Category Archives: Self Motivation

My Recap of SHRM’s #WorkFlex12 Conference – and how it affected me, personally

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I had known for about 7 months that I would be attending SHRM’s WorkFlex 2012 Conference here in Chicago that commenced yesterday because they had asked me to be one of their session speakers. And I knew that they were having a roll-out of some fabulous speakers, but I had no idea how much it would change me personally.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a funk, especially when we’re trying to juggle (Work and Life) the very things we are preparing to discuss in some sort of public seminar or speaking engagement. This used to happen quite frequently when I traveled and spoke across our nation many years ago. I never thought it would happen to me this time.

I’ve been doing this juggling act with work and life now through so many life-changes; the loss of a job, the loss of my husband’s career and trying to help him navigate his next move, car issues, home issues, family issues. Add all this to your current work-load and starting a new business is sometimes very challenging. Who am I kidding? It’s sometimes overwhelming and keeps me up at night (and not in a good way).

I headed to the conference on Wednesday, not making Tuesday because of many of the issues I stated above. I had been up all night the night before heading in and was running on about 2 hours of sleep. I knew it was going to be a long day and I would need to somehow dig down deep for some kind of supernatural strength to be able to make it till the end of my session, not to mention blogging and sitting through numerous sessions and a few keynoters that I wanted to be in on.

I will admit that I have been on an emotional roller-coaster and a bucket of nerves for several weeks now. And I was starting to feel sorry for myself and I could sense myself chewing on a bitter weed of discontent. Even my close friends were kind enough to point it out. I had indeed become a Debbie Downer to be around. One of those very people I can’t stand to hang with, I had become.

And guess what? Something happened.

I had sat in on a couple of fabulous sessions back to back in the morning and was able to live-tweet several nuggets. And then I went in to hear JR Martinez speak.

As he began we found ourselves laughing at his humorous jabs at the audience and then so many of the things he shared began hitting very close to home and I kind of had an epiphany. Something started shifting inside me. A paradigm shift, for lack of a better explanation.

If you haven’t heard his story I highly recommend it. Having come through so many challenges (which seems like an inappropriate word) and finding the strength to go on is his mantra and was what I needed to hear to get me outta my funk.

Here are a few things he shared that struck me:

  • Everybody has a story. (This is something to always keep in the back of our minds, especially when we’re dealing with people. It tends to make us more sympathetic).
  • Being flexible is MUST! Plans change, either by our choices or the fact that life is unpredictable. But even the high rise buildings around us are created to be flexible to be able to stand the atmospheric conditions.
  • Adapt and Overcome! No matter what comes your way.
  • Every single person has strengths and weaknesses. When we find ourselves in a crossroads of life, we need to find our strengths. Dig deep!
  • There comes a point in life when there’s nothing else you can do but simply throw your hands up and laugh! Even in the midst of difficulty.
  • Your life can completely change in one moment. How are you going to respond to it? Are you going to quit or fight?
  • In his darkest of times he made the decision to forget about his long-term plans he had created and focus on the short-term. How could he remain positive – today? Tomorrow will take care of itself.

In the end, he started talking of how he made it out of his “funky time” because he started thinking of how he could give back. He started volunteering his time, through his darkest of moments, and visiting others who had gone through horrible experiences of their own. This drew him out of himself and his own pity party, and once again, created purpose.

Sometimes we need reminders that cause us to think differently, whether it’s how to incorporate new ideas in the workplace, juggling our own work and life initiatives, or simply seeing that inside each and every one of us is a hidden strength that if found can pull us out of the deepest and darkest of places. They cause us to once again help us re-focus, re-group and find our purpose.

Thank you SHRM, for bringing this conference to my city and allowing me to have been a part of something life-changing.

Defining your purpose; Personally, Professionally and Managerially

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Today’s guest post comes from another online connection, Travis Sinquefield, HR Manager and Consultant for H&S Companies, P.C. and writes over at DevelopingOrganizations. Check it out, I think you’ll like it!

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about personal development. I am the kind of person who is always thinking about where I am currently and where I want to be, at least on a professional level. I have not given much thought of where I want and should be on a personal level, however.

This past weekend I read “How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton Christensen. If you are not familiar with him, he is a management professional at the Harvard Business School and the preeminent scholar on innovation. I was drawn to this book, not just because I am a fan of Clay, but also because of the difficult he was going through when we decide to write this book, which includes battling cancer and then having a stroke. As you can imagine, this was quite a time of introspection for him.

In the book, he references many different management theories and how they can be applied to your personal life. At the end of the book, he gives out a three step process for helping to determine your purpose in life:

  1. Determine the “likeness” in which you would like to be – i.e. decide what kind of person you want to be and what you stand for, both personally and professionally
  2. Commit yourself to doing everything possible to make your ideal likeness become a reality
  3. Develop a metric to measure your progress and success

While this seems like a pretty simple process, in reality in can take many years to fully realize the process and apply it to your life. For Clay, it took over 15 years. For myself personally, I hope it won’t take that long because these are questions I have been considering, albeit in different forms, over the years.

