I've been teaching for nearly 25 years, and have probably taught over 5,000 students.  Few, if any, have combined the wit, charm, and intelligence of Callie Zipple. Callie is simply one of the best students I’ve had the opportunity to teach.   

Sitting in my statistic course, she knew she could earn extra credit for attending bi-monthly meetings of the St. Norbert College SHRM student organization.  After hearing from a HR professional in the area, and learning more about the profession, she was hooked.  She became my advisee, chose to pursue HR as a career, and soon became President of that organization, and intern for the College's HR department.

Through my conversations with Callie, she has demonstrated a strong respect for other people’s values and opinions.  She greets others with an open mind, interested in learning their viewpoint on a variety of issues.   Callie is also incredibly level-headed who handles conflict with remarkable aplomb.  She is empathetic to her friends' concerns.  She remains relentless in developing a portfolio that will help her succeed in this field. 

One moment stands out.  I remember sitting in the parking lot of Time Warner Cable to get my cable box fixed, when my phone rang, and Callie was in tears on the other line calling me excitedly that she passed the PHR exam. It meant so much to her.  As a teacher, you cherish and celebrate these success stories.

Her career has grown and flourished as she continued to pursue new opportunities and learn more about HR.  She started in staffing and became a HR manager and generalist.  She also gave back to the profession by volunteering in a number of roles with the Wisconsin SHRM State Council and as an inaugural member of the SHRM Young Professional Advisory Council.  Today, she serves as the Field Services Director for SHRM for the upper Midwest.  Very accomplished for someone so early in their career.

So, I was crushed to learn this weekend that she was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer.  At age 31. Stage 4 stomach cancer.


If anyone can fight it and succeed, it will be Callie. 

However, even with great health insurance, the costs can be enormous here in the United States.  So, like so many others, a GoFundMe account has been started in her name.  You can learn more about it here.

So, if you have seen her speak at your chapter meeting, chatted with her at the SHRM booth, or simply been charmed by her in conversation, I hope you can help assist her in this fight.

Jennifer McClure is a sought-after Keynote Speaker and Executive Coach. She combines her experiences as a Business Leader, Human Resources Executive and Executive Recruiter with an engaging, entertaining and informative style to help Leaders unleash their potential and create massive positive impact.
Jennifer has delivered over 200 keynotes, workshops and corporate training classes, where she shares a blend of inspiration, “how-to,” best practices and strategic discussion based upon her 25+ years of experience leading human resources and talent acquisition efforts and working with senior executives.  Jennifer is CEO OF DisruptHR and is also a contributor to CareerBuilder's Talent Advisor Portal. She also posts regularly on her own blog, "Unbridled Talent" 

Jennifer will be speaking at the SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition on June 20, 2016 at 4 p.m. on the topic “Take Control of Your Personal Brand to Help Your Career and Your Organization Grow”. She will also be leading a MEGA SESSION – The Future of HR: Four Strategies to Meet Business Challenges and Deliver Maximum Impact on Results on June 21, 2016 at 10:45 a.m.

I’d have to say that it was actually getting hired into an HR job in the first place! :) Back in the day, there were no degrees in “Personnel Management”, but I took as many personnel and industrial relations courses as I could in college (just a few available). I joined the student chapter of ASPA (what SHRM used to be called – The American Society of Personnel Administrators) for the opportunity to learn more, and connect with HR leaders who supported the chapter. However, once I graduated, it was difficult to convince anyone to hire me into an HR Personnel job because I didn’t have any prior experience.

So I had to do what any enterprising young professional should do I used my network to get a recommendation to interview for a Personnel Manager job from someone who knew me, and I found ways to frame my education and prior work experience in HR language. I dealt with customer issues as a cashier (employee relations), interviewed and recommended candidates (hiring/selection) during an internship for a convenience store chain, and audited personnel files and policy compliance as a bank auditor.

When I got the job offer, I was thrilled! I knew that once I “broke in” to HR, I was going to stay and make a difference.

2.  Is it possible for someone with a long career to still have breakthrough HR moments?  If so, how?

Absolutely! In fact, if you’re not having regular breakthrough moments in your career, and in your job, something is wrong. You’ve probably grown complacent and stagnant, or you’re in an organization that is not interested in growing. (It’s usually the former. Be careful about blaming someone else for your lack of personal growth.)

