tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48343181468813878722024-02-18T19:21:14.085-08:00AnHRInnovatorAnHRInnovator is a blog site dedicated to discussions about the future of HR and the ideas, trends and people who will drive it. It is also a personal journey mapping the development of a new world for HR data services. Hop on and enjoy the ride.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-43777482746353913692016-01-29T07:46:00.003-08:002016-01-29T07:46:58.729-08:00Can the Marriage of Watson and Amelia Produce the Perfect HR Robot?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Once conceived as a metal humanoid
complete with retractable arms, blinking lights and a synthesized voice, a
robot made no attempt to hide what it was: a man-made machine programmed to perform
a specific set of functions and tasks. It served a purpose, to serve the human.
It absorbed, amalgamated and analyzed large amounts of data. It took the danger out of jobs and kept
everyone safe. It had no need to compete with humans or harm them -except to
eliminate the occasional villain of course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The concept of using
artificial intelligence in our day-to-day lives hasn’t changed much over the
years other than the fact that it’s become a reality. In many ways, the
objective is still the same; to automatic redundancies, increase efficiencies,
reduce costs and generate revenue, i.e., make our lives easier and secure. But
here’s where it’s evolved…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Today <a href="http://www.ipsoft.com/what-we-do/amelia/">IPsoft Amelia</a> and <a href="http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/ibmwatson/what-is-watson.html">IBM
Watson’s</a> cognitive technology come close to passing the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150724-the-problem-with-the-turing-test">Turing
Test</a>: a test used to measure a computer’s ability to think, behave and
respond like that of a human. It’s virtually impossible to tell the difference
between Amelia, IPsoft’s virtual assistant, and a real live person on the other
end of the phone. Amelia even looks like a snappily dressed, blond haired,
blue-eyed woman. Not only can she understand what people ask -in 20 languages,
she also responds appropriately to the caller’s emotions both visually and
verbally. All that aside, here’s where Amelia and Watson fail: they struggle
with simulating our less intelligent behaviors. They don’t make enough mistakes
and they don’t lie well. Not to worry though, they’re working on that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">As humans, we’ve been
anthropomorphizing objects since the dawn of time. Before we learned to talk,
stuffed animals sang and danced in our faces by family members, friends and
strangers. As we grew, we named our dolls, our footballs, our plants and cars,
even parts of our bodies. The habit of naming inanimate things and talking to
them never really left us, even as rational adults. So speaking to an <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avatar">avatar</a> about a
problem in the coming future, in some ways, isn’t that much of a stretch though
I’d prefer to hear the error-free truth from a human let alone a robot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">There is already a movement afoot to have
Avatar like support for human resource problems. It's perfect for benefits
administration. How well will it work for recruiting and assessing candidates? Is
that next?</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-65215440781864634282016-01-21T10:24:00.000-08:002016-01-21T10:24:18.258-08:00Success Wakes Up How Early?I read the post below from <a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/" target="_blank">CB Insights </a> the other day and wanted to re-post it here. According to the information in this list provided originally by Laura Vanderkam of the <a href="http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/14-things-successful-people-do-before-breakfast" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a> there are 14 things successful people do before breakfast. The writing in red was added by CB Insights to point out that - at a minimum - it would take you about 3 hours and 36 minutes to accomplish all this.<br />
<br />
Hum - I'm a fairly successful person and have known some other very successful people but I don't know too many of them that wake up at about 4:30 AM to get all this done before heading off to work. Maybe the implication is not that you do it all everyday - it's just these are the kind of things you do?<br />
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Oh well - it is an interesting list all the same. Though if it were my list I'd drop off #13. To heck with the email.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DDn-jxBSbhzzYvSB68eXM8tnAOaOgOOqwfmqEihae5c-K89X-EZdtM3zy19JW6dQNuvmuIpC4mbWwz_KvOWR_NlLxqNmjxG77bZ10AwFFk4U-Rxf4moXN5J9tAbkKHirBAbregDc0Rjh/s1600/Wake+Up+List.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DDn-jxBSbhzzYvSB68eXM8tnAOaOgOOqwfmqEihae5c-K89X-EZdtM3zy19JW6dQNuvmuIpC4mbWwz_KvOWR_NlLxqNmjxG77bZ10AwFFk4U-Rxf4moXN5J9tAbkKHirBAbregDc0Rjh/s400/Wake+Up+List.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's to hoping you all have successful mornings!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-62918207212923282552015-11-13T06:10:00.000-08:002015-11-13T06:11:35.474-08:00What I learned About Running a Business By Throwing Darts<div class="MsoNormal">
I recently started to learn how to throw darts. Pretty much
everyone can throw darts – but not everyone can hit what they are aiming at (me
included) so I decided I’d go online and see if there were lessons about the
proper way to throw darts: Of course there were. And it really came down to
three simple (but not easy to execute) steps.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJiprbscS-cDh1c6nRh0t8Cqz3sWEP8I53xFdOGO4tmdVFZHbLqSogkgCBWE0U0WDJfUMWCL9kN-jBx31ylls0WYyHFQB0OWnP3Wh-rx5P8qT4mgZk9Q2C2qS3nPusdOx94dbTB73HqVe/s1600/blind-823530_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJiprbscS-cDh1c6nRh0t8Cqz3sWEP8I53xFdOGO4tmdVFZHbLqSogkgCBWE0U0WDJfUMWCL9kN-jBx31ylls0WYyHFQB0OWnP3Wh-rx5P8qT4mgZk9Q2C2qS3nPusdOx94dbTB73HqVe/s200/blind-823530_1280.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<ol>
<li>Alignment</li>
<li>Aiming</li>
<li>Motion</li>
</ol>
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The first thing you have to do is make sure you are
positioned the right way (alignment) so that aiming and motion are not impeded.
