Ted Kennedy's Impact on the HR Profession

I was saddened early this morning as I heard the NPR announcement that Senator Edward Kennedy had passed away overnight. Ted Kennedy has been a Senator my whole life; and has been my Senator for most of it. Living in Massachusetts, one frequently senses the impact that he has had on the Commonwealth (that’s what we call our state, ok?).

But even more so, as a Human Resources professional, I deal with Kennedy’s influence on a regular basis. He, probably more than any other U.S. Senator, has impacted labor and healthcare law in this country. He has served as the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee in over 11 nonconcurring years until his death. Kennedy was passionate about equal opportunity. He was one of the leading sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 which provided employment protections and accommodation mandates for disabled citizens. Kennedy was also a leading voice on the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, providing job protection to care for oneself or a family member. In regards to healthcare, Kennedy was one of the leading voices for the passage of the Healthcare Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and sponsor of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). In just the last few years, Kennedy has been a leader on worker safety, co-sponsoring the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006; raising the minimum wage via the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007; the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extended terms for people to file discrimination claims; extending unemployment insurance for those affected by lay offs; the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008, which provided protections against discrimination based on genetic information and predisposition to illnesses or disabilities; and though they have yet to pass, he was a co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) which makes it easier for unions to organize by forcing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify a union through a simple majority sign up, rather than a secret ballot election.

The changes that Kennedy has championed over his illustrious career have caused some pain in the Human Resources world. We’ve had to re-evaluate job descriptions for reasonable accommodation; we’ve had to struggle with the cumbersome administration of FMLA (big shout to our favorite, intermittent leave!); we’ve had to update our EEO statements to incorporate new protected classes; and we’ve had to order, and reorder, and reorder again those over-priced laminated mandatory labor law posters to just to keep up to date on all this stuff (for every building!!). Yet, the HR industry, as represented by its leading professional association, the Society for Human Resource Management, has supported much of the changes that Kennedy pioneered. The reason? Because like Kennedy, we see the value that diversity brings to the fabric of our country and agree that as employers, all should be given equal opportunity; that people should be compensated based on skill, not race, class, or gender; and that sometimes, those affected by unfortunate, uncontrollable circumstances, like an unexpected illness or the onset of disability, need assistance and deserve protections.

As controversial as Kennedy was, one thing is clear: he made a big impact on his community, his country, and the world and all are a better place for it.

Rest in peace, Senator.

Image respectfully "borrowed" from Kennedy's Senate website, kennedy.senate.gov

Do You Have Management Courage?

At the 2009 Society for Human Resource Management conference in New Orleans, I had the good fortune to attend a session titled “Management Courage: Having the Heart of a Lion” presented by Margaret Morford, author of a book of the same name and president of HR consultancy HR Edge. Looking a bit like a tightly-wound librarian, conservative suit and bun in her hair, Morford’s Southern charm and witty stories proved that one should “never judge a book by its cover”.

Morford, who has consulted for the likes of HGTV, Wells Fargo, and Sara Lee Foods, introduced the audience of several hundred people to the concept of Management Courage, which she defines as “choosing a more difficult but more effective management strategy when easier options are available.” You see, it’s easier to avoid difficult subjects, treat everyone the same, and settle for status quo, than it is to step out of your comfort zone and confront such situations head on, even though you know it’s the right thing to do.

Morford outlines six principles of Management Courage are:

1. Not only being honest, but being the most honest. Have conversations that would be easier to just skip. Give people honest candid feedback. Tell people who aren’t promotable, that they aren’t and why.
2. Treating people equitably, but not identically. Everyone gets the same opportunity, but only those who perform get the rewards.
3. Not using individual policies as a crutch or excuse. Explain to people why something’s not working, don’t just say “the policy says so”.
4. Asking for real feedback. Have the guts to hear what people think you could improve on. Go see your biggest critic and ask them for feedback.
5. Taking responsibility for any mistakes that you or your team makes. True leaders own their mistakes and never blame others, the also never highlight the errors that their direct reports make.
6. Changing jobs when the culture isn’t right and the powers that be don’t change it. The point here is to try and create change (if possible) and if you can’t, and things don’t change, channel the courage to break free.