As an HR Manager, I have been tasked by the leaders in my organization to work with each employee on a development plan. This spring, during our annual reviews (we do in May after tax season, due to the nature of our work), I sat down with each manager and also each employee and we came up with a couple development goals for each person. Most of these were more general in nature and not quantitative at all, such as getting a particular certification or working towards becoming a tax expert in a particular area.

Clay has me thinking how I work his thoughts and ideas into the development process. I discussed with each employee on where they would like their career to go, but I never really discussed with them their purpose in life and the type of life they want to lead on both a professional and personal level. I am hoping for many of them that their purpose is to be an accountant (or otherwise we might have to have some other discussions), but I really think it is important for every individual to take the time to reflect on what their purpose in life is and how they will measure their life.

Maybe I am a bit out of the ordinary, but I believe organizations should take an active role in both the personal and professional development of their employees. After all, they will probably spend more time with us at work than with their families. In addition, as CPA’s, they are the face of our firm to the public and represent not only themselves but also the company. I would think we would want our employees to represent us well.

As a leader within your organization, have you taken the time to help individuals develop on a personal and professional level? Have you asked them what their purpose is in life, and the standards by which they are going to measure themselves?

Just as important, have you asked yourself the same questions? I know I have. I just have to remember that asking the questions is the easy part – it’s finding the answers that are difficult.

Photo Credit: helpyourself2life

About the Author:

When he isn’t trying to become a blues legend in the confines of his basement and chasing around 2 little kids at home, Travis is an HR Manager and Consultant at H&S Companies, P.C., an accounting and business consulting firm in Grand Rapids, MI. After wandering through a career in financial services, he completed an MBA in Human Resource Management from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and made the switch to working in the trenches of human resources. He is also fascinated with the field of organizational behavior, particularly on the topics of competence, motivation, and leadership. He can be found on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

HR Through a 5 Year-Olds Eyes

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Today’s Guest Post is from Buzz Rooney. She’s one of my favorite guests. Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, my daughter got sick at school and I had to pick her up early. I had deadlines and meetings so I brought her back to the office with me and let her rest on the cushy chairs in my office while I handled things. We left around 5:30 to pick up her brother from his karate lesson. My daughter let him know that she’d spent the afternoon in my office while I did “grown-up HR work.” My son was excited and envious; he asked his sister what I did all day with my “work.”

Her response surprised me …

“Her work was really boring. She sat at her table and typed on her computer and talked on her phone most of the time. She printed stuff and made copies of it in this big machine too. Then she went to another room with some people and they sat around a big table, talking about grown-up stuff. They didn’t look like they were having fun at all!”

Seeing HR through my 5 year-olds eyes was eye-opening for me. I thought my kids would think my job was so cool because I had my own, spacious office with a nice view. Everything was organized and I worked at a steady pace without a lot of fanfare or noise. I thought they would think I was living the dream!

But they didn’t. They thought I was a geek and a bit of a loser.

It occurred to me that my children probably aren’t the only ones who think my job is wack. There are employees and other managers in organizations all over who see HR this way: boring, paper pushers who rarely leave their desk or conference room table to have any real impact or understanding! And the HR people in those organizations think they are living the dream when they are really stuck in a nightmare.

So how can HR change this view?

Leave your office. No one can effectively manage from behind a desk. This includes HR! We have to visit the areas where the work is performed and where the employees are located to see, hear and learn about what is going on. Leaving the door open to your office isn’t the same as being open, available and accessible. Get out there and talk to people.

Talk HR up. HR doesn’t do a very good job at tooting its own horn. We also don’t do a good job at illustrating why our ideas and initiatives matter to the bottom line of the organization. We have to do a better job of making this connection and highlighting it for others.

Have more fun. Being serious about your work doesn’t mean you have to be serious all the time. There are tons of ironies, fodder and laughable moments happening every day in the places where we work. Smile, laugh and make a joke once in awhile. You’ll feel better – and so will the people around you.

And the next time you bring a 5 year old to spend the afternoon in your office, have some candy available. And unicorns. Preferably pink ones.

Photo Credit: EarlyBirdStitcher

Today’s Guest Post was by my friend and online Blogger – Buzz Rooney. Make sure you connect with her.

Who is Buzz Rooney?

Buzz Rooney is a practicing HR Professional with over 10 years experience in the production, manufacturing and retail industries. She currently works for a large retail franchise handling employee relations, health benefits, COBRA, wellness, leave of absence and compliance. Buzz has Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with a focus on Organizational Communication and Leadership as well as a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management. She is also a part-time HR consultant offering basic management coaching/training, process improvement, resume writing, compliance assistance and human resources generalist services. When not working or writing or researching, Buzz is a single mom with 2 young children living in North Carolina. She enjoys mindlessly watching television, spending time with friends and family, reading, eating and sleeping.

