Taking the Gloves Off: Leaders and HR

Human resources can be complex, confusing and exasperating. Communications between leaders and their human resources department don't have to be.

Unfortunately, they are.  

Photo credit: iStock

It's time to step out of the ring and start working together.

When human resources professionals live and breathe human resources everyday, they forget what it's like outside the bubble. It's easy for them to judge non-HR leaders harshly. "Don't."  Instead, help them help you. 

• Proactively anticipate needs, develop training resources, analyze data and ask leader what you can do for them.
• Serve as strategic advisers to leaders. Lead effectively, help leaders with workforce planning and creatively work within business constraints to improve how they do business.
• Give leaders a chance, you will be pleased with the results.  

When leaders stay as far away from the human resources bubble as they can, it's easy for some to abdicate their leadership responsibility and to judge human resources staff harshly. "Don't."  Instead, help them to help you.

• Proactively identify needs, ask for the HR training and resources you need.
• Listen to the options, advice and consequences. It is your responsibility to ensure your decisions are informed ones. Ask the tough questions and expect researched responses.
• Give HR a chance, you will be pleased with the results

Ensuring people come to work under the best conditions and are able to perform job they were hired to do is a joint venture between leadership and human resources. Respect goes  a long way to helping each other find ways to get the results the organization needs.

This is not personal. It's business and you each have a job to do.

If you are a leader or human resource professional uncomfortable or bothered by this, no worries, your discomfort or unease will be short-lived. Organizations staffed with leader and human resources staff unwilling or unable to do this will find ones who can.

Now go out there and make me proud.

Taking the Gloves Off: Leaders and HR first appeared on lisarosendahl.com.

Kids, Mind Your Orthodonist: A Day in the Life Sunday

Anna Curzan, delivered a wonderful TED talk, What Makes a Word "Real." While you wonder if  "hangry," "unfriend" and "multislacking" are real words, let me give three real words that are ignored at your own risk: wear your retainer.

Photo credit: iStockphoto

After years of complaining about an overbite (think thumb under front teeth), I set out to correct it as an adult. After 2 years of braces and a little jaw surgery, the overbite was gone and braces came off. The orthodontist sent me out the door with a set of retainers and some direction, "Wear these every night. If you don't, your teeth will shift."

I wore the retainers religiously, at first. Once the novelty wore off they ended up in the back corner of a bathroom drawer never to be seen or heard from again. It took eight years but true to everything that is metal, my lower teeth shifted. The minor shift wasn't too concerning to me and I made a mental note to "get that looked at someday."

That someday came a few years later when one front tooth  jumped (yes, jumped) behind another while I was just sitting at my desk, minding my own business and not causing problems for anyone.

Two teeth can't fill the same space for long with out one pushing the other out (and causing me a little bit of pain) so here I am back in lower braces again.

What's a girl to do? Go for fun colored ortho bands, slap a little berry lipstick on and head out the door - after she requests a permanent retainer she will be unable to remove on her own  - ever.

The post, Kids, Mind Your Orthodontist: A Day in The Life Sunday, first appeared on lisarosendahl.com