Self-Development—It’s Time to Empower Yourself
Think it’s time for a little self-development? There is no better time to start than now!
Self development takes some time and attention, but when you do it right, it is not as difficult as you might think. If you take a little time to think about it, self-development techniques can be easy to apply. The perfect starting point is to literally ask yourself, “What is one thing I can do today to stretch outside of my comfort zone in the area where I want to get better?” This can apply to any area of development from listening skills to being strategic, from conflict management to business savvy.
Identify your GAPS
Your first step is to analyze your needs or GAPS. Using this simple acronym can help you define the four areas most critical to helping you uncover your development objectives.
□ Goals: what do you really care about, what are your interests, values, and career aspirations?
□ Abilities: how you see yourself, what do you think you are capable of, what you are good at and not so good at?
□ Perceptions: how do others see you? Find out what those around you think.
□ Success Factors: what matters to others, what is expected of you to be successful around your workplace?
Do A Little Every Day
The key is to be consistent. Look at your self development the same way you would look at exercising to stay healthy, you have to be consistent or it doesn’t work. You can’t just go to the gym once for a great workout and think that’s all it will take to stay on track. Unfortunately, this is exactly how a lot of people approach their self development. They go to a seminar and think it is all taken care of. No matter how good your intentions are, this is not the ultimate solution. What happens is they are all fired up after the seminar and think, “That was great; I can’t wait until I get back to the office on Monday and start using what I learned.” Then Monday rolls around, that seminar feels like it was a lifetime ago, and they fall back into their old patterns.
Start With What You Know
Conferences, seminars, classes, and books can all be helpful, but better yet, put into practice the stuff you already know. You are a wealth of knowledge, start practicing what you have learned. This will help you get in the habit of growth and self development. Most people know what they need to work on. So, next, take the time to reflect on what you want to do. Taking time for your self development can be difficult, but you deserve it! You may want to get a coach, mentor or a friend in the HR profession that you can be accountable to. This individual will help give you some guidance and then you can go from there.
GOOD LUCK!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Managing Your Career ... Roadblocks and Opportunities
Change is inevitable. One of your job responsibilities is to help your company manage change with the least amount of disruption and the maximum return on investment. The same criteria apply to your personal HR career. The challenge is to turn roadblocks into opportunities. Your job is to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of waiting for change to happen. You are the agent for change for yourself and for your company.
Turning roadblocks into opportunities
❒ I don’t have control. You may not have direct or absolute control of a workgroup but you can influence managers to look to you for solutions to complex HR problems and for improvement ideas that will help them, you, and the organization.
❒ I don’t have senior management approval. Senior management most often looks at the big picture and depends on you to do the things that support those goals. If you understand the company goals, and initiate and implement programs that specifically support those goals, approval will follow.
❒ I’m too busy. HR people are always “too busy.” Unfortunately, many times, the reason they’re too busy is they’re focusing on a thousand-and-one little things that are not really important. If you focus on the strategic issues that can affect your company and your career, the small stuff tends to work itself out.
❒ There’s not enough money in the budget. It’s not unusual to see money thrown at issues that aren’t consistent with the real strategic needs of the organization. You can gain immense credibility with management, and often get the budget you need, if you prepare and manage a business plan that demonstrates your ability to distinguish between tactical and strategic goals.
❒ Flavor of the month. Many times, if a previous attempt to implement change or
improvements didn’t work, the knee-jerk reaction is to roll out a different model. Over time, this approach discourages future change attempts. Take time to thoroughly evaluate the practical aspects of any program you want to sponsor before you launch it.
❒ Fear of working oneself out of a job. This is the greatest compliment one can gain! Individuals who can affect change in an organization are in high demand these days—both inside and outside their own organizations.
In our ever fluid business world, change is our only constant. Embrace change and flourish in the opportunity!!
Change is inevitable. One of your job responsibilities is to help your company manage change with the least amount of disruption and the maximum return on investment. The same criteria apply to your personal HR career. The challenge is to turn roadblocks into opportunities. Your job is to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of waiting for change to happen. You are the agent for change for yourself and for your company.
Turning roadblocks into opportunities
❒ I don’t have control. You may not have direct or absolute control of a workgroup but you can influence managers to look to you for solutions to complex HR problems and for improvement ideas that will help them, you, and the organization.
❒ I don’t have senior management approval. Senior management most often looks at the big picture and depends on you to do the things that support those goals. If you understand the company goals, and initiate and implement programs that specifically support those goals, approval will follow.
❒ I’m too busy. HR people are always “too busy.” Unfortunately, many times, the reason they’re too busy is they’re focusing on a thousand-and-one little things that are not really important. If you focus on the strategic issues that can affect your company and your career, the small stuff tends to work itself out.
