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Quotable

"Showing that you're a human being gives you a competitve edge" --Andy Wibbels

Recipe for Humble Pie

I remember speaking to one of my mentors, who happens to be one of the top ranking females in our company.  I remember telling her how frustrated I was with my peers and how I felt like I was the only one willing to make our situation better.  She inquired about what was going on and I told her that I had worked tirelessly on a plan to fix our areas of opportunity within the store.  I passed the plan onto my peers and was confused about why they were not putting forth 100% effort to accomplish the goals as outlined. 

Her: Did you partner with them?

Me: Well no, they should've fixed it on their own...

Her: So you wrote their plan by yourself?

Me: It's OUR plan...and yes, but I kept them in mind...

Her: And you're frustrated and confused, why?

Me: Because it's the perfect plan!

Her: Kiersten...you're not always right.  Stop being so bossy!!

((Stop being so bossy = Collaboration = Team Work! Got it!...we continued chatting.)) 

Me: I don't mean to be bossy, I just know what it takes!

Her: Uh-huh

Me: Okay okay...Well does it get any easier?

Her: Yeah...when you realize you're not always right

((Not always right = Me = Recipe for humble pie...))

5 Don'ts...

Sometimes new people suck...

I bounce around stores a lot and I'm charged with infiltrating their environment, making a difference, and then leaving so that the next person can slide in and maintain what I've set up to some degree.  Through my bouncing around, I've learned a lot about how to go into a new situation without too much disruption.  Below I share my 5 don'ts.  These are things you DO NOT want to do in order to minimize the amount of chaos.  As I am about to embark on a new journey, I felt this was most appropriate.   

1.  Don't tell the team to build a boat--There's an old saying that you should never TELL a team to build you a boat, the saying concludes that if you tell them all the fabulous places they can go then they'll build the boat for you...New people hardly ever get boats built by demanding them. 

2. Don't call their baby ugly--More than likely, there will be some variance between what you learned things should be like in training, and what they actually are.  Even still, you can't just come in and SAY it.  Talk to the team, figure out the how's and why's behind things are the way they are.   

3.  Don't act like you have more to teach than you do to learn--This one will be a toughie for me  For the first time in a long time, I will not be the expert.  I have to acknowledge that and respect the learning curve...

4.  Don't underestimate the unwritten rules--Take the time to figure out who does what.  If it does not have a detrimental effect on the business, then try to not stray from that too much in the beginning.  Each environment has their own individual power structure where people silently (and implicitly) own certain areas--you have to figure that out before you step on any toes.

5.  Don't forget what you know--Yes, you may be the new kid on the block BUT don't forget that you're there for a reason.  You do know what you're doing and you're fully capable of making a decision.  Don't discredit yourself under the guise that you haven't done it before.   

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

I work pretty closely with a guy has the oddest management style.  He's a really good guy but he is a self proclaimed task-master, and as a result, maximizing relationships is an area that he struggles with the most.  He ventures through his day crossing off things on his list (completely oblivious to the people he needs to build relationships with to ensure a shorter list for tomorrow).  He works around his team instead of through them.  His version of fostering teamwork is to piss everybody off, thus causing us to seek refuge with each other.  Yes, this is who the HR team has entrusted my career development with...

Despite all of that, I want to say Domo Arigato (translation: thank you very much) to him and his leadership.  Because of him I've learned several key lessons:

I've learned to embrace uncertainty, ask the right questions, align teams, and find the humor in many situations.  I've learned how to make what seemed impossible, possible.  And I've learned that good intentions can still lead to bad execution.  Maybe I'm still insanely optimistic, but I think there's hidden potential in a lot of situations that people give up on.  You just have go find it...

Tag. You're it.

Quotable

"Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals.  I've never had a crisis that didn't make me stronger" Lou Holtz

Dose of my Own Medicine

I took my own advice!

Remember this post citing 10 things HR needed to do during an economic downturn? Well I've decided to follow Frank Roche's advice! (Get up, walk out of HR, and talk to the people running operations. That’s where the money is)....Ladies and Gents, I'm leaving HR!!

Atleast for a little while :)

I've accepted a position within our company, but with a focus in Operations.  I'll now be responsible for softlines in one of our high volume stores in the market. It's more money, more responsbility, and something different.  So why the heck not? Besides, my title may have changed but I truly believe that you can't be a strong HR without a heavy knowledge of the operational side of the business.  I've never wanted to just be the "HR Lady".   

It'll be interesting to see how my HR skills integrate with my new job functions. I'm super excited!

Serial Interns

I've recently come across a new phenomena: Serial Interns.  They hop from internship to internship with tales of how they've "managed" this and "implemented" that.  When really, they've filed, returned phone calls, and organized spreadsheets.  It's not impressive.  These are the kids at the career fair who approach the booth and don't want to know about anything EXCEPT about the internship.  They aren't interested in a long term relationship with my company or even a career.  They just want to stay on board for 10-12 weeks for the extra bullet point on their resume...It drives me nuts.

Internships are meant to give you a taste of "real work," but they are not meant to be little petri dishes of experimentation that you use as a medium to try and "find yourself". Internships are not "practice," they are real jobs! When a company is PAYING you as an intern, they are paying you to add some type of VALUE.  Seems like a pretty fair trade-off to me.  In fact, the goal of MOST companies that host an intern is to convert that intern into somebody that they can potentially hire full-time upon graduation.  ,

Why would we pay you all that money to "manage and implement" programs and then have you take your genius elsewhere? 

I always wonder about those who have tons of different internships on their resume. 

Seriously. What were you doing?    

