We are starting our #HRevolution early this year

HRevolution 2011 is about a month away.  For those of you who have been keeping tabs on me for longer than a year now, you know that I attended the last HRevolution and was blown away by the experience.  When the announcement for this year's event landed in my Twitter stream, I didn't even have to think about it--I was in.  

Being "in" meant more than just buying a ticket.  HRevolution represents a movement, a transition that is taking place inside of our profession.  The HRevolution experience is a democratic one in that it is by the people, for the people.  But it's also only as good as the people decide to make it through their participation and commitment to it. 

When I left HRevolution 2010, I knew that I had been a part of something really amazing.  But, I also left with a feeling that we hadn't gone far enough and that there was still so much to do.  Thankfully, that sense of unfinished business prompted me to come back home and undertake the creation of The HR Reinvention Experiment, but that's a post for another day.  HRevolution 2010 left me feeling that there wasn't enough discussion about where our gaps where in HR and what WE were going to do about it after we left.  This feeling never left me, so when HRevolution 2011 rolled around, I knew that I needed to try to be at least part of the solution for this year's event.  

The Steve Browne Connection

As I pondered what to pitch to the HRevolution 2011 committee for consideration through the request for presentations process, I wanted to do something really cool and perhaps unexpected.  So, I shot a note off to Steve Browne to see if he would be interested in potentially leading a session with me at the event. This may not seem like an idea that is all that radical until you consider that Steve and I had never met.  At the point that I sent the email to him, we'd had about 30 minutes of conversation on the phone to get acquainted, but that was it.  

Here's what I knew about Steve:

• He ran HR for a pizza company in Ohio
• He had a ton of passion for HR
• He was investing a lot of his own time in growing the profession through HRNet, his HR Roundtable, and through extensive involvement in the state SHRM organization in Ohio.  He walks the talk.  
• He seemed like a guy who likes to mix it up a little bit.  
• He seemed intrigued by me, an HR executive at a bank who calls himself a Talent Anarchist.  

That was good enough for me, so I sent an email to Steve to do a little fishing.  And he bit.  Not only did he like the idea, he loved the idea.  Fortunately, the HRevolution 2011 planning team was kind enough to put us on the agenda.

If HR is so bad, what are you DOING about it?  

This is the title of our session at this year's event.  Steve and I share in common a passion for HR.  We also share in common a belief that HR can only live up to its calling if HR leaders from across the world step up their game and make it their responsibility to lead this charge.  We must BE the solution.  

We aren't naive enough to think that our session is going to change the world over night, but we hope that through this conversation, that we may throw a few sparks.  And that these sparks may light a few fires. We hope that our session will reveal to those who join us that we are all struggling with the same issues and that we must move beyond thinking and writing about our issues and instead start taking definitive action to become a part of the solution.  

So, let's start the conversation.

Since HRevolution is a democratic process and it is dependent on those who attend to co-create the experience, it seems perfectly reasonable that we start the conversation before we ever get to Atlanta.  To this end, Steve and I have decided to start some conversation back and forth between my blog and his blog.  We hope you will join in the conversation and add your thoughts and questions.  In this way, we can start the discussion ahead of time and hit Atlanta having already done some work collectively as a community.  

So, Steve, here are a few questions I have for you?

• Why is it that you agreed to do a session at HRevolution with a guy you've never met?
• What are you hoping we can accomplish in our short session?
• Most importantly, why do you invest so much of your time trying to impact HR pros?  

Let the games begin.

What Does Great HR Look Like? It Depends.

During the course of a panel interview for my current job, I was asked a question about dress code by one of the interviewers.  The question sounded something like this, "Many departments throughout the organization enforce different dress codes.  Do you feel that dress code should be uniform throughout the organization and how would you address that issue?"  

My response: "It depends."  

Generally, when I give an answer like that, particularly as the HR guy, I'm greeted with some kind of joke about sounding like a consultant.  And, that's probably why consultants make so much money in the HR space.  They see the gray in places where we try only to see black and white.  

The problem with questions like the one posed above is that they don't have a single right answer.  The real question is one I've written about before: "What problem are you trying to solve?"  Until we know what problem we are working on, it's almost impossible to create an optimal solution.  In my case, the question being posed wasn't really about dress code, it was about my belief related to the consistency and enforcement of policy.  Although the question seemed to imply there was a problem to be solved, there might not be one at all once I knew more about the situation.  Either way, I can't answer the question with a conclusion without a lot more information.  

Be wary of those who claim to have THE answer to your problems.  Human resources is a relative and contextual practice where the right answer to any give question depends on the circumstances in your environment surrounding the problem you are trying to solve. 

What is the best way to find talent?  It depends.

What is the right way to approach wellness?  It depends.

What should be in an employee handbook?  It depends.

How do you create a success plan?  It depends.

To practice great HR, it's important for us to realize that each situation and the circumstances surrounding it are unique and require some inquiry first, before we rush to a conclusion.  Be curious first.  Then, go solve the problem.   

Performance Appraisals Must Die

As every other HR department has done before and will likely do again, my team is working on answering the question, "What should we do about our performance appraisals?"  So, I've been thinking a lot about the topic lately.  That means I've had my radar up for information and solutions about performance management.  It seems to me that the performance appraisal is a perfect example of how Paul Hebert explains that HR is caught in the monkey trap.  Letting go would set us free, but we just can't seem to do it.  I think that's a mistake and here's why.  

This is what I have found to be almost universally true when you talk to people about performance appraisals.

1. Managers hate writing them.  Even the best managers hate them, regardless of the form you use.  Too much work for what they get out of it.  
2. Employee hate receiving them.  Regardless of how great of a manager you have, the process of the once a year sit down is riddled with anxiety and angst.  
3. HR hates administering them.  It's an enormous black hole of time and energy, and no one loves you for doing it.  
4. There is no evidence that traditional performance appraisals have any impact on performance, good or bad.  At least I've not found anyone who has any data either way.  
5. Despite what some HR folks may argue, having annual performance appraisals usually makes it HARDER to terminate a low performer because most managers generally resist addressing performance issues within the appraisal itself. 

If these five things are true, it would seem that the solution would be to stop the insanity and pull the plug on performance appraisals.  Here's what should happen if you do.  Managers and employees both love you more.  Your HR team gets back some time that can be invested in work that matters.  Organizational performance won't change and you'll be better able to swiftly address employee performance issues.  Where's the down side?