Jennifer McClure`

Equipping people leaders to navigate change — and design the future — with boldness and purpose.

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2010 SHRM Annual Conference – Day 1 Recap

Day 1 of the 2010 SHRM Annual Conference in San Diego, California is in the books and in my opinion, it’s off to a great start!

In the Opening Session, the event kicked off with a surprise Flash Mob dance before SHRM President & CEO Lon O’Neil and SHRM Board Chairman Robb Van Cleaves welcomed everyone and shared that attendance for this year’s event is up over 4,000 from 2009 – topping 11,000 attendees and including over 800 international members from 73 countries!

O’Neil and Cleaves were followed by a brief message from Assistant Secretary for Veteran’s Employment & Training Services – Ray Jefferson, a true American Hero who lost all five fingers on one hand while serving his country and protecting his teammates from a hand grenade prematurely detonating. Jefferson offered up one of my favorite quotes of the day – “The death of a dream can be the birth of a destiny”. Nice.

Next up, O’Neil introduced SHRM’s “We Know Next” initiative, positioning HR at the center of changes taking place in business today. He also encouraged HR professionals to use the latest communications tools like LinkedIn and Twitter (yeah, Twitter!). He’s even jumped on Twitter himself and you can follow him at @SHRMCEO.

Steve Forbes was this year’s Opening Session keynote and while his talk sent a few heading for the doors early and a few in my row to focus on the back of their eyelids, when I spoke to many of the attendees later on the Exhibit Hall floor, several mentioned that they really enjoyed what he had to say and felt his talk was very good. Blogger John Hollon begged to differ and quickly shared his thoughts via a post on the new (and very good) HR & Talent Management site TLNT.com – illustrating the challenge of an organization as large as SHRM to find a speaker that can please everyone. They can’t.

After the Opening Session, it was time to hit the SHRM Exposition. This year, I’m attending the conference as part of the Monster.com Social Media Street Team and my goal was to capture some of the sights and sounds of the chaos in the Expo Hall once the doors were opened. I was lucky enough to grab Laurie Ruettimann of Punk Rock HR for some commentary on various vendors and their swag and I’ll share a video of her adventures at a future date. (It’s late here ya’ll.) I also did over 20 brief video interviews with some interesting folks I stopped throughout the evening to ask about their plans for the conference or just to comment on their copious or outrageous swag finds. Below are a couple of my favorites that give a flavor of what it’s like. (Email subscribers – click here to view.)

Stay tuned for more live coverage of SHRM 2010 here on Unbridled Talent from me, and follow the conversation via Twitter using the hashtag #shrm10 and #monsterlive. You’ll also find posts daily from the Monster.com Social Media Street Team on the Monster Thinking blog, from fellow Street Team member Ben Eubanks on Upstart HR and the SHRM Blog Squad over at the official SHRM Conference Blog!

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Time For a Cool Change

Image Credit 1.00 FTE - Impressions of Corporate Life

Several years ago, back when I was working “in the trenches” as an HR Manager in an organization experiencing an insane amount of growth, I often partnered with an outside consulting firm to assist us with various recruiting, leadership development and training initiatives.

Once, during a training session led by the firm’s owner – a wise and engaging gentleman with almost 40 years of combined experience in the corporate and consulting worlds – I remember thinking:

“He’s got the best job in the world. Some day, I want to run my own business too.”

And at that moment, an entrepreneur was born. [cue heavenly music]

But I still had so much to learn…

Fast forward several more years (and no, not over 40 for those of you doing mental math) through a career in Human Resources leadership roles, a second career as an Executive Recruiter and Executive Coach and a third as a professional speaker and trainer – it’s finally time to take that step.

Ladies and gentlemen… Please allow me to introduce my new company – Unbridled Talent, LLC!

Want to learn more about Unbridled Talent?

