If you’re on an adventure, then keep your faith; and, when you do find yourself Safe At Home once again, remember that others will be on an adventure of their own.

HR Soot:  Live your gratitude by lending a hand to others.

Recovering From A Blogging Stumble

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Standing On The Ledge

Earlier this week, I arrived at a firm decision to pull the plug on HR Soot.  After eight months, I was done with blogging.  I was confident enough in my decision that I had drafted a final post, with a firm date for taking down this site.

My decision was based entirely on the gift of honest feedback that I had solicited and received from a few trusted sources concerning my blog posts, and how they thought the voice with which I’ve written on this site represented who I am and what I stand for as a professional.  While I have intentionally pushed the envelope with the goal of inviting respectful debate, I am also conscientious of my professional voice.

The painful truth is that others saw a disconnect between who I am, and how I’ve sometimes reflected that through my blogging – honest feedback is sometimes painful.  They suggested that the tone and approach of my blog posts is not representative of the way they see my approach to life, my relationships, or my HR work – OUCH.  My tone has been consistently snarky – true, but OUCH.  My initial reaction was to cut my losses.  I concluded that this was a valuable lesson learned, and I was ready to move on.

A Project Social Mentor In Action

I had a phone call this week with my healthcare HR colleague and Project Social Mentor Lisa Rosendahl to talk through my decision.  If you have the privilege to know Lisa, you understand the value of her friendship, feedback, guidance and perspective.  She talked me down from the ledge, and walked me through a more comprehensive reflection on the situation.  In her calm, wise and inquisitive manner, she had me evaluate my intentions from a variety of perspectives.  In the end, she reminded me that the original intent for my writing this blog was to share the lessons learned from my professional HR experiences – OUCH.

The Taste of Tail Feathers

I am now also going to very publicly eat some crow.  You see, my wife Heather, who is my best friend in the world tried to tell me this months ago.  Of course, I knew better than she did and didn’t take the time to really listen.  She said on many occasions that my blog posts lacked the personal stories, humility and emotional content that was demonstrated in much of my other writing (for the record, this would exclude benefit summaries).

I reasoned that she did not connect with my blog posts because she is not in the human resources profession and misunderstood what this new, edgy writing style was trying to accomplish.  The feedback now reveals that in specifically trying to create some debate and dialogue around HR and traditional business assumptions, I had missed out on communicating the very thing in which I most ardently believe:  HR, like writing, and like everything else in life is about people.

A New Beginning

I hold no aspirations for becoming a professional blogger.  I have no goals for establishing a ridiculously high number of followers.  But, I do love to write, I enjoy blogging, and I want my writing to accurately reflect who I am, and what I stand for as a HR professional and a human being.  I want to connect with other HR professionals, business professionals, and great people.  Blogging has been an avenue for achieving that.

The plug will remain in the virtual wall for awhile longer, with some new approaches to sharing my HR-related experiences, and maybe some more personal observations and experiences like my wife suggested from the beginning.  But to achieve the things that I originally set out to accomplish, a facelift is in order and I am not exactly sure how to do it.  I am seeking some advice and feedback from other bloggers, readers, HR pros, and people.

Should a HR Soot facelift involve the elimination of some of my more intentional and caustic posts of the past?  Or, do you think that I should leave them posted and move forward?

Experiential Soot (lesson learned):  Listen to the women in your life!