I think every blogging year is the equivalent of 25 human years. That makes me a 50 year old HR blogger and means that I’ll be lucky to squeeze another year of content from my aging brain. But until then, 450+ loyal subscribers, 150,000+ page views, and 70,000 visits keeps me in the game. It’s of course never about the numbers, but it is in fact rewarding to know that what I have to say occasionally resonates with an audience.
HR Fishbowl was conceived primarily as a selfish venture. It was meant to be cathartic and it has become a veritable pressure release valve for me. I don’t have all the answers, no. But I’m living proof that there are enough problems, challenges, misplaced intentions, and unfortunate ignorance in the world of work to fuel a lifetime of blog content. And I remain adamant about the HR profession’s role in dealing with this crap; not as the first responder, but as the group most capable of aligning the workforce’s evolving needs, interests, and motivators with the organization’s vision, mission, and shared values. The profession is poised to become more and more relevant not only to the organization’s success, but to the advancement, development, and lasting success of the employee…the individual employee. But this involves (for many) a radical departure from what we just spent the last 10 years trying to do: snuggle up close to the leadership team. We have been so relentlessly focused on heightening our stature with the c-suite that we’ve lost focus on the rank and file. We’ve lost touch with what really matters to the average Joe when he punches in every day. We’ve forgotten our roots…the reason we’re hear to begin with. That reason is the Human and all the potential it brings to bear. Let’s get back to that…the basics of strong relationships, meaningful dialog, open communications, and strong camaraderie.
Thanks for indulging my rants over the last two years. Thanks for your ongoing support – your sharing and promoting my content. Thanks for inviting me to speak at your events and for giving me the microphone every now and then. And thanks for teaching me more than I could ever learn had I not connected with you along the way.
A Sampling of Fishbowl Logic Unearthed over the Last Year
#123) Head nodding is for suckers. Shake it every now and then.
#126) If you don’t like the food, get into the kitchen. Otherwise, you have absolutely no right to complain about it.
#131) I honestly don’t care if you’re God’s gift to whatever product you sell or service you deliver. I’ll take inferior skill or intellect over your deadbeat behavior any day of the week.
#134) Stop trying to choose the job you love. Love the job you choose.
#143) Empower your leaders to make the decisions they are being paid to make, and give them permission to do so without involving everyone and their mothers.
#146) Next time a vendor tells you this is a “best practice,” put your best smirk on and ask “says who?”
#151) Are you appropriately frustrated?
#159) If you’re an HR professional, you belong to the HR community. Appreciate it. Support it. Or get out.
#166) Have a secret ambition to be unpopular.
#169) Maybe it’s time we spend less time worrying about our employees who aren’t thrilled with their jobs and spend a lot more time hiring employees who would be thrilled to have one!
Image Credit: qthomasbower (via Compfight)
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