It’s critical for any business leader to remain curious about what is happening in the external environment (economy, industry, community, etc.), and consider how those changes affect their company and their own job. The world around us is constantly changing and evolving. We have to intentionally choose to keep up with/stay ahead of those changes. It doesn’t happen on it’s own.

I would challenge any HR professional to try at least one new thing personally (a networking event, reading a book contrary to their usual point of view, attending a conference or event outside of their “normal” responsibilities, etc.), and also at least one new thing at work each month. Breakthroughs often happen when we’re outside our comfort zone!

3.  You have a session on Monday, June 20 at 4:00 p.m. titled, " Take Control of Your Personal Brand to Help Your Career and Your Organization Grow."  What is the biggest mistake individuals make when it comes to personal branding?

For many business leaders, the biggest mistake I see individuals make when it comes to personal branding is thinking that they don’t need to build their own because doing so would take focus off of their business, and put it on them. I find this is really the case with HR professionals. They often feel that they should be working “behind the scenes” as a support department, and having a strong personal brand doesn’t support that. I completely disagree.

I believe that anyone who wants to get things done in their organization needs to have a strong personal brand. Who would you rather have working on your team as the HR leader – someone who is known as a leader in their profession, mentors other professionals, and has developed a reputation as a thought-leader or innovator; or someone who works mainly behind the scenes and implements other’s ideas. Both of these types of people exist in HR. Only one type is able to influence leadership to make positive changes and do what needs to be done to remain competitive for talent in a challenging global economy.

4.  You have an additional session (a MEGA SESSION!) on Tuesday, June 21 at 10:45 am titled " The Future of HR: Four Strategies to Meet Business Challenges and Deliver Maximum Impact on Results."  Which HR competency is the top priority that needs to evolve?

I believe the competency that elevates HR leaders into the category of a “business leader” in their organization is the Critical Evaluation. Multiple research studies and surveys indicate that human capital issues are some of the biggest challenges facing organizations in the future. As a result, HR professionals are uniquely positioned to deliver competitive advantage by ensuring that their companies have the talent needed to deliver upon their objectives.

The ability to think critically means that HR professionals must think about business needs and objectives first – and focusing on how HR can help with delivering upon them – rather than focusing on meeting HR’s needs first (compliance, administration, etc.) Strong and successful HR leaders will also be skilled at analyzing and interpreting data in order to make decisions and recommendations, versus reporting and tracking data against goals. For many, this requires a shift in thinking, but whether you’re an HR leader in a large, global organization, or a small organization, the ability to think strategically, and then guide your organization accordingly is what the c-suite needs from HR.

5.  You've attended the SHRM Annual Conference numerous times.  What keeps you coming back each year?

This will be my fifth year speaking at the SHRM Annual Conference, and I consider it a tremendous honor and opportunity to do so. I also very much enjoy attending the conference as a learner. I attend as many sessions as I can beyond my own, and always learn something new each year. I also enjoy meeting new people and making connections that can be meaningful beyond the conference experience, as well as connecting with old friends. For me, the SHRM Annual Conference is like a high school reunion each year – which you actually look forward to. :)

6.  What advice would you give to someone attending the SHRM Annual Conference for the first time?  What is the biggest rookie mistake you see?

I’d recommend having a loose plan in advance. Look through the session guide and determine which sessions/speakers interest you, and make a tentative schedule for yourself. But, don’t be married to your schedule! If someone at the conference recommends another session, or if you meet a speaker that interests you, be flexible and change it up.

A rookie mistake that I see people make (and many veterans too) is not considering connecting with people at the conference that they don’t know yet as a specific learning opportunity. Challenge yourself to introduce yourself to people while waiting for sessions to start, or standing in line. Don’t just ask their name and title. Ask them to share a challenge that they face in their organization, a success story in their career, or what their biggest takeaway has been so far at the conference. Look for commonalities and connection points. You’ll only find those if you go beyond name, rank and serial number. If you leave the conference only having connected with people you know, or hanging out with your co-workers, in my opinion, you’ve failed.

7.  You love horses (and you can't spell horse without HR!).  What could a HR professional learn about their job by interacting with horses?