Once you have that right, you look at what you want to hit – focus on that very
specific target. Lastly, you have to throw it the right way. And the throwing
motion has to work in concert with the alignment and targeting.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Think how many times your business or a project you are
working on misses out on one or more of these items.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’ve all heard employees complain that they aren’t given
the right tools or support (alignment) to complete the task. Or how often
people say they aren’t sure about what the goal is, or how the company’s
processes don’t support the stated goals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition to running my own business I teach management
courses. I’ll often get the question that asks whether management is really
just something innate. Next time I get that questions, I just might use my
darts analogy – everyone thinks they can do it, but without learning how,
you’ll mostly miss the target. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-61832682453484879572015-10-21T18:00:00.000-07:002015-10-21T18:01:06.563-07:00We are looking for unsung heroes<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #969696;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>We are looking for unsung heroes that are courageously taking
a risk and challenging the status quo in their own, genuine way. We want
to honor people that have put forth a creative thought, led with compassion and
created a movement because we believe that doing these things day-in and
day-out is how we will make a positive difference in the world. </b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #969696;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nominate someone or someones that has put
forth a creative thought, led with compassion or created a movement for a 2015
E+ Award. We will be selecting an awardee for each category:<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #969696;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #969696;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- Youth Effort - Under 21<br />
- Local/Regional Effort - Northern Colorado (all ages)<br />
- National/Global Effort - Reaches beyond Colorado (all ages)<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #969696;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #969696;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nominating them only takes a few minutes. The
deadline for making a nomination is November 2, 2015. Award recipients will be
announced January 1, 2016.</b></span><span style="font-family: Roboto, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #969696;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
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Nominate someone at:<a href="http://entreprenerds.biz/2015-e-plus-awards/" target="_blank"> http://entreprenerds.biz/2015-e-plus-awards/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-65855163857220108662015-10-21T17:49:00.000-07:002015-10-21T17:49:26.480-07:00Simple Lessons for Creating High Impact Speeches. <h3 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This is reprinted from a post by </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ava Diamond* and I really liked it so I thought I'd re-post it here for my audience. Not my normal post - but good stuff all the same!</span></span></span></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Masterful speakers don’t
just pop out of the womb that way.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> They learn, they study, they practice. They fail, they
figure out why, and they get better. They overcome their fears and build their
skills. And they <b>deliver powerful messages that transform the lives of
their audiences.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">So how can you
become </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">more
masterful?<b> How can you deliver a speech that inspires, that
entertains, that educates…and that moves people to action?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="color: #3b607e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. Start
Strong</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Don’t start talking as
you’re walking out on stage. </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">That behavior often comes from nerves and takes away from your
power opening<b>.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Instead, say “thank you”
to your introducer as you walk up. Then,<b> confidently walk to the
center of the stage. Stop. Take a moment to ground yourself. Make
eye contact with the audience. Smile. Take a deep breath. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Only then do you open
your mouth. </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">And
you start with something powerful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The first few times you
take this silent pause before you speak it will feel awkward</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">. But what it does is conveys to the audience
that you’re confident, you’re in charge, and that you are ready to connect with
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #3b607e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. Focus on Them</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Your audience can tell
when it’s all about you. And you’ll lose them.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Your total focus has to
be on what you can give </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">them that will be of value to them, and will help them transform
their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Yes, you may be there to
sell </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">your ideas, sell
yourself as an expert, sell your products and services…but this cannot be your
primary focus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">When you are focused on
delivering value to your audience and to serving them in the highest way
possible, those other things will happen.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="color: #3b607e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. Connect with
Your Eyes</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">One thing that separates
great speakers from mediocre speakers is their ability to connect with the
audience.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">So how do you do that?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Eye contact is critical.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">A mistake that many
speakers make is they try to give the impression that they’re making eye
contact with the whole audience, so they move their head like a <b>sprinkler
head</b>, back and forth, back and forth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Instead, connect
with <b>one person at a time</b>. Deliver a thought to one person,
then switch to another and deliver the next thought. Over the course of your
talk, your audience members will feel you are speaking directly to them.
They’ll feel connected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #3b607e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. Be Human</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The days of the “sage on
the stage” are over. </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Today’s
audiences want to engage with a real human being that is authentic, vulnerable,
and has a message that will help their lives get better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Be you. Be
real. </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Allow your personality
and your humanity to shine through. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Don’t imitate a “great
speaker” you saw.<b> Don’t take on a persona </b>of what you think a
speaker should be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Don’t strive for
perfection. That will sabotage you every time. (</span></b><a href="https://avadiamond.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/15383/d2f2142cb5312c61/2028029/bc3b56c7237d39e4" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #0934c1; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">click to tweet</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">)</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Just get on stage and
deliver the absolute<b> best talk you can for that audience in that
moment. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="color: #3b607e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. Don’t Be Distracted
by the Haters</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Focus on the audience
members who are smiling, giving you eye contact, nodding their heads, and are
engaged.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">If you focus on those
who look like they are in disagreement with you, it will throw off your game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">By focusing on those who
are loving your message you’ll feel more confident and relaxed, and will give a
better performance.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="color: #3b607e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These five tips will
help you be more powerful onstage. They’ll help you connect, and to stay
confident and relevant.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 26.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">© 2015 Big Impact Speaking<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 11.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">*Ava Diamond is a
speaking mentor and messaging strategist, and is the founder of Big Impact
Speaking. She has created such programs as Speak Your Way to Clients and
Cash, and the Rock Your Speaking Academy. A professional speaker for
seventeen years, she helps entrepreneurs rock their speaking so they expand
their influence and reach, become known as the “go-to” expert in their field,
and get all the clients they want.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Download the
complementary Rock Your Speaking Power Pack at </span></i><a href="http://bigimpactspeaking.com/" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #0934c1; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://BigImpactSpeaking.com</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Contact Ava at </span></i><a href="mailto:ava@bigimpactspeaking.com" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #0934c1; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ava@bigimpactspeaking.com</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> or at </span></i><a href="tel:970-224-3015" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">970-224-3015</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 11.25pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-63219283298080730172015-05-11T17:02:00.001-07:002015-05-14T07:26:18.387-07:00Ode to the Skeptical HR Leader<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I am doing my
job quite well; thank you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I work from
dawn to dusk. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
And if I feel
I can’t get ahead <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I am good
enough, I trust. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I am an HR
leader.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
And I do my
job quite well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I hear of new
technology. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
But I’ve been
burned before. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I still feel
the pain <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Of the last
big project we bore.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
So what’s all
this I hear: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Big data,
artificial intelligence and social HR?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I’ve heard it
all before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Risk will
tarnish my star.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Too much
magic sauce<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Promised for
HR gain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
So what if I
don’t have time <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
Change isn’t
worth the pain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I’m, an HR
leader, I’ve heard it all before. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I was born to
question,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I’m skeptical
of the sell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I’ll sit back
and see what happens,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
More time
will surely tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
I’m an HR
leader <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
And I do my
job quite well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
HR
revolutions can wait <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
………until I
have more time.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-55863234089711030552015-01-20T09:53:00.000-08:002015-01-20T09:53:31.658-08:00Give a Con a Break<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYo9IYm-4kNb8l7qxEKQ5ClL0auJwhZHK5Cx9fnDwc8u1ZjV6va22D3roWPX14_4x7TF0LV2jbIKpSIgYSLjSJIxHsuLsYwNO-LVz-XnpLmZh53EodQhhZosAOOp___X9eWCGVqySYrgf/s1600/fingerprint-150159_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYo9IYm-4kNb8l7qxEKQ5ClL0auJwhZHK5Cx9fnDwc8u1ZjV6va22D3roWPX14_4x7TF0LV2jbIKpSIgYSLjSJIxHsuLsYwNO-LVz-XnpLmZh53EodQhhZosAOOp___X9eWCGVqySYrgf/s1600/fingerprint-150159_1280.png" height="200" width="136" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The City of San Francisco banned the
use of criminal histories as part of the pre-employment process. Several other
government jurisdictions have considered similar legislation. This trend is
born of the idea that criminal histories may be racist (because minorities tend
to be convicted at a higher rate than non-minorities) and that it exacerbates
the unemployment problem – especially among those with criminal records. OK –
so I am sympathetic to the whole concern about racism creeping into our
judicial system and I understand how that can correlate to unintended job
discrimination. But isn’t this more an issue that should be taken up at the
judicial level? When it comes down to our responsibilities as hiring
professionals, aren’t we the ones best suited to assess whether a person
represents a “bad hire” for our companies? If a person represents a real risk
to the safety of our employees or our customers or if the person could
potentially abuse their position to hurt our company and our shareholders
through fraud or theft or some other action that reflects poorly on the company
– shouldn’t we try and reduce that risk? Of course we should!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But for me the more interesting question (and more difficult
challenge) is how do we truly assess that risk and make smart hiring decisions
about people with previous legal or drug problems. Should they all be damned
forever and a day? Story ended. That would be the easy way to handle the
problem. No need to worry about complex hiring procedures or concerns that
people won’t follow the exact dictates of the company. We hire no one with a
previous conviction or a previous problem with drugs. Period! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’re better than that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A previous conviction does not have to be a permanent
sentence of unemployment. The real solution to the problem above is that
criminal history alone should not be the only reason for rejecting a candidate.
