Sarah was given the nickname ‘Buzz’ when she was 3 because she was always buzzing around and getting into things. So when she decided to begin a blog, Buzz was a natural pen name for her. Sarah’s work on ‘The Buzz on HR’ blog has been challenging not just the HR community to be better, but also bringing a healthy dose of racial awareness and proactive problem-solving to the table.
- Sarah has spent 20 years in the HR departments of many companies. Her latest has been one of the most fast-paced, dramatic jobs she’s ever had. Sarah’s company installs home security systems, and she shares some of major things she has learned in doing it. First among those are the soft skills that are often overlooked.
- Sarah a blog called ‘The Buzz on HR’ but her employer at the time refused to let her use her real name, and she shares the story of trying to hide her identity. She also brings a unique insight into how HR has changed over the years, from when she first started her blog to current day.
- Sarah has struggled with how much she should advocate on racial issues as a Black woman in HR. How much should she say, what should she say, and how often should she say it – that won’t cause her HR audience to abandon her? Sarah shares the experience of the first post she wrote about a racial issue and how it became one of her most popular articles. The WAY she wrote it made the difference.
- Despite the success, Sarah found that it was harder and harder to write in her blog. She almost considered abandoning it, but her friends encouraged her to do a blog-writing challenge, promising that it would break her out of her block and help her ‘get her mojo back.’ She ended up doing the challenge her own way, one that did more than revive her blog. It shifted Sarah’s entire writing life.
- It would be easy to write about race issues from a safe, lukewarm perspective, but Sarah doesn’t. She writes from her own perspective, and her reasons will make you appreciate what she does even more. The most important part is the practical advice that’s part of everything she writes. Sarah is in it to improve problems, not just complain about them.
- It’s not just racial issues that Sarah covers; she also talks about women’s issues. Her thoughts on ‘educating’ women on how to be assertive are refreshing. She believes that women are already educated enough; it’s on those with privilege and in positions of power to educate themselves about how better to behave.
- Sarah has a profound impact on so many lives, and there are many who have had a profound effect on her. She shares stories of how she went to her mother’s grad school class during the 80s. Another positive force in Sarah’s life was her acting teacher, but the reason she took the class to begin with will make you smile. Finally, Sarah’s first boss was the one who modeled how a modern professional woman operates.
- True to form, Sarah leaves us with some very practical advice, both for HR and for educating ourselves to be better people as we go about our business. It’s this type of small, daily impact that can change the world.
People/Resources/Links Mentioned
2017 #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge initial post: Are You Up for the #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge?
2018 #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge initial post: #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge – Week 1 – Black Blogs STILL Matter
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