Below is a short interview (click here if you can’t see the video) I did recently after speaking at the Louisville, KY SHRM Chapter’s monthly luncheon and also leading an afternoon workshop on Using Social Media in HR & Recruiting. In the video, I share a little about my background, a smidge about Unbridled Talent and a bit of my theory on why HR and Recruiting pros need to use social media – all in under 3 minutes!

I’m excited to be able to create a role and a business where I can combine my experiences in Human Resources, Recruiting, Coaching, Leadership, Speaking and Training into one title – President of Unbridled Talent, LLC. It’s the right time for me personally and I also believe it’s a perfect time to work with companies and business leaders to develop and execute Innovative People Strategies!

So here’s a few updates and changes I’d like to share with you:

  • This blog has moved! With the help and patience of the fab Lance Haun, I’ve made the change from TypePad to WordPress, and the name of the blog and site address have also changed to Unbridled Talent and https://jennifermcclure.net/blog. If you’re a subscriber via email or RSS (and if you’re not, I’d love for you to subscribe for automatic updates here or here), then nothing should have changed for you. The feeds still deliver – and during the changeover delivered multiple times. (oops.)
  • There’s a new website and logo – and new business cards that arrived this week! The website is up and running, but will be evolving. I’m a big believer in getting the right expertise involved to create amazing things, so Elaine Suess at beyondbeing llc (who also developed the new logo) will be working with me to make sure that the messaging, benefits of working with us and service offerings are crisp and on point.
  • We’re on Facebook! My goal is to provide unique and personal content on Unbridled Talent’s Facebook Page as well as resources related to Attracting, Recruiting, Developing and Engaging Talent. Trust me, it won’t be just a feed of posts from this blog. There will be pictures, videos and “behind the scenes” content that you won’t see elsewhere. I’d love it if you’d “Like” it!
  • We’re on Twitter! You can still find me on Twitter at @cincyrecruiter and I’ll still be as lovable or annoying (you decide) there as ever. My Twitter strategy has always been to share resources, learn, connect with people, connect people to other people and to be myself – so that won’t change. By following @UnbridledTalent, you’ll get even more resources and information – not duplicate posts of stuff you’ll see if you’re following me elsewhere. It’s my goal to be a valuable source of information in the areas of Talent Attraction, Innovative Recruiting & Sourcing Strategies and People Development – not just noise.
  • My LinkedIn Profile has been updated (if we’re not connected – connect with me!) to reflect my new role, new company and my continued partnership with the fine people at Centennial, Inc. Centennial’s clients often use them as a resource and for assistance with Talent Strategy issues and many of my clients and relationships need Executive Search and Career Coaching Services, so we believe a continued partnership is mutually beneficial. I’m very grateful to the team at Centennial for being extremely helpful and supportive of me in taking this step and I’m excited that we’ll be continuing to work together in the future!

Where We Go From Here

I had much to learn back when I first made the decision to start my own business some day — and thankfully, I still do. I thoroughly enjoy being a student learning from others within the industry and then sharing what I’ve learned with my clients and relationships.

I hope that you’ll join me on this next phase of my journey. Because now, the person who has the best job in the world is… ME!

_________________

Note:

Stay tuned here on Unbridled Talent, “Like” the Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter to catch my coverage this week of the SHRM 2010 Annual Conference in San Diego June 26 – June 30th. I’ll be there as a member of the Monster.com Social Media Street Team / #monsterlive blitz. We’ll be sharing highlights and what’s happening so you can be there – if you couldn’t “be there”.

It’s possible that you may even see more than one post a day on the blog during this next week. Don’t faint. And please don’t unsubscribe. 🙂

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Can an Internal Coach or HR Pro Be Trusted With Your Secrets?


At The Conference Board’s Executive Coaching Conference
that I recently attended, we spent some time in one of the sessions discussing concerns with HR pros being designated or trained as
internal coaches in organizations due to trust and credibility issues. (Note: attendees at the conference were primarily external coaches and OD professionals.)