Yes – I understand (I am in the background checking business after all) that
there are very real circumstance that mean zero tolerance (access to vulnerable
populations like children or elderly for example) where the risk is just too
great. But that is what I mean when I say that a criminal history record alone
should not decide the hire/no hire choice. A criminal history record PLUS a
high sensitive position – should mean no hire. Other situations such as repeat
offenders, people with a pattern of multiple problems, a conviction along with
lying on your resume might all be reasons for rejecting a candidate. Patterns
and context should dictate hiring risk – not just single data points. Its
people we are dealing with and people can make mistakes and still move beyond
them. This is where our professionalism comes in. We use data to help make
decisions – we don’t let data make the decisions for us. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-19192177142492476342014-02-27T07:20:00.001-08:002014-02-27T07:20:20.904-08:005 Ways Artificial Intelligence Helps Recruiting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOrsYlRTQpKMgFN2-xOHm1YwYkz0p-9-V4MQ6m8FUi3mGEo_jS7TJZhX6uUpGmub_7sOkX8nrLKnMKGoGuCOfuPPljbQUEfvDsLDD1eUcZvweC-imBxripj9Xe2-CRYww6xmvbJSC_QNN/s1600/woman-163426_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOrsYlRTQpKMgFN2-xOHm1YwYkz0p-9-V4MQ6m8FUi3mGEo_jS7TJZhX6uUpGmub_7sOkX8nrLKnMKGoGuCOfuPPljbQUEfvDsLDD1eUcZvweC-imBxripj9Xe2-CRYww6xmvbJSC_QNN/s1600/woman-163426_640.jpg" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are a lot of new trends in HR around data: Big Data,
Social Data, Data Analytics. But one area that is gaining ground is the use of <a href="http://innotrieve.com/aihr/">Artificial Intelligence in support of HR</a>.
(of course many may argue that those of us in the HR products world have always
been artificially intelligent – but I won’t go there). What I want to discuss
briefly here is 5 key ways that Artificial Intelligence can be used to improve
the processes of recruiting: finding the right talent quickly. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Goes Beyond Key Words</b>: most search and discovery
solutions can only find candidates that use the same words you use when you
write the job description. If you say Marketing Manager, you’ll get people who
use that term. But you might miss the perfect candidate who happens to have the
right skills but a different job title and maybe a less traditional career
path. AI uses data clustering techniques to create job clusters so you can
identify these alternative skills and titles.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> <b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><b>Fast and Accurate</b>: Have you ever spent hours
poring over social and professional media sites to try and find that perfect
candidate? Artificial Intelligence based search can look through that same data
in seconds using refined searching and matching that helps you narrow in on
what you are looking for.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> <b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><b>Perfect For the New World of Social Recruiting</b>:
Data in the social “ether” is growing and become more and more relevant to work
place decision making. But not all the data follows the traditional rules of
old-style recruiting. People talk about their skills and experiences in
different ways, their job titles are unique (and funky) and while all of this
is fun, it can make it harder to find people. AI based data matching has no problem
with these anomalies. Chief Idea Officer, no problem, Chief Moral Officer, no
problem, Beer Ranger, AI loves that title too!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Customizes to your Needs</b>: Not everybody who says
they want a project manager or a sales lead or a client support specialist means
the same thing. Sometimes you can see that clearly in the job description,
other times, not so much. With artificial intelligence based matching, you can
work with predicted outcomes to customize the kinds of people and skills you
are really looking for. This allows you to build the customized profile for a
particular job that is matched to your needs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Gets Smarter</b>: The final and perhaps most
important element of Artificial Intelligence is that it gets smarter the longer
you use it. AI adjusts to patterns it recognizes. So it you hire sales people
with a certain background and experience level, every time you accept or reject
a match the system finds for you, it begins to understand that pattern and
adjusts the types of recommendations it forwards to you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Artificial Intelligence is gaining a foothold with HR
products. If you want to find out more about it, feel free to talk to us at <a href="http://innotrieve.com/">Innotrieve</a>. We can get a little nerdy about
it, but we’ll make sure you learn what you need to know about this valuable HR
tool.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-46044532006461273512014-02-05T13:02:00.001-08:002014-02-05T13:02:06.830-08:00TaskRabbit is the New Recruiting Model<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m5wDIBe7dr0wL9GmteC37SFzK2cLrZVh6EjQsRI2hygMc_o_EwDhf9o0Vd_-uyPptfpetzPpEXVTaJbSyuLTPfblsZ5QmuI6a8_FEjcFuVFRcBNTO9M5ucmGJHTp7EX-f0VX1fqSlv-B/s1600/taskrabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m5wDIBe7dr0wL9GmteC37SFzK2cLrZVh6EjQsRI2hygMc_o_EwDhf9o0Vd_-uyPptfpetzPpEXVTaJbSyuLTPfblsZ5QmuI6a8_FEjcFuVFRcBNTO9M5ucmGJHTp7EX-f0VX1fqSlv-B/s1600/taskrabbit.jpg" height="200" title="tasktabbit is a tradmarked logo" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from TaskRabbit, Inc.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you heard about the company Task Rabbit? Basically it
is a site (<a href="https://www.taskrabbit.com/">https://www.taskrabbit.com/</a>)
where you can post a task you want done: Walk the dog, pick up laundry, or wash
your windows. You name it, you can post it. But there are no employees sitting
behind the scenes waiting to be tasked to do your chore. Instead it is an open
market exchange where people post a task and other people (just everyday
people) bid on doing the job for you. I read that the # 1 task requested in
TaskRabbit is building your Ikea furniture. (I think my wife would agree with
that after the last time she had me build something…I don’t understand why she
thought it was bad to have a lot of leftover parts).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a lesson in the TaskRabbit model for recruiting.
And this lesson may be in both how you recruit and whom – or should I say what –
you recruit. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First – how you recruit. Recruiters talk about the
importance of networks, but in reality act either like islands and do all the work themselves, or act
like King Edward VIII and abdicate their role to third party recruiters. But
there is a better way and TaskRabbit has a hint of that better way. Get someone
to help you. Both recruiters and employees have a vast network of people who
you can ask for help. Employee Referral Linking Solutions like Innotrieve’s <a href="http://innotrieve.com/referrallink/">Referral Link</a> is a great example
of one of these solutions. With these tools you can quickly find people in the
vast network of connections you have that might either be interested in the
open job you posted, or know someone who is. Let your employees help you find
the resources you need.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second trend is who you recruit. Most companies,
especially big companies think they need full time help. Yes, there is a trend
to do more contracting, but that is the lazy way out. Companies should use the
network of contacts that their employees have to create a grand marketplace of
talent. What do you think it would be like if IBM or Cisco, or GE had a Task
Board, where everyday people could simply bid on a task? Would the world come
to an end? Would we blame it on Obamacare? No, we’d simply get a good task done by
someone we don’t know.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My bet is that we will all use <a href="http://innotrieve.com/digital-recruiting-is-not-mission-impossible/">advanced
employee referral solutions</a> to connect us to a bigger world, and we will
all be better for it.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-10689436072737909982014-01-22T07:23:00.002-08:002014-01-22T07:23:53.124-08:00An HR Entrepreneur in the Navy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lUsNnRobWwTfZA0rn7S4xlxKaxV9zfXGFlvB0Dp7YIx30yUz9Hz5nC6OodQisokzUJvTcor9ra_hgEnOgjD9AMPZEX-HHpKSWnyZYhdqEcfAkJXZWJm-nTLSobq9YPkpR36mHGjvBfql/s1600/us-navy-81492_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lUsNnRobWwTfZA0rn7S4xlxKaxV9zfXGFlvB0Dp7YIx30yUz9Hz5nC6OodQisokzUJvTcor9ra_hgEnOgjD9AMPZEX-HHpKSWnyZYhdqEcfAkJXZWJm-nTLSobq9YPkpR36mHGjvBfql/s1600/us-navy-81492_640.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a>When I was a kid my dad told me being in the Navy was all about hurry-up-and-wait. As he explained it you were always supposed to quickly move from one place to the next, but once you got there you typically had to stand around and wait. Hurry-up-and-wait.<br />
<br />
