My buddy Chris Ferdinandi and I chat throughout the day about what’s going in HR, social media and the world. Now I don’t know about anybody else but I work from home. So I’ve got a crew of co-workers, colleagues and friends that I keep in touch with throughout the week. Chris is on that list for sure.
We always talk about ways to simplify processes, explanations and solutions. The fight for simplicity is difficult though because you’re not only fighting against people who have skin in making things more complicated, you’re also fighting against your own natural tendency to make things more difficult than they deserve.
So I’ll tell someone that being great in HR is really simple. If you have great talent, get out of their way. If you don’t, fix it or get out.
And then someone will ask me how do they get out of their no-win scenario using these principles. Like it’s a game of stump me or something. Look, if you have a situation that is going to suck no matter what, pick a side and move on.
And people will ask me how to start a blog. So I’ll tell them pick a platform, write and connect with people who write about the same things as you.
Then someone will ask me about SEO and specific platforms and comment systems and how to set strategy?
Someone will ask me the best way to do a resume. I’ll tell them to compel the company to hire you by aligning your traits and skills with their need.
But then they will ask me about cover letters or typos. How many jobs or pages should it be?
Or someone asks me how to use Twitter. So I’ll tell them to start an account, start tweeting and following other people who you think are interesting.
Questions are asked about timing, how often, how much, retweets and…
Step back for a second.
Figure out what works for you and do it. If that doesn’t work, try something else. Or don’t.
There’s no set of “best practices” for your life. Stop over-complicating things and just live a bit.
July 1, 2010 at 3:15 pm
God may be in the details, but it’s easy to hide there.
July 1, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Regarding the first part of your conversation – But isn’t it easier to say that things are simpler when you work physically by yourself and in a virtual office versus those people that work in offices with a number or people. The dynamics are different yet in some parts the same.
July 1, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Actually, that’s what I like about talking to Chris. He works in an office as do some of the other people I chat with.
July 1, 2010 at 7:52 pm
I”m not so sure you’re talking about simplification, but more hard work and execution. And stop asking dumb questions because this stuff is easy to figure out, right? Ha. But I also know people learn differently, and whereas I like to attack things and learn it all myself, other people need to ask people how to do it instead of reading three posts on the topic and then trying it out. So maybe a recognition that we don’t all have the same work styles.
July 1, 2010 at 11:17 pm
That’s fair.
Maybe my only thought about that explanation is that a lack of curiosity and inability to deal with uncertainty or failure hurts us. Not just in our careers but in life.
I know learning styles vary though so maybe that’s more a part of it than I originally thought.
July 2, 2010 at 4:19 am
Pick a side. Move on.
Perfectly said.
July 2, 2010 at 7:08 am
“Pick a side. Move on.” Good advice for us wafflers.
What I have learned: Sometimes forethought prevents the problem, sometimes it just puts us on the ready to learn from the bad thing. Planning still has value and likely reduces the number of “bad things”. Bad things still happen. Learning from the bad things makes us better at the planning.
“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.” ~ Rene Descartes
“Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” ~ Eleanor Hibbert
“We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.” ~ Malcolm Gladwell
July 28, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Well said — great points regarding simplification. As someone who is often guilty of “over-thinking” things (at least in my own life, “paralysis by analysis” is the case more than I’d like to admit), I do believe we often “miss the forest for the trees”. I think this is true in HR and in organizations in general.
Example: I write a lot of HR policies, including most recently a social media policy. In doing so, I’ve tried to encourage our clients to think about the principles that are at stake and not get lost in the “media.” It isn’t about Twitter or MySpace or Facebook, etc. It’s about how employees are expected to interact with one another, with customers, with the public, etc. — i.e., with grace, dignity, respect, etc.
If we can step back and simplify most things as you suggest, surely we’d put our heads on the pillow and rest more easily at night.
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