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie...

...he's going to ask for a glass of milk.

I absolutely LOVE this book by Laura Joffe Numeroff! I read it when I was little and I reference it often now that I'm not-so-little. It's a simple read about a mouse who starts off asking for a cookie.  Once this request has been met, he then needs a glass of milk to wash down the delicious cookie you just provided.  Of course, he can't drink the milk without a straw, and after that request, he'll need a napkin to clean his whiskers.  It's a hilarious tale of a needy mouse and a young boy who just wants to please.  The best part is the book comes to full circle at the end so its like the story keeps going forever! I digress...

The point of this post: Tales like this aren't just reserved to fiction

I have a peer who is the ultimate servant leader.  Anything his team asks of him, he is sure to provide.  That's not a bad thing in and of itself.  Leaders should be available to their team; however, a line has to be drawn at some point.  My peer has a bad habit of creating a dependency between him and his team.  If he is not there, they have a hard time making decisions, following up, and showing initiative.  He is constantly performing elements of their job and leaving out elements of his as a result.  It becomes a domino effect that continues that extends far beyond him and the original requestor. Luckily he's great in recovery situations... 

A huge part about being an effective manager is learning how when to say yes, and how to say no.  You've got to be able to step aside and know when you're not the best person for the job.  If you don't, you may become the dreaded micromanager. Remember as the leader you establish the patterns of meaning; once you do something, you will be expected to do it every time...

All's fair in milk and cookies...can't say the same for dollars and sense cents.      

Have You Seen My Mojo?

I'm nervous right now.  Tomorrow I have to host all of our new interns and keep an audience of upper level management entertained for hours and hours on end.  We'll go through our company's culture, do some ice breakers, and cover all the introductions.  Typically, I have no problem with training and onboarding.  This is the part of my job that I love the MOST but today, I'm really nervous about it.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's felt like this so I decided to compile all my favorite presentation advice into one post.  This way, I can reference it on days like this and so can you! Feel free to add on. 

• Your reputation may not precede you. There's a good chance that nobody has ever heard of you or seen any of your work.  Be clear about who you are
• "If you're shy, get the hell over it! You're slamming the door in your own face!" --Kimora Lee Simmons
• What you say matters! For atleast one day (their first day at work), you are the expert.  They are trusting each and every word, guarantee, and information that comes out of your mouth.
• "Let the group arrive at YOUR conclusion.  They must own it ("I knew that") in the end. 
• "You want to create an atmosphere in which your guests feel free 'to be'" --The Experience Economy
• "The problem with communication is the ILLUSION that it has been accomplished" --George B. Shaw
• "Audiences want you to succeed!"
• "When you teach, it's not like learning from a book.  What you do is present yourself, whether you like it or not.  The hope is that students will learn by looking and feeling what the teacher feels"
• Here's what a speaker owes an audience that travels to engage in person: more than they could get by just reading the transcript --Seth Godin
• Where you connect with people is on the emotional level. You have great data, but is it the right data for them? Can you feel their pain? Can you tell a story? --Tom Peters
• There must be "surprise"... some key facts that are not commonly known/are counter-intuitive (no reason to do the presentation in the first place if there are no surprises) If you are just giving information, why present? Surprise, delight, challenge, engage the audience. --Tom Peters
• Careers have been advanced or derailed based on a presentation. Deals have been won or lost depending on the outcome of a presentation. Presentations matter. --Garr Reynolds
• "To make something clear to others, you first have to make it clear to yourself" --Cathie Black

"Retail is EASY..."

I remember my campus Career Services Office was hosting an Employer Roundtable for some of their biggest clients.  They had companies spanning several different industries, and we were all seated at a table to discuss some innovative recruiting initiatives.  My company was represented, but so were the major banks, accounting firms, and pharmaceutical sales companies.  It was interesting dynamic which lead to some interesting conversation.  As the icing on this already fabulous cake, the Career Services department decided to have a student panel where the companies could ask us what we thought about all these "great ideas" their companies were playing with.  I was included on the Student Panel.

The companies started asking some great questions about using social networks as recruiting tools, benefits, vacation time, recruiting events, etc.  Finally one recruiter from a major financial institution spoke up.  He told me that many of his competitors are now looking to expand their recruiting efforts to include other majors besides Business/Econ majors.  He wanted to know how he could better serve liberal arts majors from a recruiting standpoint.  I let him know that he shouldn't assume that our interests are that different, at the end of the day, we are all students.  The only thing our major distinguishes is our academic focus, and companies shouldn't feed into the stereotypes associated with each...especially when recruiting 

Another recruiter (this time from a bank) chimed in with her $0.02 saying "Yeah, but how do we keep them once they're in? I mean it's EASY for you to say to treat them the same...retail is EASY.  Finance is much more complicated."

I was shocked.  I couldn't believe this was coming out of a RECRUITER'S mouth.  Despite my place on the panel, I felt it was my duty to speak up and teach her (and any others who may have been silently agreeing) a lesson in assumptions.

I started off saying nothing is EASY to excel at if you haven't ever done it before.  Secondly, the basis of any industry is EASY in a capitalistic society.  We are all here to stimulate the economy and make some money.  It's the BRAND that either "complicates" or "simplifies" things after that, not the industry.  I let her know that unfair statements like that one would prevent her from EVER getting the type of candidate that her company will need to grow, because a lot of the candidates they need are currently working in these "easy" industries.  The skills, however, are transferable.

Retail is NOT easy...if it was, wouldn't everybody want to do it?

Furthermore, wouldn't recruiters be out of a job?