As an entrepreneur in HR (probably not unique to HR) I feel like this sometimes. Everything we do is urgent, but when we get there, we typically have to wait. Wait on software development, wait on investor funds, wait on sales prospects, and wait on customers.<br />
<br />
Our product <a href="http://innotrieve.com/referrallink/" target="_blank">Referral Link</a> was over a year in the making and finally went live in November. I felt like a <a href="http://blogs.sap.com/innovation/big-data/impact-of-big-data-015614" target="_blank">Formula 1</a> race car sitting at the starting line ready to roar into high gear. 0 to 180 MPH in practically no time. We are ready to win the race.<br />
<br />
Thing is, products that break old boundaries and introduce new ways to do things are rarely a race. Maybe a marathon, but never a sprint. Good ideas take time to take hold.<br />
<br />
We have started to introduce the <a href="https://referrallink.innotrieve.com/" target="_blank">Referral Link</a> product to the market place. Like any company full of more smarts than cash, we are following a Lean Start Up model. We are well beyond the MVP, but we are well into Lean Marketing. No Super Bowl ads for us. (Although I do think Jennifer Lawrence would be the perfect person to endorse our product at halftime – fiery and fierce, yet innovative…yes we do have an inflated image of ourselves). Instead though, we are slowly bringing the product to market by introducing it to certain targeted customer groups. We are getting a feel for how customers respond to the product, how the product performs and where the product best fits in the value chain.<br />
<br />
So I guess taking over the world with our<a href="http://innotrieve.com/innotrieveinsights1/" target="_blank"> new innovation in recruiting</a> is going to have to wait. In the meantime, I need to hurry up and get some things done. World domination takes preparation.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-72128770231758436972014-01-08T14:02:00.002-08:002014-01-08T14:02:09.503-08:00Can I Refer A Co-Worker<div class="MsoNormal">
I think the guy I go to lunch with everyday really would be
great as a business analyst in the IT department but I don’t think anyone over
there takes it seriously when he applies for a job. I want to formally refer
him next time they have an opening.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp31kuHaFvgauFXuubQHNbXh7E9p_jP39ENwp8lvmTizjV59BLRZOFxcEjD85g1ln8JpGv6Sec6VxRtKr6NcDKSRtEpsFziRzFKZhj57H7JPVkSQtkVrCHDRPXXuHpjws8nc4zh3C0OkOh/s1600/mourning-77382_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp31kuHaFvgauFXuubQHNbXh7E9p_jP39ENwp8lvmTizjV59BLRZOFxcEjD85g1ln8JpGv6Sec6VxRtKr6NcDKSRtEpsFziRzFKZhj57H7JPVkSQtkVrCHDRPXXuHpjws8nc4zh3C0OkOh/s1600/mourning-77382_640.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>We've been having an interesting dialog with some of our
customers about whether or not they would include current employees in their
referral programs. Our application, <a href="http://innotrieve.com/referrallink/" target="_blank">Referral Link</a>, automatically searches an
employee’s network and prompts them about potential candidates they could
refer. Everybody has lots of their co-workers that they are connected to in
various social and professional networks. Should we filter out those names?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few customers say absolutely yes. Filter out all current
employees. That was not too unexpected. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what is more interesting is the companies who are
saying, NO: do not filter them out. Their argument is that a co-worker’s opinion
about a fellow employee is valuable input and, when you are a fairly large
organization, it can be hard to stay close to everybody’s interests and skills
(even when you believe you have a good program to promote internal movement and
career growth). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This can freak out employees too. When they get a name
forwarded to them as a potential candidate for referral and that person is
someone they already work with, they usually discount it as a bad
recommendation. But is it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How many of us know employees who languished in their
organization for years and then finally left for better opportunities elsewhere.
Don’t we wish someone would have let us know they were well suited for a new
job within the organization? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I work in PC support but what I’d really like to do is work
in customer service, but no one over there seems to take me seriously when I
apply."</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe a little “internal referral” help would push this
along before the company, pushes them out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hey buddy, can you spare me a referral!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-76598525943869120002013-12-05T07:49:00.000-08:002014-12-16T06:34:41.413-08:00Change and the Death of the Chocolate Santa Claus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQENUzs-oaC5Ta_E5RvlZSl8vyk6JFbLfh_fWEsIh-cHLeDpcUtFf4aZvLfPqW55nerR824FGumhQWRqBQs3dMPLVQg5ShrSVPHyyAf4-uCGAzF04s5OgV7Xl1wHATbsySOlDAhsIx7pW/s1600/Santa.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQENUzs-oaC5Ta_E5RvlZSl8vyk6JFbLfh_fWEsIh-cHLeDpcUtFf4aZvLfPqW55nerR824FGumhQWRqBQs3dMPLVQg5ShrSVPHyyAf4-uCGAzF04s5OgV7Xl1wHATbsySOlDAhsIx7pW/s1600/Santa.bmp" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
The chocolate Santa Claus first poked his head out of my stocking in 1965. All you could see was that shiny, silvery red head just above those glinty Santa eyes. He’s appeared in my stocking every year since then. That’s 48 years of Santa heads peering out at me. There won’t be one there this year. My family informed me that it is a waste of time, we already have too many sweets around the house during the holidays that are a lot better. (I am willing to concede the second half of this argument but, REALLY, I did not know there was such a thing as too many sweets).<br />
<br />
I've reluctantly conceded. Santa will be missed.<br />
<br />
Tradition is a hard thing to break. Have you ever noticed how “traditions” are romanticized when you talk about personal traditions but professional traditions can be seen as pejorative; as in “mired in old traditions”? I don’t think it is that simple. As a boss when do you give up on doing things the way they've always been done? The question is not easy to answer.<br />
<br />
Tradition reinforces culture, creates a foundation. I don’t know if the story attributed to Pablo Picasso is true, but it is rumored that he said you must first learn to paint like the masters before you can extend the boundaries of your own art.<br />
<br />
As an HR entrepreneur I continuously challenge myself and my customers to extend the boundaries of their art. So maybe I shouldn't really complain that the “art” of great Christmas Chocolate has moved beyond stale milk chocolate Santas.<br />
<br />
I am going to begin a tradition of dark chocolate peppermint bark.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-38022692303730929992013-11-20T08:42:00.000-08:002013-11-21T06:37:51.056-08:00Being an HR Entrepreneur is a Piece of Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTeLglV0NVavq6SSsvJeR3Wa_biF-eXKz9ZuF3R-Wm7TFANvFaSujT1dIuvRjEqvxihJwxjn4XoDEpkmdYDFqhcSDobWdl-DKU6u51_p9984kcqF_ZxQoNMsOGkteSupn5sP3Dqq-jf4n/s1600/food-25449_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTeLglV0NVavq6SSsvJeR3Wa_biF-eXKz9ZuF3R-Wm7TFANvFaSujT1dIuvRjEqvxihJwxjn4XoDEpkmdYDFqhcSDobWdl-DKU6u51_p9984kcqF_ZxQoNMsOGkteSupn5sP3Dqq-jf4n/s1600/food-25449_640.png" height="197" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I had a dollar for every HR start-up, I wouldn't have to
start up my own HR venture!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you noticed how many people seem to be starting HR
companies lately? I talked to an Angel Fund manager a few weeks back and he
said “We've already talked to 2 HR start-ups this week.” There was no room at
that Inn.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wonder if these people starting new ventures in HR feel
like HR is a piece of cake. There are certain things in the world where people
think they are experts without putting in the effort to gain expertise. Parenting is one example, marketing seems to
be that way too, but so is HR. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I find HR entrepreneurship very hard. I have helped many HR
companies over the last 30 years discover and build new products for HR. After
helping sell the last one, I decided to start a business on my own. I have (as
I said above) 30 years of experience building HR products. But I have never
been an HR practitioner. So the first thing I did was form an advisory group
made up of some of the best HR people I know. They are my life blood and my
muses. It took several ideas developed, proposed, adjusted and revised before
we came to anything we thought made sense and would truly fill a hole in
existing HR processes. (We didn't want to build the same thing everyone else is
building). It wasn't a piece of cake. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The result of this effort is what we call Referral Link: <a href="http://innotrieve.com/referrallink/">http://innotrieve.com/referrallink/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We just released yesterday – but we still have miles to go.
