Homegrown Tomatoes

See that homegrown tomato in that picture? It’s a 2 lb. heirloom tomato from an 1880s variety called “Goliath.” It’s the first one off my vine this year. I spent over 75 days cultivating that tomato, from the time it was just a twinkle in the eye of a 3-inch-tall plant…until now. I watered and nurtured and worried about that tomato. And the payoff was exquisite.

Which made me think about the instant and continuous gratification era we live in and have to deal with in human resources. (One of my favorite prayers: Lord, give me patience, but give it to me now.) What’s with the rush? Why can’t we slow down a little bit and cultivate a few ideas?

Here’s an idea: Stand back, take a deep breath, and ask yourself if you’re moving too fast to really get a handle on what’s happening. It takes courage and conviction to plant a few ideas and see them through. I think that’s what real HR leaders do — they stick to it and don’t go for the gimmick.

Have you ever tasted a vine-ripened tomato and compared it to a tomato that you bought in the grocery store? Ever examined the color? Looked at the texture? Thought about how that home-grown tomato is something you grew, and not some hybrid that came from some “best practice” factory farm? Sure, do things quickly when you need to, but sometimes cultivating your own ideas are the best of all.

Sacrificing Sacred Cows in HR

That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false.
–Paul Valery

Just a thought: What are you doing to sacrifice an HR sacred cow today? Just one little thing? Here’s a start:

  • Why do you do performance reviews?
  • Do you really need a vacation policy?
  • How’s using email to “communicate” working out?
  • Think a training class can infuse culture into your company?
  • Do you ever listen to yourself when you say “employee engagement”?

A Matter of Perspective in HR

See that house in the picture? It was built in Ridley Creek State Park, just outside Philadelphia, in 1736. Two hundred and fifty-two years ago that house was the best and brightest house around. It functioned as a mill and a home to the family who built it. Which made me think about our view of time in HR.

A few questions:

  1. When did long-term (as in “incentives”) become 3 years?
  2. How many performance management “systems” has your company had in the last 10 years?
  3. What happened to “Built to Last”?

What HR program or system are you working on right now that will stand the test of time?

Hell, it’s easy to get a bunch of consultants who help you implement the program du jour. It’s easy to copy what other companies are doing. It’s easy to do a bunch of training instead of implementing systems.

What’s tough — and what will last — is thinking up big ideas, having the guts to stick with them when you know you’re right, and thinking about time in increments bigger than year-to-year.

How about that? Will people be looking at your HR house in 250 years?

Lost in Translation

Chinese Restaurant Called \"Translate Server Error\"

This is a cautionary tale.

You know why survey after survey reveals that three-quarters of employees think they don’t get enough communication? It’s because what they get too often is a variation on “Translate Server Error.”

Somebody with the best of intentions tries to take material and translate it into “language that employees will understand.” Unfortunately, some of those people wouldn’t know good communication if it snuck up and bit them on the hiney.

Here’s a communication hint: If you’re not fluent in Simplicity, ask the native speakers. Don’t try to translate what you don’t know.

[Hat tip to Vince Ferrari]

“Because That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It” Is Bunk

Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.
–Laurence J. Peter

Too much of HR is about holding the line. Not upsetting the apple cart. Saying, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Bunk. Pure bunk.

Our job in HR isn’t to defend the way things always were. Our job is to question why things are the way they are, then keep what works and dump what doesn’t. HR Bureaucrats say, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” HR leaders say, “I don’t care if that’s how we’ve done it. Let’s do what we know is right and what works.” HR Bureaucrats spend their time whining about not having a place at the table. HR Leaders build their own table, and others want an invitation to sit at it.

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