Here’s a tweet I sent out during the discussion:

TCB Coaching tweet

I guess the discussion made me a bit #sad because as a former Human Resources pro myself, I felt like I was effective as an internal “coach”. Whether working with an employee as part of their career development process or providing support to some making it through performance improvement plans, I worked hard to balance their need for confidentiality in the process with my responsibilities to the organization. I took pride in being someone that employees at all levels could talk to and one CEO even referred to me as his Consigliere – which considering some of the bullets I took for him, was kind of fitting.

But I do recall a conversation I had one day with an employee who was experiencing some issues at work. When I offered to listen and provide support, she said “Unfortunately, I can’t talk to you about this. It’s not that I don’t trust you personally. It’s the chair that you sit in. You have the authority to fire me. And I can’t risk that.”

After she left my office, I thought about what she’d said. I wanted to be offended. But I kinda understood where she was coming from. While it was frustrating that she wouldn’t allow me to try to help out just because of my position in the organization, I also knew that sometimes it was part of my role to be involved in making decisions about her career. So sharing a weakness or performance problem with someone who has that type of influence could be perceived as a risk.

Fast forward to today, where I work with clients as an external Executive Coach… The feedback I’ve received from clients is that one of the most helpful aspects of the coaching process is the opportunity to speak confidentially with someone outside of the organization who can listen, support, challenge and guide them. I’ve listened as senior level clients have shared with me a variety of potentially career damaging things – being afraid of making decisions, that they’re intimidated by a peer or they’re unhappy in their jobs. We’ve been able to work through and resolve those issues, but I’ve often wondered if it would be a challenge for me as an internal coach to have access to that same information.

HR often seems to get thrown under the bus in regards to confidentiality and credibility issues (if you’re the one causing that to happen, then please STOP), but I don’t agree that credibility/trust of internal coaches is an “HR” issue. I think it’s more about the perceived confidentiality that an external coach can provide – no matter how good an internal coach may be.

I think it’s hard for employees not to feel at risk when sharing information with people in a position to influence their careers.

What do you think? Can HR pros serve as effective coaches inside their organizations? Do external coaches have an advantage over internals?

The conversation at the conference has caused me to wonder if maybe the employee who was preoccupied with where I parked my derriere each day was on to something…

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Passion: It’s Not a Dirty Word in HR !!

In the wild world of HR, I come across many HR people who either hate the profession or feel that everyone hates them.

Passion - It's Not A Dirty Word In HR

There are blog posts about the death of HR.  Magazines love to fill themselves with how the profession is failing.

Today’s guest post is from my good friend and mentor Steve Browne, who is Executive Director of Human Resources at LaRosa’s, Inc. a regional Pizzeria restaurant chain employing over 1,400 Team Members. Being passionate about HR is a subject that Steve is uniquely qualified to talk about – because that’s how he’s consistently described by others. Learn more about Steve at the bottom of this awesome post.

HR is tough. It is.

That’s because we have to deal with people and people are tough. However, that’s also the BEST reason to be in HR! Seriously. The main reason I went into HR was to mess with people. Trust me. It’s allowed.

When it comes to “passion”, some people tend to think that it’s not appropriate in the work environment. Unfortunately, because many people aren’t passionate at work, they often feel disillusioned and are thinking about how to leave their employer more than they’re seeking how to drive performance.

The reason the TV shows “The Office” and “30 Rock” are so popular is because people know folks that work beside them who are reflected in the characters of the shows.

People who love what they do scare us too! Really. People who are passionate are often under suspicion of not being genuine or just a cheerleader who doesn’t have a clue. That’s sad. We’ve come to a point in work environments where drudgery is often preferred to enjoying what you do! Think about that.

HR, more often than not, is the catalyst of this drudgery because they don’t see the ability, or avenue, to be passionate at work. This needs to change! HR professionals have to ask themselves – “If this is so bad, then why am I doing it”?

HR people who aren’t passionate should get out of HR.

Sounds harsh – but it would be better for you and the profession if you went into a field you were passionate about.