The product is good but it is not everything that it can be. HR is a crowded
market, HR Directors and Managers are smart, savvy buyers, HR has extremely
tight budgets and very demanding ROI requirements, and HR people know when a product
really helps them and when it is just another version of something that already
works well enough. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And boy has this been anything but a piece of cake.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-22553553853404860242013-10-02T07:18:00.001-07:002013-10-02T07:20:13.691-07:00How Far is Far Enough for A Lean HR Product?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXgIQ3NR0M3ibgAa-4oncEy8R0JYqCZPIfj0bGiSIgpuOaZ15Mhb91VmHY3ywqPebQxvkbABT2a1V4VJxsb6eWe5FKg4N8s8uivwYg2sossQFDBrVyLHhhrZQlkQrxwybM92j0vzE-IGw/s1600/face-73401_150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXgIQ3NR0M3ibgAa-4oncEy8R0JYqCZPIfj0bGiSIgpuOaZ15Mhb91VmHY3ywqPebQxvkbABT2a1V4VJxsb6eWe5FKg4N8s8uivwYg2sossQFDBrVyLHhhrZQlkQrxwybM92j0vzE-IGw/s1600/face-73401_150.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Better is the enemy of done. I heard that saying about a
decade ago from a business development executive. I was the senior product
development guy and he wanted me to hurry up. I didn’t. We had a great product
release too, I might add.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But now that I have gained experience and respect for the
Lean Start Up strategy, I think about that sentence differently than I used to.
I am beginning to realize that customer reaction to your product may be the best
way to (eventually) get it right. But how much “not yet right” is too much? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was very comfortable with our Minimum Viable Product
release. It did about 50% of what the production release will do, but the test
customers knew that, and the things it didn’t do did not distract from the
basic customer experience. I felt good about that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But now Release 1.0 is going out the end of this month
(IT-Gods Willing) and I feel like a teenager on prom night: All I can see are
the pimples. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I asked this question of my advisory team. They said it has
to be measured by the customer experience. The product has to be good-enough
for the customer. I liked that answer, but it doesn’t fully work. Most features
are (or should be) oriented toward the best customer experience possible. So
when I look at the recruiter dashboard and think it needs to have data
displayed more clearly, does Lean SU suggest I let that go and see what the
customer thinks. Maybe. It depends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am comfortable with our first product. But I stay awake
thinking about that last pimple.<o:p></o:p></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-63762052272873350782013-09-26T06:56:00.000-07:002013-09-26T07:05:43.658-07:005 Considerations When Pitching an HR Product<div class="MsoNormal">
We are trying to raise money for our world-beater new HR product.
Problem is, we have to convince a bunch of very skeptical people to give us
their money to help us do it. I think they should recognize our brilliance and
open up their wallets. But since that isn't going to happen, we have been
refining our story: Our Pitch. For those
of you who are embarking on a similar path, here are 5 considerations when
pitching your product (with tongue only slightly in cheek)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDIbVp-UK7CAGJfb-h-XWg5HztFlRE-t0FAuAI43bVGVG5q5u2aPqJMkTPb0BrsftgXkoqBrOJSYaOXZS0aoeEgHXuyt9Ovz4tpwqREUX_lLkh-I6xjgdiKCb4Okpf65dxGtrtWYT56Pj/s1600/megaphone-50092_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDIbVp-UK7CAGJfb-h-XWg5HztFlRE-t0FAuAI43bVGVG5q5u2aPqJMkTPb0BrsftgXkoqBrOJSYaOXZS0aoeEgHXuyt9Ovz4tpwqREUX_lLkh-I6xjgdiKCb4Okpf65dxGtrtWYT56Pj/s1600/megaphone-50092_640.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>
<li><b>Size Matters</b>: How big is this market we call HR? You can
argue that it is a $4.5 Billion industry or even a $21 Billion industry. If you
are going to argue that you have a world-beater product, you better know how
much of the world you are going to beat.</li>
<li><b>The A Team</b>: The senior management team should have some clue
about what they are doing, and should have some experience doing it. That's not to say a really smart tech guy and a great product person can't figure out something worth doing, but your learning curve could be rather steep. </li>
<li><b>Be an Aspirin in a Room Full of Headaches</b>: You have to build
something that people really want. You have to solve a problem worth solving.
If you are doing one of those projects where your main product mantra is “they
just don’t know they need it yet” you are going to have a very long sales
cycle.</li>
<li><b>Be Jack in The Bean Stock</b>: You need to show that with only a
little bit of water, that puppy is going to take off! (This may not be 100%
true, but the people you are talking to have to be told it is).</li>
<li><b>Know where the Exit Sign is</b>: Strangely enough, when people
give you money they really want to know when they are going to get it back. You
need to be very clear about what happens in about 5 years from now. The fact that
no one has ever been accurate in this prediction is not relevant; you just need
to show you are going to try.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After you have these 5 ideas down, now all you need to do is
say them over and over again about 40 or 50 times. If you are lucky (and yes,
luck does have something to do with it) you eventually find someone who
believes in you. It is a beautiful thing!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wish us luck…we are almost there!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-91794766895081106632013-09-19T07:35:00.001-07:002013-09-19T10:40:08.604-07:00Do Recruiters (or Hiring Managers) Get the New Career Path<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheN7nezHg9cSCsDlIs3EhKAKkdJ6j4SGUG6FhUcASuXABzuDrWwJC9IApD18tBRbL1Ppj-fv3fIdJ0g_v-RbOIScAU0RXts5bYB4SYrDLxLsALZeb-ss__vqLD03nQnsMOuN6jbAraxZW9/s1600/learn-64058_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheN7nezHg9cSCsDlIs3EhKAKkdJ6j4SGUG6FhUcASuXABzuDrWwJC9IApD18tBRbL1Ppj-fv3fIdJ0g_v-RbOIScAU0RXts5bYB4SYrDLxLsALZeb-ss__vqLD03nQnsMOuN6jbAraxZW9/s1600/learn-64058_640.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A fellow named Sir Ken Robinson who is famous for a TED talk
about how schools kill creativity said in a recent Fast Company article the
following:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It’s important to note, that there just isn’t a straight
line between what you do at school and what you go on to do in your career. I
argue that it is like being in the ocean. You keep correcting your course
according to the things that happen to you. But companies force us to write
resumes as though it were a plan.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He goes on later to say that “…companies need people who can
think differently and adapt to be creative.” And finishes his argument making
the point that we live in a world of ideas and concepts where imagination is
the most important element of our long term success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But do we look for imagination when we recruit? How often do
we throw out the resume that isn’t an exact match to a specific set of skills? Is
this getting even more pervasive now that we let automation drive our screening
process? The HR space is rife with companies claiming they can find you the
better candidate faster. But they can only find the candidates that fit
narrow criteria.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How can that work if – as many studies have shown – skills learned
today will be obsolete in 3 to 5 years?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do we recruit for the “best athlete,” the one who has
that well rounded set of skills that allows them to adapt, and to be creative
and productive in uncertain and changing times?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was in the early days of my career I worked in a
consulting firm. We specialized in building automated tools to help
support complex business systems problems. As we grew very rapidly we wanted to
understand how we could grow managers more quickly. Accordingly, we set about
assessing what the common characteristics were for our most accomplished
leaders. We found two things: 1) it was not our best engineers who succeeded,
but the ones who had some form of liberal arts education in their background.