Now you’re speaking my language! I think everyone can benefit from more horses in their life. :)

Seriously though, horses can teach us much about communication and leadership. They can’t understand our words, so what we communicate through our actions and emotions affects them. For example, I’ve had experiences with my horse where I was nervous or frightened, but I knew I needed her to go forward and keep moving. So, I kicked and squeezed, but she kept going backwards. My trainer observed this situation and later pointed out to me that although I was kicking and saying, “go forward”, I actually had a death grip on the reins, and was pulling backward. My actions didn’t match my intentions. I see this often in how we deal with employees, and my horse helps me to be aware of these types of situations, so I can ensure I’m consistent with my communications.

8.  You are CEO of Disrupt HR?  What would you disrupt about the SHRM Annual Conference?

I think SHRM does a great job of making changes each year to keep the conference fresh and add value for attendees. The SMART Stage talks are similar to DisruptHR talks, and I like the fact that they provide an opportunity for many more people to share a message in a short-form format.

So, since they’ve got the conference covered, I’ll choose to disrupt the Tuesday night entertainment. Bring on Beyoncé! 

Too expensive? Okay, I’ll settle for Maroon 5.

 

Steve Browne is the Executive Director of Human Resources for LaRosa's, Inc. — a regional Pizzeria restaurant chain in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southwest Indiana with 18 locations and over 1,200 Team Members. Steve has been a human resources professional for 25+ years and has worked in the Manufacturing, Consumer Products, and Professional Services industries. Additionally, Steve is a former State Director for Ohio SHRM and serves as a member of the SHRM Board of Directors. Steve facilitates a monthly HR Roundtable in Cincinnati and runs an internet message board for HR professionals that reaches 6,000 + people globally on a weekly basis.  Steve is also a contributor to CareerBuilder's Talent Advisor Portal and posts regularly on his own blog, "Everyday People."  Steve is also a HUGE U2 fan.

On Tuesday, June 21, Steve will be presenting a MEGA SESSION at the SHRM Annual Conference in Washington D.C. titled, "HR on Purpose! Five Ways to Own, Lead and Integrate HR Throughout Your Organization."

1. I’d like to see people who are SHRM members understand the value of their membership so that they are making a conscious personal and professional decision to belong. It needs to “matter” past the paying of membership dues.
2. I’d like to see the Body of Competency and Knowledge (BoCK) be utilized as a professional development tool for HR professionals as well as be a vehicle for people to obtain their SHRM Certification. It really is an amazing set of competencies that can be applied throughout a person’s career.
3. I’d like to see SHRM embrace HR pros at all points of their career and throughout their career – from student to retiree, from generalist to specialist, from consultant to vendor. At the same time, move the profession forward while maintaining the solid professional development they offer at various stages of one’s career.

1. Go to sessions that stretch you professionally so you can grow personally and also help your organization to grow. The technical sessions are good if you don’t feel strong in a certain area, but take a chance and really stretch !!
2. Be Social !! – Make sure to connect with at least 5 to 10 people you didn’t know before attending SHRM16. Be intentional about it and get to know them and make the connections with them socially as well. (Twitter, Linked In, Snapchat, etc.) Go out to the social events and hang with people throughout the week. Don’t do the mad dash back to your room to catch some TV show. Be in the sea of people !!
3. Check out the presentations on the Smart Stage. Great content in small bites !! A hidden gem of the Conference.

Last Friday, I discussed my battles with absenteeism in the classroom.  Not only do students suffer in their performance by missing class, but it creates more work for me in terms of time grading poor answers on exams.

Where absenteeism poses a particular problem beyond just missing class is when assignments are due or exams are scheduled.  Students may have legitimate reasons for being absent; as a result, my policy takes into account three situations:

Situations arise during the course of the semester that will cause me to revisit the policy and make changes.  Take this sterling example:

• A student commutes to class from his/her off-campus home.  On the day an exam is scheduled, he/she e-mails me that his/her car has broken down and he/she will not be able to make it to class.  Per the policy, I required a note from an appropriate party - in this case, the auto repair shop.  The student provides the note, and I notice the home address of the student on the receipt.  It turns out the student's "commute" was less than a mile from a campus, and he/she could have easily walked to class.

As a result, I may have to consider adding a sentence or two about commuting to campus, including a commuting range, for the next semester.

