Layoffs as a Strategy: The Message You Send When They’re Done RIGHT

When the phone rang the other day, I recognized the number right away.

It was from a friend of mine; we both have kids around the same age. My wife and his wife are good friends. Therefore this is a call that I always return.

When we finally chatted he said that he needed a favor. He wanted me to have a talk with his daughter.

His daughter, a recent college grad (class of 2010), had just started her new job about three months ago, working for a major brand. Although she had some doubts about this organization from the first day (she arrived and they were not expecting her to start that day), she had given them benefit of the doubt.

One day last week, she got to work and noticed a tenseness in the office atmosphere. Asking around, she eventually realized that they were possibly laying off people.

“What Can HR Learn From… ?” Here’s What You’ll Get When You See That

As I prepare for my day, I tag articles that I will methodically printout, link on Delicious, or just read online.

I do a quick scan of all “my relevant blogs” to get a since of what is being talked about. This has become a time-consuming habit, but it’s a habit I enjoy.

However, there is one common theme that had me scratching my head, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized there is a proliferation of these type of articles. Come to think about it I have written a few.

The common theme is this: “What can HR learn from … ?” Google it and you will get more than 622,000,000 responses.

The HR Learning Model


The learning model is vast and varied: What can HR learn from?

• American Idol;
• The White House gate crashers;
• Undercover Boss;
• Jet Blue;
• FedEx.

The Power of the Narrative: How Storytelling Can Make a Business Case

When my kids were small, one of our greatest activities was after their baths we would all head to their room for story time.


Our Saturday routine was to spend time at Barnes & Noble choosing books for the week.

They would decide which books they wanted read to them; the new ones, or, the same old ones, over and over. I was always amazed how mesmerized they would become with these stories.

It was as if they were in a hypnotic state. They would be so engrossed in the plots that they would literally lull them to sleep.

Story telling has played a role in all of our lives as we grew up. An effective story engages and creates an atmosphere of successful communication between our loved ones, but more of that should also take place at work — not only in our offices, but in our conference rooms as well.

Will Your Recruitment Process be Able to Identify the Heart of a Champion?

There was no way to measure his heart his heart,” his father said.

That quote was from the father of New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady — the quarterback who will probably go down in NFL history as one of the very best.

A week ago I was intrigued with a documentary on ESPN titled The Brady 6. I somewhat knew that this story would touch on Brady being drafted at Number 199 in the 2000 pro football draft, and in the 6th round no less. He was completely overlooked by all the teams. Nobody wanted him.

Assessment as part of the HR toolkit

Why? Because based on all the assessments that were done, the consensus was that Brady would not be good enough to make it.

The NFL recruiting process is an amalgam of assessments. They track players closely, sometimes from high school. The glare heats up as players follow their college career. When, and if, they declare to turn pro, they are invited to what is called the NFL combine. More than 300 top prospects normally attend this three-day mini-camp. The question is, do NFL teams choose strength or brains?