And, 2) they had experienced a wide ranging and diversified set of experiences
at the firm. They had not stuck to a single career path</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So that kid with the degree in art history, take a second
look. S/he just might be your next CIO.<o:p></o:p></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-79755682673507268822013-09-13T08:21:00.001-07:002013-09-13T08:21:38.511-07:00It's Flooding Out There<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQQ5zGsnniboljKJ7LYzQF3JqKb13P7stLTA_4qfR5T6r3g59Xq0dmiQs8ispX7tgmy0S8oeVD162SVFIY5g2V1an-ESTvMhi7t4oPJhyphenhyphen6bGLoTeqL3KXZB88RkrxeUfonPkV9OIMPxHY/s1600/high-water-123222_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQQ5zGsnniboljKJ7LYzQF3JqKb13P7stLTA_4qfR5T6r3g59Xq0dmiQs8ispX7tgmy0S8oeVD162SVFIY5g2V1an-ESTvMhi7t4oPJhyphenhyphen6bGLoTeqL3KXZB88RkrxeUfonPkV9OIMPxHY/s1600/high-water-123222_640.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I awoke this morning to the phone ringing at 5:45. It was
the Assisted Living facility that my mother-in-law lives in. The entire first
floor is underwater. It has been raining in Colorado for 4 days. That is
unheard of. We are practically a desert
here. Average rainfall for this area is around 15 inches in an entire year: we've
had 12 inches (and more) in the last 3 days. This has not been one of those
flash flood types of events (although some places have had a bit of that); it
has been just a steady rise of water. My wife and I want to go get her mother. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We can’t</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The roads are all closed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t get to my office either. There are about 4 different
ways that I can drive from my home to my office. But they all pass over the
Poudre River. I tried all four this morning. The river that is usually about 10
to 15 feet across is as much as 50 to 100 feet across. The bridges are still
intact, but they won’t let us drive over them.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When things like this happen, perspective changes. I had a
lot of urgent things I had to do today. Not so much now. Now we need to try and
make sure those we love are safe. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-40072101488183150012013-08-21T06:50:00.000-07:002013-08-21T06:50:07.168-07:00No Room for New Innovation in HR?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEJyIbfYi9mqJCKOdl1cuhnAfpwYM1QbxdCRqQzfqj5XYD9cU2kCiBnfqlOJoJ2g7hFa7YREORHkIV9AQG5Fn2B9nbWaWLs1euI14Pg43wnn5QLVtdE0YLjP82TdTF14IOf1SvdmZWEql/s1600/team-115887_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEJyIbfYi9mqJCKOdl1cuhnAfpwYM1QbxdCRqQzfqj5XYD9cU2kCiBnfqlOJoJ2g7hFa7YREORHkIV9AQG5Fn2B9nbWaWLs1euI14Pg43wnn5QLVtdE0YLjP82TdTF14IOf1SvdmZWEql/s1600/team-115887_640.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the statement I heard at the end of my day
yesterday: “We've heard pitches from four HR Companies already this year and
haven’t funded any of them. There just seems to be too many of them.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Really?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am in the process of raising seed capital for my company.
Yes. A new HR company. And that is what I heard after my latest presentation to
a funding group. They said they really don’t get HR (I don’t doubt that) and
that there seems to be too many people in the space right now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t think of a more fascinating space to be in right
now. The changes that are going to happen in the way people work, find jobs,
get paid, sign up for benefits, work mobilely, work remotely, live in Africa….
and the list goes on, is going to radically change what HR means, how it is
managed and the tools we use to practice it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
HR is an extremely dynamic field and the lack of support
from venture capital is short sighted. HR can compete with almost any other
field in terms of dollars spent in the space, growth opportunity, and market
dynamics. And the list of truly clever innovators competes with any field out
there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The problem is that most people who fund new ventures grew
up in an age when HR was an administrative function that cost too much money. Yesterday’s
senior executives saw HR as necessary but not strategic. Innovation in HR meant
cutting costs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That hasn’t changed much in the companies out there today,
but it does not take much insight to see the change coming. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you want to be one of the most dynamic and relevant enterprises
of the future, HR advances happening in the basements and garages of innovative
HR entrepreneurs will be a crucial element of your success. And the leaders in
this space are going to make a lot of money. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wake up people in the venture funding world; you are going
to miss one of the next big things!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-80092774494917111232013-08-14T19:00:00.002-07:002013-08-14T19:00:03.911-07:00One View of Jobs in 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXB-loV2ZPtyFnmba-s8VWWMeyXGFlDHt-y-Q1UJZm7pPUPxP93OhgFGmsX3RdXhyklMFTiTf5ULa5Gs6OgcLCgZfD6DpTRkkB-RKAkMdW9ws_v8IPRumJl6YUVXUe1hSZiSOQVc1x6zk/s1600/ball-93118_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXB-loV2ZPtyFnmba-s8VWWMeyXGFlDHt-y-Q1UJZm7pPUPxP93OhgFGmsX3RdXhyklMFTiTf5ULa5Gs6OgcLCgZfD6DpTRkkB-RKAkMdW9ws_v8IPRumJl6YUVXUe1hSZiSOQVc1x6zk/s1600/ball-93118_640.jpg" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been said (by some pundit somewhere) that a skill
learned today will be obsolete in 3 years. So what do you think….should we all
stop learning. Probably not.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the more radical views of how jobs will change came
from John Seely Brown (a pretty smart guy that ran Xerox research in the 90’s).
He suggested the corporation of the future will be made up of one employee and
a dog. The employee is there to monitor the machines, and the dog is there to make
sure he doesn't touch anything. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We may never go quite that far, but the basic idea is right
on. Work in the next decade is going to change radically. The new employment
economy is going to be even more radically affected by workplace
technology than it was in the last decade (think 3D printers are cool now…). There will be a major shift in worker
attitudes about the concept of "employment and career". And location will be replaced by “statelessness:” breaking the link between where you work and
where you live.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All this adds up to a very different kind of workplace
in the next ten years. Will
today’s computer programmer be set aside like an old typewriter? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the county I live in the Workforce Center commissioned a
study last year that said (among other things) that to
attract and retain jobs in our county we would have to:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Dramatically increase the number of workers in physical
science, architecture, engineering, arts (yes – arts), media and math.</li>
<li>Develop a comprehensive infrastructure (clusters) to support
talent and talent development</li>
<li>Create a culture of collaboration and cooperation (wonder if
today's traditional CEO will get that concept)</li>
<li>And strengthen our schools so that they produce better
thinkers. Especially ones with a good foundation in math</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, foremost in all of this is that we will have to be a
generation of continuous learners. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How will HR respond to that? How will recruiters used to skills based hiring understand how to assess people who may know a little
JAVA today, but will need a new (yet to be invented) skill one year
from now? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wanted: Smart person who really knows their stuff and can
learn more stuff. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Maybe those kids with liberal arts degrees weren't</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> so wrong. (Especially if they a know a little math as well!)</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-83772418910443902962013-08-07T07:01:00.001-07:002013-08-08T06:30:29.352-07:00How Many Light Bulbs Does it Take to Change an HR Person<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjme1Wm9GDZH54RUnx4d9mb5xaKb3s88tMJHRF_smBWlaHJLDfEA2XSSYh3pFy4OztMxLB-vOE8S-HEa1MgAiYZRfvUBnOPWDJ4dpSeSQUkaQ4Wo5P7SOFwEnwpukuEOXpDuVaZlNU6z1V/s1600/black-33238_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjme1Wm9GDZH54RUnx4d9mb5xaKb3s88tMJHRF_smBWlaHJLDfEA2XSSYh3pFy4OztMxLB-vOE8S-HEa1MgAiYZRfvUBnOPWDJ4dpSeSQUkaQ4Wo5P7SOFwEnwpukuEOXpDuVaZlNU6z1V/s1600/black-33238_640.png" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three….But they all have to be broken first.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a posting a few weeks back The HR Introvert wrote a Blog
entitled: <a href="http://www.thehrintrovert.com/2010/11/how-many-hr-people-does-it-take-to-change-a-light-bulb/">How
Many HR People Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb</a>. I liked these three the
best:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>None. They're used to working in the dark</li>
<li>One. But it will take him a while to get the approvals</li>
<li>We don't know, their committee is still working on it</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt;">
<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But I thought it might
be fun to ponder the opposite question: How many light bulbs (ideas) does it
take to change an HR Person?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt;">
<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now I am not saying
that HR people are any more set in their ways than any other average professional,
but then again, there is that employee handbook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt;">
<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was talking to a
local bank executive the other day who was interested in having my new company
as a customer. We are building a set of HR data products using advance
artificial intelligence. Pretty cool stuff and he was impressed (OK – he did
want my business) but he said he showed it to the HR VP and she said: “We
already have too much data.” Hum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt;">
<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How many times in HR
have we used the phrase: That’s the way we do it here?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt;">
<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">HR seems to me to be
one of the more dynamic fields these days. That’s why I’m in it. Big Data,
Social Recruiting, Just in Time Resourcing, Autonomous Work Groups, just read
the blogs of the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vala-afshar/the-top-100-most-social-h_b_3526596.html">Top
100 Most Social Human Resources Experts on Twitter</a> and you can see how
dynamic it really is. But it is also one of the slowest to embrace change.