As always, the policy is a dynamic, not static, instrument, and students will find inventive ways to find loopholes.  Sigh!

Like most managers, I engage in a semester-long battle with absenteeism.  I have the enviable position of teaching two sections of business statistics.  Combine that with a time slot of 8:00 A.M. and/or 9:00 A.M., and you can envision the long waiting list of students at registration.

Students are over 18 and they're paying for the class, so why should I care whether or not they attend?

1) After 18 years of teaching, and thousands of data points collected, a clear picture emerges - attendance and doing one's homework matters.   After every exam, I can see a clear correlation between amount of points earned on a chapter problem set and the subsequent exam score.  At the end of the semester, I can see a clear correlation between points earned and a student's final grade.  Similarly, attendance is a predictor of success in the class.  

Over the past several semesters for a class that meets 4 times a week, 50 minutes a day, for 15 weeks:

Shocking, I know.
 
2) Students often think professors revel in student's poor performance; that we want to force rank students into something resembling a normal curve.  Here's the secret....we really don't.  I'd much rather see success on exams than failure.  As most managers know, giving quality feedback takes time.  It is much, much easier to grade an exam where a student gets an answer correct, than when he or she has made a number of mistakes.  A student's absence, more likely than not, means less success on an exam, and subsequently more work for me.

So, my attendance policy is a continual work in progress:



I think that it provides significant flexibility (though students might think differently). Stuff happens during a semester - illness, job interviews, travel, car breaks down, a competing college-related event.  Four absences (essentially a week of classes) should be sufficient to meet most circumstances that a student might face over the course of a semester.  Similarly, the exponential penalties are significant enough to discourage more absences than that.

Yet, there are always new excuses and challenges that cause me to revise it yet again....but you'll have to wait until Monday to read about it.

So, have at it, people.  What flaws do you see?

So, my wife and I are expecting twins in the next couple of months.  Anxious times.

Of the hundreds of decisions that we are making, one is the choice of the pediatrician taking care of our children.  Choosing one shouldn't be any different than choosing an employee, right?  All, I assume, meet the basic qualifications of the position - knowledge, education, abilities, etc, or they wouldn't be already hired and hanging out their shingle.  So, it comes down to word-of-mouth referrals, and the interview.

We are going through a series of "meet and greets" to find the "right" one, much like a manager would interview a potential applicant.   We went through our first one yesterday.  Questions were posed, such as:

"How many years have you been at this clinic?"
"How many children have you served?"
"What's your perspective on medicating kids with behavioral problems?"
"Have you rejected any patients?"
"Have any patients rejected you?"
"At what age do you stop seeing the patient?"

For the most part, I tend to take a distant view of my health care employees.  They have the proper certification, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, and are still employed.  In terms of cost, if they are in network, what's the difference?  One doctor is as good as the next.  So, the interview process really is a search for some piece of negative information that would turn us away.  For my wife, it does come down to "fit;" does the pediatrician make her feel "comfortable," and does he/she come across as a "know-it-all."

So, parents in the know....what am I missing?

That's right, ladies and gentlemen.  The 8 Man Rotation e-book is back for another year....and its our biggest edition ever!!!

You admired the inaugural season covering the year in sports and HR for 2010.  You loved the 2nd season covering 2011.

Now, be in awe of the 3rd edition of the best sports and HR writing from the minds of Steve Boese, Kris Dunn, Lance Haun, Tim Sackett, and myself.

Over 60 posts!!!

Over 150 pages!!!

With gracious forewords from China Gorman and Dwane Lay.

And, a special thanks to Lizzie Maldonado for putting together the 8 Man Rotation logo seen above.

So, what are you waiting for?!?!?  Check out the 2012 Season of the 8 Man Rotation here.

Take the rest of the day off....you're going to need it.

For many of us, there just isn't enough hours in the day.  Pressures to keep up with work deadlines, taking care of the kids, and, in this modern technological world, being mobile means being on call 24/7, and something has to give.  This usually means less hours of sleep, followed by copious amounts of coffee, Diet Mountain Dew, and 5-hour Energy Drinks.

Now, better living through chemistry strikes again with the new drug, Modafinil.