Read more of her writings, connect and contact her through her website, The Buzz on HR and follow her on Twitter @TheBuzzOnHR.

Hidden truths of motivation

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I came across this little video blurb on Friday and it really makes sense. What motivates us at home and work? Check it out!

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Photo Credit: Celsias

Embrace your weirdness

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Yesterday several of us in the HR / Recruiting space (How’d I get here? That’s for another time) attended Craig Fisher’s TNL in Aurora, IL where we discussed all kinds of issues from Jason Seiden’s profersional to a panel about influence, today’s candidates and how to stand out in the current job market. That last one reminded me of Joe Gerstandt’s “Fly your freak flag.” Embrace diversity!

As Jason and Craig were discussing “Pimping your LinkedIn Profile” I was thinking of my own profiles throughout the myriad of platforms and taking mental notes on how I could do a little improvement in that area. I’m all about being different, standing out, freak flag flying – if you will. Just ask those who attended the conference what I wore.

How boring would it be if we were all the same? (Okay, maybe if we were all like Jason or Joe that might be cool).

I’ve always been one to stand out among the crowd, not because I’m so gorgeous but because I like wearing vintage (hats, coats, and clothing). I haven’t adhered to those fabulous standards of mine the past couple of years for trying to “fit in.” In fact, this past summer in Vegas as SHRM I felt like I was wearing someone else’s skin. I took suits and frumpy outfits so I wouldn’t stand out. WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I suppose in all my madness of trying to conform and act like “HR” in my plan of attack I blended in quite nicely. But I felt uncomfortable and ready to shed my skin (so to speak). Looking back, I would do things differently – as far as being true to me in my weirdness and said “F, you – if you don’t like it.” Because, that’s always been my motto!

This is something we don’t think about when writing our online profiles, especially on Linked In. I’m guilty as charged. It’s almost as if we are back in high school – trying to fit in.  The point the fellas were trying to get across in their session was to stand out. Not only incorporating keywords that would increase your page rank but in mixing a little “something-something” about you personally and your style to get you noticed by the right people (your target client / audience). The ones that you are trying to reach, and as Jason said “who is going to write the check” not your peers.

Here’s a recap of the session over at HR Fishbowl.

What’s making you stand out in the crowd? Are you being true to yourself? Are you reaching your target audience? Who are you influencing online and offline?

Some great questions to ask yourself, indeed.

Photo Credit: Brooke Moss

Whose going to motivate YOU during the holidays?

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As the end of 2011 dwindles we’ve come to the Holidays at full speed. Where did this year go? (Okay, I always thought that only old people said those kinds of things, now I realize I’m that person).

For some odd reason at this time of year I think I need to just put on the breaks and enjoy a couple of months of doing nothing during the holidays because I owe myself for working so hard during the year. In fact, from the week of Thanksgiving until Jan 2nd, I find it very challenging to stay motivated. I can’t help but wonder if my mother had something to do with this type of thinking (We gotta blame somebody).

Growing up, my mom would always go a little nuts around the holidays. For instance, on our birthday (I’m the baby of five) we knew it was a given: She would always let us stay home from school, we got to pick out our favorite meal for that evening (mine was bread and somehow, that hasn’t changed) and she made us our favorite desert. And even tho’ money was tight she always made a big deal of our birthdays and Christmas.

Somehow today, even though I’m older, I still feel some kind of entitlement on holidays. I have to motivate myself.

Having been allowed the privilege of working from my home office for the past several years I can honestly say I have never really had a problem motivating myself, staying on track, making the sell, and getting done what needs to be done. That is a requirement when you work remotely and requires much discipline. There are days when you have constant interruptions and can’t get anything done and there are days when you get everything done by noon. No day is really ever the same as the day before.

As far as our workplaces go, here are some great ways to keep our employees motivated during the holidays. But what if you are a lone ranger entrepreneur? Who’s going to motivate you? YOU are! Come on, “You can do it.”

So, as things slow down for me this time of year and since I’m departing into “new waters” in regard to business I have decided to work these items during this down-time:

  • Brushing up on my skills - I have decided to go head-first into learning more about social media and online marketing and watch as many videos, participate in as many webinars, and read as much as I can to hone my skills in this area.
  • Revamping and updating my online sites and profiles. I intend to build a website, re-vamp my blog, and all my other platforms.
  • Work on personal projects. I am in the final stages of editing my dad’s book and I hope to finish that this week so I can get it off to the publishers. I also have two books that I’ve written over the past few years that are just sitting and I want to get them out to be published. It’s a perfect time to tie up those loose ends.
  • Spend some much needed quiet time figuring out my next direction. We all could use a little self-reflection on where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going. It’s good for the soul.

Don’t get me wrong – I am no scrooge! I love the holidays. I love spending time with my family. I’m hoping to bring my daughter here for a two-week visit.  But I realize the importance of re-grouping and preparing for a new year!

Photo Credit: Mauivents