So can you be passionate about HR these days ? The answer is a resounding YES! Here’s how:

1)       JUMP IN OVER YOUR HEAD

Get away from your desk and into your people. Your desk doesn’t miss you as much as you think it does. Your people do.

Too often HR’s answer to people is – “I’ll get back to you” – when we never intend to do it. Stop this! Get in front of your employees and let them know that they do exist, they’re valuable and that you (and the company) appreciate what they do.

2)      BE CONSISTENT

Get out of the fairness and compliance mode. Compliance is the law. We can’t change laws, so quit trying to.

Be consistent with how you handle situations and understand that the majority of what we do is gray and not black and white. Consistency is essential and people will see how “fair” you really are when you’re consistent.

3)      BE GENUINE

Who likes fake people? Anyone? You can’t teach this. You either are genuine or you aren’t. And your employees know it right away.

If you knew me and saw my office, you’d hear my iPod blaring, and see my lava lamp bubbling next to my Magic 8 Ball and the sword on my wall. I also just got a bobble head made of myself! (A gift from a vendor.) I only wish it was a tie dye shirt versus a blue oxford!

I’m passionate about everything I do. Honestly. More often than not people respond to this positively and most of them say that HR at our company is better because this is the tone that HR sets:

Love what we do and what you do!

Give it a try. Passion is awesome! Passion is critical! And – HR MUST be passionate !! – @sbrownehr

———-

Steve Browne bobble head Steve Browne, SPHR is an HR pro who is passionate about connecting people. He runs an internet message board (the HR Net) – with over 7,500 global subscribers – and enthusiastically facilitates monthly HR Roundtable meetings in Cincinnati. Steve actively serves on the SHRM Board of Directors, and is a popular speaker at HR Conferences, HR Associations and business/community groups.

Want to be a part of the HR Net? Let Steve know! Follow him on Twitter at @sbrownehr.

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11.12.09 HR Happy Hour Blog Talk Radio Show Featuring the Fistful of Talent Crew

If you haven’t been paying attention lately, there’s a lot of cool people doing some new and innovative things in the HR/Recruiting/Talent Management space and one of those things is a BlogTalk Radio show hosted by Steve Boese and Shauna Moerke (the HR Minion) called HR Happy Hour.

081e2042-cfa8-455c-bdf6-4832ba4b40e9hr_happy_hour Started as an opportunity for HR pros to chat, vent and discuss the burning issues of the day,the HR Happy Hour has turned into a “must attend” event bi-monthly (sort of) on Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. EST. I’ve been a guest previously on Episode 10 – The Job Seeker’s Show and was also fortunate to be in attendance when the show went on the road recently for two live broadcasts – Episode 17 for the Fail Spectacularly party in Chicago (put on by Laurie Ruettimann of Punk Rock HR and Jason Seiden – who’s new book Super Staying Power launched this week) and Episode 18 at HRevolution in Louisville, Kentucky this past weekend.

Next up – Episode 19, where the Fistful of Talent crew will tackle Next Gen HR – sharing our thoughts and opinions on the future of Talent and HR in general. As someone who has plenty of opinions, I’ll definitely be calling in – and we’ll see if I catch any grief for being lame and not posting often enough over at FOT. (I solemnly vow to improve – I promise!)

If you’re available Thursday night, you should definitely call in or listen to the show live (or the archive at a later date/time) via the BlogTalk Radio channel. You can also lurk or participate in the smack talk on Twitter via the hash tag #HRHappyHour – (follow that here.) Another way to participate if you’re truly snarky (and have been deemed cool enough by the Google gods to receive an invite) is the irreverent HR Happy Hour back channel discussion that goes on over at Google Wave. On the Wave and want to jump in? Leave a comment with your Wave address and I’ll add you to the discussion.

With all of this talking, tweeting and waving going on, clearly, you’ll want to be a part of HR Happy Hour Thursday night. See you there/here!

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