Maybe we are gun shy in the HR field, but change is going to be the most important
factor of our success in the next decade!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt;">
<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So how many ideas does
it take to change an HR person? Here’s a few thoughts that come to mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">One – It just has to
come from the CEO</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Two – One from a SHRM
conference and the other from someone already doing it</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">None – I don’t have
time right now</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #030303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.05pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Will it be on the SPHR
test?</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 3.15pt;">
<span style="color: #030303; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Give me some of your
ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-20678836509091303812013-07-17T08:17:00.001-07:002013-07-17T08:21:09.036-07:00Hire A Network: 3 Examples That Already Pay Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifh6-JUx-0UtphvBlPMlCM6mDlpcEhLYPbXF3bDLG63cf1MrIr-IQKpc9dz6qCIKRTXQubyUqim4A84WiP38RCV2BlMCH6UDoGQ9u3eFaGemJURQwXoMWW5clVgrxnjqgCJNlY7uRZa2Wf/s1600/community-64195_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifh6-JUx-0UtphvBlPMlCM6mDlpcEhLYPbXF3bDLG63cf1MrIr-IQKpc9dz6qCIKRTXQubyUqim4A84WiP38RCV2BlMCH6UDoGQ9u3eFaGemJURQwXoMWW5clVgrxnjqgCJNlY7uRZa2Wf/s1600/community-64195_640.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What if you could get a whole lot of people to think about
your problem and come up with a set of ideas, and you really didn't have to pay
for it, and none of the people thinking about your problem really work for you?
Is that kind of thing possible? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By now we have all heard of Crowd Sourcing. There are lots
of crazy stories about finding gold mines, building space ships, solving social
ills that come out of crowd sourcing. I tried it: I got nothing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But this got me thinking: Isn't all this connectivity that
is going on really the next step for crowd sourcing. Isn't posting a job on
Twitter or Linked In or any other social media site a form of crowd sourcing? Does
this mean recruiters are really cool geeks in disguise (OK – I am going too far
now!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we hire a new employee we just added (on average) 200
new Linked In connections, countless new friends on Facebook and who knows how
many Twitter-heads will now be able to re-tweet on behalf of our company. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Does that mean our company just got more connected? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is not as far-fetched as it might seem, and the road to “hire
a network” may be closer than it seems. Here are three examples of jobs that
take advantage of their network every day:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Sales: it has always been about connections for people in
sales. Now, instead of a Rolodex, it is a huge network of social media connections.
Do you think they just try and push product on those connections: No way. </li>
<li>Technology: When one of your software engineers is baffled
today, they go online to multiple user sites and pose the question to their
peers. Within minutes there are a host of answers.</li>
<li>Researchers: Same thing. They keep well connected through a
variety of specialized sites that allow them to work with other people in the
science industry who tackle similar types of problems.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Really, when you think about it, don’t these three jobs
really count on some form of crowd sourcing to help them get their job done
each and every day?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Will the operations manager be next?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
How about HR? You bet.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-11466403105054436102013-07-03T07:30:00.000-07:002013-07-03T07:30:01.370-07:00We’re Spending Too Much on HR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUKjBgj8Qgv5dx7MuGwfMVuR0FPzKbNW9tWruvcCnVGK1wdp8M_jC0b8Fk9yEQBlOQ2WBgphDSRGIgp7q6FDic_nPYWKSUDGtlxf4wY2f6B5iUOvbJFYgN3a0RWXRaGf4Ql4MeRUXYtmK/s640/tree-138563_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUKjBgj8Qgv5dx7MuGwfMVuR0FPzKbNW9tWruvcCnVGK1wdp8M_jC0b8Fk9yEQBlOQ2WBgphDSRGIgp7q6FDic_nPYWKSUDGtlxf4wY2f6B5iUOvbJFYgN3a0RWXRaGf4Ql4MeRUXYtmK/s640/tree-138563_640.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The CEO just stopped by your office and said all the company’s
resources next year are going into a major growth initiative and we need to cut
cost in all non-essential functions. He wants 10% reduced from the HR Budget. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was listening to the radio the other morning and there was
a story about the wildfires in the west. The interview was with the government
manager in charge of forest fire management. He made the following statement:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We spent so much money last year on putting out fires there
was no money left for fire prevention”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not making this up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not making up the HR budget story either. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was with a company a few years back that was hell-bent on
growth: Acquisitions, expanded sales, development of overseas markets, new
products; anywhere we could grow we pursued. It was expensive and money had to
come from departments that weren't directly contributing to this big push. That
(it was assumed) included HR.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you wonder about cause and effect when you see that two
years later the growth is behind schedule, employee turnover is up, morale is
down, service quality is down and reputation in the industry suffers?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There wasn't enough money for fire prevention.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are we spending too much on HR? After a decade of squeezing
more and more out of our HR budgets, has this helped make companies better? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Did you see this headline the other day? <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/06/30/americans-hate-jobs-office-perks/2457089/">Americans
Hate Their Jobs, Even With Perks</a>. Here’s a quote from the article: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Just 30% of employees are engaged and inspired at work,
according to Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace Report, which
surveyed more than 150,000 full- and part-time workers during 2012. ….. A little
more than half of workers (52%) have a perpetual case of the Mondays — they're
present, but not particularly excited about their job.</span>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">We are spending so much money on putting out fires, there’s
not enough money for fire prevention.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-17200905846324480292013-06-26T08:25:00.002-07:002013-06-26T13:15:20.252-07:00Build Something That Matters: 8 Things that Drive Our Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMPl_8Yd-Uwcrkrs_zwgIaZpvF-i2kkQmHDJuCmb9eHc7OOaUu1sUTTFH-Fyi9bJvKb5xcebxC809p-Rxcd0nmk-PzJbWk8Pg4iM1jES_DiOH74vlnzJWdUpPwLeIi2iOcpLmdgsYhwG2/s1600/man-78447_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMPl_8Yd-Uwcrkrs_zwgIaZpvF-i2kkQmHDJuCmb9eHc7OOaUu1sUTTFH-Fyi9bJvKb5xcebxC809p-Rxcd0nmk-PzJbWk8Pg4iM1jES_DiOH74vlnzJWdUpPwLeIi2iOcpLmdgsYhwG2/s1600/man-78447_640.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you listen to venture capitalists, investors and
budding investment hopefuls they use the term Lifestyle Business as though it
was a 17<sup>th</sup> century plague to be avoided at all costs. </div>
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Well – maybe it is, (from the investor’s point of view) but
that discussion feels like bell-bottom pants and a tie-dye shirt at a Republican
Convention: Out of place and dated.</div>
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People run businesses for all kinds of reasons these days.