❒ There’s not enough money in the budget. It’s not unusual to see money thrown at issues that aren’t consistent with the real strategic needs of the organization. You can gain immense credibility with management, and often get the budget you need, if you prepare and manage a business plan that demonstrates your ability to distinguish between tactical and strategic goals.
❒ Flavor of the month. Many times, if a previous attempt to implement change or
improvements didn’t work, the knee-jerk reaction is to roll out a different model. Over time, this approach discourages future change attempts. Take time to thoroughly evaluate the practical aspects of any program you want to sponsor before you launch it.
❒ Fear of working oneself out of a job. This is the greatest compliment one can gain! Individuals who can affect change in an organization are in high demand these days—both inside and outside their own organizations.
In our ever fluid business world, change is our only constant. Embrace change and flourish in the opportunity!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Are You an HR Survivor or an HR Leader?
Are you a survivor or a leader? The most successful human resources professionals are learning to be both.
It’s human nature to resist change, but change is inevitable and happening at a faster pace than ever before. John F. Kennedy said, “The one unchangeable certainty in life is that nothing is unchangeable or certain.”
This is not news to HR professionals, who are increasingly challenged to find ways to lead change, quickly and effectively, within their organizations. When change is in the air, you need leadership tools and techniques at your fingertips.
Be aware of the things that can sabotage your organization's change initiative. In order to survive change, you need to prepare yourself and others for the inevitable, avoid falling into these traps:
1. Lack of clear process for translating a change vision into action at all levels.
2. Failure to clarify ambiguous goals or clearly define priorities during the transition.
3. Inaccurate assessment of the gap between critical organizational competencies and individual and teams skills.
4. Not enabling people to succeed in the transformed organization.
5. Lack of integration of change expectations into HR management systems.
If you want to be a leader, you need to help management and employees adapt to change and
facilitate alignment between the organization’s culture and ever-changing strategic goals.
Key techniques you can use to help adapt the culture to change include:
❒ Challenge assumptions.
❒ Challenge beliefs.
❒ Look for two or three things that will have the biggest impact on the organization in the future.
❒ Evaluate the implications of the trends on the organization.
❒ Confirm the mission is still valid.
❒ Get rid of the old hierarchy in favor of a fresh approach.
❒ Question the usefulness of past policies, practices, procedures, and attitudes.
❒ Use three or four compelling messages (rather than 50) to communicate mission statements,
goals, and values.
❒ Expand leadership responsibilities to include more individuals.
Ways to align culture with changing strategic goals include:
❒ Identifying the business realities and trends that will affect the organization’s future success.
❒ Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the existing culture opposite future goals.
❒ Exploring all opportunities to facilitate change.
GOOD LUCK ... GO FORTH AND LEAD ! ! !
It’s human nature to resist change, but change is inevitable and happening at a faster pace than ever before. John F. Kennedy said, “The one unchangeable certainty in life is that nothing is unchangeable or certain.”
This is not news to HR professionals, who are increasingly challenged to find ways to lead change, quickly and effectively, within their organizations. When change is in the air, you need leadership tools and techniques at your fingertips.
Be aware of the things that can sabotage your organization's change initiative. In order to survive change, you need to prepare yourself and others for the inevitable, avoid falling into these traps:
1. Lack of clear process for translating a change vision into action at all levels.
2. Failure to clarify ambiguous goals or clearly define priorities during the transition.
3. Inaccurate assessment of the gap between critical organizational competencies and individual and teams skills.
4. Not enabling people to succeed in the transformed organization.
5. Lack of integration of change expectations into HR management systems.
If you want to be a leader, you need to help management and employees adapt to change and
facilitate alignment between the organization’s culture and ever-changing strategic goals.
Key techniques you can use to help adapt the culture to change include:
❒ Challenge assumptions.
❒ Challenge beliefs.
❒ Look for two or three things that will have the biggest impact on the organization in the future.
❒ Evaluate the implications of the trends on the organization.
❒ Confirm the mission is still valid.
❒ Get rid of the old hierarchy in favor of a fresh approach.
❒ Question the usefulness of past policies, practices, procedures, and attitudes.
❒ Use three or four compelling messages (rather than 50) to communicate mission statements,
goals, and values.
❒ Expand leadership responsibilities to include more individuals.
Ways to align culture with changing strategic goals include:
❒ Identifying the business realities and trends that will affect the organization’s future success.
❒ Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the existing culture opposite future goals.
❒ Exploring all opportunities to facilitate change.
GOOD LUCK ... GO FORTH AND LEAD ! ! !
Welcome!
As your HR Coach, I would like to help you excel in your HR career and your life! This Blog has been created to prvide you with information and solutions to you everyday HR needs.
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