HR Star: Paul Smith

I first heard of Paul Smith from Steve Boese‘s HR Happy Hour. It was a funny moment (at least for the listeners) but it got me wanting to know more about him. So where does a guy from Portland and a guy from Philadelphia meet? Washington DC of course!

We both attended the #connectHR event in DC (a place where I met a lot of interesting people for the first time). He introduced himself to me and I recognized him from the HR Happy Hour appearance. In any case, I got to connect with him two other times over the course of the year and I’m glad I got the opportunity to profile him.

Getting a Start: From Ops to HR

Like many people we’ve talked to in this series, Smith didn’t start out in HR. In fact, it all got started in a project he was asked to do. “It involved interviewing for a brand new position,” he said. “From there I became involved in all of the selection processes.”

After awhile, it became clear that he was the primary guy for HR issues and he should bone up on employment law and become a legitimate HR professional. Even in his operations job where HR was only a third of the role, he grew to enjoy that part about it. When the role ended, he decided he wanted to pursue a full-time HR position and has done so since.

I asked him what pushed him to make the choice and what keeps him going? “HR appeals to my altruist side,” he said. “I am not idealistic that poor behavior can be eradicated from the workplace. However, I believe that HR has a responsibility to curtail it as much as possible.” To me at least, Smith is an activist and fair employment is his cause. Getting him going on the subject is as risky as getting him talking about his music collection (which is plenty).

Next Generation Diversity

Smith also told me about some of the cool things he is working on and what stands out to me is his commitment to diversity issues. For one, he has joined the SHRM Diversity and Inclusion Task Force that is seeking to set industry standards for the HR profession with the issue. Another cool thing that I still have to wait a little bit to talk about is an unconference on D&I with Joe Gerstandt based in, get this, Omaha, NE.

Look, if you’re like I was initially (and being honest with yourself), you’re probably thinking, “Omaha? Nebraska? Is that really a great place to talk about diversity?” And of course, I get checked on that as well. Says Smith, “Omaha is a great place to have it because it shows that diversity and inclusion needs to happen everywhere.”

Smith and Gerstandt are part of this sort of next generation thinking on diversity. The next step really is about inclusion. It is about turning understanding and acceptance into meaningful action. That’s what’s important. The message is real, raw and unapologetic. It makes me optimistic about the possibility of getting beyond token gestures, “color blind” falsities and true workplace fairness.

Oh yeah, he’s social too

Smith’s inadvertent starring on the HR Happy Hour got me to subscribe to his blog Welcome to the Occupation which, besides a great name, has really fantastic posts. For example, I liked the perspective of his post about getting the last row on the airplane (which is fine I suppose unless you fly in American Airlines coach and you’re a guy my size). I’ve always been a “close to the front, aisle seat” guy myself but I do like flying towards the back of the plane when I’m on vacation with my wife. It forces me to relax and be patient.

You can also catch him on Twitter as well at @pasmuz. It’ll take you awhile to remember that’s his handle and he doesn’t mind that but just don’t call him “The Other Paul” like Steve Boese did.

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