Morford’s utilization of the word “courage” is spot-on. Avoiding the six principles is easier, but the results get you nowhere. It takes real guts to be the kind of manager she of which she speaks. For more information on Management Courage, check out Morford’s book, a quick-read with a 5-star user rating on Barnesandnoble.com. You can else check out her company’s website at www.hredge.net.

Jack Welch on HR

Those of you who follow my blogging have seen me blog about Jack Welch before. His matter of fact style, intelligence, and success have been inspirational to me. When I signed up for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference this year, I was elated to see he was going to be the key note speaker. He did not disappoint.

Welch has been a long proponent of the HR function in organizations. He repeatedly states that the HR leader should command the same level of respect and importance in an organization as the CFO. When asked why many other CEOs don’t get it, Welch stated sternly that HR professionals need to deliver: “You gotta have the guts to make sure you’re important in the organization…get out of the picnics, birthdays, and insurance forms business and [focus on] developing people and building confidence”.

Welch started off the conversation, which was moderated by Claire Shipman author and correspondent of ABC News, stating that it is important for HR to establish trust. So how does HR build trust within the organization? According to Welch, it’s pretty simple: “listen to people, keep confidences, and tell it straight, communicate like hell, and get out of your damn cubicle and walk the floor”. Welch stated that “if [employees] think HR people are there to truly get them to grow, they will trust them.”.

I sat in the audience amazed at this man giving tough love to an audience of 10,000 human resources professionals. Welch knows how to run a business and he recognizes that having the right people in the organization is what leads to success. He also understands that it’s HR that brings the right people in, and perhaps we could do a better job of making sure they are building themselves once there. About his candid advice, Welch said “I love ya, and I want ya to win”.

I was fortunate to get the chance to shake his hand and have him sign my copy of Winning after the talk. An awesome experience indeed.

Careful What You Put in Writing!

E-mail is the predominate mode of communication these days. It’s fast, efficient, and easy. The only problem with it is that you leave behind a trail of communications that can come back to bite you.

Case in point. Politico.com’s Shenanigans blog uncovered a heated exchange between an executive assistant at lobbying firm McBee Strategic and the cantankerous office manager of Congressman Jim McDermott’s DC office, Elizabeth Becton. In the exchange, the executive assistant unleashes Becton’s furies by referring to her as “Liz”. In response to an e-mail the exec assistant began with “Hi Liz”, Becton responded with a curt “Who is Liz?”. While the McBee employee apologized profusely, Ms. Becton didn’t let up, getting ruder and meaner in further e-mails. See the full exchange of e-mails here: http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0609/No_namecalling.html?showall.

As can often happen in today’s world, this chain of e-mails made its way to the web, via Politico.com, and they’ve posted the whole exchange. You’ll the find the McBee representative to be apologetic and polite, while Liz responds with increasing anger and contempt.

The lessons to be learned here are:
-Don’t put things in writing that you wouldn’t want to be broadcast on the Web.
-Tone and intent can be really difficult to decipher in e-mail.
-Sometimes it really is just better to pick up the phone.
-Don’t call Elizabeth Becton “Liz”.

Volunteering Takes Work, and That Leads to Work Experience

Yesterday, I participated in the 24th Annual AIDS Walk in Boston, to benefit the AIDS Action Committee (AAC). Thinking about my experience today, and having had a few conversations lately with people who didn’t have much in terms of job experience; I came to the realization that while I wasn’t getting paid for my participation in the event, I drew upon certain skills in the days leading up to it. First, I organized a team of people to walk. I recruited people from school and my personal life. Second, I had to fundraise, so I made calls and sent e-mails to my network. I also used social media like Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness for the cause and solicit donations. Thirdly, I had to motivate my team to do the same. Sure, the work involved resulted in a couple of people abandoning the team efforts, but all but a couple of people remained involved and made a nice chunk of change for the AAC.