In my experience most are motivated to do something that matters and to do it
in a way that creates value for employees, customers and investors. It is not a
lifestyle business just because you don’t put investors first! Some of the
greatest success stories of the last decade prove this point.</div>
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With the start of our business, <i>Innotrieve</i>, the first thing we
did was develop a simple statement about why we were starting a business. Here
is what we said we wanted to accomplish: </div>
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<ol>
<li>Put our technology to work in an area that is interesting
and solves an important problem</li>
<li>Respect and support the freedom for individual employees to
work the way they work best</li>
<li>Build products that allow us to work
in areas we are interested in</li>
<li>Do interesting work that can have an impact on the way
people work</li>
<li>Leverage artificial intelligence to make work more more interesting, and more empowering</li>
<li>Extend our ideas and intellectual property through valuable
products</li>
<li>Build
something a lot of people can gain value from</li>
<li>Be an important member of “The next Industrial Revolution:”
The digital/data revolution</li>
</ol>
I don’t know if these principles make us a lifestyle
business in the eyes of some investors, but I do know that my partner and I are
motivated by a range of interests, and that won’t change. To build a better
business, you build something that matters to you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-1665819136588793732013-06-19T07:02:00.002-07:002013-06-19T07:02:05.279-07:00Launching a New HR Product: 7 Items to Consider<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFip62nrFT33NvIxFsBtil3ell0jxlJ4jMLe3K77Gu9Bzg8b-PcZaz7-YphKx5bI9CDvEB0zBt3AC3BH267ZNR1msEWK_wLF5x-cRhfhN4yEMSCoPzONtXqUogKnvlBiLtStOigdT45OMZ/s1600/head-113927_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFip62nrFT33NvIxFsBtil3ell0jxlJ4jMLe3K77Gu9Bzg8b-PcZaz7-YphKx5bI9CDvEB0zBt3AC3BH267ZNR1msEWK_wLF5x-cRhfhN4yEMSCoPzONtXqUogKnvlBiLtStOigdT45OMZ/s1600/head-113927_640.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
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I sometimes think there are as many new products being
developed for the HR market place as there are number of HR people in the
world. Let me guess…. that would be about 243 Million. </div>
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Some days it feels like that. </div>
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So how do you make sure your product stands out in this crowded world of new HR products? Here are 7 items on my checklist that don’t
get enough attention:</div>
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<ol>
<li><b>Your Tech is Cool, But Nobody Cares</b>: Don’t get so enamored with
the cool new technology you are using that you fool yourself into thinking that’s
all it takes to succeed.</li>
<li><b>Messaging is Harder than You've Planned For</b>: In a busy,
noisy world, people don’t have time to listen to a long winded story about your
product. You think you need an elevator speech? Think again, you need a Tweet!</li>
<li><b>Fresh Air In a Stale Environment</b>: Fads grow stale quickly.
HR Trends can be like last year’s Boy Band. You have to be fundamentally sound,
and compellingly relevant.</li>
<li><b>End Results Marketing</b>: Most people set the end result of good
marketing at the wrong finish line. It is not the sale that you aim for; it’s
the success of the solution. With a new recruiting solution, for example, success
is a new hire. Sounds simple, but very few companies actually (sincerely) think
that way.</li>
<li><b>Don’t Underestimate the Cost of Getting Service Right</b>: HR is
a people business and people want help from other people. Don’t assume that an
automated FAQ and 3 guys offshore are going to cut it.</li>
<li><b>The Learning Never Stops</b>: Your product has several problems, you just don’t know it yet. Make sure you set up your new product launch as a
learning experience.</li>
<li><b>Impact on Culture</b>: All HR products impact people. Really
revolutionary products impact them in a big way. You can’t just have the best
idea if that idea doesn't fit the culture. You are doomed if you don’t take the
time to address culture as part of the product process.</li>
</ol>
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The next decade is going to see an explosion of new products
in HR. For you to have an idea with lasting value, you might want to consider
these 7 suggestions for making sure your HR product succeeds.</div>
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Let me know if you have other ideas to add to the list.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4834318146881387872.post-88874327316850629122013-06-12T15:04:00.001-07:002013-06-12T15:04:04.700-07:004 Reason’s You Don’t Mess With Kahleesi’s (HR) Dragons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPJ4PaPdjmFE7e_zN_nREAPKIndgNRylP6s7v7XriATawCp9JkJvw5boBVeh3cjWjJq6C4W6Jf-w8eyNMgah_CzOUQT4bwuT__ZGmnLJofD6wWa7wJ4LSvBvOsdoGKEN7c1OW6Z6M9oKj/s1600/Khaleesi-1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPJ4PaPdjmFE7e_zN_nREAPKIndgNRylP6s7v7XriATawCp9JkJvw5boBVeh3cjWjJq6C4W6Jf-w8eyNMgah_CzOUQT4bwuT__ZGmnLJofD6wWa7wJ4LSvBvOsdoGKEN7c1OW6Z6M9oKj/s1600/Khaleesi-1024x768.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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You could say that great HR succeeds
with vision and an overriding conviction to mission, mixed with a level of legitimacy
backed up by the ability to inflict pain when necessary! </div>
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Kahleesi would have been a great
VP of HR!</div>
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OK – you’ll have to forgive me
here on this one. I am a die-hard Game of Thrones fan. Kahleesi is the
character who is sometimes known as the “Dragon Queen” (I seem to remember an
HR Director we nicknamed something like that) and she is growing her army and
her influence through power, legitimacy and an overarching philosophy that people
should not be slaves. But if you mess with Kahleesi, the wrath of the Dragons
comes upon you. </div>
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Just think how much easier your
job would be if you had a few dragons to reinforce your rule now and again!</div>
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I like this idea. And here are 4
(only somewhat) tongue-in-check reasons why:</div>
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<ol>
<li><b>HR has the moral high ground</b>:
Think about it, while everyone in the company should be focused on making money
(or in Kahleesi’s case, overthrowing all the other kingdoms) HR seems to be the
only one that really understands that people – more than any other single
resource – are the key to this. Kahleesi would agree. Free the oppressed and
they will be loyal to you forever!</li>
<li><b>HR could use a little magic</b>: Most
people in HR recognize the fact that they are generally being asked to achieve
the impossible. They might commiserate
with each other about this, but they don’t let it faze them. If need be, HR
will walk through fire to show you they are endowed with certain magical
powers. Be awed mere mortals!</li>
<li><b>HR could do so much better if
they had some real power</b>: You have to get 95% participation in the employee
satisfaction survey by the end of the month (and it’s December). Does anybody
ever really open up those emails from HR? Ah….but if you had a few dragons to
enforce your commands!</li>
<li><b>HR has legitimacy</b> <b>– but is anyone
acknowledging it</b>: Poor Kahleesi (or did I mean HR manager), she knows she
should be Queen of the 7 Kingdoms, and most people know she has a legitimate
claim, but by gosh, if she is going to get anyone to pay attention, she is
going to have to kick a few butts!</li>
</ol>
So march on HR leaders….one day
you will conquer the world.<br />
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In the meantime, I am hoping my new
company is building you a dragon! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00202056200255227744noreply@blogger.com0