The newest wake-up pill has all of the benefits of caffeine and amphetamines with none of the down sides. It has elicited so few complaints of side effects from users -- they claim it has no side effects at all except for the occasional slight headache -- it's the closest thing to a miracle the pharmaceutical world has seen since Viagra, if Viagra didn't sometimes cause blindness, heart attacks and five-hour erections. It's called modafinil, and it's FDA-approved to treat narcolepsy. But the drug has gained a dedicated off-label following as a "lifestyle drug." Doctors all over the country are reporting record numbers of sudden narcoleptics showing up in their waiting rooms. (As it turns out, you can get diagnosed as a narcoleptic online.)

Unlike caffeine, which floods the body with dopamine (and the accompanying crash when it wears off), Modafinil has all the benefits of a cup of coffee, without the negatives.

One of the most mysterious things about modafinil, even in view of its multi-pronged, targeted approach to sleep avoidance, is that it appears to trigger no "sleep debt." People who stay awake for a day or two on modafinil report no need to catch up on sleep when the dose wears off. They can just sleep the usual seven or eight hours and get back in the game. People who take amphetamines typically need to sleep for half a day when the high wears off.

So, what will be the impact on the world of work if such a drug becomes more common place?

• Will there be an expectation for salaried individuals to put in 18-hour days?
• If people work longer hours, will that push unemployment even higher, as the need for more labor decreases?

Would you take Modafinil if it became available?

In case any of you are interested, I'll be on Talent Net Radio tomorrow at 7PM Eastern/6PM Central to discuss the nexus of human resources and the classroom. 

Here is the link to the show

Here are the questions we'll be discussing; you can join the conversation with me and the #TalentNet team of Craig Fisher (@fishdogs), Crystal Miller (@theonecrystal) and Matt Charney  (@MattCharney) by using the #TalentNet hashtag or calling in live.
Q1. Do you think that there's a skills gap within HR and recruiting?  Why?
Q2. What is the ideal educational background for an HR leader - or is there one at all?
Q3. Are graduates ready to step straight from the classroom to the HR frontline?  Should they?
Q4. Which matters more in HR and recruiting: education or experience?
Q5. Where do organizations like SHRM fit into the development equation?
Q6. What's your advice to someone beginning their HR career?

Hope you'll join us.

One of the classic pieces of management literature is Steven Kerr's 1975 (updated in 1995) piece, " On the Folly of Rewarding A, While Hoping for B."  Kerr's central point is that the behavior that is often desired is not necessarily the one that is rewarded.

Kerr highlights a number of examples:
*War - In World War II, soldiers did not return home until the war was won.  In Vietnam, soldiers had the same goal - to get home - but that reward was earned when the tour of duty was over, not with a victory

*Health care - As costs continue to rise, we want doctors to look at providing health care more efficiently and effectively.  However, physicians over test and overserve, perhaps in fear of malpractice suits.  Similarly, what incentive is there as consumers to keep costs down and demand less testing, particularly when they bear so little of the costs with insurance.

*Universities - The job responsibilities for a professor are to teach and advise students, conduct research/engage in scholarship, and serve the community.  While the student probably values the first option most highly, the route to tenure and promotion is through successful research.  Hence, when time is tight, the astute professor will dedicate his or her time to research at the expense of quality teaching.  Further, mediocre teaching is rarely punished.

Which brings us to this week's topic - politics.  Kerr writes:

The American citizenry supposedly wants its candidates for public office put forth operative goals, making their proposed programs "perfectly clear," specifying sources and uses of funds, etc.  However, since operative goals are lower in acceptance, and since aspirants to public office need acceptance (from at least 50.1 percent of the people), most politicians prefer to speak only of official goals, at least until after the election.....Instead, however, the American voter typically punishes (withholds suport from) candidates who frankly discuss where the money will come from, rewards politicians who speak only of official goals, but hopes that candidates (despite the reward system) will discuss the issues operatively.

Kerr's words were prescient for 2012.  How often did either party give specifics on how they would fix entitlements, how tax cuts will balance the budget, etc.?  For the first time in ages, a major party candidate limited the amount of tax information made available to the public. 

And what happened when candidates got a little too real on abortion?  Ask Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock.

But, does this create ominous overtones for future elections?  Is Romney being punished for not being more forthright with regard to his taxes? Or, will we see greater obfuscation on the part of candidates from here on out as they see what happened to Akin and Mourdock?