When I was in high school, I volunteered at the City Library. I typed out cards for the card catalog (yes, there was a card catalog), organized the periodicals section, and helped patrons find reference materials. I was a Red Cross volunteer, where I learned CPR and First AID. I was a volunteer at the local historical association, where I learned historical record keeping, and computer data-entry.

The point here is, if you’re an entry level job seeker, while you may not have much in terms of actual paid work experience, you may have participated in clubs, or volunteered your time to organizations. And while you weren’t compensated, you did in fact have experiences that helped you develop various skills, that you can indeed relate to getting your first “real” job.

Good luck!

You Want to See Resistance to Change?

Never in my life have I seen such mass resistance to change than this week, when I witnessed the citizens of Facebook raising their voices against what is being dubbed "The New Facebook". Yes, people, it has happened. Facebook got a facelift. And now its regular users are "furious" about it: spouting off in their status updates (which is now called "What's on your mind?"); creating and joining groups such as "WE WANT THE OLD FACEBOOK BACK" and "Save the old facebook!"; and developing applications to make your "New Facebook" appear like your old one.

I thought the Facebook generation was supposed to be open to change? In business, and especially in today's economy, both the company and its employees need to be flexible, adaptable, and innovative. We constantly need to consider ways to improve our performance, break bad habits, develop efficiencies and streamline processes.

Work brings challenges. It brings disruptions and roadblocks. Changes are going to happen; they need to happen. Those who adapt will succeed. Those who resist or fight, will get stuck on the sidelines.

What's Your Nitrogen Footprint?

Since Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth popularized the concept of one’s carbon footprint, people all over the world have been using web tools to calculate how much carbon they are emitting in their daily lives and to find ways to reduce their carbon waste. James Galloway, an environmental sciences professor at the University of Virginia recently authored an article in the journal Science about the real threat that reactive nitrogen pollution poses to our planet, particularly its bodies of water. While pure nitrogen alone is harmless, reactive nitrogen, found in chemical fertilizers and generated through the burning of some fossil fuels, and in larger quantities, can be harmful.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation(CBF), based in Annapolis, MD, has developed a Nitrogen Footprint Calculator to help us identify the effects many of our regular day-to-day activities have on our environment. The calculator asks questions about your home sewerage, electricity use, lawn care, and your transportation methods to deduct what impact you are having on reactive nitrogen pollution. It then generates suggestions for how you can reduce your footprint.

So figure out what your nitrogen footprint is and make some changes to protect our waters!

Here’s the link! http://www.cbf.org/yourbayfootprint/index.html

The Importance of Candor

In Jack Welch's latest book Winning, which I finally got around to listening to, a pervasive lack of candor is what Welch calls "the biggest dirty little secret in business". He goes on to say that it "basically blocks smart ideas, fast action, and good people contributing all they've got. It's a killer".

So what is candor? Merriam-Webster Online defines it as "unreserved, honest, or sincere expression: forthrightness". Jack Welch defines it as "giving it to you straight".

Welch attributes much of the success General Electric (GE), the company he led for many years, and his own personal success as a leader, to always being candid, both in transparency about the strategy, direction, and challenges that the company faced and in the delivery of individual and team feedback.

Many managers have a hard time with candor. It's human nature to not want to tell people things that hurt their feelings. It seems impolite. But how do you expect people to develop and grow if they think and you act like everything is a-okay? That's doing them a disservice! At my company, Triumvirate Environmental, we're in the midst of our annual performance appraisal process. We coach managers to be candid in the delivery of feedback to their employees. While giving employees direct, constructive feedback will provide them with opportunities for self-development and professional growth; leniency and avoidance of tough messages will keep them back while others get ahead.

Welch is right when he says, in his metro Boston accent, lack of candor is a "killah", it's difficult to grow your company, if you're not growing the people within.